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Except…Jesus Christ, how had he forgotten? Molly must have scrambled his brains. He hurried into his glassed-in porch and snatched up his laptop. He logged into the software for the security system. When he’d first moved here, he’d set up three security cameras as a precaution. For the most part, they caught images of wildlife passing by. A lynx and her cubs, a great horned owl who’d alighted on the same branch as the camera, that sort of thing.
If he could find a shot with the gunman in it…
He scanned through the camera feeds one by one, going straight to ten-twenty-eight, when the first shot had been fired. Good thing he’d checked the time.
And finally, there it was. Someone crouched on a rise above his house—probably the one place they could get a clear shot. He stared at it, zoomed in, then zoomed back out, unable to believe his eyes.
“Who is it?”
Molly’s throaty voice sounded behind him. She peered over his shoulder at the image. She’d pulled on one of his Fangtooth Air Service sweatshirts, which hung to mid-thigh on her and looked outrageously sexy. “Is that…”
“A woman. Yes. I know her.”
“Not a Chilkoot?”
“Oh, it’s a Chilkoot all right. It’s Soraya. I’ve been secretly picking up her birth control for her.”
24
Molly peered at the blurry image on the screen. It was clearly a woman, but beyond that, she’d have to take Sam’s word on her identity.
“So you were helping her. And now she’s shooting at you.”
“So it would seem.” Sam went through the video frame by frame. She entered, crouched, positioned her rifle, then paused, and scooted farther to her right, out of view of the camera. “What made her pause there?”
“It looks to me like maybe someone said something to her.”
“That’s my thought too. Someone else was there. But there was only one person firing one gun. All the shots came from the same direction, and had the same sound profile.”
“Okay.” Molly took a step back and paced across the floor. Aside from running, that was her best way to focus her thoughts. “So she was following someone’s directions?”
“Maybe. Or maybe the other person was more of a spotter, guiding her toward the best angle. You know, she probably could have hit me before I started firing back. She had a clear shot. But she didn’t. Was that on purpose or not?”
“Maybe it was more of a message? We’re onto you, get the hell out of our business, that kind of thing?”
“It’s possible.” He frowned at the monitor. “But then why did Luke invite me out there?”
“Maybe he was surveilling you while you were surveilling him.”
He snorted. “I’m sure he was. But I was careful.”
“So was he. I did think it was odd that no one was around except him and Naomi. And the little kids, at first, but he sent them away pretty quick.”
“You know, I did see someone watching us from the woods, when I went out to give Buttercup some water.”
“That could have been him. The runaway. I got the feeling that he recognized me. Maybe he was looking for a way out.”
“Maybe. All we have is maybes.” He played the video again. “She shoots like an expert sniper. I wonder if she’s as accurate as she looks. You know who would know that?”
He glanced over his shoulder at her, and their eyes met in perfect understanding.
She could trust him, she decided. He’d protected her from gunfire, and then shared information he probably shouldn’t have.
“Elias,” she said softly. “That’s his name. Elias Chilkoot would know. We should get back to him. Do you think it’s safe to leave the house now that it’s full dark? I’m worried that the longer we leave him there, the more he’ll be tempted to find another hideout.”
“Or go back to the family. Running away ain’t easy, especially when you’re surrounded by mountains and glaciers and bears.”
She nodded, shivering at the thought of all the dangers facing a fifteen-year-old boy, possibly neurodivergent at that. But he’d grown up here, after all. He’d known enough to take refuge in Daniel’s cabin. He was resourceful.
