“He won’t answer. Not if he’s busy or he doesn’t immediately recognize the number. He’ll answer for me, though.” At least, he’d better. Because if he didn’t, I’d never let him hear the end of it. I didn’t call for idle chit-chat. “I’ll call you back.”
“Wait!”
I huffed. “What?”
“If he doesn’t answer, you promise me you won’t drive up there. Call Ozzie and let him go.”
I would promise no such thing. Ozzie could meet me there, so I just repeated myself. “I’ll call you back.”
“Lana—”
I hung up on him. He’d be pissed, but he’d get over it.
Switching to my contacts, I tapped Toren’s name and waited for it to connect.
The soft, low hum of the ring filled the space around me.
Pick up, Toren.
It rang again.
Pick up…
Another ring.
Pick up, you stubborn, infuriating man, pick up the damn?—
“Lana, hey.” His voice, low and even, came over the line.
I sagged into the wall. “Where are you?” I didn’t bother with hello. “Are you at home? Is everything okay there?”
A beat of silence passed. “Yes, I’m at home. Everything is fine. What’s wrong?” An edge had crept into his voice.
“They found Vic. Earlier today. Off Forest Service Road 12. Toren, he was shot. Murdered. Somebody killed him.”
The silence on the line was absolute enough I checked to see if the call disconnected.
He muttered a curse. “They’re sure it’s him?”
“Pretty sure. Luke said Ozzie told him he had an ID on him with the name Victor Campbell, and his description matches the one we gave.”
“Do they have any clues as to who did it?”
“Not that I know of, but we know who it was. I mean, how much of a coincidence would it be for Vic to turn up dead down here, miles and miles from where he walked into the bush?”
“Too much.”
“Exactly.” I crossed my arm over my middle and rested my elbow on top. “You need to come into town and hang out at the inn with me, then go home with me. If it really was Deke who did this, he came to Parker’s Landing to get to you first.” My life was in Juneau, and I made no secret of that fact. Even a few cursory questions for the locals or a quick internet search would tell him that. I wasn’t his next target.
“I’ll be fine. I’m armed. You said you’re at the inn?”
“Yes. I’m hanging curtains.”
“Are you alone?”
A shiver skated down my spine. My gaze traveled around the empty lobby. I was, indeed, by myself. “Yes.”
“Is the door locked?”
