“Dunno.” Ace reached for his burger. “Christian is around here somewhere, but he really doesn’t like people, so you probably won’t meet him. Damian is in intelligence, and he gets word to us once in a while, but he can’t say where he’s stationed.”
Well, then. “When you and Brock say that Christian is around here, what exactly does that mean?”
Ace paused in bringing a fry to his mouth. “The words are clear. Christian is usually in the mountains, so that means he is where he is.”
She frowned. “Huh?”
Ace shrugged, obviously not willing to go into more detail. The Osprey brothers presented a solid wall she couldn’t get past.
She’d have to start with Ace and Brock for now. She munched on a fry, humming happily at the salty taste. That Gus surecould cook. “Let’s start back at the beginning. Walk me through Hank’s death. Who found him?” That salient fact hadn’t been listed in the sheriff’s report, either.
Ace took a large bite of his burger and chewed thoughtfully, studying her intently. After he’d swallowed, he placed the food back on his plate. “Haven’t you already interviewed Brock?”
“Kind of, but we’re just getting to that day.” She ate another fry. “Why?”
“Brock found Hank’s body. It’s common knowledge. I figured you already knew that.”
She jerked and barely kept from swearing. What the heck? Yet another fact Brock Osprey had kept from her.
What else was Brock hiding, and why wasn’t that fact included in the sheriff’s investigative file?
CHAPTER SEVEN
Brock’s feet hurt, his ears burned, and his temper was so close to fraying that he should go bury his head in the snow and just avoid people. The darkness of Knife’s Edge cloaked a gleeful danger, and just when he’d forgotten its power, a damn nineteen-year-old went and got himself missing with temperatures plummeting below zero, matching the current visibility. As in there was none.
Searching more tonight would lead to certain disaster. Hopefully Wyatt had found shelter.
Seeing Ace and Ophelia still at the diner, cozied around the table with Janet and Gus, drinking Gus’s famous homemade spiked cider, didn’t help Brock’s mood any. The restaurant was obviously closed since it was nearly midnight, and didn’t Ace seem to be having a good time?
Brock shoved open the door.
Ace took one look at his face before standing. “Ah, shit, Brock. You didn’t find him?”
Brock shook his head, yanking off his gloves and letting the heat force more feeling into his hands. “Nope. Janet? Start the phone and radio tree.”
Janet nodded, her face pale, and stood to walk toward the kitchen. “Monica has a new satellite phone and I’ll call her first.” She glanced at Ophelia. “She’s my niece and is a lucky tall girl like you. I’ll see if she has an extra pair of snow pants in case you go on the search tomorrow morning.” Janet disappeared into the kitchen.
Gus also stood, his flannel dotted with grease and his deep eyes somber. “You want the blue flare or the red one?”
Brock wiped snow off the scruff on his jaw. He wasn’t the sheriff, damn it. “Blue. The wind and snow make it impossible to see right now, and several areas of the crick haven’t frozen over enough to walk on, so we’d just lose more people if we search tonight.” He hated having to wait until dawn.
“I have the flares from the police station since it’s, ah, been empty for a bit. I’ll get a blue one.” Gus turned and headed back into the kitchen and storage areas beyond the counter.
Ophelia stood, her intelligent eyes serious, and her skin enticingly smooth over her angled features. “What’s happening?”
“Lost moron,” Brock said shortly.
Gus exited the kitchen with the flare gun. “Got blue. If you fire one, I’ll fire the second before dawn.” He turned and bellowed over his shoulder. “Jan-Jan? Call Amos and find out what time dawn will fall.”
“Already did.” Janet’s voice emerged muffled from the kitchen area. “He said dawn at eight-thirty a.m. and sunrise afterward at nine-forty.”
Brock nodded. “Good enough.”
Ace moved around the table, his gaze serious. “I could go out with you tonight.”
Brock studied him and then shook his head. “The wind and snow are too heavy. No visibility at all. We wouldn’t see the guy if he stood right in front of us.” He accepted the flare gunfrom Gus. “I’ll be back in a minute.” Striding back outside, he struggled through the storm to the center of the street, pointed up, and fired the flare. It shot high through the snow and blasted out a bright blue the wind quickly swallowed. Hopefully Gus would have a better result in the morning.
Brock ducked his head against the chill and hustled back inside, handing the empty flare gun to Gus. “Thanks. I’ll be here before dawn.” He jerked his head toward Ace. “I’ll take Ophelia to Flossy’s and return for you on the snowmobile. I’d like to leave the truck in town.”
