AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It didn’t matter that Pike had recently endured a rash of murders. The deaths hadn’t touched Lia on a personal level. Those horrible crimes happened to other people, right? She lived a quiet, simple life; how could she be touched by darkness?
Lia shoved her hands into the pockets of her parka, battling back the surge of genuine fear. She was going to be totally freaked out if she allowed her imagination to run wild.
“You know, it’s still possible the bones don’t belong to Vanna Zimmerman and we’re jumping to conclusions about what any of this means,” she forced herself to remind him.
He jutted his jaw to a stubborn angle. “My slashed tires indicate we aren’t too far from the truth.”
She didn’t have a comeback for that. With a grimace, she headed for the door. “I should get back to the store.”
“Are you there alone?”
She sent him a startled glance. Was he worried about her?
“No, Della will be there all morning. And I think Wayne plans to come in later this afternoon.”
“Good.”
Lia pretended she didn’t feel a warm glow at his concern. She’d been taking care of herself for a long time.
“Are you headed back to Madison?”
“Actually, I think I might stay around for a few days,” he surprised her by saying. “I have some questions I want answered.”
Something fluttered in the pit of her stomach. Lia told herself it was unease as she left the motel room, even if it did feel perilously close to anticipation.
* * *
Kaden placed his hands flat on the Formica countertop, leaning forward to glare at the middle-aged man in disbelief. He’d strolled into the small office that smelled of coffee, cigarettes, and musty carpeting with every confidence he’d quickly have his room for another night.
He’d rung the silver bell and watched the manager step out of a back room, waving his hand as if hoping to hide the smoke from the cigarette he’d just stubbed out. Once he noticed who had entered the office, however, the man appeared less than happy. In fact, there’d been an obvious reluctance as he moved to stand behind the counter.
Kaden assumed the sour expression the manager’s narrow face was caused by being caught sneaking a cigarette. Instead, he gruffly informed Kaden there was no possibility of extending his stay.
Now Kaden allowed his gaze to run down the man’s dress shirt and slacks, which hung loosely on his gaunt frame before, returning to study the deeply lined face. He didn’t look like he was joking, but Kaden refused to accept he was serious.
“What do you mean, there aren’t any rooms?” he demanded.
The manager hunched his shoulders. “We’re fully booked through the holidays.”
Kaden deliberately glanced out the window at the empty parking lot. “There’s no one here.”
“It’s early.”
“Fine.” Kaden had no way of knowing whether or not there was a busload of visitors about to descend on Pike. With an effort, he turned back to the man with a tight smile. “I’ll stay in . . .” He furrowed his brow as he struggled to recall the name of any nearby towns. He drew a blank. “Can you give me directions to the nearest hotel?”
The man shifted from foot to foot, his jaw twitching as if he was struggling to come up with an answer to what should have been a simple question.
“It’s a busy time of year,” he finally burst out. “I doubt you’ll find any rooms available in the area. In fact . . .” He paused, then cleared a lump from his throat. “I’m almost certain of it.”
Okay. This had gone from suspicious to outright unbelievable. There was no way in hell every hotel room in the area was suddenly filled with eager guests. Unfortunately, there was no way he could force the man to let him stay. And there seemed little point in driving around the county hoping he could find a place. Someone was going to a lot of effort to get rid of him.
He ground his teeth together. “Astonishing.”
“Best you go back to Madison.”
With a shake of his head, Kaden headed out of the office. “So much for small-town hospitality.”
He climbed into the Jeep and started the engine. It had the smell of a new vehicle and he wryly wondered if whoever had put out the word that he was unwelcome in Pike had also contacted the rental company to replace his vehicle at record speed.
