Page 84 of Snow River

Today, snow was falling gently on the surface of that imaginary pool.Serenity held her in its spell; she felt cradled by it, like a child.

She opened her eyes and saw Bear give her a curious glance.“Let’s keep going.But we stay together.”

“We stay together,” he agreed.And if she hadn’t already lost her heart to him, she would have in that moment.

38

Bear parkedhis truck off the road, then piled snow on it to make it look as if it had been there a while.If anyone looked closely, they wouldn’t buy it, but if they were whizzing past in snowmobiles, it might work.

They put on their ski boots and skis, and he slung his rifle over his back.Lila offered to carry the backpack of emergency supplies—water, energy bars, first-aid kit.Ever since that odd moment in the truck, when she’d closed her eyes and gone still, as if she’d traveled far, far away, she’d seemed different—filled with resolve and determination.

He trusted those instincts of hers, he realized.Maybe even more than his own.

They skied through the woods along Snow River.Sometimes the trees were too thick to see through to the river, other times they got glimpses of a curve of frozen white surface ice.

“Can we ski on the river?”Lila asked.

“Maybe, but we’d have to make sure the ice is thick enough.The river is still flowing underneath.We could break through and get swept under.”

She shuddered.The white fur of her hood set off the red of her cold-bitten cheeks and her pink scarf.“Has that happened to anyone?”

“Oh yes.It used to happen at least once a winter.We try to warn people, but…” He trailed off with a shrug.Alaskans could be stubborn folk, and so were people who came to Alaska trying to prove themselves.

They skied the next mile or so in silence.The conditions were perfect for skiing, with no wind to speak of, and even a slight warmup thanks to the clouds clearing away.That would change fast once the sun sank below the trees, but they had a couple of hours before that happened.

“I’ve been thinking,” Lila broke the silence, her breath turning to steam floating from her lips.

“Don’t talk too much, you’ll let the cold air into your lungs,” he warned her.“You can damage your lungs that way.”

“Okay, I’ll be quick.Grant says there’s a coverup going on.I believe him.”

“Me too.”

“But whoever was pulling those…pranks, or whatever you want to call them…that’s the opposite of a coverup.It’s an…un-coverup?”

He chuckled, sending his own spout of steam into the air.“That’s a new one.But I see what you mean.Someone was trying to nudge us in certain directions.”

“Right.Someone planted clues, basically.As if they knew a coverup was about to happen, or had happened, and wanted the truth to come out.But why not just come out and tell us?”

Good question.Off the top of his head, he could think of several.“Maybe they wanted to keep their hands clean.They didn’t want to risk being found out as the snitch.They were afraid, like we thought before.”

“Yes, exactly.”She turned toward him, a brilliant smile flashing across her face.“In other words, it’s someone who’s right in the middle of the whole thing, but is too scared to reveal themselves.”

“Got a name to put to that theory?”

“No, because I don’t know Nancy’s child’s name.But that’s who I think it is.Nancy’s child.We just have to figure out who that could be.”

As open space appeared up ahead, he motioned for her to be quiet.A moment later, the first A-frame cabin that made up the Snow River retreat came into view.A smokestack rose from the center of its metal roof, but he saw no sign of a fire going.But there could be people around, dangerous people, and voices carried.

At the edge of the clearing, which stretched for a few hundred yards along the river, he motioned for them to stop.He counted ten cabins, all apparently empty, several outhouses, and one spectacular hexagonal-shaped central building with a wraparound deck.Everything was made from cedar, which was an expensive wood.The metal roofing was a thick grade, the windows triple pane.And hexagonal structures weren’t easy to put up.Architects and engineers had been involved with this construction.

In other words, money.

He listened for sounds coming from any of the buildings, but all was quiet.No sign of footprints or sled tracks left by snowmobiles either.Was it possible that someone had come and gone between snowfalls, and all traces of their presence erased by snow?

Doubtful.He looked down to the river, where a wide stretch of the shoreline was cleared for use.Someone could have taken their chances with the ice and come here along the river.

“Let’s take it slow and careful,” he murmured.She nodded, and dug her poles into the snow.

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