Page 84 of Trail to Trouble
“I guess mainly, I just want this on record in case something happens. And I was hoping you would reach out to the Minneapolis Police Department and have them check on Bianca. You know, like a wellness check. Only I really don’t know where she lives anymore, but I was hoping you could figure that out.”
“The officer nodded. That we can do, but there’s not much else we can do at this point.”
“I know, and that is what I expected,” she replied matter-of-factly.
There was no reason to bust the officer’s chops, understanding how this story must sound, and the fact she had no actual proof Sebastián was after her, except for the flowers and the text from her old friend.
“It’s not that I don’t want to help you, but...”
She held her hand up, and he stopped talking.
“I know. I get it.”
The officer held her gaze. “I am going to follow up about your friend.”
“Thank you.”
He looked and sounded sincere. She believed him.
After an hour at the station, she and Hunter exited the building and hopped into his truck. It was nine o’clock by the time they headed north on US-141. It was going to be a long drive to the U.P. in the dark.
“When should I text Bianca?”
“In the morning. I want to make sure we do this right. I want to talk with Chief Ricco to see what he thinks.”
Chief Ricco. She thought of him, his department, and his wife often. They were all so kind and empathetic. Wholesome, small-town people who cared. Yet the man was all business when he needed to be.
“He’s going to tell us this is too risky and forbid us to do it,” Hannah said.
Hunter turned his head toward her for a moment before returning his gaze to the road.
“Probably, but you never know. He saw firsthand what happened ten years ago, so he may have a different perspective about the severity of this versus the officer in Green Bay.”
“We’ll spend the night at Uncle Lee’s, then call the chief in the morning. Rather, we should go see him in person,” Hunter said, then chuckled. “It’s harder to say no when you’re face to face.”
“True.”
“I suppose you’d better call Lee and warn him we’re coming and why.”
“I already did that when you were packing. He and Aunt Heidi are expecting us tonight.”
After a couple of hours, Hunter pulled into the winding driveway leading to the office of Yooper Adventures and Lee and Heidi’s house. Anxiety gripped her heart and squeezed.
“Just breathe,” Hunter said as he reached over and took her hand.
Such a natural task seemed hard to do at that moment. The horrible memory of that fateful day hurt like hell and felt as fresh as it did on that day.
Hunter’s grip tightened. “It’ll be fine.”
Though his words were meant to be reassuring, the hint of apprehension in his tone let her know he was worried too. But, this was the only way—the best way she could think of to protect herself and those she loved. Even if their plan worked, it was only a temporary resolution. How long would Sebastián go back to prison for? A tinge of guilt raked through her for trying to set him up this way, but the fact of the matter was, he would kill her and those around her, if she didn’t do something.
As they approached Lee’s home, the garage door opened, and Lee waved Hunter in. A thin woman of average height with short gray hair stood next to Lee and must be Heidi. She’d never seen the woman before.
She slid out of the vehicle and walked toward Lee and Heidi. Hunter hugged them both, then gestured to her.
“Uncle Lee, you remember Katrina?”
The man raised a brow and nodded.
