Page 17 of Sour Layer

Chapter 10

For the first time in a long time, I slept hard. I didn’t know if it was the weight of the blankets, the chill, or knowing that a cop was three doors down. But for once, I didn’t worry.

Clark was waiting in the sitting room with the big picturesque window. He had two disposable cups in his hand from the coffee shop down the street. He handed me one as I approached.

“You must be an early riser. Did you know what time I’d be up to make sure the coffee stayed hot?”

Clark turned to me and grinned. The sexy dimples deepened. “When I walked by your room, I heard you moving about. I knew you were up.”

I’d slept like a baby all night long but still couldn’t turn off the internal alarm that woke me every morning.

Clark cleared his throat and gestured for the coat hangers. “If you’re ready, we’re wasting daylight hours.”

Wasting daylight hours. Clark was giving me whiplash. One minute he was being friendly and supplying me with the caffeine he must have sensed I needed to function, and then in his next breath, he’s rushing me out the door.

“Sorry,” I said, setting the coffee down and grabbing my coat. I slid it up my arms and pulled the gloves out of the pocket and put them on. “When we’re done, I’d like to go see if any of the other Bennetts are willing to sit and visit with me.”

“That’s a long trek without a car, cab, or a dog sled. They live fifty miles away.”

My shoulders deflated as we headed out the door. He pulled open the passenger door for me to climb up into the already warming cab.

“It’s nice and toasty in here,” I cooed.

“You can thank my mother. She said it was the polite thing to do.” He chuckled as he pulled out onto the ice-covered snowy roads.

We drove for what seemed like thirty minutes. The lights and sounds of the town grew farther away just as the trees crowded the road toward the mountain. “What do you think happened to the girls?”

Clark’s knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. He took a turn down a long bumpy dirt road. “To be honest, I have no idea. There’s no sign of a struggle, and those girls would’ve put up a struggle. No way they went silently with a stranger that might harm them.”

“So, you think it was someone they knew and trusted?” I asked.

“I don’t know what to think. If they knew we were looking for them and their parents were dead, they would’ve checked in if it were possible. Those girls knew how to call 911.”

“Would they have though? Some kids won’t pick up the phone because they’re worried about getting in trouble.”

“Those girls would have called, because they have before. They called when their daddy fell off a ladder and cracked his head the day before they were supposed to go on a family vacation.” Clark turned his gaze to me. “They saved his life that day.”

Clark pulled up to a log cabin that was set in a clearing. The woods behind the property were thick and full. The mountain blocked the rising sun and kept the property shrouded in darkness. A single porch light was on.

“It’s dark out here.”

“Give it about ten minutes,” Clark said as he climbed out of the truck’s cab.

As I followed, I couldn’t shake the eerie feeling that the woods gave off. It felt as though I were being watched. Something sinister sat just beyond my sight, waiting, and watching. I flexed my fingers to dissipate the electricity forming beneath my palms. I didn’t have much control, but if I wished hard enough, the gathering storm might go away.

“Are you coming inside, or are you just going to stand there?” Clark asked.

I made my way up onto the porch, where Clark cut through the crime scene tape and pushed the door open.

The home was beautiful. The fine hardwood flooring and beams were stunning. Everything was in its place. To anyone walking in, no one would believe that anything nefarious had happened here.

A bearskin rug covered the floor in front of the fireplace. Ashes from a recent fire sat around the wood. A buttery leather couch sat in front of it. Framed art hung on the walls. Crystal vases sat on the tables. “This looks picturesque but not livable.”

“I don’t follow,” Clark said from across the room, watching me as I looked around.

“I would think those girls would have left more of an imprint on the area. Heck, even a newspaper on the table from the dad or a coaster laying out.”

“You think the place is too clean?” he asked.

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