Page 33 of Cold as Hell

“It’s Lynn,” Kendra says. “No one’s seen her since last night.”

CHAPTER TEN

I start heading for Kendra, still standing just inside the door, but Yolanda catches my arm and points to the seat.

“At least sit while she talks,” Yolanda says. “We both know that this might not be an emergency.”

When I hesitate, Yolanda lifts her brows, and I get it. What has Lynn been looking for since she got here? A night—or at least an evening—in a bed other than her own. I remember seeing her in the store with Thierry. Was that only yesterday?

I lower myself into my seat and wave for Kendra to come in.

“Lynn’s missing,” I prompt.

Kendra nods as she unwinds her scarf. “The general store wasn’t open, and a couple of people were milling around, hoping to get supplies. They figured it was closed because of the blizzard. I was walking past with Nicole and the boys. We were taking the kids and the dogs for a walk before the storm hit again. I said I’d check on the store situation while Nicole took the kids. They weren’t going far anyway.”

She moves farther into the room. “I went to talk to Lynn first. I don’t know whether it’s even her shift, but I figured she’dknow what was going on. She wasn’t in her apartment, so I had to keep looking. No one had seen her. Finally I bumped into Grant helping with a tree that fell in the storm. He said he hadn’t seen Lynn since last night.”

I have my pad and pen out, already making notes, even as Yolanda’s look says I’m overreacting.

“When last night?” I ask.

“Before the storm.”

I frown. “Grant didn’t raise an alarm when Lynn failed to come home during a storm?”

“Grant is a fucking asshole, pardon my language.”

“Agreed and seconded,” Yolanda says. “I’m not sure how I feel about Lynn, but if she gets any sympathy points from me, it’s because she’s married to that dick.”

“Did he say why he wasn’t concerned?” I ask.

“He snapped something about checking Thierry’s bed and stomped off.”

“Shit,” I say.

Yolanda looks at me.

“Thierry came into the store yesterday when I was leaving,” I say. “There was definitely some tension there. Positive tension. Then I saw Grant heading for the store, and I considered intervening but…”

“They’re all adults,” Yolanda says. “Your police duties don’t extend to enforcing marital vows.”

“Yes, but this might fall under general peacekeeping.” I look at Kendra. “Have we found Thierry?”

She nods. “He’s been helping with the kitchen for the past hour. He says he hasn’t seen her since around noon yesterday.”

“Any chance he’s lying and Lynn is in his room? Waiting for him to come back?”

She hesitates. Then she says, carefully, “I really don’t thinkso. I know Lynn can be…” She clears her throat. “A bit of a joke for some people.”

“Not for me,” I say. “It’s awkward, because it’s such a small town.”

“And she’s not exactly discreet,” Yolanda mutters.

“She’s just really lonely,” Kendra says. “And she’s obviously never done this sort of thing before.”

“Isshe lonely?” Yolanda says. “Or trying to get Grant’s attention? Because in my experience, cheating isn’t always about finding someone new. It can be about getting the attention of the person you have. The totally wrong way to go about it but…”

“All I can say is that she’s unhappy,” Kendra says. “I know she hasn’t been discreet, but she, uh, believes she is. She’s trying to be. I don’t think she wants to hurt Grant, and I really don’t think she wants to upset him.”

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