nowhere to be seen. Who are you? he’d asked. The words had contained as much force as a physical punch.
She pulled her jacket more tightly around her, kept going and circled back at the end of the block to pass a mixture of trailers, houses and bare land. Then she took another street that led to the main drag and came out a block beyond the inn.
She glanced up and down the street, and when she didn’t see a tall man in a leather jacket and a black Stetson, she rushed as best she could over the frozen snow toward the porch. In the few seconds it took her to get to the inn’s door, she realized something had changed. She took in the empty space where her car had been parked.
Dent had come faster than she’d hoped, and she felt a degree of excitement, until she remembered she hadn’t only locked her keys in the car. There was also her purse, her computer, her travel bag and everything in the glove compartment, too. She stood very still and fought the urge to scream at the top of her lungs.
* * *
A DAM REMAINED AT the coffee shop for a long time, staring at Faith’s barely touched pastry and mug of coffee. Faith. He stood slowly, tugged on his Stetson. “So that’s that,” he breathed to himself as he did up his jacket and headed for the door.
The street was almost deserted in that quiet time between breakfast and lunch. Only a few people were on foot, and not one of them was Faith. Then he saw a police cruiser pull in next to his truck near Jack’s office. John got out, his sunglasses firmly in place as he scanned the street, then spotted Adam and waved to him.
Adam jogged over to him as he leaned back against the cruiser, arms crossed on his chest. “Heard you were out and about. I thought your folks would have you tied up with the party preparations.”
Adam grinned at the absurdity of John’s supposition. The party was, and always would be, entirely his mother’s. His father tolerated it, and the boys, who had loved it as kids, only showed up sporadically as adults. But for the first time in a long time, he was almost looking forward to it. “Mom’s practically living in the main barn overseeing the staging.”
“She loves it,” John pointed out. “And my kids are chomping at the bit to get there.”
“Where are you heading now?” Adam asked.
“I was looking for you. Your dad said you’d gone to town first thing. Thought I’d find you around here.” He inclined his head in the direction of Jack’s office.
Adam had come in early for breakfast with an old friend who ran a diner on the far end of town, then he intended to stop by to see Jack and make amends for his words the night before. But between the breakfast and finding Jack, he’d found Faith. “Why were you looking for me?”
“I have something to discuss with you. Didn’t want to do it over the phone.” His eyes narrowed as he spoke. “Nothing life-and-death, but important.”
“What?” Adam asked, curious.
John motioned to the cruiser. “Get in and we’ll drive while we talk. An extra patrol car on the streets is a good thing around the holidays.”
When John steered the cruiser out onto the street in the direction of the road to the res, Adam finally asked, “What’s going on?”
John didn’t beat around the bush. “Jack. He called me first thing this morning to let me know he was on his way to the airport because he’s leaving for a week or so.”
Adam turned and stared at his friend. “What? I was talking to him last night and he didn’t mention a thing about going anywhere. In fact, he was saying he had a lot of work coming up and he’d be tied up until after Christmas.”
“Well, he got untied,” John said in his usual blunt manner.
“Where’s he going?”
“Northwest, up to Washington State.”
Suddenly, everything made sense to Adam. “He’s going to see Robyn’s brother?” Robyn had been a twin and she’d been very close to her brother, Robert, even after he’d relocated to the Seattle
She pulled her jacket more tightly around her, kept going and circled back at the end of the block to pass a mixture of trailers, houses and bare land. Then she took another street that led to the main drag and came out a block beyond the inn.
She glanced up and down the street, and when she didn’t see a tall man in a leather jacket and a black Stetson, she rushed as best she could over the frozen snow toward the porch. In the few seconds it took her to get to the inn’s door, she realized something had changed. She took in the empty space where her car had been parked.
Dent had come faster than she’d hoped, and she felt a degree of excitement, until she remembered she hadn’t only locked her keys in the car. There was also her purse, her computer, her travel bag and everything in the glove compartment, too. She stood very still and fought the urge to scream at the top of her lungs.
* * *
A DAM REMAINED AT the coffee shop for a long time, staring at Faith’s barely touched pastry and mug of coffee. Faith. He stood slowly, tugged on his Stetson. “So that’s that,” he breathed to himself as he did up his jacket and headed for the door.
The street was almost deserted in that quiet time between breakfast and lunch. Only a few people were on foot, and not one of them was Faith. Then he saw a police cruiser pull in next to his truck near Jack’s office. John got out, his sunglasses firmly in place as he scanned the street, then spotted Adam and waved to him.
Adam jogged over to him as he leaned back against the cruiser, arms crossed on his chest. “Heard you were out and about. I thought your folks would have you tied up with the party preparations.”
Adam grinned at the absurdity of John’s supposition. The party was, and always would be, entirely his mother’s. His father tolerated it, and the boys, who had loved it as kids, only showed up sporadically as adults. But for the first time in a long time, he was almost looking forward to it. “Mom’s practically living in the main barn overseeing the staging.”
“She loves it,” John pointed out. “And my kids are chomping at the bit to get there.”
“Where are you heading now?” Adam asked.
“I was looking for you. Your dad said you’d gone to town first thing. Thought I’d find you around here.” He inclined his head in the direction of Jack’s office.
Adam had come in early for breakfast with an old friend who ran a diner on the far end of town, then he intended to stop by to see Jack and make amends for his words the night before. But between the breakfast and finding Jack, he’d found Faith. “Why were you looking for me?”
“I have something to discuss with you. Didn’t want to do it over the phone.” His eyes narrowed as he spoke. “Nothing life-and-death, but important.”
“What?” Adam asked, curious.
John motioned to the cruiser. “Get in and we’ll drive while we talk. An extra patrol car on the streets is a good thing around the holidays.”
When John steered the cruiser out onto the street in the direction of the road to the res, Adam finally asked, “What’s going on?”
John didn’t beat around the bush. “Jack. He called me first thing this morning to let me know he was on his way to the airport because he’s leaving for a week or so.”
Adam turned and stared at his friend. “What? I was talking to him last night and he didn’t mention a thing about going anywhere. In fact, he was saying he had a lot of work coming up and he’d be tied up until after Christmas.”
“Well, he got untied,” John said in his usual blunt manner.
“Where’s he going?”
“Northwest, up to Washington State.”
Suddenly, everything made sense to Adam. “He’s going to see Robyn’s brother?” Robyn had been a twin and she’d been very close to her brother, Robert, even after he’d relocated to the Seattle
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