Page 40 of So Dark

“Be my guest,” Jake said. “I should warn you, though, we get bears coming to the lake sometimes.”

“He’s smart enough not to piss off a bear,” Faith replied. “Go on, boy.”

Turk put his nose to the ground and trotted off, sniffing for clues.

“What’s he looking for?” Jake asked.

“Any scent that matches the crime scenes,” Faith replied.

“Got it. Well, come on in. You want coffee?”

“I’m all right, thank you.”

“Mind if I have some.”

“Not at all.”

He led Faith inside the cabin. Unlike Lisa Blackwood’s mostly spartan dwelling, the interior of Jake’s home was as modern as Faith’s own apartment. A flatscreen tv dominated one wall, and in the kitchen, high-end stainless-steel appliances gleamed underneath a fluorescent light.

Jake noticed her reaction and said, “Yeah, I’m not as hardcore as Lisa and Graham were.” He poured himself a cup ofcoffee and asked, “What were the crime scenes, anyway? Where were they killed?”

“Cabins in secluded spots in the wilderness.”

“And you’re sure it wasn’t bears?”

“Unless bears know how to swing pickaxes and set up snares now, I’m pretty sure.”

“Ah.” He sat down and sipped his coffee. “Damn. I’m sorry to hear that.”

Let’s hope so.“So tell me about your time with Nature’s Guardians.”

He chuckled, somewhat bitterly. “Well, it was fun until it wasn’t.”

“When did it stop being fun?”

“About the time everyone started getting pissy with each other.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Can you expand on that?”

He shrugged. “That’s really all it was. For the most part, there was nothing serious. Just little squabbles that wouldn’t stop. I honestly don’t even remember what most of the arguing was about. Just immature crap. I stayed out of it mostly.”

“You’ve said something to that effect twice now. For the most part, nothing serious. You stayed out of it mostly. Talk to me about the parts that were serious and the things you didn’t stay out of.”

He smiled, and there was no somewhat about the bitterness in that smile. “The short version is that I fucked up.”

She smiled patiently. “I’m gonna need the long version, Jake.”

He sighed. “Yeah, I suppose you do. Well, if you’ve talked to Lisa, you might have guessed already. Assuming she didn’t tell you straight up. I had an affair with Kelly.”

Faith nodded. “She didn’t tell me, but I’m not surprised.”

“Neither am I. I’m not going to try to act like I’m a good person, but she was absolutely irresistible to me. I loved my wife, but there was no way I was going to say no to that.”

“I take it you’re not married anymore.”

“Absolutely not. I didn’t initiate anything, not that it makes it any better. But we didn’t do anything, and I guess I thought if she didn’t start anything, I’d be okay.”

“But she started something?”

---