Page 64 of Cold Light of Day

He had her back.

“I do. Tell me the rest.”

She shrugged. “I’m only hypothesizing, but it appears my father brought trouble to this town when he moved us from Topeka, Kansas. My guess is that the criminal in question recently got out of prison, or else why wait all these years?”

Grier stared straight ahead again as if lost in thought. “Relocating a family from Topeka to Alaska is a big move. Why’d he do it?”

“After my mother died, he needed a change of scenery and wanted us to know her parents. To have a support system. Family. That, and since he was the police chief, he didn’t have the time to devote to us in Topeka like he believed that he would in this small town.”

Grier started up the vehicle and steered onto the street.

“Wait. Where are you going?”

“I feel like we’re a sitting target, either for the man who survived the river or for the gossips watching you.” Apprehension that hadn’t been there moments ago edged his tone. “Tell me the rest while I’m driving. What happened to your mother?”

Where do I start?

What Grandpa Ike had told her still left her feeling shell-shocked. A wave of nausea hit her at his revelation, but she put it aside. She tried to calm her emotions so she could share with Grier what she was willing to share, but her voice shook, even so.

“I was only eight. Dad had arranged for us to have a special vacation in the Caribbean. He always said, ‘Memories made on the water last forever.’ I think Mom and Dad had been fighting a lot, and he wanted to do something special. He and Nolan went to shore to get supplies. Mom and I were on the boat. Men showed up, and they argued...I don’t remember a lot. What happened next, well, Mom didn’t make it out of that.”

“I’m so sorry,” Grier said.

Me too.She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. Sucked in a breath, then opened her eyes again.

“Recently I dreamed that she had talked to them in a different language, but now I think that was an actual memory. Plus one of the men in my dream is the same man in this picture. I’d seen him before in town, following me, and I knew he seemed familiar. Now I think I know why. He wasn’t just from my dream. He was actually on the boat. And he’s the one who abducted me last night.”

She risked a glance in his direction to gauge his reaction. He appeared rigid, working his jaw. She’d give him time to digest her words as he steered them out of town.

“I know it’s a lot to take in,” she added.

Grier released a heavy exhale. “It sounds like your suspicions are right and your father got involved with some seriously bad people while he was a police chief in Topeka. Your family paid the price, your mother with her life. So your father has the answers you need.”

“Too bad he couldn’t tell me more. As for the man who shot Dad, his fingerprints aren’t showing up on any criminal or military lists that we know about yet. And Nolan hasn’t learned anything from the Alaska Bureau of Investigation that he could share. He’s working all angles on the side, in addition to his job, using his connections.”

“And Nolan hasn’t learned the identity of this guy who was on the boat how long ago?”

“Twenty-two years.”

“If he’s a notorious criminal with a past, then you should know something soon.”

She nodded. “I’ll give Nolan a call. Tanya and I have been searching databases, but with the number of criminals listed, it’s overwhelming.”

Grier drove up a muddied trail, then parked in a thicket. He shifted toward her, his expression somber.

“Let me take you somewhere safe. From there we can find out who this guy is and wait for the authorities with more resources to apprehend him.”

His words stunned her. “Are you out of your mind? I’m the head of the police department here. Shadow Gap might not be much, but it’s my town, Grier.”

“Well, it was worth a shot to ask, though I didn’t think you would go for it, even though it’s exactly what you did for your father. You sent him somewhere safe. After last night, you need to do the same.”

“That’s different.”

“I don’t agree, but it’s your call.” Grier climbed out of his truck but apparently had more to say since he leaned back in. “Stay here until I get back.”

This is what she got for asking for help. She had to crawl out on his side because he’d parked next to a tree and she couldn’t open the door.

She rushed through the underbrush until she caught up to him standing behind a thick spruce. “Grier.” She hoped he heard the growl in her tone. “What’s going on?”

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