Alaskan Christmas Cold Case

by Sarah Varland

  SEVEN

  Erynn had been distant all morning. It took a few hours for Noah to realize that she was not just putting space between them, was not distracted by the death of her friend.

  She was scared.

  She should be—he didn’t blame her—because the man behind Janie’s murder had been vicious and efficient. To have had this man haunting her for years... He didn’t know how Erynn had stood up to it. But she couldn’t much longer—that much was obvious from the strain around her eyes, the tightness of her lips.

  She was holding it together, but only barely.

  “Why don’t I take you back to the police department with me, let you get a nap? I’ve got a cot in the closet in my office that I can pull out.”

  The look she gave him said everything she didn’t want to say. She was resisting sleep. Maybe afraid of the possible nightmares?

  “There are leads we can chase, but nothing so time sensitive it won’t be there in the morning. You’re exhausted, Erynn, and I think your time right now would be better spent resting. I doubt you slept last night and if we’re going to sustain this pace...” He trailed off.

  Still no reaction from her. She just stared. Blinked.

  “You’re just going to sit back and let this guy win, huh?” Noah hated to do it, to provoke her, but she needed to snap out of her daze. If poking her with a metaphorical stick would turn her back into the fighter he knew and loved, that’s exactly what he’d do.

  And it worked.

  Erynn narrowed her eyes, turned to Noah. “Let him win? Sit back? Like I haven’t been working toward this one goal for my entire life?”

  She became a trooper because of this? It made sense, but he hadn’t known. It felt like uncovering another layer of who Erynn was as a person. She was even more interesting than he’d always thought. This was something he wanted to know more about, hear more about, later.

  “I didn’t say you hadn’t been working toward this,” Noah said, “but at the moment you’re just sitting there. We either need to dive into Janie Davis’s background, or you need a nap so you have the energy to do that later.”

  “I need to stay here until the other trooper gets in later today. Or at least be reachable. So no napping.”

  “Maybe you should call your boss and explain. Make sure you’ve got some leeway in the hours you’re on duty in case you can’t sleep at night.”

  “While I’m on the phone with him, should I also tell him this case has a personal connection and just go ahead and get taken off of it?” Erynn shook her head. “Noah, this case is part of my life. It has been my entire life for years, wondering if it was going to start up again, waiting for another lead I could work in my spare time. If you care at all, understand that this is the most important thing in my life and I’m not going to jeopardize my involvement in it or give my superiors any reason to put me on leave from this job.”

  “Okay, I understand.”

  They spent the rest of the afternoon looking into Janie’s background. Noah reviewed the old case files on the Foster Kid Killer, looking for information about the murderer and anything about his MO that could be helpful with this case.

  By the time Erynn’s shift at the station was up, he was exhausted and hungry and didn’t know any more than he had that morning.

  A glance at Erynn told him she felt the same.

  “Want to come to my house for dinner?” He knew she probably wouldn’t eat otherwise, and while they hadn’t discussed where she should be spending the night and who would be watching out for her, Noah knew he had a vote. With him. He did not trust anyone else to do the job as well.

  First he’d start with dinner. See if she’d listen to reason from there.

  “Sure, dinner is fine.” Her face brightened half a shade. “I’m starving.”

  “I’ll drive us over in my car. I think my sister was supposed to leave your car there this morning.”

  Erynn nodded. “Sounds good.”

  They were on their way when Erynn started yawning.

  “You’re sure you don’t need to get some rest?” Noah double-checked with Erynn. Okay, triple-checked.

  Judging by the intensity of the glare on her face, maybe he’d quadruple-checked. There wasn’t much he could do to make this easier for her. He certainly couldn’t make it go away. So, somehow, besides solving the case, making sure she was rested and well-fed had become his highest priority.

  “I’m fine, Noah. Still.”

  He hated the way she said his name, in that voice that was so familiar but standoffish. They had been through too much in the years they’d worked together for her to treat him like a stranger.

  But that, he realized as he pulled into the drive of his house, was how she was treating him now. He hadn’t realized anything could hurt quite so much.

  “All right.” He put the car in Park, turned to her. “I’ll go inside, make sure it’s all clear. Stay right behind me.”

  “You know I’m qualified to clear it myself, don’t you?”

  Was she scared or wasn’t she? One minute she was staring like she might never recover from all this trauma. The next she was demanding he recognize that she was competent. Well, she was. He wasn’t here to deny that at all, but it didn’t take away his desire to protect her. To watch out for her.

  He doubted she realized that, but if it came down to it, Noah would take a bullet meant for her to ensure that she lived.

  Well, he loved her that much.

  “I know you’re qualified,” he said instead of addressing the tension between them that he’d caused with his confession. “I never meant to imply that you weren’t. But I want to clear it.”

  Had she heard more in his tone than in his words? Noah didn’t know, but he knew that when she looked at him, he could almost feel sparks. He looked away. Knew staying focused was what was best for her.

  “Fine. You clear it.”

  “You’ll stay right behind me?”

  “I will.”

  Noah climbed out of his car and headed for the front door. Darkness had come several hours before and the skies were clear tonight. But he wasn’t looking around to admire the view in his corner of the woods. He was watching for any shadows that moved when they shouldn’t, any sounds or signs that something was out of place, that something far darker than the Alaskan night was lurking in the blackness, waiting for Erynn.

  He unlocked his front door, scanning the deck as he did so. It looked the same as it had; there were no eerie notes, nothing out of place. He did not have any reason to believe the man after her would be waiting there now, but then again, he didn’t know when he’d strike. That was what instilled so much terror in Erynn. He’d read the files today for the murders the man had been responsible for. There was no predictable pattern for where victims were snatched, none for how they were killed. Serial killers commonly repeated their MOs, but apparently this guy felt like breaking the mold. His victims were foster kids, besides the one police officer, and he always left a note.

  By the time Noah found another note, he had a feeling it would be too late. The fact that the killer had left one message warning them, getting their attention, was itself a deviation from his MO. Noah would need to figure out why that was.

  He entered the house, locked the door behind them and moved toward the darkened rooms. Erynn did exactly as he’d asked and stayed right behind him. He was aware of her presence in a way he had been for as long as he remembered. Not just as a fellow law enforcement officer, but as Erynn.

  “It’s all clear.”

  “Is this the part where you feed me?” Her voice wasn’t quite teasing but it was lighter than it had been earlier. From being in a safe place? Noah hoped so. That was the least he could give her.

  “Yes. You need to stay in the living room, though, where I can see you at all times.” Noah had never been so thankful for
the open concept of the house, the way the kitchen island had a built-in range that faced the living room. He should be able to keep her in sight the entire time he cooked for them.

  Erynn’s expression wavered but she schooled her features quickly. Nodded.

  Noah moved to the kitchen, watched as she settled on the couch. Closed her eyes.

  There went the idea to carry on any kind of conversation.

  Instead he focused his attention on cooking, making what he knew was one of Erynn’s favorites: spaghetti. He threw some freezer rolls in the oven—he enjoyed cooking but baking wasn’t his thing—and started some green beans sautéing in olive oil on the stove.

  For half an hour or so he just cooked, looked at Erynn now and then. Either she was sleeping better than she’d expected or she didn’t want to talk to him and was pretending exceptionally well.

  When he’d finished cooking, he set the dishes and the meal on the table. “Erynn?”

  She didn’t stir. Apparently it had been genuine.

  He walked to the couch, bent to the floor beside her. Her face was so relaxed, every trace of fear gone. It seemed cruel to wake her. On the other hand, he had seen how she could be when she skipped meals. Whoever’d invented the term hangry had probably known Erynn.

  He set a hand on her shoulder, feeling his heartbeat quicken. He squeezed his eyes shut and jerked his hand away like she’d burned him.

  And maybe she had. Noah had to get hold of his emotions, had to keep his feelings for her separate from everything that was happening right now. Her safety depended on it.

  If he kept making her feel awkward, if the tension between them didn’t dissipate, he’d lose her friendship, lose the tiny bit of her he had. Noah didn’t want that. So, for the sake of that, he had to put this to rest for now. Forget how he felt.

  Or do his very best.

  Noah squared his shoulders, took a breath and laid his hand on her shoulder again, reminding himself they were friends, just friends, and that was all they could be.

  He shook her arm gently. “Erynn. Dinner’s ready.”

  This time she stirred. He watched her eyelashes flutter as her eyes opened.

  “Food’s ready?” she asked as she blinked.

  Had Noah ever noticed that her eyes weren’t green as he’d thought for so long, but blue green, almost like the rivers near Moose Haven, the ones full of glacial silt?

  Friends, Dawson. Friends.

  He cleared his throat.

  “Yeah. Food is ready.”

  “I can’t believe I slept.” She shook her head, sat up. Noah stood and walked back to the table.

  “You needed it.”

  “I guess so.”

  They sat, ate with minimal conversation. Noah was thankful that things between them seemed more normal now. He didn’t know if it was because Erynn had gotten some rest, which had taken a tiny bit of stress off, or if it was because he was making such a conscientious effort not to send any unwelcome signals. Either way, he was thankful and didn’t want to risk it.

  “Can I help you clean up?” she asked after dinner.

  Noah shook his head. “I’d rather talk about the case some, if you don’t mind.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “Did something happen when I was asleep? Did you learn anything?”

  “Not yet.” Though he was expecting a call from the crime lab in Anchorage anytime. The ME had transported the body there, since Moose Haven wasn’t as equipped for an autopsy and all it entailed. If the Ice Maiden’s fingerprints were in the system, they should be able to get an ID tonight. Then they could start looking into her background, working backward to find the trail of how she’d disappeared, maybe get some clues about who was behind it since Janie had implied the same killer was responsible for her death.

  Was it really Michelle, the former foster kid who had warned Janie? Noah wanted to ask Erynn more about the woman, but not until the Ice Maiden’s identity was more than speculation.

  “So what did you want to talk about?” They settled back on the living room furniture, Erynn taking the couch and Noah a chair.

  “I want to talk about Mack Cooper. There’s very little in the files about his death.”

  He watched as Erynn’s jaw tensed and the mask fell over her features again.

  Had he ever realized how close to the vest she played things? He hadn’t. Noah was almost sure of it. She was such an intriguing combination of open book and uncrackable code, but he hurt for her right now.

  “There’s not much there because the Anchorage Police Department didn’t have any solid evidence that linked the serial killer to him.”

  “No note?” He had wondered that earlier when thinking through the killer’s MO. It was another layer of confusion, something else about this killer that made him unpredictable and therefore more dangerous.

  “No.”

  “No concrete evidence at all that indicated this serial killer was involved?” Noah didn’t know how he was supposed to react.

  “None.”

  He met her eyes. Waited.

  “It’s something I believe. I know other officers who did, as well. Several friends of my dad’s who understood what the case meant to him and the lengths he would have gone through to have it solved.”

  He still didn’t say anything.

  “Seriously? You’re doubting me?”

  “No.” He said the word slowly. And he knew how it sounded, but he meant it. He wasn’t doubting her instinct, it was just another layer to process.

  If her foster dad’s death was linked to the other killings, as both she and Janie had believed it was... How? Why had he been killed?

  Her dad likely hadn’t been an initial target—it wasn’t that he’d gotten close to the foster kids. It would, however, cement the idea that he’d gotten close to discovering the murderer’s identity.

  “Noah?”

  “I want to see his case notes.”

  She was already shaking her head. “I don’t have them.”

  His eyebrow quirked. Nothing he’d heard in the last five minutes sounded like solid evidence. He didn’t say anything.

  “You know what? I don’t think I want to talk about this anymore tonight.” Erynn had already stood. She moved to the door before Noah had a chance to wrap his mind around what she was doing.

  “Listen, we can be done. Talk about it tomorrow.”

  “You know what, Noah? I don’t think we can. Because if you can’t believe me, believe in my dad one hundred percent, then I’m not sure to what degree I can work with you on this case.”

  “We have to work together. It’s a case that affects both our jurisdictions.”

  “Oh, I’ll share information. But I don’t have to sit here in your house while you question me and the only family that ever cared about me.”

  She was out the door that fast, Noah scrambled to pull his boots on to follow.

  Summer had driven Erynn’s car to Noah’s house as promised. Erynn must have had a spare key in her pocket because before Noah could tell her not to get in it, she was already in and reversing.

  At least the car hadn’t blown up. That was something to be thankful for.

  He stood in the doorway for a second. Watched her drive away.

  And then he grabbed his jacket, stepped outside, locked the door of his house and followed her.

  Because that’s what you did for the people you loved. Especially in the face of looming danger.

  * * *

  She’d overreacted. Erynn knew it as soon as she gunned the car’s engine into Reverse and peeled out of Noah’s gravel driveway. But there was no way to recover from that. She’d embarrassed herself enough around Noah today, and she hadn’t been able to take his questioning her, or especially her dad.

  He’d given his life trying to prevent Erynn from being hunted. Trying to
prevent any of her friends and acquaintances in the foster care community from feeling that way.

  He’d failed. And it stung. Badly.

  She pushed the accelerator farther to the floor, tried to put Noah’s face out of her mind. She’d go to the trooper station, sleep on the floor. Trooper Nichols was on duty and that would provide her with more security than her own home. No, she might want to get away from Noah, might not be able to take the way he pried into her past, but she wasn’t stupid, didn’t want to die.

  She just needed some space.

  The dark, winding road to Moose Haven from Noah’s property outside of town stretched in front of her headlights. Snow had started falling and flakes hit her windshield rapidly.

  The killer was out there somewhere, waiting. Erynn was afraid that if they didn’t catch him quickly, one of these days he would finally get her, too.

  Everyone else he’d come after was dead.

  Maybe she should go back to Noah. He cared enough to keep her safe, she was sure of that much.

  No, she’d be okay.

  She kept driving, a little faster, whipping around curves at just the edges of the speed limit. Finally the lights of town were in view. She was almost there, almost safe.

  Her phone buzzed. A text. She glanced at the armrest beside her. It was Noah. Where are you?

  She glanced in her rearview mirror. There were headlights behind her, piercing the darkness she’d just driven through, illuminating the area even more brightly. Her shoulders relaxed slightly at the knowledge she was less alone.

  The car edged closer.

  Erynn frowned, slowed as she turned into the station parking lot.

  The other car followed her into the lot.

  Another glance in her rearview mirror gave her another view of the vehicle, this one better underneath the lights that lined the parking lot. Not Noah’s car. Not one she recognized at all.

  The person behind the wheel was unrecognizable—it was too dark to make out a face and Erynn thought he might have been wearing a mask.

  Medium build. Likely male. Car was a four-door sedan. Dark colored. Traveling toward her at a high rate of speed, much higher than was safe.