Page 97 of One Last Promise

He pulled out. “What’s on this phone we’re going after?”

“I don’t know. But I think it could be a voicemail that she’d saved for a long time of Rigger threatening to take Hazel away if I said anything about Matthew’s death. She played it for me a couple days after it happened, and I asked her to save it, just in case.” She could still hear his voice, see the expression of terror on Pearl’s face.

“Why didn’t you take it to the police?”

She looked over at him. “I wanted to. But he had a hold on her that she couldn’t break away from.”

“Abusers do that.”

“Addiction does that. I think she thought she couldn’t escape him.”

He turned onto Hickel Parkway. “Until someone showed her the way.” He glanced at her. “Clearly you’re in the rescue business too.”

She gave a laugh. “Moose, sometimes the way you see me?—”

“Is exactly right.”

Oh.

But she smiled. Glanced at him. “You’re always so unflappable.”

He laughed at that, then, “Not onthe inside, honey.”

She didn’t mind thehoneyso much. Or at all. In fact, the word sank through her, found her bones, turned her warm.

They pulled into the Northern Lights Alaskan Bank. A two-story brick building with windows along the front and two cameras over the front door that had probably already captured them.

Moose parked around the side. “Put on that headscarf.”

“Fine.” She put on the scarf, tucked it under her chin, around to the back of her neck and even tied it. “I don’t think this is going to work.”

“It will. Here’s the fun part. I want you to speak Dari.”

“My passport says I’m American.”

“Yeah, but I think you’re a foreign bride.”

She looked at him. “Your foreign bride?”

He grinned.

“For Pete’s sake.”

“Say that in Dari.”

She looked at him.Fine.

He raised his eyebrows at the words that emerged.

“Okay, that was actually the phrase ‘the night is long and the dervish awake.’”

“And it means . . .”

“There’s a long way between here and success.”

“Indeed. So, go in, show your ID, and then I’ll translate for you?—”

“Listen, even if I speak Dari, they’re not going to let you in with me. Not unless I sign paperwork.” She stopped on the sidewalk. “Let me take it from here.” She looked up at him, patted his chest. “But you can stick around should anything go south.”

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