Page 42 of So Dark

Faith hadn’t considered that, but now that Michael mentioned it, it made sense. People here were like people everywhere else in that they were mostly concerned with things that affected them and not concerned with things that didn’t affect them. That was why Quint could downplay Garrett Pines’s history of violence and play up all the good qualities he had. Garrett was Quint’s friend. Ethan Holloway and Valerie North were not. That was why Wyatt felt a need to remind them at every turn that they probably wouldn’t find anyone looking in the wilderness. Part of it was simple pessimism, since it truly was a daunting task, but part of it was the wilderness mentality that “the wild” just took people.

“Except this isn’t the wild,” she said out loud.

“Huh?”

“Sorry. I was just thinking that you’re right. About the people here, I mean. Other than Robert Holloway, everyone has this stoic attitude about the murders. It’s not like they’re flippant about it, but no one’s acting like it’s a big deal. It’s odd. In most places we’ve gone, there’s an undercurrent of fear and tension in the community. Sometimes it’s near-panic like Philly when West was on the loose, and sometimes it’s under the surface like D.C. when Langeveldt was paralyzing people and dressing them up as his family, but it’s always front-page news. Out here, it’s like…”

“Like it’s just the price you pay for living in the wilderness.”

“Exactly. I guess part of the difference is that people here are more self-confident. They’re more self-reliant, they carry guns, everyone has at least basic survival skills. They can probably fool themselves into believing that they can handle it if the killer comes after them, so they don’t need to be afraid of this guy.”

“They probably also know better than to go into the wilderness alone. I know there are ‘hardcore’ survivalists, as Jake put it, but I think most people know to never travel without a partner.”

“That too.” She sighed. “Do you think we should look into their personal lives more? While we’re waiting for a word on Graham and Kelly?”

“I think it’s better than nothing,” Michael agreed. “But if I’m honest, I don’t think it’s much better than nothing.”

“Hey, none of that,” she scolded. “They get to be pessimists, not us.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I guess the landscape out here is getting to me.” He looked out the window at the already dimming sky. “Sunset at four in the afternoon. I don’t know how people can live like this.”

“I guess some people prefer darkness.”

They fell silent again, but a moment later, Michael chuckled. “You know, we’re never pessimistic at the same time.”

“What’s that?”

“You and me. We’re never both pessimistic. Either we’re both optimistic or one of us is down and the other is up. I think that’s why we work so well together.”

“We’re a perfect match,” she agreed.

She met his eyes, and her heart fluttered. She wanted to look away, but it had been so long since she felt those butterflies that she risked holding his gaze a moment longer. It was so weird to have these feelings for Michael again.

Michael lifted an eyebrow. “Do I have something on my face, or what?”

She looked away quickly. “No, sorry.”

He grinned. “It must just be my rakish good looks then.”

She laughed a little nervously, then said, "Michael… do you ever…"

Her voice trailed off as she struggled to find the courage to form the words. After a moment, Michael said. “It’s hard to know if I do when you don’t tell me what exactly it is.”

“Do you ever think about us?”

His smile faded. He straightened in his chair and gave her a pensive look. Faith’s face flamed, and she started to stammer an apology when her phone rang. She jumped and knocked the phone off of the table.

“Damn it. Sorry. I… hold on.”

She picked up the phone and answered. “Hello? Who is this?”

“Hello, am I speaking with Special Agent Faith Bold?” a pleasantly inflected female voice asked.

Faith put the phone on speaker and set it on the table. Could this be a lead? “Yes, this is she.”

“Sweet!” There was murmuring from the other side, then the woman said, “Miss Bold, what are your thoughts on Justice Schraeder’s decision to allow live public broadcasts of Franklin West’s trial?”

Faith sighed and rolled her eyes. A reporter. Great. That’s what she got for not checking the caller ID. “I have no comment at this time.”

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