Fire and Ice (Buchanan-Renard #7)

Fire and Ice (Buchanan-Renard #7) Page 25

Rooney had arrived first and stood at a table near the back, waving to Sophie and Jack as they entered. After shaking hands and taking their seats, Rooney suggested they try the whale meat stew.

“It’s kind of tangy, but I grew up eating it, and I love it. Unfortunately, my wife is from Anchorage, and she hasn’t figured out how to cook yet, so the only time I can get it is when I come here.”

Jack was more adventurous than Sophie. She ordered a sandwich, and he ordered the stew. He was able to get down only two bites before he decided he also wanted a sandwich.

Joe dug in with gusto. “Guess you have to be raised with this kind of food to love it.”

Jack got down to business. “Start at the beginning and tell me who found Harrington’s remains.”

“A helicopter pilot found him. His name is Massack, and I’ve known him for years. Went to high school with him, as a matter of fact. Anyway, he and another pilot, Walters, were flying near the coast checking bear movement. He told me he set the chopper down near some markers and almost tripped over the foot. He was pretty shocked to look down and see that.”

Jack nodded. “That would be a surprise.”

“When he was wrapping up the leg, he saw the corner of the business card. He pulled it out and found your name, Sophie.”

Joe pushed his empty bowl aside and leaned forward on his elbows. “The tracks leading away from the remains were fresh. He knew it was a polar bear that got him, and from the size of the prints, he was pretty sure it was Barry. There isn’t any other bear up here that big.”

“When was the wallet found?” Sophie asked.

“About a week later. We did a thorough search and found strips of a tent.” He shook his head. “Strange place to put up a tent, but there it was.”

Jack leaned back and rested his arm on Sophie’s chair. “Find anything else?”

“Some plastic,” he said. “Bits and pieces of what looked like part of a camera. Sent it to the lab with what was left of the tent.”

Sophie turned to Jack. “How did Paul get my cell phone number? He called me right after Joe did.”

“Paul Larson?” Rooney asked. “They called me from Deadhorse and asked if I knew a guy by that name.”

“Yes, he said he was working with the police and doing some investigating on his own,” Sophie said.

Rooney shook his head. “I can tell you right now, no one outside the department works with us. He called you just after I called? That is strange. I wouldn’t even have had time to put it in my report. What do you suppose he’s up to?”

“I wish I knew,” Jack said.

They talked about Harrington a few minutes more, then Sophie said, “I understand his remains were found near a village called Inook. I’m hoping someone there saw him. The man didn’t just drop out of the sky into a tent.” She suddenly thought of something else to ask. “Paul told me about two brothers named Coben who were trappers. He said the brothers talked to Harrington, but I’m assuming that was a lie, too. Have you ever heard of the Cobens?”

“No, I haven’t,” Joe said. “It’s surely another lie, but I’ll ask around.”

“Tell me about Inook,” Jack said.

“Not much to tell. Only a handful of people live there, but they aren’t spread out, and that’s good if you want to talk to all of them. Straight north is the ocean and straight east of Inook is research housing. There are some scientists studying the habits of wolves. They’re biologists I think.”

“How many are there?”

“Four, I think. They close down in the late fall and go back in the spring.”

“The habits of wolves?” Sophie asked.

“You know, the way the pack interacts, who’s in charge, that kind of stuff. People must want to know about them because the docs keep getting grants to continue their study. I have to admit, I think it would be real boring to watch a bunch of wolves for months on end.”

He continued telling them about Inook. “Small planes bring in supplies, and the people stock up for the dark days of winter. There’s a little cabin that was abandoned years ago, and if the weather should turn ugly, pilots hole up there. They make sure it’s always stocked with supplies.”

“What do the people who live there do?” Sophie wondered.

Joe smiled. “They fish. Their grocery store is the ocean.”

“Would you mind setting up a meeting for me with the pilots who found Harrington?” Jack asked. “I’d like to hear their version. I’m not doubting you,” he hastened to add, “but they may have forgotten to mention something.”

“I understand. I’ll set it up. Want me to sit in on the meeting with you?”

“That’d be good.”

“I know they’re both in town. Listen, do you think I ought to go to Inook with you two? I could leave midafternoon.”

“No, thanks, Joe. It will be getting dark,” Sophie said, thinking they’d have to wait until the next morning.

Jack grinned. “Look outside. It’s always dark.”

“No, it’s just a little cloudy,” Rooney said. “Sun won’t go down for another hour. By mid-November, it will stay down.”

“How long does it stay down?” Jack asked.

“About sixty-five days, but it won’t get totally dark. My wife’s not used to our days yet. She was raised in Iowa and only lived in Anchorage a couple of years before I met her. I’m trying to convince her it’s romantic here.”

That, Jack decided, would be one hard sell.

Later, Joe brought pilots Massack and Walters to the hotel to meet with Jack, while Sophie stayed in the room getting a head start on the articles she wanted to write about the people of Barrow. She needed to think about something other than William Harrington for a while. Her mind was cluttered with the lies Larson had spun.

It was late when Jack returned. Sophie was already asleep, but she’d left the desk light on. Her notebook was sitting beside it.

Jack dropped the room key on the desk. He read the first couple of sentences of the story she had written. They captured his interest, so he picked up the notebook and read the entire article.

It was about the older couple they had met in the restaurant. Their names were Samuel and Anna. Jack was impressed by how accurately Sophie recalled the details of the information they had given, but more important, he was struck by how beautifully she captured the essence of the pair, telling of their lives as though they were the hero and heroine of some epic tale. Samuel and Anna had known each other since first grade, and had laughed when they said, “It was love at first sight.” They had watched their children grow and now, after forty years of marriage, were watching their children’s children grow. When Sophie described the way Samuel looked at Anna, as though she were still the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, Jack could picture the old man’s face. In Samuel’s eyes, he saw an entire lifetime of loving one woman.

Jack sat on the edge of the bed thinking about the article. Thinking about Sophie, too. When he got under the covers, he gently wrapped her in his arms. He kissed her forehead and fell asleep.

THE FOLLOWING MORNING, while Sophie showered, Jack checked in with Alec. She was dressed when she stepped out of the bathroom, and while she packed, Jack paced the room. She closed her carry-on bag, put it by her coat, and sat down on the end of the bed, waiting. Jack finally noticed she was watching him.

He tilted his head. “What?”

“You tell me,” she said. “You’re worried. Did something happen while I was in the shower?”

“Just trying to work something out. Did you remember anything else Larson said to you?”

She nodded. “I did. He Googled me.”

“What the…”

“He said he Googled me and was looking at my photo. That kind of gives me shivers now,” she admitted.

“Where did he find your photo?”

“My newspaper sometimes runs my photo above my articles,” she explained. “Come on, Jack. You know these days anyone can find out anything about a person using the Internet.”

“This guy went to a lot of trouble to get you up here. We don’t know who he is, and we don’t know his motives. I’m leaning toward changing our plans.”

Sophie put up her hand. “I know what you’re going to say. Back to Chicago, right? And that’s fine, after we go to Inook. I’ve come this far. I don’t want to leave just yet. What’s a couple of hours going to hurt? It’s a tiny coastal village. I’ll talk to whoever’s there, and then I can put this to rest.”

“No, I think it would be—”

She cut him off. “Jack, I’m going with or without you.”

“Ah, Sophie,” he said, a smile in his voice, “that’s sweet.”

Suspicious now, she asked, “What’s sweet?”

“It’s sweet that you think you have a say. You go where I go, not the other way around.”

She folded her arms defiantly. “Wanna bet?”

JOURNAL ENTRY 761

ARCTIC CAMP

Horrible day!

Brandon became so agitated this morning, I worried he would do something drastic. I made the offhanded remark to Eric that Brandon could use a dose of K-74—never imagining that he would actually give it to him.

Brandon went into cardiac arrest around 3:00 p.m. We called for the medical helicopter, but it was too late. By the time they arrived, he was dead.

I could tell Eric was scared. When I confronted him, he admitted he’d injected Brandon with the K-74, telling him that it was a mild sedative. Now we find out that Brandon had a heart condition he was keeping a secret. According to Kirk, there won’t be an autopsy. Lucky for us.

TWENTY-NINE

JACK AND SOPHIE LEFT FOR INOOK TWO HOURS LATER. ONE OF those hours was spent arguing. Sophie was pretty sure he finally gave in just to shut her up.

Once they were in the air, Chipper asked Jack if he would mind making a stop on the way back to Barrow.

“I’ve got supplies to drop off at another coastal village. It won’t take long, and it will save me a trip tomorrow.”

“We’re going to be in Inook most of the afternoon. Why don’t you make the trip and come back for us?” Jack suggested.

Chipper was grateful. “I won’t keep you waiting.”

“When we get close to Inook, circle so I can get the lay of the land. I want to see where the cabins are.”

The pilot was happy to oblige. He flew over the water, then passed over a cluster of prefabricated buildings hooked together like the hotel in Deadhorse.

“That’s where the people watching the wolves stay. I hear it’s a slick setup. They’ve got satellite and DVD players. I know because I’ve brought disks for them. They watch a lot of movies when they can’t get out.”

It looked deserted, but with the fresh snow, any footprints would have been covered up. No lights shone from inside.

“Must be locked up for the winter,” Sophie remarked.

The noise from the engine drowned out her voice, and neither Jack nor Chipper heard her comment.

They passed over Inook and landed. Jack unzipped his bag, took out extra gun clips, and put them in the pockets of his ski jacket. He handed another to Sophie and told her to put it in her coat.

“You expecting trouble?” Chipper asked.

“No, just like to be prepared.”

“You’re overreacting,” she told him as she stepped out of the plane. “We’re not going to war.”

Jack didn’t respond. Standing side by side, they watched the plane disappear. Suddenly, they were all alone in the middle of a white wilderness.

Sophie made a complete circle looking for signs of life. Not a sound could be heard. She shuddered. “Jack, could I have a gun?”

“Finally getting nervous?” he asked. He took hold of her hand and started walking. “Time to knock on some doors and hope to God no one answers with a rifle.”

“You’re too distrustful,” she told him. She was already gasping for breath. The cold made her lungs feel as though they were freezing and would crack at any second.

“Out here in the wild, would you open the door without a little protection? Never mind, I know the answer. You’d open it.”

“You’re never going to let that go, are you?”

He was ahead of her, and she couldn’t see him smiling. “Never let what go?”

“I looked out the window and got shot. That’s what.”

Jack thought of Samuel and Anna. Did they ever argue the way he and Sophie did? If so, did they have as much fun?

The terrain was flat, but to Sophie it felt like she was climbing a mountain, a big one. She couldn’t help but notice that Jack wasn’t at all winded. The man was definitely in shape. She ought to know, she thought, remembering the play of his muscles under her fingertips.

“Didn’t Joe say the homes were close together?” she panted.

“Yes, he did. Must be by Alaska measurements.”

They walked for what seemed a mile before reaching a house, but Jack assured her it wasn’t even a fourth of that. The structure was another prefab building, with one window on the side of the door and two snowmobiles parked beside the steps.

The Native American woman who opened the door looked stunned to see them.

“I don’t think they get a lot of salesmen here,” Sophie whispered to Jack.

She motioned them inside. Sophie sighed with relief when she felt the heat.

Jack asked several questions, but the woman was hesitant with her answers.

“You have a lovely home,” Sophie said.

She then told them where she was from and why she had ventured here. Within minutes, Sophie had the woman telling her her life story. Her name was Mary, and she had three strong children. Her husband was fishing with a neighbor. As Mary became more comfortable with them, she offered information about the village and about her neighbors.

“If one of us had met this man you speak of, all of us would have heard about it. By tonight everyone will know about the woman with the blue eyes and her handsome husband.” She shook her head and with authority said, “No Harrington here. Did this man get lost?”

“No, he had an unfortunate accident. A polar bear killed him.”

Mary nodded sagely. “Ah yes, Barry ate him. We never knew the man’s name. Now we do. William Harrington.”

“Have you ever met the scientists who study the wolves?” Sophie asked.