Page 35 of Cold Light of Day

The mayor called the meeting to order.

Wally jumped right in. “You’ve lost your certification, and the trust of this town. We’re going to vote about whether you should remain police chief.”

“That’s enough, Wally,” Cindy said. “She isn’t required to be state certified to remain our chief.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Autumn said.

“It’s the council’s decision—”

“I’m going to appeal the state’s decision.” Autumn stood. She wasn’t sure where those words had come from or if she could actually appeal. All she knew was that she was fighting for a job she loved. Her place in this world. She refused to let them take it away from her.

She’d cut Wally off, silencing him for the moment, and before he found his voice, she would finish what she had to say. “But first I need to make sure the town is safe after recent events, including apprehending two strangers who were working together—one of whom was found dead. Ross’s condition is improving, by the way.”

Wally had gathered his words, it appeared, because he stood too, not to be outdone by Autumn. “Appeal if you want, but you’ll be gone, so it won’t matter. Craig apprehended that hoodlum, and he found the body in the creek. He should have been chief all along.”

That wasn’t how it unfolded, but apparently that was Craig’s side of the story. She hadn’t read his report yet. Autumn bit back her words, her confidence waning. Anger and determination warred inside. She couldn’t lose this job, not after her father had been the head of this department for years. And what about Birdy and Grandpa Ike, pillars of the community? She didn’t want to embarrass them. She suddenly wished she’d taken the help Grandpa Ike had offered when he mentioned speaking to the council. Then again, if she couldn’t succeed on her own, what was the point?

What was it Grandpa Ike had said again?

“God put you here. You need to believe that and know you’re the exact person needed for this hour.”

She wasn’t so sure. If God had put Autumn in this position for this time, then why was it so hard? Why did she have to fight to even be allowed to do her job?

“Fine,” she said. “Vote. Make your decision. But in the meantime, let me do my job.”

Fearing she might say something she would regret and dreading their reaction, Autumn turned and walked out. She pushed through the door. Exiting the building, she stepped out into the rain. Whatever the council decided, if it was the last thing she did, she would find out why Sarah had lied. Why had Autumn found a murdered man in a century-old shipwreck?

SIXTEEN

Grier exited the Lively Moose, suspecting that he might have seen the last of his new friends.

“Don’t make friends.”Krueger’s words reverberated through his head.“Hide out. Stay put. I’ll fix this.”

Right. Nothing had been fixed.

Grier stopped at a gas station on the way out of town and had to pay cash before he pumped. And that was another issue—cash flow. He was going to run out soon.

Krueger, where are you?

Inside the gas station, he peeled the bills out of his wallet. While the twentysomething blond cashier took the money with a smile and a wink, Grier glanced up at the widescreen television and caught the video recording of the volunteer dive team—Tex, Maggie, and Grier—at the marina, handing off the recovered body to the two guys who transported it to the ME. He knew a reporter had been asking questions, but he hadn’t realized the extent to which someone had recorded them until now. In the footage, he could be seen ducking out of sight into the bowels of Tex’s boat. The camera zoomed in on him briefly. He’d suspected his image might have been caught, but he couldn’t understand why the news continued repeating the footage.

Over and over and over.

Grier should have known better.

He wanted to punch something. Kick something.

The cashier looked at the television and then back at Grier. “What’s with that body in the shipwreck?”

Great. She recognized him. Easily. “I don’t know.”

He took his change from her and exited. While he pumped the gas, he pulled out his cell to see what was on the internet and found the same footage he’d just seen. For some inexplicable reason, that interested people. He had no idea why, really, considering the many mysteries and murders occurring hourly around the world. The video hadn’t gone viral, so it didn’t have millions of views, but thousands were already far too many.

He ran his hand through his hair, then glanced around, taking in the snowcapped mountains; the forest of greens, oranges, reds, and browns; and the quaint little town. He never imagined he could actually be happy here, but over the past few weeks, he’d found himself relaxing in the slow pace, soaking in the beauty of nature, and enjoying those times when he got to look the chief in the eyes. But that feeling, that sixth sense that hit him a few days ago, was getting stronger. Grier might have brought trouble to town. What he couldn’t know was if the recent uptick in criminal activity had anything to do with him. While it seemed unlikely, he needed to keep his guard up.

Finished pumping gas, he replaced the nozzle as a couple strolled out of the gas station and headed to their car on the other side of the pumps.

He climbed into his truck and heard their words.

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