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He was handsome in a different way than Duke. Duke was clean-cut, friendly, yet tough.
Gibson seemed like the type who would have been in with the wrong crowd if he hadn’t become a cop.
Then there was Ranger . . . the rugged and brooding survivalist who could probably live out on his own for years and be content.
And Matthew . . . the quiet computer nerd. Andi had caught him talking about gaming. But the man was clearly smart.
It was an interesting mix of people here, that was for sure.
Andi stood and folded her paper plate, ready to take it to the trash. “When do you want to leave?”
Duke hesitated. “Are you sure you want to go?”
Was she sure? He might as well have asked if the Northern Lights dance across the sky in the Arctic winter.
But she kept her composure—and refrained from any sassy comments. “Trooper Gibson will be here with everyone so they should be safe. I definitely want to go.”
She saw on Duke’s face that he didn’t think it was a good idea. But she didn’t back down.
Finally, he nodded. “Okay then. Be ready to go in ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes it is.”
“I’d drive, but my truck isn’t big enough.” Ranger shrugged.
“I can drive,” Duke insisted.
“Perfect. I’ve got to get something out of my truck before we go.” Ranger grabbed his coat and headed outside.
With those words, Andi hurried to get ready.
* * *
Duke ran through everything he might need to know before talking to Henrietta’s son, Obadiah. He normally liked to write out questions, but he was going to need to wing it this time.
“What can you tell me about this Obadiah guy?” Duke asked Ranger as they started down the road.
Ranger sat beside him, and Andi in the back seat. The snow had stopped, but white blanketed everything—the land, the road, the trees.
Ranger rubbed his jaw before saying, “Obadiah is a naturalist. He produces his own energy through solar panels. His house is dry, so he brings in any water he wants to use and has an outhouse behind his place. He hunts for his own food and raises what he can in the summer.”
“How does he pay his taxes then?” Andi asked. “I mean, maybe it’s not my business, but I really am curious.”
“In the spring, after any wildfires in the area subside, morel mushrooms grow,” Ranger said. “Obadiah collects those and sells them to restaurants. It brings in a pretty penny. He also smokes salmon from the streams and sells that at some of the local markets. It always seems to work out.”
“How do you know him?” Duke shifted, curious about this man. Ranger was definitely unique.
“You ask a lot of questions,” Ranger muttered as he glanced outside.
“Just making conversation.” It was what Duke did for a living. He was usually pretty good at making people feel at ease.
After a moment’s thought, Ranger sighed and said, “We went to a Bible study together for a while.”
“I see.” Duke hadn’t expected that explanation. Maybe he’d been too quick to rush to judgment about the guy. “And what’s your impression of this guy? You like him?”
Ranger grunted. “Seems nice enough. Keeps to himself.”
Duke kept his eyes on their surroundings. Snow covered everything around them, creating a bit of a winter wonderland. He loved seeing the spruce trees covered in snow, and the sky was clear enough that the Brooks Mountain Range could be seen in the distance.
