Page 34 of Coordinates of Death

Why did he get the feeling she was leaving something out of her story? “I’ve heard you get moved around a lot within the policing world. How did you get stationed back to the Yukon?”

“I call it a God thing. A position came open in Sweetwood Falls, and I immediately jumped on it and applied.”

“You sound like Preach. He refers to lots of God things.”

She held her hands over the potbellied stove. “You don’t believe, Kord, even after how God used Maxwell to save you from the streets of Toronto?”

God was not a subject he cared to talk about. “I’m not sure what to believe. I’ve seen too much in my life, and you’d be surprised at the evil out there.”

She turned, her lips pursing. “You don’t think I haven’t seen it too?”

He raised his hands. “Not saying that. I’m sure you have.” He knew what she had gone through, but she had no idea about what had happened with Cain Roche. Time to shift the subject, as he wasn’t ready to share what had happened to him during that dark hole in his life.

A hole that still held secrets, even from him.

“Tell me what happened when Hill recommended you for corporal.”

“Staff Sergeant Hill’s daughter was kidnapped by the rapist I mentioned. No one could find her, but a criminal informant called me with a tip when he saw my sergeant’s plea for the public to help locate his daughter. The CI’s information proved valuable. I called for backup just as the kidnapper set the place on fire. I had no choice but to run in and save her.”

“What happened to the rapist?”

“He fled, but police caught him when he ducked into an alleyway. So because of my heroic act—as Staff Sergeant Hill called it—he recommended me for corporal much to my sergeant’s disapproval.”

“You mean Wheeler?”

“Yep.”

Kordell thought back to their earlier meeting with her leaders. “I get the feeling he doesn’t like you.”

“He’s never forgiven me for getting stationed here ahead of his niece, Nadine. Second-guesses everything I do.” She approached the entrance. “Let’s see if the weather has subsided.” Aurora opened the door. “Still snowing, but I can see the other side of the lake. That’s a good sign.”

“I’ll douse the flames, and then we’ll get going.” Kordell opened the stove’s door and poked at the embers. “Only coals left. I spread them around, so they’ll die off quickly.” He slung the cooler’s bag strap across his chest, following Aurora out the door. “Stay close, okay? We don’t know if the person with the pig mask is still out there somewhere. Watching.”

They crept along the ice, staying low. Kordell didn’t totally trust the frozen lake to hold.

As they were almost at the shore, movement caught his attention seconds before a gunshot boomed. “Down!”

They dropped to their knees.

The bullet hit the ice a few yards away from their location. Another shot hit closer but to their left. A third bullet behind them.

The lake moaned before an echoing sound rumbled beneath the surface. Kordell’s heartbeat pounded as he stole a peek over his shoulder. A spiderweb of cracks spread, crawling across the lake. How long before the ice gave way? They couldn’t wait to find out.

“Crawl toward the shore. Quick!” Kordell positioned the cooler at his back.

Aurora shinnied her way across.

Kordell followed, the block of ice weighing him down.

Another groan mumbled under them.

Move, Kordell. Or this lake will be your burial ground!

Kordell hustled the rest of the way to the shoreline and reached it seconds after Aurora. They scrambled up the incline, and Aurora dug her gun out of her pack, aiming it at the tree line.

Realization hit Kordell. “My guess is that they’re gone. I don’t think SBK was trying to hit us, just prove that he can get to us anywhere anytime. He placed his shots in a strategic triangle, probably thinking the ice would crack but not break.”

Aurora stuffed her gun back into its holster. “You’re right. He doesn’t want to kill us . . . yet. His game isn’t done. Thank you for knowing what to do. My mind went blank. What kind of police officer am I?”