“I’m sorry you had to hear that,” Pearl said. “I know it was John who helped you and brought you here. Megan told me.”
“Do you know John?” Emma asked.
“Not well. But I hear a lot, working in this place. I know that John isn’t the man he used to be. He’s earned the respect of people in this town.”
“I talked to Judge Falconi. She told me how Marlena’s kept him from seeing David.”
“Marlena’s a good mother. But she’s very protective of David. I’ve never believed it was fair for John to be separated from the boy, but I know better than to say it to Marlena’s face.”
“What can I say? John literally saved my life. He’s a good man. And it’s plain he’s never gotten over losing his son.”
Pearl’s blue eyes narrowed. She shook her head. “If you’re thinking you might be able to change things, forget it, honey. It is what it is. Meddling will only stir up trouble and make things worse.”
“I understand.” Emma had finished wiping the table. She gathered up the cloth and the bottle of spray cleaner to take back to the kitchen.
“If you speak to John, don’t mention that David is here,” Pearl said. “Marlena’s done a number on the boy. He’s convinced that John is a worthless lowlife and will try to take advantage of him if given half a chance. Any meeting between the two would only end up hurting them both.”
After what she’d heard from Marlena, Emma could believe that. Pearl was right. Pushing John and his son together would only stir up trouble in the family. If there was a door to be opened, David would have to be the one to open it. Meanwhile, all she could do was wait and hope the right time would come.
Emma finished cleaning up, thanked Pearl again for her help, and went upstairs to her room. Dressed in John’s comfy oversized thermals, she crawled into bed and tried to unwind from the day by reading. But her troubled thoughts would not let her focus on her book.
All her life, she’d believed in being open and honest. But now she found herself drowning in secrets. She was keeping secrets from her employer, from Pearl, from Marlena, and from David. And now, she realized, she’d be keeping the most vital secret of all from John.
* * *
The mail run had taken longer than usual. Not that it mattered. This was Alaska, where life didn’t always run on the clock. Pleasantly tired, John taxied into Refuge Cove, secured the Beaver to the dock, and carried the mail pouch to the Jeep. He’d tried not to think about Emma during the long day. But as he drove to the post office, he couldn’t help wondering how she’d managed with her new job, and whether she’d seen or heard any sign of Boone.
After checking the mail pouch into the post office in Ward Cove, he turned the Jeep around and headed back up the highway, toward home. He was tempted to call Emma on her burner phone, before he lost service. But no, he’d already done what he could for her. She had a pistol, a safe place to stay, and plenty of access to help. It was time he stopped hovering over her like an overanxious parent.
A bank of fog had moved in from the narrows, spreading like a misty flood across the highway and into the forest. The night was eerily quiet— maybe too quiet. As he switched the lights to high beam and turned off the highway onto the logging road, John felt the hair prickle on the back of his neck—a sign he knew better than to ignore. Stopping the car, he drew his .44 pistol from the holster, where it lay on the seat beside him. With the heavy pistol cocked, and a round in the chamber, he drove on. If Boone, or anybody else, was waiting for him at the cabin, he would have to be ready.
Nearing the cabin, he switched off the headlights and climbed out of the vehicle. Here the fog was just moving in. Ghostly fingers of mist wove through the trees, but the night was clear enough for John to see his way. He moved like a shadow, gripping the pistol as he slipped from tree to tree.
His ears heard nothing but the familiar sounds of night. But the smell that reached his nostrils, faint but somehow familiar, raised a nauseous sensation in his throat. His gut tightened with a sense of dread.
He had almost reached the clearing when he saw what he’d been meant to see. A pale, lifeless form hung by a rope from the corner of the porch, drooping shoulders, dangling limbs, no visible head.
Driven by a sick panic, he plunged forward. Only then, as he got closer, did he realize what he was seeing.
It was the skinned carcass of the young bear.
* * *
The ringing cell phone woke Emma in the night. She grabbed it off the nightstand and took the call.
“Emma?” She could hear the strain in John’s voice. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I’m in my room. You woke me up.”
“Is your room locked? Both the key and the bolt?”
“Yes. I always do that in hotels. What’s wrong?”
“Is the window locked, the shade down?”
“Yes. For heaven’s sake, John, what is it? What’s happened?”
There was a beat of silence on the line. “Boone was at the cabin today, while I was gone. He wasn’t there tonight, but he left me a message.”