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“How? You’re tracking them. You don’t need to knowwhythey’re out there.”
“It helps if we do,” I say calmly. “Tracking isn’t a perfect science. Storm will do her job, and Eric will do his, but there will be times when they lose the trail, and we need to make a guess. Being able to make aneducatedguess will help.”
I brace for an argument, but she nods. “Understood. All right then. We have two missing people. One is Penny, the architect. Early forties. Single. Sexual orientation unknown, as you were asking about a possible entanglement. She’s never shown anyinterest in the forest or in Bruno, who is my engineer and the other missing person. Late forties. Married to a woman.”
“Has anyone mentioned seeing them together in a social setting?”
She pauses long enough that I add, “I know people are here to work, and they’re being paid extra to work long hours, but I’m presuming there’s still some social scene, even if it’s only hanging out around a campfire with beers and marshmallows.”
“I wouldn’t know.”
I glance at Dalton and then say, “I’m not asking whether you’ve noticed who participates in social gatherings. I’m just wondering whether there’s someone I can speak to about them.”
“I presume there are social gatherings, but when my workday finishes, I’m in my office, working some more.”
In other words, she’d hesitated because she’s honestly not sure how her crew socializes, much less who hangs out with whom.
“Did Penny and Bruno seem to get along in a professional sense?” I ask.
“As well as can be expected for an architect and engineer.”
Dalton rocks, a subtle show of frustration, and she says, “The architect has the vision and the engineer has to make it work. There is always conflict, but it was minimal, as far as I know.”
“Have either of them been known to go into the forest for any reason?” I ask.
“Bruno joined the guided walks that you two suggested. I allowed them, recognizing that while they’re an inconvenience, they might cut down on people wandering off on their own.”
“And Penny?”
“She never joined them. Before you arrived, I asked the young woman in charge of the walks. I also reviewed our initial interviews.” She’s relaxing now, on familiar ground. “Brunomentioned he’d love to work in Alaska again—we’ve told them it’s Alaska, not the Yukon. He’d worked in the north before and enjoyed it. Penny said nothing about the environment. The setting seemed inconsequential to her.”
“Two last questions before we take off. Was there any evidence they took anything with them? Clothing or other equipment?”
“I had people check their lockers as soon as they were reported missing. All clothing is accounted for except for what they would have been wearing. Each crew member was issued a high-powered penlight and a utility tool with a knife. Penny’s are in her bunk. Bruno’s are not. However, I have seen Bruno carrying his on the job.”
“Meaning if they’re missing, that doesn’t necessarily mean he prepped for a trip into the forest. Penny definitely didn’t, which brings me to the final question. Is there any evidence that either of them was taken by force?”
Yolanda shakes her head. “No. Both their beds show no signs of being slept in. Several people saw Penny earlier in the evening. The last person to see Bruno seems to have been me. We were discussing the schedule, and we parted at around nine. No one reports seeing him after that.”
I’d rather ask around myself. I’d also rather get a look at their sleeping quarters myself. But we have a trail that’s growing cold, and if I’m being truly honest, even my focus might waver once I see our new town.
“All right,” I say. “If you can bring those scent markers, we’ll set out.”
CHAPTER TWO
As we’re heading out of town, I spot a small house nestled in the forest, and my breath catches.
“Is that our—?” I cut myself off and wrench my gaze away, as if I’ve caught a glimpse of my presents before Christmas morning.
Dalton leans to my ear without breaking his stride. “I think it is. Do you want to take a peek?”
I glare up at him, and he laughs, easing back into himself now that Yolanda is gone and he can drop the steel-eyed sheriff act. He throws his arm around my shoulders.
“I could take a peek and report back,” he says. “Since you’re the detective assigned to the case.”
“We’re tracking… and you’re the tracker.”
“You have Storm. Don’t worry. I’ll catch up in a few hours. Just give me time to check our new home, sneak into town and explore, maybe—”
