The Dead Chill

by Linda Berry

  “It’s Tommy.” Sighing her relief, Elahan lowered the rifle.

  Tegan let out a harsh sob, so loud it startled Tommy. The boy placed the bow on the ground and nearly flew across the floor to wrap his arms around his father. His breath came out in hitching gasps.

  “Thank God you’re both okay,” Tommy choked, eyes brimming.

  The trying ordeal of riding a horse through the wilderness in freezing cold had taken a toll on Elahan. Her face looked drawn, her body appeared even more shrunken and frail. Tommy’s own muscles ached and his joints were stiff. He could only imagine how she felt.

  In a rare display of affection, Elahan joined them, her spidery arms embracing them in a fervent hug. Fierce affection for his family tightened Tommy’s chest and left him breathless.

  Elahan pulled away, fear darkening her eyes. “Why are you here, Tommy? Where is Moolock?”

  “Where’s Lelou?” Tegan cried.

  “They’re both injured, but they’re going to be okay,” he said. “Let’s sit down. I’ll tell you everything.”

  They migrated to the camp chairs where a blazing fire roared in the pit. The heat felt good on Tommy’s face, which was numb with cold. “This man…Moolock…is a hero. He lured the rider who was following you to an old ski hut. There was a shootout. Moolock took two bullets.”

  Elahan and Tegan gasped.

  “He’s going to pull through. Moolock shot the other man. Fitch Drako. He’s in bad shape. He hit Lelou on the head. He’ll need stitches and some TLC. They’ve been airlifted to the hospital in Jackson.”

  “Moolock will be okay,” Elahan repeated softly, as though to convince herself. She closed her eyes, lips moving silently in prayer. She touched her medicine bag beneath her dress and met Tommy’s gaze. “The stones protected him.”

  Tommy touched his bag, too. “You gave Moolock one of your magic stones?”

  “Yes.” She steered the topic away from Moolock, shaking her head. “Fitch Drako is the man who wanted to hurt us. I knew he was wounded in his mind but I never thought he was this sick.”

  “No one knew. He was quiet. Kept to himself. Those are the ones to watch out for.” Tommy cleared his throat. “We also caught Grisly. He wanted to kill Lelou.”

  Tegan’s breath caught.

  Tommy placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Both men are in custody. Facing serious jail time. They’ll never hurt anyone again.”

  The boy’s shoulders slumped with relief.

  “Why did you two take off like you did?” Tommy asked, a mild reprimand in his voice. “Why didn’t you tell me what was going on?”

  “No time,” Elahan rasped. “Bad men were closing in. You would not have let us go. I knew you would come looking for us. You did. You brought others to help. You did your part, Tommy. We all did our part. We had Moolock’s protection. The power of the stones kept us safe.”

  Elahan’s inexplicable bond to this man, this stranger, at once angered and puzzled Tommy. She chose Moolock over him to protect her and Tegan when they were in imminent danger. Tommy took a deep breath to subdue a bitter slash of jealousy, and a feeling of betrayal, but his curiosity reached its limits. He blurted indignantly, “Who is this man? This Moolock? Why does he wear our family medicine bag?”

  Elahan raised a veined hand to brush her white hair from her brow. She was a master at hiding her emotions, but not now. Her fingers trembled, and Tommy detected a flicker of fear, or shame, in her dark eyes. Tegan squirmed in his chair, a cautious look on his face. Tommy braced for bad news.

  “Moolock is your uncle,” Elahan said finally.

  “My father had a brother? How can that be? Moolock’s around my age.”

  “Just tell him, Nana,” Tegan said impatiently.

  Elahan stared at the floor for a long moment before her eyes found Tommy’s, and he saw how hard this was for her. “Moolock is your age. He was born the same year as you. He’s my son.”

  Tommy sat mute, feeling nothing. Then he struggled with a tangled thing inside his head, trying to make sense of her words. “Moolock is your son? Who’s his father? How come you never told me about him? Where’s he been all these years?”

  Elahan put up a hand for silence. “I will tell you everything.” She sighed and began to share her story in a soft, quiet voice, beginning with her relationship with Moolock’s father, a doctor, with whom she worked at the Lost River Reservation. Her face was radiant while reflecting on joyful times early in their relationship, but contorted with grief when relating her catastrophic losses. Forest died in the war, then her beautiful boy was ripped from her life, and she endured decades of separation from him. Elahan had an intensely emotional reunion with Moolock five years ago, and since then, he lived surreptitiously on the fringe of her life.

  Feeling her sorrow like a physical pain, Tommy listened in silence, hungry to know these hidden details of her life, and the extraordinary man he met in the cabin. His grandmother had always been enshrouded in mystery. Suffering shimmered behind the veil of her dark eyes. Tommy now understood the lifelong estrangement that existed between Elahan and his father, Chac.

  Tommy’s heart tossed in a crosscurrent of emotions—feeling sympathy for Elahan, and fury at his father. Instead of supporting Elahan when she needed him most, Chac chastised her for having a baby with a married man. Chac had never hesitated to cast his strict moral values at his family like thunderbolts, which made Tommy’s childhood challenging, and troubled. Tommy left home at eighteen to free himself from his father’s reign of righteousness. Over the years, when Chac came to visit, Tommy was polite but distant, and Elahan generally kept herself busy in the garden or kitchen.

  “I’m sorry Dad treated you so harshly, Nana,” Tommy said. “At times, he’s blind to everything except business and increasing his profit margin. He should’ve used his money to fight the Wainwrights in court. Instead, he made you feel ashamed. By doing nothing, he allowed them to steal your baby.” Tommy looked at Elahan through glassy eyes and the words came out thick with emotion. “I’ve never been ashamed of you. Not for a second. Your presence in my life, and Tegan’s, are my most precious gifts. I want to get to know my uncle. I want Moolock to know he’s welcome. He’s an important part of our family.” Tommy leaned over and kissed Elahan on the forehead, realizing how miserly he’d been with his affection all these years.

  Elahan’s fingers twined through his, rough and warm. They locked eyes and her expression of tenderness pierced his heart.

  “How do you like the cave, dad?”

  “Moolock lives here?” Tommy took note of his surroundings for the first time—a drafty, ice-cold cavern encroached in shadow. Great for bats. Not humans. The man’s horse lived in the same proximity as Moolock. Not a single frill or comfort. How could a man live this way?

  “In cold weather. It’s pretty cool, huh?” Tegan said.

  “For Batman, maybe.”

  “I want to go home, Dad. I miss our house. I want to go see Moolock at the hospital.”

  Tommy smiled, roughing his son’s hair. “We’ll all go see Moolock. Let’s pack up and hit the trail. Let’s go home.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  Three Days Later

  Over coffee and pastries, Sidney’s small staff, sat around the conference table with bright eyes and alert faces—the exuberance of a job well done. Their appearance was much improved since the height of the recent crime spree. Putting their cases to rest, getting enough sleep, and returning to normal patrol duties had done wonders. Selena had been invited to join them this morning as a measure of gratitude for her contributions.

  “I want to commend you all for the hard work you put into solving these cases,” Sidney said. “We were scattered, working on different aspects of these crimes, and now I want to show you how all the parts fit together.” Sidney pointed to their crime board, filled with photos of corpses, rape victims, the remnants of the burned barn, burglary suspects, and poachers.

  “First the Stalker case.” She tapped
the photos of Lancer, Sander, and Grisly. “These three men poached hundreds, maybe thousands of animals. They also formed a successful crime gang that brazenly robbed residents of Two Creeks Village.” She tapped Grisly’s photo and a note of disgust entered her voice. “In addition, this man physically and sexually assaulted several women, including his two ex-wives. Grisly and Sander will not be seeing the light of day for years to come.”

  Next, she tapped photos of River and Jenna Menowa. “Nikah’s death was an unfortunate accident but these two geniuses complicated matters by tampering with evidence and obstructing our investigation. They may be facing some jail time, hefty fines, and will certainly spend lots of money in court.”

  “What about Jenna’s husband?” Darnell asked, frowning. “Her location has been released by the press. She thinks he’ll try to kill her.”

  Sidney sighed. “Not much she can do. If a man is determined to harm a woman, a restraining order won’t do much good. It’s not bulletproof. Her husband’s legal team has him coated in Teflon. Untouchable. Jenna’s best bet is to leave Garnerville. Find anonymity somewhere else.”

  “A case of crime going unpunished,” Amanda said angrily.

  “It happens,” Winnie said.

  Turning back to the board, Sidney cleared her throat and continued, tapping the photo of Fitch Drako. “Here’s another Prince Charming. I spoke with his doctor yesterday. Beating all odds, Drako survived a bullet wound to the head, and is conscious and recovering at the Jackson hospital. The bullet went through his cheek and out the back of his neck, missing his brain completely.”

  Eyes around the table widened with wonder.

  “I didn’t see that coming,” Granger said.

  “You saved his life. He was hanging by a thread when you patched him up.”

  Darnell slapped Granger on the back. “Good job. You saved the life of a total psycho.”

  “Good thing he did,” Sidney said. “I spoke with Drako. Found out his mission. Why he was in pursuit of the Chetwoots.”

  That got the rapt attention of everyone in the room.

  “He wanted to kidnap Tegan,” Sidney said. “And hold him for ransom.”

  “No way,” Selena said, eyes wide with shock.

  “Christ,” Granger added. “He was after the boy?”

  Sidney nodded.

  “Why pick on the Chetwoots? They don’t seem to be swimming in money,” Amanda said.

  “Actually, they are,” Sidney said. “Elahan’s son, Chac, is part owner of the casino in Jackson. Every month, for years, he’s deposited money in an account accessible to Elahan and Tommy, and a trust fund for Tegan. To their credit, the Chetwoots choose to live simply, but they could be living in a gleaming palace on a hill if they wanted to. Elahan and Chac aren’t on the best terms. She uses the money to secretly pay the mortgages of some of the poorer people in the village, including Fitch Drako. He did some digging around and found out who his benefactor was, and their net worth. He was going to grab a bundle of greenbacks and head down to Mexico.”

  “A madman with a plan,” Darnell snorted.

  “Nice way to show his gratitude,” Selena huffed.

  “He feels he’s been getting ripped off,” Sidney said. “He said the profits from the casino should be going to everyone in the village, like on the reservations. He doesn’t get that it’s privately owned. Tucker Longtooth is the primary owner. It’s not a tribal casino.”

  “Brain damage,” Winnie said, circling her finger around her temple.

  “So, who’s this Moolock character?” Granger asked, his neon blues bright with curiosity. “Did you see him at the hospital?”

  Sidney frowned. “Yes, I met with him. Caught him just in time. He checked himself out early, against doctor’s orders, and was on his way out. The man’s a hero, but he wants no recognition. He barely spoke to me, other than confirming everything you wrote in your report.” Sidney felt a surge of sadness as she remembered the tall, striking man with the melancholic demeanor and haunted eyes. She detected his keen intelligence and hypersensitivity, cloaked in secrecy. He divulged nothing about his personal life and made no attempt to engage in polite conversation. “He also said that Drako tried to kill him in the woods a few days ago. Drako was also poaching, and Moolock was confiscating his traps. He kept the cartridges, which match Drako’s rifle. One thing was crystal clear,” Sidney continued. “The shootout at the cabin and the act of violence he committed toward another man, even in self-defense, distressed him deeply.”

  “Very mysterious. How does he know Elahan?” Winnie asked.

  “He said they’re old friends. Hospital records show his real name is Forest Wainwright the Fourth. I Googled him. He’s a doctor from New England. Illustrious family. Was in the military. He and his wife worked at a base in Afghanistan as trauma doctors, but sadly, she was killed in a rocket attack. He came back to the states suffering from a TBI. Then he disappeared for the last five years, and now, he’s popped up here.”

  “Impressive man,” Granger said with admiration in his voice. “Tragic life.”

  “No good deed goes unpunished,” Winnie said soberly.

  “Poor man. How did he get mixed up in all of this?” Selena asked.

  “Good question. For now, that remains a mystery. He said if I need him in the future, Elahan knows how to get hold of him.” Sidney poured a mug of coffee from the carafe at the sidebar, blended in cream and sugar, took a sip, and turned back to the table. “By the way, a little bird told me we’re all up for bonuses at the end of the year. Apparently, we have a very satisfied community. The mayor is beside himself with appreciation. Solving these cases in record time really made him look good.”

  “Pay raises would be nice,” Winnie said with a wink.

  “New patrol cars,” Amanda added. “And more vacation time.”

  “Yeah, that ain’t gonna happen,” Darnell said.

  “Curb your pessimism. Could be coming down the pike,” Sidney teased. “You’re all dismissed. Be safe out there.”

  Chairs pushed back from the table and everyone started filing out. Granger gave Selena’s hand a quick squeeze as they walked out together. “We’re still on for tomorrow night?” he asked.

  “Dinner at seven.” Selena beamed back at him, her cheeks coloring.

  The two hadn’t seen each other for the last few days. Tomorrow night was their first big date night. Sidney made arrangements to see a movie with David and his son, Dillon, so her sister could have privacy. She couldn’t help but smile as she pulled on her parka. Could be an historic evening.

  Officially not on duty until the evening shift, dressed in jeans and a turtleneck, Sidney crossed the lot to her Yukon. The temperature had stayed in the forties for the last few days, and the warmth of the sun felt good on her back. As she drove out of town, she saw melting snow shrinking into glistening islands on dormant lawns. Roofs were dripping, and rivulets of water gushed down gutters heading for storm drains.

  Pleasant anticipation hummed in Sidney’s veins as she turned off the highway and drove through the forest to David’s house. Their afternoon liaisons had regrettably been put on hold, but one was about to start up in a few minutes. She parked in his driveway, scampered up the paved walkway, and rang the doorbell.

  Grinning, David opened the door promptly and stepped aside with a wave of his hand. “Entre vous. I have lunch waiting.”

  She flashed him a naughty smile. “I’m starving.”

  He grinned.

  She stepped past him and her midsection fluttered with a mix of attraction, affection, and excitement. He followed her into the kitchen, which was bright with sunshine. Something hidden in a covered pan on the stove smelled delicious. She viewed the brilliant blue lake through the window, then turned and got the intensity of David’s full attention. He wore jeans and a denim work shirt, his dark hair was tousled, and there were tiny flecks of gold in his earnest brown eyes. The air heated up around them and for a moment the electric connection held her m
ute. His eyes held her in place as though they’d cast a spell over her.

  “Let’s loosen you up a little bit,” he murmured. He pulled the elastic band from her hair and it fell heavy around her shoulders. David captured a lock and twisted it around his fingers. He gazed at her with longing, waiting for a signal from her to act on the physical yearning they both were feeling.

  Eager to feel the hardness of his chest against the softness of her own, she slowly unbuttoned his shirt, slid her hands around his waist, and stroked his contoured muscles. He made a low noise and lifted her arms around his neck, then pulled her tight, his hands cupped around her bottom. They kissed softly, then deeply, and Sidney found herself vibrating like a plucked string, every nerve ending coming alive.

  “The salmon’s going to overcook,” David murmured in her ear.

  “Let’s have dessert first,” she murmured back.

  With the barest hint of a smile, he took her hand and led her into the bedroom.

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  Also by Linda Berry

  The Killing Woods

  Book One on the Sidney Becker Mysteries

  Homicide Detective Sidney Becker is burned out. After years of investigations in a big city, she’s haunted by grisly crime scenes and depraved murderers. Seeking balance, she accepts the job of police chief in her hometown—a peaceful mountain community in Oregon.

  Life is good. Beautiful scenery. Low crime. Close to family.

  Then a woman is found brutally murdered in the woods. The staging of the body is chilling, and resembles another victim found in the same area years earlier. The case went cold.

  Now the killer has come out of hiding.