Something shifted in his chest—not panic. Not yet. But it could be if he let it take over.
He typed another message.
Everything okay?
No answer.
That was it. Crew strode to the door. If Fern had gotten cold feet about meeting Callie this way, she would’ve said so. Fern was no coward. She would communicate her feelings to him.
He was halfway to the front of the lodge when Willow stepped into his path, a small, padded envelope in her hand.
“Crew.” Her brows connected in concern as she read his posture. “This just came for you.”
He took the package automatically, eyes still on the door like Fern might walk through it any second. “From who?”
“No return address.”
Crew tore the envelope open with his thumb. Inside was a single photograph, slightly bent at one corner. A woman stood in the center, maybe in her early thirties. Two boys flanked her, and the woman had a hand on each of their small shoulders.
The photo looked decades old.
He stared at it, confusion cutting through the edge of Fern’s absence building in his gut.
“What is this?” he asked.
Willow leaned over him to stare at the photo. She shook her head. “Is there a note?”
He reached into the envelope and withdrew a folded paper.
Mom is dying from a broken heart. Conner can’t even be here to say goodbye. Some sons don’t get the time they should have, and others don’t deserve the time they get.
His breath turned shallow.
It was from Reed.
“Oh god. Crew, this guy sounds dangerous. I’m calling Gray.” Willow already had her phone in her hand.
Crew didn’t wait. He ran out of the lodge and crossed the distance to the security office in seconds. When he burst inside, Theo looked up.
He tossed the photo and note on the table.
“Run a check on Reed. Now.” Crew’s command set Theo in motion. Behind him, Willow rushed into the room and flung herself into the chair, fingers on the computer keys.
“Last name?”
“Dickenson.”
Her fingers flew. Theo was working on another system, and he looked up first.
“The mother is dead.”
Crew’s stomach plummeted.
“The day after the funeral, Reed vanished. There’s a missing persons report filed by his uncle.”
The silence stretched, denser than any fog on the mountain.
The room tilted, and he closed his eyes. He didn’t need anyone to say it. He fuckingknewwhat was going on.
