Page 12 of Cold as Hell

“You can do that from indoors,” Anders calls back. “And while sitting.”

I shake my head, but I retreat into the building and take a seat in front of the smoldering fireplace. Anders heads straight to it, adding a log before taking off his gloves.

“I heard what happened to Kendra,” he says.

I wince. “I’m sorry. We should have told you last night.”

“Uh, no, I was enjoying a very good sleep, and if you didn’t need my help, I didn’t need to know.” He shucks his parka andlowers himself into the other chair. “Eric caught up with me and filled me in. He says she wasn’t assaulted. Are we, uh, sure?”

“As much as we can be. There’s no sign of it, and Kendra wouldn’t feel any need to cover that up, especially with us. Whoever grabbed her didn’t get her far into the forest.”

“Good. I was feeling the spectral fingers of Rockton reaching out, reminding me of all the times I was pretty sure a woman had been fondled—or worse—and wasn’t comfortable telling us.” He knocks snow from his boot. “That got better after you arrived.”

“It always helps having a woman on the force.”

“Hell, it helps having an experiencedcopon the force. There was plenty of sexual assault in the army when I was an MP, but I didn’t have the proper training, and the higher-ups didn’t seem particularly eager to provide any. Anyway, the point is that we’ve got a problem, and it’s not just some asshole who can’t hear the word ‘no.’” He pauses. “Which isn’t to saythatwouldn’t also be a problem.”

“But I know what you mean. Dragging a woman into the woods means we’re dealing with more than a guy who’s been raised to think women just need convincing. However, we also can’t be sure sexual assaultwasthe goal. Drugging Kendra in a bar and dragging her into the woods suggests that, but I can’t ignore the possibility it was a purely physical assault.”

“Gay-bashing?”

“Let’s hope not.”

“Well, that Ididdeal with in the army. But stepping back a bit, I’m guessing you wanted to do more than just tell me we have a new case. I had a drink with Kendra last night. I’m a witness.”

“You are.” I struggle to untie my boots and feel a wash of relief through my already-sore feet. “Tell me about that.”

“Not much to tell. Kendra was sitting with Gunnar and Yolanda. I came in. Obviously you aren’t hanging out at the Roc these days, which means Eric isn’t either. Isabel was behind the bar. There was no sign of Kenny or Marlon. So I joined Yolanda’s table. Nursed a beer while Kendra and Gunnar one-upped each other telling stories. Then…”

“Lynn joined, and you left. You and Gunnar.”

Anders makes a face. “That sounds bad. I just… Lynn is… Shit.”

Together with her husband, Lynn was one of our first residents. It’s been clear from the start that there’s marital strain, and that it seems to originate with her husband. That puts the sympathy ball in Lynn’s corner. Except Lynn has done a few things to deflate that ball.

She’s also tried really hard to make up for those things, but the situation with her husband has led to her… looking for love—or sex—in all the wrong places. Like with Gunnar, who’d usually be the right place, but spotting the potential for trouble, he demurred, which humiliated Lynn. She’d then set her eye on our other most eligible bachelor, and Anders backstepped so fast it’d have been funny if I didn’t also feel bad for Lynn. She’s a woman trapped in an unhappy marriage who just wants companionship—in friends or a lover—and she can’t seem to get either.

“I feel for her,” Anders says. “I really do. Grant is an ass, and she’s lonely, and she’s a nice enough woman.” He makes another face. “Which really sounds like damning with faint praise. Anice enoughwoman.”

“No, I get it. I’ve come to enjoy her company in a group setting, but I wouldn’t be inviting her to lunch. And if I did, it’d be a sympathy invite, which feels wrong.”

He rises to poke the fire. “Anyway, so the four of us wereat a table when Lynn came in and did that thing—like I did—looking around for a group to join.”

“Only in your case, people would be waving you over, and you get to pick the best option. Lynn’s looking foranyoption, while ready to slip out if she doesn’t get one. I know Kendra has been making an effort to include her.”

“Kendra’s good people. Yolanda grumbled but stayed. Gunnar took off before Lynn even got to the table, and we had to pretend he had somewhere to be. I finished my beer and pulled the ‘look at the time’ crap. I may also have blamed you, saying I needed to start early these days so you can sleep in.”

“Feel free to do that whenever you need to. Even after the baby’s born, it’ll work.”

He takes his seat again. “Yeah, but I did feel bad. Lynn wasn’t ogling me or rubbing my leg under the table. She’s never evenovertlyhit on me. But Grant’s taken a dislike to me, and I don’t have time for jealous-husband shit.”

“Understandable. What time did you leave?”

“Eleven fifteen, which is the advantage of having done a fake watch check. I actually saw the time. It would have been just before eleven when Lynn came in and Gunnar left.”

“Did Gunnar really leave? Or just move to a new table?”

“Left, I think. One of the women tried to catch his eye, but you know Gunnar. When he’s on, he’s good to go, but when he’s off, he’s very off.”

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