by Dani Pettrey
“What?” Stuart paled. “When, how?”
“That’s what we’re trying to determine. You said you didn’t use the same chalk as Conrad?”
“No, I told you—” He stopped. “I see what you’re doing. You’re twisting Conrad’s fall to call it murder and trying to pin it on me. What? Do you not get enough crime out here? You need to invent some so you can look like real cops?”
“Mr. Anderson, I suggest you settle down.”
“And I suggest you speak with my lawyer if you have any further questions.”
“No one is suggesting you had anything to do with Mr. Humphries’ death. We weren’t even questioning you. We’re simply trying to determine who had access to Conrad’s chalk before his climb.”
“Which would be me or Vivienne.”
“Or whoever worked at the shop where he bought it,” Vivienne added, placing a calming hand on Stuart’s back.
Jake followed Vivienne to the utility room, where Conrad kept his climbing gear, but as he suspected, no chalk remained. Conrad must have filled his bag, leaving none left over.
“Where did Mr. Humphries purchase his chalk?”
“I already told you that,” Stuart said, impatiently. “Vivienne, this is highly irregular. You shouldn’t allow them to search your home. They need a warrant.”
“Mr. Anderson, I asked you to wait in the front room.”
“I don’t want Vivienne alone after hearing such shocking news.”
“She’s not alone. Miss McKenna and I are right here.”
“She needs a friend with her. Not a cop and his assistant.”
“Kayden’s not my assistant. She’s a renowned climbing expert.”
“McKenna.” Stuart snapped. “That’s where I knew you from. You’re the gal that holds the free-climbing record for Stoneface.”
Kayden nodded.
“I find climbing to be such a masculine pastime,” Vivienne said.
Kayden ignored the insult.
“Mr. Anderson,” Jake said, stepping between him and Conrad’s utility room. “I appreciate you wanting to be here for Mrs. Humphries, but I assure you, she’s in good hands, and we won’t be long.”
“It’s all right, Stuart.” Vivienne rubbed her arms as if she’d caught a sudden chill. “Go on and wait in the parlor. I’ll be fine.”
He inclined his head. “You’re sure? You can say no.”
“I’m positive.”
He glared at Jake before leaving.
“He’s very protective of you,” Kayden said.
“Like I said, the three of us go way back.”
“Do you know where Conrad bought his chalk?”
“I assume at the climbing gym, but I don’t pay attention to that sort of thing.”
“Do you know when he purchased it?”
“Couldn’t tell you that either, but I know he went climbing at the gym the day before he went to Stoneface. Actually left work early to do it and then had to go back in after dinner to finish his work. It was ridiculous. Who does that?”
“So to your knowledge, Conrad left work early, went to the gym, came home for dinner, and then went back to the office?”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
“Maybe an hour, an hour and a half. His secretary, Amber Smith, could confirm it. He requires she be there whenever he is working in the office—in case anything comes up.” She crossed her arms and looked up at the ceiling. “He’s particular about that.”
She turned her attention back to Jake. “Stuart was here, and he took off just like that. It was quite rude, if you ask me. Luckily Stuart and I are friends. It could have been very awkward if it were any other of Conrad’s friends, you know.”
“Yes. You and Mr. Anderson seem quite close.”
“Like I said, we go way back.”
Sure seemed to be more to it than that.
“Well, that was interesting,” Kayden said as Jake held the truck door open for her outside the Humphries residence.
“They’re having an affair.” He said it so matter-of-factly. How could he be so certain?
“How . . . ?”
“Years of experience,” he said with weary resign.
“Oh.” She waited until he climbed in the truck before proceeding. “You think they killed Conrad?”
“If they did, Stuart was right—it was stupid of Vivienne not to lawyer up.”
“Wouldn’t it look awful incriminating if they did?”
“Yes, but it’s the wise thing to do.”
She buckled in. “So what now?”
“We head to Rocktrex.”
“Right.” Talk about going way back. She wondered if Brody would be working and really hoped he wouldn’t. She had no desire to see the man, and with Jake being so perceptive, he’d easily pick up on the fact that a past existed between her and Brody. A past she preferred to forget.
Reef watched as Piper cleared the empty plates.
Anna stood. “Let me help you with that.”
“I got it, but thanks.”
“Are you sure?”
Piper set them in the sink. “Positive.”
Anna glanced around. “You have a lovely home here.”
“Thanks. Would you like a tour?”
She smiled. “I’d love that.”
Piper looked to Reef. “Do you want to do the honors or should I?”
“You go ahead. I’ll tag along.” It would be interesting to see her talk about their home and family.
Piper started in the kitchen, pointing out their dad’s custom woodwork—the cabinets, tables and chairs, the pine paneling on the walls and ceiling. Her mom’s hand-sewn yellow café curtains in the windows.
“So tell me about you,” she said to Anna as they moved into the living room.
“Well . . .” Anna hunched her shoulders. “There’s not much to tell.”
“I’m guessing you’re from California, since that’s where Reef is living.”
“Yes. I grew up just outside of Tahoe.”
“Oh, so you’re a skier?”
“No. I’m not much for the cold.”
“Ah. A fan of summer sports.”
“Not much of a sports fan either.”
Reef could see the wheels churning in his sister’s head. Just wait until Anna got to how she did spend her time.
“Where’d you two meet?”
“My father’s church.”
Piper darted a glance at Reef. “You met at church?”
“That’s right.” He watched the happiness spread across his sister’s face, and it filled him with joy. “Anna’s father is the preacher—Reverend Marsh.”
“Your dad’s a pastor?”
Anna nodded.
“And you two met at church?” Piper asked again.
Reef laughed. He understood his sister’s confusion. The last time he’d willingly stepped foot in church he’d been a kid.
“Reef told me it’d been a long while since he’d been in church.”
Reef wrapped his arm around Anna’s shoulders. “Anna greeted me my first day at Calvary.”
“Your brother is on fire for the Lord.”
He’d heard that phrase before but never really understood what it meant. Being faithful with church attendance, he supposed. Joining a Bible study. That sort of thing.
“That’s great,” Piper said, her expression stunned.
“I told you I’ve been making some changes,” he said. Serious, life-altering changes.
“Well, I’m thrilled you’re both here. The wedding should be really special.”
“I hear you’re having one of your own soon,” Anna said.
Piper lit up. “Just a couple months. We’re going to have a forest wedding.”
Anna’s smile faded somewhat. “That sounds different.”
“We’re both so at home in the outdoors, we decided it’d be the perfect place. We’re setting up a small outdoor chapel beneath the evergreens for the ceremony, and afterward we’ll have picnic blankets
and baskets spread out for the reception. It’ll be at night and we’ll set up lanterns in the trees and dance beneath the stars.”
“Sounds perfect for you,” Reef said, squeezing Piper’s shoulder. Just like her and Landon. “Maybe you’ll even see your favorite animal.”
“What’s that?” Anna asked.
“Moose,” Reef replied.
“Moose?” Anna’s forehead pinched.
“I know it’s not adorable to everyone, but they sure are to me,” Piper said.
“Landon even built her a special overlook so she could keep an eye out for them.”
“How cool.” Anna smiled. “He must really love you.”
“I’m very blessed to be so loved and to be marrying my best friend.”
That would be nice. He and Anna were hardly best friends, but they’d only been together three months. The depth of relationship Piper and Landon had was years in the making. He and Anna would get there—even if at times it didn’t feel like it. She was a great girl and a good Christian, and that’s what mattered. Not some pie-in-the-sky dream of overwhelming love and passion like Piper and Landon’s—and Cole and Bailey’s. He and Anna would be fine. Just fine.
8
Spruce Harbor was a town of roughly two thousand people on the island of Imnek, which was northwest of Tariuk. A ferry system connected the two islands, along with Kodiak Island, to the mainland. It had been a while since Kayden had been to Spruce Harbor, and when she’d visited Brody’s gym, she’d been pleased to learn he was away on a climb. Last time she’d seen her old flame had been two years ago, at an outdoor climbing event with several hundred people present, hardly giving them any one-on-one time, and that was just fine with her. She and Brody were in the past. Their relationship seemed a lifetime ago, and in a way it was.
Brody’s gym, Rocktrex, was a converted four-story fish-processing warehouse that looked oddly out of place amongst the quaint historic buildings dotting the rest of the harborside downtown.
Norwegian immigrant Ole Enget had founded the town of Spruce Harbor in the late 1800s, not long after Scandinavian immigrant Peter Buschmann founded Petersburg along Alaska’s Inside Passage. Both quickly became fishery towns steeped in Norwegian heritage, which was still highly evident in the town and its culture.
Painted flowers in the rosemaling tradition adorned doorframes and wooden plates in various shop windows along the main road running through the heart of town. In the center of the town square sat the two-story Sons of Norway hall, where the Little Norway Festival kicked off each May. The locals dressed in Norwegian bunaders and performed folk dances. It was a fabulous festival that was not to be missed. Kayden and her siblings made a point of attending every year when possible.
Ole’s other lasting heritage was the fishing industry, which was the main source of livelihood on the island. Every day ships poured out of the harbor in search of salmon, halibut, and cod. Every evening they returned with loads for the new processing plant on the far side of the harbor. The scent of fish always lingered in Spruce Harbor’s sea air, much as it did by Yancey’s main harbor.
Kayden led the way to Rocktrex, on the far end of Harbor Street. She wondered how Brody would greet her if he was there. Would Jake pick up on their past? Of course he would. Jake picked up on everything. It was annoying and—much to her embarrassment for finding it such—extremely sexy.
She was captivated by his strength, by his myriad of skills, and most frustratingly, by his mysterious allure. For years she’d been drawn to a man she wanted to despise—and on the surface she had. But now that she knew the truth, now that she knew he was a good man, a good man with a battered past, she couldn’t help but be drawn to him all the more, and she’d never found anything more unsettling in her life.
Jake needed someone comforting, patient, nurturing—someone like Piper. Definitely not Kayden—not someone desperately trying to hide her own hurt.
The sun breaking through the clouds warmed them as they wound down the old stone wall lining the harbor and approached Rocktrex.
Jake paused with his hand on the gym door. “Ready?”
“Of course.” She entered, her emotions in a flurry. Man, she hated that. If only she could control them on the inside the way she did on the outside.
She took two steps in and . . .
“Kaybear.”
Jake swung his head in her direction with a grin. “Kaybear?” he asked. But Brody’s arms engulfing her cut off her need for a response.
“Hey, Brody.”
He released her, taking a small step back but still close enough to carefully appraise her.
Jake stiffened beside them.
“Man.” Brody swiped a hand across his head. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”
She brushed her hair behind her ear, a bit uneasy with the intensity of his stare. “Good to see you too, Brody.”
“What’s it been? A year or two?”
“Two. The Denali Championship.”
“That’s right. You put my bouldering team to shame.” He smiled. His hair was darker and shorter now, but his eyes were still every bit as blue. “So, how you been? You look amazing, as always.”
Brody had always been a charmer, though she preferred Jake’s lingering glances to Brody’s verbose flirting.
“I’ve been good.”
“So glad you came in. It’s been far too long. How’s the fam?”
“Doing well. Cole’s getting married the day after tomorrow and Piper in August.”
“No kidding. To anyone I know?”
“Cole’s marrying Bailey Craig.”
“That’s a name from the past. I remember them dating not long before you and me. But . . . she left town, didn’t she?”
“Yeah, but she’s back.” Kayden swallowed, feeling the weight of Jake’s curious stare washing over her. “And Piper’s marrying Landon Grainger,” she quickly added, hoping to shift the attention off of her.
“Pipsqueak and Landon?” He laughed. “Now, that’s quite the pairing. Can’t say I’m surprised, though.”
“No?”
“Nah. There always were sparks between those two—even if it mostly took the form of jabbing at one another. Irritation and annoyance are sure signs of hidden desire.”
Kayden forced herself not to look at Jake, praying he wouldn’t see that truth about her—that beneath all the claims of distrust, the hope that he really was a good guy wrested feelings she never wanted to come to fruition. If Jake had been the man she’d accused him of being, when the truth of his character came out, the feelings would have dissipated eventually. But her plan had backfired. The truth of his character had come out and only made her care for him all the more.
“So you and your—” Brody looked Jake over for the first time—“friend ready to climb?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Brody, this is Jake Westin . . . Cavanagh,” she added in a rush.
“Well, that’s a mouthful.” Brody extended his hand.
“Jake works just fine.” He shook the man’s hand.
“Nice to meet you, Jake. You a climber?”
“Just starting out.”
“He’s being modest,” Kayden said. “For a newbie, he’s doing awesome.” He’d gone from short top-line climbs to a few bouldering climbs to a couple smaller free climbs over the past few months, which meant he was a natural. Focused. Determined. With incredible upper-body strength. The first time she saw his powerful arms gripping a handhold, her heart actually fluttered. It was like something long dead inside had sprung back to life. The fact that Jake was the cause still threw her.
“Cool. Let’s get you guys on the wall,” Brody said.
Here came the fun part. “Actually, Brody, we aren’t here to climb.”
“Just stopped in for a visit?”
Kayden looked to Jake, and he graciously took the lead, flashing his badge. “We need to ask you some questions about Conrad Humphries.”
Brody looked at Kayden with a mixture of confusion and
disappointment.
She shook it off. This was business. A man was dead. “Is there someplace we can talk?”
“Let’s go to my office.” He glanced back at a young man sorting harnesses. “Shane, take the desk for a few.”
The young man, clearly eager to be done with his monotonous task, sprang for the counter, greeting a couple entering the gym. “Hey, folks. How can I help you?”
Brody gestured toward the side hall. “This way.”
“After you.” Jake gestured. For being such an outdoorsman, he sure knew his manners—must have been remnants of his upbringing in Boston’s high society, which she still couldn’t wrap her mind around. How did one go from high society to being nearly one with the outdoors? She would probably ask him someday, though she feared the more she learned about the man, the deeper her feelings for him would grow.
They moved along the outer edge of the main climbing area—four stories of tan walls with handholds in a vast array of colors. Neon-green tape labeled the difficulty level of each route.
A couple customers were climbing belay and one free-climbed, but the decent-sized bouldering area was empty.
She wondered where Conrad Humphries had spent the majority of his time.
Brody guided them down a short hallway to the door at the end. He opened it, ushering them inside. The office was approximately ten feet by twelve but was more cluttered than Piper’s room—brochures and paperwork piled high on the desk, sample gear and products stacked on every other piece of furniture in the room, while boxes littered the floor.
“Sorry,” Brody said, clearing off a chair for Kayden. “My office seconds as a storage room.” He dumped the pile of water bottles on top of a leaning tower of climbing magazines beside her. He turned, looking for another chair.
Jake held up his hand. “I’m good, really. Don’t go to the trouble.” He positioned himself behind Kayden’s chair.
Brody nodded, shifting his gaze back to her. “So, what’s up?”
She leaned forward. “We’re here to talk about Conrad Humphries.”
“Conrad,” Brody said with a sigh. “Such a shame. He was a great guy.”
Her shoulders remained taut. “I’m the one who found him.”
Brody clasped her hand. “Oh, Kayd, I’m sorry. That sucks.”