on Noah’s shoulder before when he was having a hard time with a case, knew full well she’d helped keep him sane when his sisters had been through dangerous situations in the last year and a half. But having him try to cheer her up? She couldn’t handle it right now. She was only up for full reality, which wasn’t so sunny.
“I don’t see how we can.”
Noah turned to her, didn’t say anything. She dared him to, dared him to lie to her to try to make the whole thing sound more likely than it was.
He didn’t. Instead he just nodded. Turned back to the computer.
He might have confidence, but she had none. And he didn’t even mind.
Everything in her wished she could hang on to him and not let him go, make him promise they’d be friends forever, but she didn’t have much longer in Moose Haven. She’d already had a longer tenure here than she should have because of department changeover and how assignments shook out. But in a year or less she would be leaving Moose Haven for another posting.
She’d walk out of his life; he’d find someone else to make coffee for, to encourage, and she’d be alone, like she’d always been. It wasn’t fair. However, Erynn had learned at an early age that life wasn’t. Had had it reinforced for her often since.
“Here’s an angle we can work. As you said, we suspect now that Michelle Holt was the woman who was really killed on the glacier. Will working from there lead us to him?”
“I doubt it.”
“It was rhetorical. Maybe don’t answer if you don’t have something positive to say, okay?”
Erynn didn’t say anything. She just sipped her coffee, let Noah keep talking to her, or himself, or whomever he was talking to.
“We’re going to solve this, Erynn. I promise.”
Erynn swallowed hard. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard the words. The last time, she had known the person cared about her, known he’d meant them.
And then he’d ended up dead.
She couldn’t let that happen to Noah. Or to her.
Noah checked his phone. No message from Erynn in the last couple of hours. He checked his watch: 3:00 a.m. Well, that would explain why. They had wrapped up at the department not long after he’d brought the coffee in. Erynn had said she’d wanted to try to get some sleep. But Noah wouldn’t be surprised if she’d mostly wanted a break from him and his misplaced optimism. He could use one, also, but giving up was not an option.
You still okay? He typed out the words in a text message, made himself set the phone down rather than wait for a reply. His sister Summer, Clay’s wife, had called and insisted Erynn stay with them rather than return to her house. Noah had been planning to post one of his officers at her house, even though he didn’t have the manpower, but this option was better. He trusted Clay to keep both Erynn and Summer safe if anything went wrong, and Summer would keep him updated if anything changed. He’d walked her out to Clay and Summer’s car, the winter darkness weighing on him. The town’s holiday decorations hung on every streetlight—candles, holly, Christmas trees made of lights—and their joyfulness mocked him. This was supposed to be a season of happiness, wasn’t it?
Instead Erynn was afraid for her life. And Noah felt powerless to stop it.
It didn’t feel much like Christmas.
Logically, Noah knew sleep would help his mind-set. It wouldn’t erase the threat, but it might bring clarity. He should really get some rest.
She’s okay, right? He typed the text to Summer and sent it before he could let his good sense change his mind. This time he really did set the phone down and lie back on his pillow.
The phone buzzed.
He sat up to read the message from Erynn. I’m fine. Go to sleep, Noah.
He exhaled. God, help me. He had worked hundreds of cases in the years he’d been serving Moose Haven but nothing had touched him this closely. Not even when his sisters were in danger.
Erynn was different. He was different with her. And in all these years of working together, he’d never told her how much she meant to him. He couldn’t now, either. He had to stay focused, had to avoid giving her any reason to elude him because, while he had a case to solve, the fact was he didn’t trust anyone else to keep her safe the way he would. Wasn’t sure anyone cared the way he did.
He pulled the covers up, let himself nod off. He wouldn’t do either of them any good exhausted.
When he woke again it was past five in the morning. Late enough to start work.
He checked his phone to find two messages, one from Summer. She’s fine. Seriously, she’s going to know how you feel if you keep hovering.
Yeah, Erynn might not know about his feelings for her, but there was a good chance she was the only one in Moose Haven.
The next message was from Erynn. Sent five minutes ago, probably what had woken him. I’m going up to Harding Icefield. Are you coming?
Noah typed out a reply. Stay put. I’ll be right there.
He showered more quickly than usual, changed into fresh clothes and headed outside to his car, locking his front door as he did so and then pausing to look at the deck.
He’d forgotten to have someone process his front porch for evidence. Chances were slim the killer had left any evidence besides the note itself, which he had taken into the police department—it had come up clean, no prints or useful DNA samples. Still, he should look around.
The two rocking chairs on the porch looked relatively undisturbed, as did everything else.
He slid out his phone and texted Clay Hitchcock, the man on his team with the most crime scene training, and asked him to come by to see if there was any forensic evidence Noah wasn’t seeing.
Clay texted On my way and arrived in less than five minutes.
Noah debated staying with him.
“You look like you’re on edge.” Clay stated the obvious as he dusted the table for prints, sprinkling the deep black dust over the surface.
“Erynn’s threatening to investigate without me. She didn’t say anything to you?”
He shook his head. “Go. I’ll call you if I find anything.”
Noah did not need to be told twice. Indecision defeated, he hurried to his car and drove to Clay and Summer’s cabin on the edge of the family’s property about a five-minute drive away.
Her car was gone. Summer had sure better be with her. His sister was not trained in anything, but she was an athlete and she’d had a serial killer after her once. Anything was better than Erynn being alone.
Noah left his car running, knocked on the door just in case.
No one answered. As he’d expected.
Stubborn. She was pure stubbornness, that’s all there was to it, and if it got her killed...
Well, it just couldn’t. Because Noah didn’t know how he’d manage to keep living if anything happened to her. She’d leave that big a hole in his everyday life and she didn’t even know it. If she was okay, if he found her... He wasn’t going to be able to keep quiet for much longer. Bad timing or not.
He climbed back into the car and drove up to Harding Edge Road, which would take him to the base of the mountain, to Moose Haven’s Harding Icefield Trailhead. The parking lot had one car in it. Erynn’s.
A wave of hot anger washed over him and Noah gritted his teeth. He climbed out of his car, slammed the door and started toward the trailhead.