“So caring!” Kimball said.
“Yes, well, I am really exhausted,” Clara said.
“Of course, of course. The same room is yours,” Kimball said.
“I’ll walk you there,” Thor said, smiling as he set an arm on her shoulder and turned her around to head down the hallway.
As they left, Jackson made a point of engaging Marc Kimball in conversation regarding a print on the wall.
They stopped in front of Clara’s door.
“Get some sleep,” he told her softly.
She looked at him and nodded.
There had been that moment on the Coast Guard boat when he had touched her...
She didn’t want him to leave, she realized. She wanted to draw him into the room. What happened after that...
Sparks!
“Yes,” she murmured.
“And don’t worry—one of us will be here,” he said.
“Just whistle,” she murmured.
“Whistle, yell—scream blue blazes,” Thor said, and smiled.
She thought that he would touch her again; she wanted him to touch her.
But, of course, they were standing in a hallway. The others were just down the hall, in the living room with its great hearth, animal heads, and warm and cozy decor.
“Just whistle,” he said softly. The hall was shadowed, but she thought that there was a glint of amusement in his eyes.
“I love old movies,” she said. “To Have and Have Not,” she said. “Lauren Bacall—great lines in that movie, and terrific performances.”
“Ah,” he said softly.
On impulse, she stood slightly on her toes and pressed her lips quickly to his, then backed away, flushing. “Thank you,” she said. “Thank you for making me feel useful—and safe.”
He grinned. “You kissed me.”
“I did. I’m sorry. I know you’re working and—”
“No, no, I was just thinking about To Have and Have Not, and a few of the other lines,” he said.
“Oh?”
He leaned closer to her and whispered near her lips, “It’s going to be better when I help.”
He opened her door; she went into her room, closing it behind her, leaning against it.
Sparks.
Oh, yes, good God, they were definitely there.
There was a knock on her door. She was startled by the way her muscles quickened—by the way her heart seemed to leap into her throat.
He’d come back. And her heart was thumping too quickly.
She threw open the door.
It wasn’t Thor Erikson.
It was the ghost of Amelia Carson.
11
Thor and Jackson met with Mike in the office.
Mike listened to everything that had happened back in Seward and environs; he told them that he’d spent his time watching over the house—though there were still four police officers assigned to that duty—and searching the woods.
Thus far, he hadn’t found anything else; a forensic team had spent hours combing the area where they had found the blood spill, but as yet, no one had found the weapon or tool used to cut Amelia Carson into two halves.
“I was thinking of heading down to the cliffs next,” Mike said.
“Tomorrow,” Thor agreed.
“So, this guy really broke out of prison in Kansas and came here,” Mike said.
“I just don’t believe I’m wrong,” Thor said.
“So, we are looking for two killers.”
“That’s what we believe,” Jackson said.
Mike nodded. “Makes sense. Well, the most sense.” He stood up and said, “You’re here—I’m going to get some real sleep. But I don’t need to leave the island. Not if Enfield and Brennan are working everything in Seward. I can stay here, Thor. No offense to Jackson, but you and I know this place, and I can help search. Better than you going it alone.”
“That’s what we hoped,” Thor said.
Mike nodded. “Thing is, though, where are these killers now? Here, or on the mainland. Or, are they still split up?” He hesitated. “There have been cops or teams around the Mansion and the Alaska Hut since you’ve been gone. It’s cold at night here. If someone has been hanging around, where the hell can they be without freezing their buns off?”
“That’s the question,” Jackson said quietly.
“Unless of course,” Mike said, “one of the killers happens to be someone who is in this house.”
Thor nodded at that. “Kimball is pretty slimy.”
“Bears watching,” Mike said.
“The two of you can feel free to search,” Jackson assured him. “You don’t need to worry. I’ll be watching him. And Clara, of course. Actually, the two go together, since Clara may need watching because of him.”
“Fine. I’m going to get some sleep,” Mike said. “Thor, we’ll start about eight in the morning?”
“Eight it is,” Thor told him.
“I’ll read a book in the living room for now,” Jackson said.
“All right. I know the cops are on, but I’m going to take a walk around the place and maybe check on Clara,” Thor said.