He rolled down his window to test the air. It had to be in the mid-sixties—a nice day for somewhere notorious for being cold. He figured he’d check into the motel using an old ID, from one of his earlier identities. Then he’d grab a bite to eat. He needed to familiarize himself with the area, figure out the best places to hide, should he ever need to hide, and where every road led, even the nondescript dirt ones. From looking at a map, he was pretty sure if something went wrong he’d have to get back to Anchorage in order to have half a chance of disappearing again, but having only one escape route wouldn’t give him many options. He’d be wise to do some investigating and open up other possibilities—at least find a few places where he could hide until he could use that main road.
Some of the people he passed on the street watched him drive by. Obviously, they noticed when there was a stranger in their midst. But he wasn’t worried. It was hunting season, so he doubted his was the only unfamiliar face. And, thanks to Hanover House, he had the perfect cover.
He wondered if it might be possible to hold Evelyn hostage at her own house, if she had one...
Why not? he asked himself. Who would stop him in this two-bit town? He doubted there was any law enforcement to speak of. Even if there was, he couldn’t imagine the force would be very well trained, not way the hell out here. If he could outsmart the best cops in the lower forty-eight, he doubted Hilltop would have anything he’d need to be afraid of.
He imagined sitting on Evelyn’s couch, waiting for her to come home late one night, and chuckled.
Wouldn’t that be the best?
***
Amarok thought Evelyn might call him to report on whether she’d managed to hire any security at Hanover House. But he didn’t hear from her. So he went over to The Moosehead. He was hoping she’d show up, even though he knew it was highly unlikely. She wouldn’t go to a bar on her own; she’d told him as much. After last night, she’d probably be even more cautious about that than she’d been before. He just didn’t have any excuse to drive over to her side of town, which was what he wanted to do, and thought the bar might offer a distraction.
He proved himself right—that she wasn’t at The Moosehead. Then he hung out for a while, drank a beer and listened to the music.
“Hey, where’s your pretty doc tonight?” Shorty asked when he came to collect Amorak’s empty glass. Shorty’s sister, who was visiting for the summer, had poured his beer, but she was in the back, probably doing dishes.
“My pretty doc?” Amarok said.
“I heard you two were making out in the corner last night.” Shorty leaned over the bar, which wasn’t easy for such a small man, and pushed Amarok’s collar back by a few inches. “Yep. There’s proof.”
Amarok fixed his shirt before anyone else could take notice. “You can’t make anything out of a little monkey bite. She was drunk, didn’t know what she was doing.”
“And yet she remained selective.”
“Meaning...”
“She chose you, didn’t she? It’s not as if she tried to suck on Ken’s neck, although he was dying for it.”
So he and Evelyn had a physical attraction. That didn’t mean it’d go anywhere. Matter of fact, she’d pretty much told him it couldn’t. “She might’ve given Ken a hickey if he’d been dancing with her at that particular moment.”
Shorty lowered his voice. “You’re saying there’s nothing going on between the two of you.”
“That’s what I’m saying,” Amarok said.
The bartender’s grin widened. “Ralph Hazard told me earlier that he saw your truck out at the doc’s place this morning.”
Amarok stiffened. He knew he lived in a small community, and that he stood out because of his job, but this was getting ridiculous. “Doesn’t anyone mind their own business anymore?” he asked. “What was Ralph doing way the hell out there?”
“Picking up a couch for sale next door.”
Amarok didn’t question that; he’d known Ralph his whole life. But what were the chances he’d have reason to be in the area? Evelyn had built on the far side of town, where there were only a handful of people, and very few houses. “She got sick on the ride home,” he explained. “I only stayed over to make sure she was going to be okay.”
“Of course,” Shorty said. “You were just doing your civic duty.”
Amarok leaned closer. “Stop with the sarcastic bullshit.”
“What sarcastic bullshit? We’ve all been wondering when you’d meet a woman capable of catching your eye.” His grin slanted to one side. “Or, failing anything more serious, putting the rest of you to good use. I know many have tried and failed. Watched it all play out here at the bar. At least now we know it takes a beautiful, whip-smart older woman to get our diligent state trooper excited.”
Amarok came to his feet. “For Christ’s sake, she’s not that much older than me!”
Shorty hooted with laughter. “I thought that might get a rise out of you. You’ve got it bad.” He lifted a warning finger. “But I can’t imagine she’s going to like it if she ever learns that you’re not too keen on her baby.”
“Her baby?”
“Hanover House.”
“She knows. I haven’t kept my feelings on that a secret.”