Page 120 of Jack

She noticed he hadn’t saidbody, orcorpse, but she got it. No way Penny could survive out here in the January cold for three days, three nights, without shelter. She tried not to let her throat close.

He didn’t seem to be in a hurry. “My guess is that he shot Ty, and then, so the crime would seem random, he walked across the street, with or without Penelope, picked up Kyle’s car, put her in it, and transported her here. Used the keys to enter the boatyard, and . . .” He looked over into the darkened yard.

Sheriff Davidson and Jenna stood in the circle of Jack’s listeners, along with Oaken and Boo, Austen and Doyle, Stein and Conrad, even Boo’s SAR team, who’d arrive during the search.

There went the dance rehearsal.

“So you think she’s in the yard somewhere?” Sheriff Davidson asked, his mouth pinched. He’d read between Jack’s words too.

“Dunno. Maybe. But . . .” Jack looked at Harper. “Are you sure you want to be here?” He looked at Boo too. “And you?”

“I want to find my friend,” Harper said, and Boo nodded.

“Okay, let’s spread out,” Sheriff Davidson said. “Jenna, let’s grab a couple Maglites from the cruisers.”

She crunched away through the snow.

Jack turned to Harper, pulled her blanket close. “You sure you don’t want to wait in the car?”

She nodded, her throat tight.

Jenna came back with flashlights and handed them around.

It seemed like some kind of horror movie, all the lights flicking on, illuminating tragedy in the darkness.

Sheriff Davidson had called the owner of the boatyard before, when he’d been debating arresting them. Jack had done some fast talking to wriggle his way out, and the sheriff now reopened the gate.

The searchers fanned out into the yard.

Jack took Harper’s hand, and she walked, the blanket still over her shoulders. He led her down a row of storage units, slowing at each one to examine it.

“Do you have an insider trading tip?”

He glanced at her. One side of his mouth tweaked up. “There was a number on the boat key. I thought maybe . . .”

“He stashed her body in a storage locker?”

His smile vanished. He gave a nod.

“That’s dark.”

“Mm-hmm.” He kept walking, kept looking. “I keep thinking—how did he know about this place? I mean . . .”

“I know. The boatyard is next to a Holden Walsh development.”

He stopped. “It had to be someone who knew about the development.”

“Yeah. That’s how Tommy and I got taken. We were at Walsh’s office in downtown St. Paul.”

“Why?” He’d turned to her.

“It’s a long story. Just . . . we have reason to think that Zorro was connected to Holden Walsh. Maybe evenwasWalsh.”

Jack just stared at her, breathing. “He could have killed Sarah. And then you.”

She had no words when he closed his eyes, then pressed his forehead to hers.

Oh.

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