But this room—this back room—had been updated.Someone had paneled it in light oak that still smelled faintly of fresh-cut wood and industrial varnish.A small stove sat tucked in the corner, right now silent but with logs already piled perfectly inside.
The rectangular space held a long, heavy table made from a carefully cut and polished slab of cedar.Three folding chairs, none of them matching, were pushed up to one side like someone had lost interest mid-arrangement.The tile floor was cracked and worn smooth in spots.There were no windows.Two massive corkboards blanketed the far wall covered in pinholes and ragged tape ghosts, with a monstrous map of Alaska spreading across the entire adjacent wall.
“I’ve never been in here.”Christian pulled out one of the chairs to sit.
“Yeah, most people haven’t,” Dutch said.“We only use it if we have cases in the area.And every once in a while, if I have to crash somewhere and can’t find a bed.”He glanced down at the tile.“Believe me, I always try to find a bed.”
The cracked floor looked less inviting than a pine needle covered trail for sleeping.“Why don’t you just use the sheriff’s office?”
“Because Alaska doesn’t really have sheriffs.”Dutch coughed into his hand, his shoulders shuddering.“Just because we let Knife’s Edge have its idiosyncrasies doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t follow the law.Plus, I like my own space.”
The air smelled faintly of old cleaner and warm dust.As a space, Christian didn’t figure it was too bad.He’d lived in worse.
Movement sounded outside and the door opened.“Hi.”Ophelia crossed inside, today dressed in dark jeans, black boots, and a black leather jacket.Even after months in Knife’s Edge, she still looked like a city girl.She held out a hand.“I’m Agent Spilazi.My boss called yours, and they told me to meet you here.”
Ah, Dutch wasn’t going to like this.Christian moved to intercede and then caught the look in Dutch’s eyes.
The gnarled trooper stood taller and smoothed back his wild gray hair before taking her hand in both of his.“I, ah, I should’ve called you myself, and I apologize for that.”
Christian snapped his mouth shut.Had Dutch just said he was sorry?What was happening?
Ophelia smiled, looking like a movie star.“That’s all right.I’m so happy to meet you.Brock says such fine things about you.”
Pink wound beneath Dutch’s weathered cheeks.“Ah, now, that’s nice.”
Was he fucking blushing?Christian just watched, unable to do anything else.
Dutch drew Ophelia over to one of the chairs.“This is the best we have right now, but I’ll find better ones, I promise.”He brushed off the seat with his bare hand.
“Oh, it’s fine.”Ophelia sat.“Thank you for working with me on this.One of the bodies was found on federal land.”
“Of course.I’m so happy to have your help.”Dutch reached into his jacket, pulled out three folded papers, and pinned them to the corkboard with silver thumbtacks.Each page showed a location.Two had photos.The kind that didn’t need captions.
Christian stood, walked closer, and looked them over.He pointed at the third page.“This is where the body Brock and Ophelia found disappeared.”They’d found the middle-aged man, wearing an EVE sweatshirt, with his eyes gouged out, but had to find shelter from a storm.When they returned, the body was gone.
Ophelia crossed her long legs.“Yeah, that looks like the place.We were freezing, so my memory isn’t great.I can’t believe the body disappeared.”
“We’ll figure it out.We have the two other victims to study as well.”Dutch tapped the first picture.“The first victim was a woman, around forty.Dressed in black, she was found on her back with her eyes removed.”
Christian frowned.“When?”
“Six months ago.”Dutch motioned to the next photo.“The next vic was a male in his seventies or early eighties.Same thing.Eyes missing.”
Ophelia studied the photos.“How did they die?”
“They were stabbed.Each sustained multiple wounds, but it was hard to tell exactly how many.”
Christian stepped back.“What about the eyes?Gouged out how?”
Dutch sighed.“Some kind of tool.We haven’t identified it.Lab hasn’t either.”
Christian dragged his hands down his face.“So you have both bodies.These at least didn’t disappear.”
Dutch nodded.“Yes.They were autopsied up in Anchorage, and the cause of both deaths was from stabbings.The eye removal happened after.”
All right.So the monster walked on two feet.“A person did this.Not animals.”
Dutch coughed.“Sorry.I’m fighting something.The coroner won’t say that outright.He can’t rule out scavenging, but the marks don’t match anything usual.”
