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“Oh, look,” she says as she taps her boot toe against the box beside me. “A coffin. We must be in Rockton.”
“Haven’s Rock,” I say. “Which means that’s a poor crew member who suffered a fatal accident.”
“Fell off a cliff and impaled himself on a branch?”
“Something like that.”
We don’t hug. Neither of us is the type. She only shakes her head and calls back over her shoulder, “Hurry up. The bar opens at four, and I have a feeling everyone here will be ready for it.”
The others are stalled in the plane. Phil is giving orders to the pilot. Then he appears. Fifteen years younger than Isabel and looking like the catalogue-model version of a corporate guy, with his pressed shirt, glasses, and perfect jawline. Phil gets out, sees the wooden box, and sighs.
“Accident,” I say.
“Should I open the bar at three?” Isabel says.
“Perhaps.” Phil looks around. “Where is Yolanda?”
“Hiding, probably,” Isabel murmurs. “I know I would be.” She looks at me. “He has a fifty-point list of things to discuss with her.”
“Forty-six points.” He looks at the box. “Starting with the lack of security to keep people from wandering into the forest and blackmailing the local miners.”
I wave him toward town. Isabel lets him go and draws my attention to the plane, where Kenny has just gotten out. He’s in his late thirties, white, with brown hair, a boxer’s build, a cane, and braces on his legs. April is right there waiting for him, and as he smiles at her, my heart melts a little. He directs her off to the side to make way for someone else. A woman moves into the open doorway. She’s in her eighties, tiny and fit with perfect white hair, and wearing outdoor apparel as stylish as Isabel’s.
“Émilie,” I say as I walk over.
She climbs down and clasps my hands. “Off to an interesting start, I hear.”
“That’s one way of putting it. I’m sorry you had to come out so soon.”
“Oh, I’m just using that as an excuse. Let’s get this poor fellow loaded into the plane, and then we’ll head inside and talk.”
Bruno’s body goes home, along with his bonus and extra money for his wife. Hush money? I hate to call it that. He really did die of an accident, but yes, Émilie is going to be generous with her condolence compensation.
As for Mark and Denise, they will disappear into shallow graves. Mark deserves that. As for Denise… I don’t knowenough to say whether she does or doesn’t, and so I will allow myself to feel a bit of guilt chased away by the reminder that there was nothing else to be done. They will vanish, and Émilie will handle their disappearance in ways that I’m better off not knowing.
I spend the rest of the day dealing with the investigative cleanup while the others transition into their new roles. By the next morning, Émilie is gone, and I only have one task remaining: clear away Mark’s mining operation.
Dalton and I will do that together, and I’m looking forward to a bit of couple time after all the chaos. We didn’t sleep a wink two nights ago, and last night, I was asleep before he came to bed. This morning I wake to coffee and a muffin with a note that we’ll meet up at eight to head to Mark’s.
By 7:50, I’m on the front porch with Storm when footsteps crunch and I hurry down the steps like a teenager waiting for her date. Instead, Yolanda walks from the strip of forest between our house and the town.
She lifts her hands. “Don’t worry. Your husband is coming. He’s been temporarily delayed, and I offered to run a message over along with this.” She hands me a thermos.
“More coffee?” I say. “He definitely wants me caffeinated.”
“That’s from Isabel, and I have a feeling it contains more than coffee.” Yolanda shakes her head. “That woman is a force of nature. And her guy is a royal pain in the ass. Pretty to look at but…” She shakes her head. “Far too many alphas in this town. Kenny seems nice. I think we need more Kennys.”
“We do need more Kennys.”
“Notice how I slid that ‘we’ in there?” She leans against the railing. “I’m not going to beat around the bush, Casey. I already told Gran that I’m staying.”
“Staying…?”
“Yeah, I hear you’re already stuck with Gunnar, at least until he gets bored and flits off, which I suspect will be soon enough. I’m also staying. I have things to work through, and I’ve decided I want to work them through here, and the polite thing to do would be to ask you, but I’ve never gotten anything I wanted by being polite. If you want, I’ll give a PowerPoint presentation on how having me here is worthwhile.”
“Mmm, I’ll pass, but you might want to do one up for Phil.”
“No kidding.” She tucks a curl behind her ear. “I didn’t ask Gran either. I told her. She’s fine with it. Petra was her eyes and ears in Rockton, and I’m taking on that role here, even if you’d rather have Petra. I’ll pull my weight, and I won’t demand a damn thing.”
