Page 58 of Cold Light of Day

“I was about to come over and get you,” Grandpa Ike said. “Too many strangers around town lately.”

“I know you have to get up in a few short hours, but I need to talk to you.”

“I expected you would.” The way he said the words sounded as if he meant this specific conversation. “Have a seat, and I’ll be right back.”

She settled into his favorite booth, and he returned with a plate piled with a burger and sweet potato fries.

She smiled. Her stomach growled at the sight of the food.

“You’re not eating, gal. You need to keep up your strength.”

She bit into a fry. “How do you know I’m not eating?”

“You don’t cook. You get your food from me.”

“That’s fair.” One bite of the fry, and she was ravenous. She bit into the burger.

“How’s your father?”

Hewouldhave to ask her while she was chewing. She finished off the bite. “I heard he has safely been transferred to the hospital in Anchorage.” Autumn took another bite, and Grandpa Ike talked about the delay in getting their shipment of potatoes and that she was eating the last of the sweet potato fries. She didn’t interrupt him because she was busy stuffing her mouth.

Finally, she slid the last fry through the ketchup on her plate.

Quiet filled the restaurant. Even the rain outside had stopped. Her turn to talk.

She lifted her gaze to find her grandfather studying her.

“What do you know about what happened to my mother?”

He broke off a piece of homemade bread and chewed on it while he considered his answer. Finally, he said, “I don’t think it’s my story to tell.”

“You took your time responding, and that’s all you can say? I have to wonder if Dad’s shooting is related to the past. While hewas bleeding, he told me I was in danger. Later in the hospital, he said it was all his fault and not to go after him—whoever that is. There’s a stranger around town. Perhaps you’ve seen him, but I think he was on the boat the day Mom died. So, please, Grandpa Ike, if you know something, now would be the time to tell me everything.”

Her grandfather’s expression had turned grim while she spoke, and he hung his head.

Oh. “You’re not...”Is he crying?“Please, I’m sorry. It’s a lot to lay on you. But I simply want to know what happened back then. What’s happening now, and is it connected?”

“I can only tell you what your father told us, warning us in case this day ever came.” Her grandfather’s words were barely audible as he shared the truth about that day.

Her throat grew thick with emotion, and tears surged behind her eyes as she listened. Disbelief gripped her.No...it can’t be.

This news...changed everything.

Grandpa Ike’s words left her gutted.

TWENTY-FIVE

An eerie feeling crept over Grier as he remained parked in the shadows across from the Lively Moose, now well after midnight. The clouds had broken up, giving way to moonlight, but he wasn’t sure for how long. As a precaution, he sank down in the seat. The chief needed him, and he could kick himself for shutting her down. But he couldn’t work for her in any official capacity—and he couldn’t explain that he’d been assigned to a classified program that didn’t officially exist.

After too many hours sitting in his parked truck, the chilly night started creeping into his bones. Maybe his efforts were overkill. He could be sleeping in his warm bed, Cap curled next to the woodstove fire, instead of on this fool’s errand.

Then movement drew Grier’s attention to the alley next to the restaurant, and all his senses became fully alert.

Could be nothing at all. A bear trying to break into the bear-safe garbage cans? August meant increased bear activity—at least Otis and Sandford had warned him. But a bear would make more noise.

Could just be someone out and about at a strange hour—no crime in that. Shadow Gap had no curfew. Except the stealthymovement raised suspicions. He grabbed his Glock 9mm and quietly slipped from his vehicle. A normal person would call the police. He wasn’t normal, and these weren’t normal times.

Grier crept across the street, edging his way in front of the Lively Moose until he was under the awning. He peered around the corner into the alley between the restaurant and an office building. No one was in the alley, but for a few seconds, a man’s shadow was visible behind the building. His heart rate kicked up. Was someone trying to break into the back of the Lively Moose? If so, then Pearl and Ike Lively could be in danger, along with Autumn.

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