Murder at Granite Falls (11 page)

Long after their talk, Logan was still out at the boathouse, lights blazing through the windows and open doorway. Now and then Carrie could hear the pounding of a hammer and the whine of a table saw. By midnight, the sounds ceased and the lights in the boathouse were out, but Logan’s truck was still parked by the door so he must have settled in for the night out there.

She’d returned to the windows a dozen times or more during the evening, warmed by Logan’s presence. Knowing that he was lingering out of concern for her, even though he’d had a long, hard day…and even when he’d left his dog in her care, which should have been enough.

Billy, for all his cowboy charm and courtly manners when they’d been dating, hadn’t been half as concerned when she’d had to drive to work on dangerous winter roads, or had been alone during the long months he was gone following one rodeo circuit or another.

Murphy started whining at two in the morning.

She must have fallen asleep, because now she jerked up, pillows falling from the sofa, feeling bleary and disoriented. Murphy was at one of the windows, his nose pushed through the side of the blinds and his paws on the windowsill, the hair raised along his backbone and his tail rigid.

She stumbled over to him, a hand at her throat. “What’s up, buddy?”

Murphy growled.

Logan’s truck was still out there. Nothing stirred.

A beam of light bobbed inside the boathouse, then Logan appeared at the door with a flashlight. The light arced across the parking lot, then the pine-walled perimeter of the clearing as he strode into the darkness. She held her breath, realizing the danger he could be in if someone was out there lying in wait.

She’d been determined—no, stubborn and selfish—about staying out here, and thinking only of herself. What if he was hurt…or worse?

And there wasn’t just the possibility of a human intruder. There were grizzlies out there—bears that wouldn’t hesitate to attack if a human inadvertently came up on them in the dark. Moose were even more unpredictable and just as dangerous, and she’d heard there were plenty of both in the area.

“Come on, Murphy. Go find Logan.” She snapped her fingers and opened the door, and the dog shot down the stairs, his tail wagging. At least with Murphy at his side, Logan would have some warning. And until she saw both of them return to the boathouse, she wasn’t going to move away from the window.

Logan and his dog had been out patrolling the property until nearly one o’clock last night. Carrie had stayed at her window, tense and breathless, murmuring a litany of prayers for his safety, until she’d seen both of them trudge back to the boathouse. At the doorway he’d looked up at her window, given her a thumbs-up signal, then the two of them had disappeared inside.

She had no doubt that the boathouse had offered little in the way of comfort and that he was far more tired than she, but when she got in her car to head for school in the morning, he was already out on the riverbank, talking to two tourists who apparently wanted to go down the river.

When she returned after teaching school, he’d just pulled in from another raft trip. As soon as he saw her, he walked over and gave her shoulders a quick hug. “Everything okay?”

She felt her heart warm at his concern. “Good. But you’re the one who was outside so late. You must be exhausted.”

Luckily, the final two float trips of the day both ended at five o’clock, and the last of the passengers were out of the parking lot a half hour later. As soon as the equipment was stowed away, Tina waved goodbye and headed for her pickup, and Logan took off for some supplies in Billings.

“Thanks for helping out, Carrie.” Penny looked at her watch. “We’re actually done a little early today, and the theater in town changes its shows on Tuesdays. Want to grab some dinner in town and catch a movie afterward?”

“Sounds like fun.”

“We could meet at my aunt’s place in town at six or so, then go to Northern Lights Steak House—a little pricier but fabulous—or Lindy’s, good food, woodsy atmosphere. You choose.”

“My heart says Northern Lights. But…”

“Lindy’s it is.” Penny grinned. “I don’t know when I last had a night out like this. I’ll send Logan a text message. If he gets back in time, maybe he’ll want to join us.”

Dinner, a movie. Harmless good times with friends and nothing more. “Um…that sounds fine.”

Penny eyed her closely. “Are you sure?”

“Of course. Sort of a coworker night out, right?”

“Exactly.” Penny paused at the door of her truck and looked back. “We can leave Murphy with Aunt Betty for the evening, then you can pick him up on your way home so you don’t need to come back here alone.”

Carrie glanced around, remembering just how quiet this place was when everyone was gone. Even if she’d been longing for an early night, it would be nice not to spend it by herself. “Good idea.”

Carrie waved as Penny drove away, then leaned down to give Murphy’s shaggy neck a hug. “You need a bath, buddy, if you’re visiting Aunt Betty, and then I need a shower. I guess we’d better get moving.”

Dinner at the rustic little restaurant overlooking a rushing mountain stream—a crispy Caesar salad, perfectly grilled rib eye and a fluffy baked sweet potato slathered in cinnamon butter—was perfect.

Now they walked out of the small family-run theater with its uneven wood floors and movie memorabilia on the walls from its early days back in the thirties, and slowed to a halt in front as several dozen other patrons drifted away.

“I guess I forgot to mention that they run mostly vintage and
second-run family movies here,” Penny said. “And the titles on the marquee don’t always match what’s running inside. Gramps Anderson doesn’t like climbing the ladder much anymore, and all his grandkids have moved away. The locals don’t think about it.”

Carrie grinned. “I’ve always liked Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne in
McLintock.
The real butter on the popcorn was wonderful, and I never thought I’d get to see that film on a big screen. It’s been a wonderful night.”

Both of them turned on their cell phones at the same moment, then looked at each other and laughed when both phones instantly emitted goofy rings indicating phone messages.

“Logan,” Penny said after listening to her messages. She glanced up and down the sidewalk. “He got a late start out of Billings, but hoped he’d get back in time to meet us at Francie’s Ice Cream Parlor after the show. I don’t see him yet, but maybe he’s already there.”

Their shoes thunking on the old-fashioned wooden board-walk, they fell in step and headed toward the end of the next block, to where a whimsical pink-and-green neon ice cream cone hung out over the sidewalk and a mom and two children sat on the bench out in front. A trio of teenagers leaned against the hood of an old Chevy truck parked nearby, and a few stragglers from the theater were following Penny and Carrie toward Francie’s.

“Francie’s is the hottest place in town,” Penny said. “Wait till you try their hot fudge, triple-scoop peppermint bonbon sundae with mixed nuts and real whipped cream.”

“Sounds decadent.” Carrie checked her own list of missed calls as they walked. “Just Trace and Kris, probably wondering when I can get back to look for my maid of honor dress. I’ll follow up with them tomorrow.”

“That’s sweet. How big of a wedding party will it be?”

“Intimate…just me and one of Trace’s friends. Kris and her
sister were orphaned as kids, but Emma disappeared into the foster care system years ago. I don’t know what happened to the records, but Kris says it’s as if she never existed.”

“That’s so sad.”

“It is. Kris has never given up on her search, but hasn’t found so much as a clue. My guess is that Emma probably died years ago.”

“Kris doesn’t believe it?”

“Nope. She says she would know, deep in her heart, if her sister had died. She says she’s been praying for just one hint of where to look next.”

“How could someone drop from sight like that? It’s pretty tough to disappear.”

“I know, and Kris has tried everything. These days, you can look up names on the internet and find birth dates, addresses, phone numbers—even legal records with the click of a button and your credit card number.”

“The people who decided all that should be available are idiots. It’s scary, knowing what’s out there.”

Carrie nodded. “My next guess is that if Emma is still alive, she doesn’t
want
to be found. What a blow that would be, to find out she’d ended up on the wrong side of the law.”

They reached the corner of Main and Pine, a dark cross street leading just several blocks in either direction. On the opposite side, along the shadowed wall of Goode’s Drug Store, a broad-shouldered masculine form shifted, then moved forward to meet them.

“Logan? I—” Penny’s cheerful greeting faltered to a stop.

At the same moment, Carrie felt a prickle of apprehension crawl on spider’s feet up the back of her neck. “Billy,” she managed to whisper on a resigned sigh.

The moviegoers behind them swung wide and continued on toward the ice cream parlor. Carrie grabbed Penny’s sleeve
and tugged her back into the brighter light of the streetlamp at the corner.

Billy stepped into their path, his face backlit by the light, but Carrie had no doubt that his mouth was lifted in his familiar, faint sneer.

“You’re hard to find, sugar,” he drawled. “Imagine your poor husband trying all this time—”

“
Ex
-husband.”

“Imagine me, turning up in Battle Creek, looking forward to seeing you. Only you’ve disappeared.” His voice took on a harder edge. “So I had to start hunting. Why’d you do it, just take off like that? We have
history,
babe. We oughta stay in touch.”

“I have no plans for that, Billy. You know better.”

His hand snaked out to grab her wrist, but she’d expected it and sidestepped his grasp. “Don’t touch me.”

“Come on, Carrie,” he wheedled. “Let’s get out of here.”

“No. Penny’s brother is waiting for us up ahead.”

He gave a hard laugh. “Who, Logan? I don’t think he’s in town. His truck sure isn’t.”

“How would you know that—or even know who he is?”

Penny shot a startled glance at Carrie and gave Billy a wide berth. No wonder. But just one more block, and they’d be at the only store open at this hour, with other people close by. Witnesses.
Safe.

Billy moved even quicker, and once again stood in their way, and this time he grabbed Carrie’s shoulder, shoving her away from the crosswalk and toward the darkened side street. “I came all this way, and you’re being rude. Your little friend can go on home, but you and I need to talk. Now.”

Penny hurried on ahead, her cell phone at her ear as soon as she reached the opposite street corner, and Carrie could see her beckoning to someone, as well.

“How long have you been here, Billy?” Carrie said flatly, twisting out of his grasp.

“Long enough. Pretty sweet setup you have here—nice job, good friends. Another man already sniffing around. You must think you have it made.”

“I don’t want to argue with you. You need to leave.”

“Do I?” he snapped.

“You don’t remember that no-contact order? Or the fact that you have some sorry legal history back in Battle Creek and at least three other towns we lived in? Lay a hand on me again and I’ll press charges.”

“Good luck, ’cause I sure don’t see any witnesses. Even so, a slap on the wrist doesn’t mean anything.”

He moved closer and she took another step back, belatedly realizing that she’d been focused on his expression and words while he’d been subtly herding her down this quiet street, farther out of sight. The one comfort was that he’d chosen this moment, in town. So maybe he
didn’t
know where she lived after all.

“How did you even find me here?”

He snickered. “It isn’t that hard, when you know who to ask.”

But Trace and Kris would never say a word; she was sure of it. And as a lawyer, Sam certainly understood the principles of privileged information.

Which left the possibility of Sam’s high school niece, who worked in his office part-time. She was about as giddy as a teenager could be. She might’ve listened to Carrie’s messages on the answering machine in the office, or overheard Sam talking on the phone. And Billy could just about charm the socks off anyone in a skirt, if he tried—especially a naive teen.

“Kierstan?”

His self-satisfied laugh grated on her nerves. “Like I said, it ain’t hard.”

“Maybe you could tell me exactly want you want. I know it isn’t sharing my company.”

“Just five grand. Make it ten, and I’ll disappear for good. And I’ll even throw in some information that could save your life…maybe. Something you really ought to know about someone here.”

Which meant he’d probably picked up on a well-worn rumor about Logan. “No dice. It won’t do any good to deliver your little threats. You might as well have asked for a million dollars, because I don’t have anything to spare.”

“But I know you can get it.”

“No, I can’t.”

“Don’t play games with me.” His voice turned venomous. “I don’t have time, and I’m not gonna wait. I—”

At the periphery of her vision, Carrie saw several people approaching. Rachel Graham’s mother, Ivy. An older man and a woman, who was probably his wife. Oscar, the pharmacist. And Penny, who had obviously run ahead to round them all up.

And then through them all, a much taller figure strode into view, emanating such determination and power—so much like the hero in the movie she’d just seen—that she suddenly felt more protected and safe than she’d ever felt before.

Logan.

“Carrie, is this your ex-husband?”

Embarrassment burned through her. “Unfortunately, yes.”

Billy shrank back when Logan halted well within Billy’s personal space and towered over him, sweeping him with a disparaging glance.

“Now that you have an audience, maybe you’d like to address your exact concerns before you leave town,” he growled. “Or do you just like using intimidation to get what you want?”

Billy was a tall, well-built man, but he was no match for Logan and he clearly knew it. He swallowed hard. Took a
furtive look to the left and right. “I was just here visiting with my ex-wife.”