He was sitting behind his desk, frowning at his phone, when he heard the door and glanced up.
“Hey.” She offered him her sweetest smile. She’d spent all of last night going from one strip club to the next on Spenard Road, looking for Jasper but without any luck. Although she’d met plenty of weird guys, none of them were particularly frightening. None of them seemed to know—or care—who Evelyn was, either. She could go back tonight—she had tomorrow off because she didn’t open the store on Sundays—but she was exhausted and losing hope that trying to find him in that way was really going to work out.
She needed to think of something else.…
“Hey.” He seemed distracted, upset. Makita barked and trotted over to lick her hand and she knelt to pet him, but, other than the dog, they were alone. She’d driven past before stopping by, just to make sure Phil, or anyone else, wasn’t around.
“Did you find any trace of that guy who was lurking in the alley behind my store?” she asked.
Amarok pinched the bridge of his nose, then lowered his hand. He looked grim, tired. She wished she could circle his desk and massage those big shoulders. He had to be feeling the strain of his job. She doubted he’d ever expected this type of pressure when he became a trooper—not here in Hilltop. He had Evelyn to thank for what he was going through, what the entire area was going through. Samantha was tempted to leave her another note, one more hateful than the last. Maybe she’d finally get the point and get the hell out of town, save Samantha the trouble of trying to come up with another way to get rid of her.
“I’m afraid not,” he said.
Makita trailed behind her as she approached his desk. “I’m scared to open up my shop in the mornings—or close up at night. Do you think it’s safe?”
“It might not be. You need to be wary at all times. Definitely keep your gun on you.”
That was it? Keep her gun on her? She was fairly certain he wasn’t treating Evelyn’s safety so cavalierly. But then … Evelyn couldn’t even shoot a gun, which just went to prove she wasn’t meant to be living in Alaska. “How long do you think this will go on?”
“Investigations take time. I’m working as hard and as fast as I can.”
“I can tell. You look exhausted. I feel so bad for what you’re going through.”
He raked his fingers through his thick, dark hair. “I’ll be fine, but thanks for your concern.”
When she didn’t leave, he said, “Is there something else?”
She drew a deep breath. “We’re a small community, Amarok. We shouldn’t have that kind of crime here. We never had it before.”
He raised his eyebrows. “And your point is?”
She knew she was going too far but couldn’t help herself. “Why are you supporting an institution you know isn’t good for the area just because you’re in love with the psychiatrist who runs it? How is that fair to the rest of us, who rely on you to look out for the safety of the community?”
A muscle moved in his cheek. “I was one of the few who spoke out against Hanover House.”
“Before it came here!”
“Now it’s too late!”
“It’s not too late. Sandy is dead because of Hanover House! We have two other people murdered. How long will it be before it’s another friend? Someone we grew up with?”
He slammed one of the drawers in his desk, which had been hanging open by a few inches. “Sandy is dead because of a psychopath. Not because of Evelyn.”
“She brought that psychopath here, and she’s bringing others!”
“The research she’s doing is important. Someone has to do it somewhere,” he said, but he wasn’t shouting anymore. She could tell he was feeling beleaguered and disillusioned. The murders, the lack of sleep, and maybe something more personal—trouble between him and Evelyn?—was getting to him.
Samantha lowered her voice beseechingly. “Amarok, listen to me. I know you care for her, but she doesn’t belong here. She’s not one of us. She doesn’t love this place like we do. The only thing that matters to her is what she can achieve with her work. She’s using you—”
“Stop it,” he interrupted with a scowl. “She’s not using me.”
“Fine, but she’s never going to marry you. She’s going to leave here, leave you, eventually. You realize that, don’t you?”
He looked absolutely miserable when he met her gaze. “Yeah, I realize that.”
Samantha felt the first surge of hope she’d experienced in a long time when it came to Amarok. He and Evelyn were coming to an end. She could see it in his eyes. “Don’t worry,” she told him. “Losing her won’t be the end of the world.”
She’d make sure of it, be there to step in when he needed her most.
“Sam—”
She lifted a hand. “I know you’re busy. I’m going,” she said, and hurried home to get ready. She wouldn’t go back to Anchorage tonight. She’d go to the Moosehead instead. If Amarok ever left his trooper post, he would probably go there. He made it a point to police the bar, especially on weekends.
25
Spending more time with Andy Smith didn’t improve Evelyn’s opinion of him. He seemed so vain. Every story he told featured him as the daring protagonist—and he told story after story. One in which he woke up with his house on fire but managed to pull his ex-wife and her two daughters to safety. “If I hadn’t gotten up to go to the bathroom when I did, they would’ve died of smoke inhalation. That’s how bad it was,” he said. Some paint rags in the garage had spontaneously combusted, and the fire department didn’t arrive in time to save much. He lost all the photographs and mementos of his past. Evelyn had bought into that story, thought it was tragic and felt terrible for him, but as he continued to talk she began to wonder if everything he said could be true. For instance, he also claimed to have spotted a terrorist on a plane and held the guy in the bathroom for the duration of the flight. And that he’d run into Mariah Carey when he was in New York City and she somehow got separated from her security detail, so he threw his coat and his arm around her to protect her from the pressing throng until he could get her safely to her limo.
Although Evelyn was silently shaking her head, Brianne didn’t seem to doubt him. She appeared to be enjoying herself, and that was all that mattered. Evelyn just wanted her sister to be happy. She also wanted Amarok to come home. She couldn’t help glancing at the door every so often, hoping he’d walk in. She missed him so much, and she hadn’t even left Hilltop yet. He’d spoiled her for all other men. As far as she was concerned, no one else could compare. No one else had his well-balanced ego, his sense of fair play, his ability to listen instead of dominating every conversation, his quiet strength.
What he could do in the bedroom was even better.…
Warmth traveled through her as she thought of his hands on her body. It seemed like forever since they’d made love. How was she going to survive a whole year in Boston without him?
She wasn’t looking forward to that, just as she wasn’t looking forward to moving out of his house.
“So what’d you do next?” Brianne asked Andy.
“I swam out over the reef and dragged him to shore, of course,” Andy replied. “I couldn’t leave him out there. He would’ve been shark bait.”
Evelyn realized she’d missed a large chunk of the conversation. Andy was now in the middle of relating some ocean experience he claimed to have had. But it was hard not to let her mind wander. She had little interest in Andy or his farfetched stories. And she was getting tired.
Fortunately, the night was almost over. They’d finished eating the delicious salmon and vegetables Brianne had cooked and were sitting around the table. Evelyn had a glass of wine and so did Andy. Brianne had water, but that didn’t seem to bother her any more than some of the outlandish things Andy said.
“You could’ve been killed!” Brianne told him.