Page 68 of Cold Light of Day

God, where do we go? What do we do?

“Earth to Grier.” The chief had ended her call and now pulled him back to the moment. To the here and now.

Her brows furrowed, and she stepped closer. “So what do you say? Let’s go find Sarah. I informed Tanya I would be following up on that lead while we wait to learn more about my stalker. Are you with me?”

“Where is she?” he asked. “You said you didn’t know.”

“And you said you would contact her—so do it. See if she responds.”

He dug his cell from his pocket. After he found the number the chief had given him, he texted a message identifying himself and asking Sarah to meet. On his cell, he noticed he had a new email.

“How is that possible?”

“What is it?” She peered over his shoulder.

“The only contact I had with Krueger was through an anonymous and untraceable email account. But he sent me an email this morning.”

She peered at him. “He’s dead.”

“Right.”

“Someone obviously got access to the email account,” she said. “Maybe it contains a threat or a warning, or if you open it, you’ll download tracking software or an app that will allow them to hear you and watch you. I wouldn’t open it.”

He looked at her, took in her amazing, one-of-a-kind eyes filled with determination. “You need to go. Get as far away from me as you can. That’s for the best.”

“I’m staying.”

Fine. “And I’m opening the email.”

She pursed her lips. “Then we’ll read the email together. You’re going to help me find Sarah and learn the truth. I’m going to help clear your name.”

Why would she go so far out on a limb for him? “How do you know I’m telling the truth?”

“Granted, I’ve only known you for a few months, but in that time I’ve seen you step up and sacrifice for others repeatedly. Actions speak louder than words. As Birdy pointed out, you’ve got mettle, and I know what I need to know about you, Grier.”

That surprised him. “She said that. About me?”

“Yep.”

“I could be a criminal who’s lying to you right now.”

“You could be, but I don’t believe that’s the case. Now, are you going to open that email or not?”

Grier clicked on the email from a dead man.

TWENTY-EIGHT

In the passenger seat of the cockpit in Carrie’s Helio, Autumn stared out at the stunning snowcapped mountains and the glaciers spilling into the waterways. The Juneau Icefield especially captivated her.

Grier sat quietly in the seat behind her, probably thinking through their next steps. Carrie hadn’t asked any questions—wasn’t good for business, she’d claimed—as she flew them to Juneau, where they would catch the next Alaska Airlines flight to Anchorage. In total, flying from Shadow Gap to Juneau and then over to Anchorage took three and a half to four hours—and by plane was the fastest route, versus bus or car from Haines (after they took a boat to Haines), which took from one to two days.

As the plane hit a rough patch, Autumn squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the queasiness building inside that had nothing to do with the turbulence and everything to do with the man sitting behind her—he still hadn’t told her what or who he was running from.

And her father, who remained hospitalized in Anchorage, wasn’t faring well. At first, the transfer had been for his protection, but he’d since developed an infection, so moving him hadturned out to be fortuitous. Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage was better equipped to deal with the hard stuff.

Autumn had worked as a police officer under her father for seven years, and now as chief, she had to ask herself ifshewas equipped to deal with the hard stuff. She’d gone through trauma at eight but had gotten over it, and the incident had only solidified her desire to work in law enforcement. But she had no experience with major crimes, only small-town ones, for which she was grateful. Shadow Gap had felt like the perfect place.

Hiding in the shadows of the fjord, the town had felt like a refuge from the world. But what did Autumn know? Now that the outside had crept into her town, she had to fight the waves of nausea and force a calm she didn’t feel. But resolve flooded her—she would beat this new criminal element that had entered her world.

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