Page 57 of Snow River

“Missed this one before the snow,” he explained as he stuck the shovel in the pile of gravel in the back of his truck.“Boy did I hear it from Kathy.Worst possible spot for a pothole.How are you doing?Here to give your move-out notice?”

“What?No, of course not.I’m staying for the winter.”

“Oh yeah?”Looking mildly surprised, he removed his hat, scratched at the sweat line on the back of his neck, then put it back.“Brave girl.”

That almost sounded like a threat.Or was she just being paranoid?

“I was hoping you have records of any tenants that came before me.At the hardware store, I mean.You said the town bought it from the Caseys so teachers and doctors and people like that would have a place to stay.”

“Yes, that was the idea.”He scratched at his chin.“Thing is, no one wanted it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ever since that podcast came out, the one about the murder spree, no one wanted to stay in that hardware store.”

“The podcast…” She tried to remember the date it had been released, but drew a blank.

“About seven years ago now.Before that, sure, we had a few tenants.But no one after that.”

“I had no idea it had been empty that long.”

“Bear didn’t tell you?I assumed he did when he sent you over there, or I would have.”

Confused, she fiddled with the long wool scarf she’d wrapped around her neck.“Bear didn’t send me…what do you mean?”

“He called me up and told me to put up the ‘For Rent’ sign because we might have a tenant.A few minutes later, you showed up.I figured he would have made sure you were okay staying in a house with a murder dress.”

“Yes, it’s fine, I have no problem with…” She trailed off, biting her lip.Bear had made sure she had a place to stay here.That was both the sweetest thing, and also…no, it was just sweet, she decided.He’d made sure she had shelter, given her a job, and left her alone in all other respects—until she’d kissed him.“Anyway, do you have any records from between 1980 and seven years ago?”

“Nah.I never bothered with that kind of thing.Why?”

“I’m…well, I’ve gotten interested in the Snow River Murders.”

“Well then, you know who you should talk to?That podcast guy.He came in here and dug around for weeks.He got on everyone’s nerves, I’ll tell you that.But the podcast was pretty good.”

It was actually a good idea, so she stepped into the general store to take advantage of the paid Wi-Fi.Kathy, the owner, wore a pink knitted newsboy hat and one of her ever-present down vests.“You okay?Heard you ran off the road.”

Word had already gotten out.Great.“I’m fine.Even the truck’s fine.Gunnar helped Bear pull it out of the woods this morning.”

She plucked a candy corn shaped like a pumpkin from the bowl on Kathy’s counter.“This is the only good thing about Halloween, if you ask me.”

“Good for sales.The Fang’s usually busy too.”

“Say, have you ever heard of anyone named Nancy who used to live here?She might have had some kind of cooking job, maybe?—”

Kathy screwed up her face.“The name’s familiar.Nancy…Nancy…” She snapped her fingers.“The Caribou Grill.They had a sale a while back, cleaned out their inventory.I saw a bunch of old laminated menus and they had the name Nancy’s on them.A woman named Nancy Butcher ran it.”

“Do you know round about when?”

“Before my time.They might know at the Caribou Grill, but that place is only open in the summer.The owners live in Anchorage.You could try?—”

“Just guess.”Lila wanted to know something, anything, right now.She didn’t want to have to track down someone in Anchorage.“If you had to guess, when do you think it would have been?”

Kathy shrugged and looked over her horn-rimmed glasses at her.“I mind my own business.”

Lila sighed.“Ten years ago?Twenty?Forty?”

“More like forty,” Kathy finally said.“But keep my name out of it.”

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