“Lurking in the woods. Which one of you let the location of our rendezvous drop?”
Walter held up his hands. “I’ve been in the backcountry for weeks.” He tipped a finger toward Miranda. “Ask her.”
Miranda aimed a harsh glare at him. “Shut up, Walter.” She looked at Sarah. “I haven’t said anything to anyone.”
I was not about to enlighten any of them that it was just happenstance.
“Well, let’s get going before anyone else joins us.” Sarah’s gaze flicked toward the forest. “Get your stuff, and let’s get out of here.”
“What do you plan to do with them?” Walter asked, shuffling forward as he slung a large backpack over his shoulders.
“Not sure yet. But I’m definitely not killing them here where their bodies can be easily found.”
My heart skipped.
Well, shit…
Donning her own pack, Miranda walked closer. Pebbles growled.
“Shh…” I put a hand over the dog’s head and scratched her face, hoping to keep her calm.
“Wait.” Miranda frowned. “Isn’t that Claire Holmes’s dog?” Alarm widened her eyes, and she glanced toward the trees. “Is she here? Along with that cop boyfriend of hers?”
“Cop?” Sarah’s spine stiffened, and she adjusted her grip on her rifle.
“No,” I hastened to assure them. “They’re out of town. Luke and I are dog-sitting.”
A slow, cold smile formed on Sarah’s face. “Out of town, huh? That’s good. How long?”
“A week,” Luke swiftly replied.
I didn’t contradict him. They didn’t need to know Claire and Ozzie would be home tomorrow. Sooner, maybe, if they got my messages.
Miranda snorted. “Detective Quartermaine was allowed that much time off in the middle of a murder investigation? Give me a break. You’re lying.”
“No, I swear.” Luke held up his hands. “The case has gone a little cold, so Ozzie asked for some time off to let things marinate.”
With a hum, Miranda didn’t argue.
“Where did they go?” Sarah asked.
“Where did they go?” Mina parroted. “Camping. Off-grid. They took a satellite phone for emergencies and left strict instructions not to be contacted unless it was an emergency.” That was sort of true. They had indeed asked not to be bothered unless it was an emergency, but they took a long-range radio, not a satellite phone. When I spoke to Christine Bartles, she said she would try to relay a message to them, but I hadn’t heard if she was successful.
Sarah studied us, and I did my level best to keep a straight face and maintain eye contact. She needed to believe my half-truths.
Finally, she looked away at Miranda and Walter. “That should give us a few days to figure out what to do. Even if someone reports them missing tonight or tomorrow, it’ll take time for them to get back from the backcountry.”
Her gaze slid past them to the water. No boats went past, but this time of year, it wouldn’t be long before someone came by on their way into Juneau from a day’s excursion. “Let’s get off theshore. We still have a bit of a hike, and I want to get there before it gets too late.”
She waited while Miranda and Walter moved ahead of her, then motioned for us to follow.
Once more, I glanced at Luke. His normally expressive face had closed off into a stoic mask. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Hopefully, it was about a way to get us out of this mess.
Because I had no idea how to do that.
CHAPTER 35
Luke
