Page 53 of Snowed In

“I’ll be making two trips to the lake tonight,” he said, far too calm for what he was proposing.

“Why, though? Can you explain that to me?”

“I investigated you for a long time, Jess. I know how you like your coffee; I know which shoes make you feel taller. And I know that you care, even when you shouldn’t. With this job I took at the beginning of the year...I thought about you. A lot. I had hoped that if I could get in early enough, maybe I could prevent a young kid from being forced to go down the path that you had to. But life doesn’t work that way. So, this is my one opportunity to make something right. To give you a chance to start over as if you weren’t your father’s son. As if you were your own man. As if you weren’t staring down the barrel of your cousin’s fate.”

I swallowed thickly, surprised by the emotion welling up. It was as if he were peering down into the part of my soul I hid from everyone. That he saw who I wanted to be, despite what time and circumstance had turned me into.

“And,” he continued, “if I find that you have set up some criminal enterprise, that you’re injuring people, that you’ve in any way become like your father, I’ll hunt you down and kill you myself.”

I stood there, staring at him for a frozen moment, then crashed into him, hugging him tightly. He cupped my face and touched hislips to mine. We kissed, probably for longer than we should’ve, letting our bodies say all the words we couldn’t. Our bubble of time was bursting, but I didn’t want this to be the end.

Finally, he withdrew from the kiss and ran his fingers through my hair. “Let’s shave this off, pack a bag with my grandfather’s finest mall wear, and get you started on your new life.”

I nodded and he grabbed my hand, tugging me toward the hallway.

A few minutes later, we were both grinning at the bathroom mirror. Long strands filled the sink, and I was running my hand over my shorn hair, amazed at how velvety it felt under my fingertips. He had found some of his grandmother’s makeup and temporarily darkened the fuzz with some sort of bronzer and a big fluffy brush. He then dragged a wheeled suitcase down from the attic and tightly packed it with a variety of clothes.

He also slipped my cousin’s wallet and phone from his jeans. Kyler’s birthday was his password, so I opened the phone and, on Rafferty’s suggestion, reset the fingerprints and facial ID.

Kyler was wearing the same jacket in his ID, so Rafferty gently removed that from his body.

He held it out to me. “You should wear this when you get to the airport.”

I accepted the jacket from him, checked it for obvious blood stains—none, thank God—then helped him roll Kyler’s body in a sheet and drag him onto the little boat tied to the back porch. Rafferty then walked me to my cousin’s Jeep. We checked around the vehicle for an AirTag, but didn’t find one.

“Drive safely,” he said, palming my shaved head.

“I will.” I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “And I’ll figure out a way to let you know where I end up.”

“I’d like that.”

He gave me a final kiss, then stepped back as I tossed the duffel into the passenger seat and sat in my cousin’s place. I didn’t even have to adjust the seat. On a hunch, I popped open the glove box. There,under his registration and a couple dozen Tootsie Roll wrappers was Kyler’s passport, right where he’d tossed it after our trip.

I held it up and Rafferty sent me a salute. One less detour.

I sent him a wave, then backed up and headed toward the two-lane. As I bumped along the caliche driveway, I looked in the rearview mirror. Rafferty was smiling.

Epilogue

Jesse

June

The sea was a sparkling blue today, and the temperature was perfect. My little apartment was a converted open basement that Sofija, the elderly lady who owned the house above me, rented cheaply in exchange for help with her garden. My private patio area, overflowing with oleanders and hydrangeas, looked out over the Adriatic Sea.

I closed my eyes and leaned back into my lounger, enjoying the breeze off the water. I still didn’t feel settled, still wasn’t sure what to do with myself, but life was simple and that was good enough for now.

A few moments into a half-assed attempt at meditation, something light landed on my chest. I startled, looking down in a panic.

It was a battered postcard with a picture of Rummikub tiles.

A grin the size of Texas took over my face.

“I was wondering when you’d show up.”

Rafferty stepped in beside me, looking down at me with a seriousexpression. “That postcard is the only clue you left me. I landed here almost a week ago.”

I lifted a shoulder. “You’re a detective, Raff. I had full faith in you.”

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