Cold Dawn

by Carla Neggers

  He waited a half beat before responding. “All right. Sounds good.”

  “Sorry if I was prickly.”

  “That was nothing. You forget I’ve been friends with a Cameron for ten years. I figure you held back. I’m lucky.”

  Rose laughed as she dug the tennis ball out of her pocket and set it in the closet along with a dozen others. “You wanted to make me laugh, didn’t you?”

  “Always.” But Nick was serious now. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You got away from Cutshaw. That’s what counts.”

  “I thought of myself as so strong…”

  “A hit to your ego like that undermines your confidence. Only thing to do is to get back up and carry on.” His voice was quiet, his eyes on her. “Being strong doesn’t mean you never get hurt.”

  “Or do something stupid.”

  He smiled. “That, too.”

  She took one of Ranger’s leashes from the closet. “Nick, what if Derek somehow knew about us and went into a jealous rage and arranged to kill himself so that I’d find his body?”

  “From everything I’ve heard, he wasn’t even remotely suicidal.”

  “I keep asking myself why was he out there. What did he want with me?” She started back to the door but stopped abruptly. “Why now, Nick? Why are you here now? Is there anything you haven’t told me?”

  “The timing was right. That’s all. Nothing more.”

  “Right for what?”

  “To make sure you were okay, and to see if there was any indication Jasper was killed by Lowell’s network. Informally,” Nick added. “I’m not part of any investigation.”

  Rose yanked open the front door again. “We can take my Jeep out to the river.”

  Nick touched her upper arm, stopping her. “Rose,” he said, “I haven’t told anyone about us because I promised I wouldn’t. That doesn’t mean I regret making love to you. I don’t.”

  She held on to the doorknob, letting cold air seep into her house. “Hannah suspects.”

  “Hannah knows. She’s good at reading people, especially her friends,” Nick said, obviously liking her. “A prosecutor in the making.”

  “I told her she didn’t have to keep any secrets from Sean.”

  “Yeah, I know. I had a text message from him waiting for me this morning.”

  “What did it say?”

  “My sister?” Nick winked at her. “Sums it up, doesn’t it?”

  Rose pulled the door open wider. “I guess it does. I probably should be more embarrassed than I am. I’d hoped he didn’t have to find out.”

  “Hell, so did I, but not for my sake. Sean and I have covered a lot of ground together.”

  “I can assure him you didn’t take advantage of me.”

  Nick shook his head. “He won’t ask. He was just telling me he knows. The rest is none of his business. He understands that.”

  “Then Hannah told him about Derek, too.” Rose groaned. “I said she could, but I hate this. Derek was already at the Whittaker place when you arrived. Could he have known or guessed you were on your way and just got there first? Maybe he wasn’t there to see me at all.”

  “I didn’t know until I woke up at four-thirty that I’d head out there. I was lucky A.J. gave me directions. Derek was dead by then.” Sunlight angled through the door, shining on his striking hair, his dark eyes. “We’re speculating.”

  “Which can lead to trouble—just as it does in a search.” She motioned for Ranger to come to her and clipped the leash onto his collar. “I’m neutral about you, Nick.”

  “Neutral? What’s that mean? You didn’t want to crawl under my hand-knitted afghan last night, or you didn’t even think about it?”

  She’d thought about it. She’d wanted to. Had he thought about knocking on her bedroom door?

  She said nothing and headed back outside with Ranger.

  “So neutral means you’re resisting being attracted to me,” Nick said as he trotted down the steps behind her.

  She glanced back at him. “Could I say the same about you?”

  “I’m not neutral, and I’m not resisting.”

  “Then you’re—”

  “Restraining myself. You’re under duress. We already did that. It didn’t work out so well.”

  “We were both under duress in June.” She stopped at the bottom of the steps, choking on her words, then forced herself to continue. “If one of Lowell’s killers created that hot spot and lured Jasper Vanderhorn into it—”

  “Don’t jump ahead.”

  “Nick, could Jasper’s serial arsonist be in Black Falls?”

  “Jasper’s serial arsonist might not even exist. He never could prove his theory. One thing at a time, Rose,” Nick said quietly, winking at her as he opened the back of her Jeep for Ranger. “Let’s go to Three Sisters Café and see what’s cooking.”

  Ninety minutes later, Rose let Ranger out of the back of her Jeep. He leaped onto the snow-packed driveway of the sprawling Whittaker estate, which, she thought, had to occupy one of the most scenic stretches of the shallow, twisting branch of the Black River.

  Nick went ahead of her onto the shoveled walk. She tried to relax, but sitting next to him on the drive into the village, then across from him at the café and again on the drive out to the river had nearly done her in.

  He was the sexiest man she’d ever met.

  Telling him about Derek—giving Hannah permission to tell Sean and Beth—had been difficult but also a relief. Her past with Derek had turned into a secret that rapidly had taken on a life of its own. Derek’s lies and exaggerations and the fight at O’Rourke’s had only made matters worse.

  For months, Rose had wondered if she’d have fallen into bed with Nick if not for her brief, awful relationship with Derek Cutshaw.

  Ranger looked up at her, as if he remembered that their last visit here hadn’t gone well. The wind whipped the dusting of snow into the cold, clear air.

  Nick eased close to her, putting a hand on her hip. “Hold on.”

  “I see,” she said, noticing a man coming down the walk from the boarded-up farmhouse, then recognized Brett Griffin.

  Brett waved as he approached them, his camera hanging from his neck. “I heard the investigators were done here and thought I’d stop by and see for myself.” He gestured down the slope toward the stone guesthouse. “I parked in the turnaround and walked up the road. It’s windy as all get-out. Took me by surprise.”

  “Did you come alone?” Rose asked.

  He nodded. “The police came to see me last night to ask about Robert. I heard he tried to break into your house.”

  “That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it doesn’t matter. He should stop sneaking around and talk to the police.”

  “I think so, too. I told him as much yesterday morning. Whatever he’s hiding, it can’t be as bad as having the police think he was involved in Derek’s death. That’s what’s going on, isn’t it?”

  “I wish I knew,” Rose said. Another strong gust of wind blew up from the river. She felt a spray of snow in her face and could see Nick, who remained at her side, was hit with it, too, but he didn’t seem to notice.

  Brett looked up toward the boarded-up farmhouse, his face pale even in the wind. He seemed to force himself out of his thoughts. “I ran into Bowie O’Rourke at the guesthouse when I got here. He was checking on the work he did for the Whittakers in January. You two aren’t meeting him, I take it?”

  Rose shook her head. “No, we’re not. Is he still there?”

  “I don’t know. Bowie and I don’t exactly get along. We only exchanged a few words.” Brett raised his camera and eased the strap over his head. He had on layers that were well suited to the conditions, and he could easily spend the day in the cold. “I thought I’d take some pictures of the river while I was here. It’s therapeutic.”

  “Did Feehan mention coming out here?” Nick asked.

  “Not to me. I’ve tried his cell phone a few times but it goes right to voice mail. He ha
sn’t called back.” Brett grimaced as he squinted past Nick toward the shed. “I don’t know why Derek or Robert would want to come here. They had nothing to do with the Whittakers.”

  “Was there any tension between them?” Rose asked. “They were housemates. It’d be understandable if they got on each other’s nerves.”

  “To the point of Robert setting Derek on fire?” Brett turned ashen, obviously taken aback. “Damn, Rose. No.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  He started up the walk, leaving footprints in the light snow, but stopped after a few steps and looked back at Rose. He seemed pained, but also resigned, as if he’d come to terms with what they were thinking about the man he’d once called a friend. “There was tension between Derek and everyone. He and I got along okay because I didn’t cross him. That’s why I finally backed off. I didn’t need all that drama. The guy had no sense of his own limits. No boundaries. He was a great skier, though. Confident. I’m not nearly as good as he was. Robert’s better than I am, too.” Brett nodded to Nick. “Did he give you that scrape on your face?”

  “Yes, he did,” Nick said.

  “This is crazy,” Brett said half under his breath. “I don’t even know why I’m here. Just couldn’t stop myself, I guess.”

  Rose watched him continue tentatively up to the farmhouse, as if every step were torture. Nick edged closer to her. “More company,” he said, pointing down to the driveway.

  She noticed Zack Harper’s pickup truck pull behind her Jeep. Ranger bounded to her left side, and she stroked his broad back, settling him down and combating her own uneasiness.

  Zack clearly wasn’t expecting to find anyone there. “What’re you all doing,” he said as he ambled up to them, “setting up for a winter picnic?”

  Rose grimaced at his sharp tone. “Just wanted to have another look now that the police are done here. What about you, Zack?”

  “The same.” He glanced down the snow-covered slope. His jacket was open, and he wasn’t wearing gloves, a hat or a scarf. He seemed unaffected by the cold and the wind. “Bowie and Dominique left, huh? I saw them down by the guesthouse when I drove by about an hour ago.”

  “Dom Belair?” Rose couldn’t contain her surprise. “She was with Bowie?”

  “She was in her own car. Bowie had his van.”

  Rose frowned. “I didn’t realize she even knew her way out here.”

  “I didn’t stop,” Zack said. “I had a call to make down in the hollow. I was on my way back to town when I saw your Jeep.”

  “Brett Griffin’s here, too,” Rose said.

  “Yeah, I saw his car.” Zack turned to Nick. “Want to take a look at the fire damage with me?”

  “Sure,” Nick said.

  Rose let Ranger poke around in the snow and went with Zack and Nick to the farmhouse. Brett seemed frozen in place by Lowell’s woodpile and said nothing to the two firefighters as they headed onto the narrow path behind the shed.

  “You okay?” Rose asked Brett.

  He sucked in a breath. “Those two will look at the scene differently than either one of us. I understand that Nick and your brother Sean are elite smoke jumpers. Do you think Zack feels inadequate?”

  “Zack? Not a chance.” Rose smiled. “He’s a Harper, for one thing.”

  She noticed Brett had pulled off his gloves. He fiddled with a knob on his camera and chuckled. “There’s that. I heard all four Neal sisters have a crush on Zack.”

  “They wouldn’t be the first. It’ll be interesting to see if they all turn up for winter fest.” Rose realized there was still a faint smell of smoke in the air. “Unless Derek’s death isn’t resolved by then.”

  “Why should that make any difference? The Neals live in Washington. Imagine all the ongoing death investigations there. They’re under Secret Service protection. They’ll be fine wherever they are.”

  “Good point. Brett, did you see Dominique when you arrived?”

  He shook his head. “Just Bowie, unless they came together—”

  “She came in her car.”

  “I didn’t see it when I arrived.” Brett abandoned his adjustments to his camera. “Coming out here’s harder than I imagined it’d be. I thought I wanted to see for myself where Derek died. Now I don’t know if I can look.”

  “You don’t have to look,” Rose said sympathetically.

  He raised his gaze to her. “It really was bad, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes, it was. I’m sorry.”

  “Have you talked to Elijah and Jo yet? I don’t know them myself. I saw Elijah at O’Rourke’s last year when Derek got drunk and said those things to Hannah. We didn’t chitchat, obviously. He’s very controlled, isn’t he?”

  “When he needs to be, I guess.”

  “Spoken like a true baby sister,” Brett said with a strained laugh. “I’ve heard that Jo and Trooper Thorne don’t get along.”

  “That’s too strong.”

  “She’s a federal agent, and he’s a state trooper. It’s not surprising there’s a bit of a rivalry between them, is it?”

  “There’s no rivalry on Jo’s end, and I doubt there’s one on Scott’s. It’s nothing they couldn’t work out if he and Beth decide to stay together.” Rose straightened sharply. “Brett? Are you and Beth—”

  “No, no. I’m just an observer. There’s nothing between us—on her side or mine.” He seemed taken aback by any suggestion he might have a romantic interest in Beth Harper. “I don’t mean to pry. It’s the classic curse of the outsider in a small town.”

  “I guess I wouldn’t know about that, since I’ve lived here all my life.” Rose nodded to his camera. “You’re also a photographer. An observer. I’d love to see some of your photos one day.”

  “That’d be great.” Watching Ranger wander over to the shed, Brett quickly snapped his picture, then lowered his camera. “Trooper Thorne’s on the state police search-and-rescue team. Are you and he rivals?”

  Rose got Ranger back to her side. “I don’t think of what I do in those terms. I doubt he does, either.”

  “Sorry. I’m saying all the wrong things.” Brett edged onto the narrow path that led to the back of the shed. “I’m just blurting out whatever pops into my head. Being here…” He sucked in a breath. “I think I can do it. I think I can look. I’d hate myself for being a coward if I didn’t.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “All right, but you don’t have to. Zack and Nick have experience with fires. They’ll be objective. They’ll help if I can’t handle being there.”

  “There’s not much fire damage to the shed, Brett.”

  He looked grim. “So Derek took the brunt of the flames.”

  “If Coleman fuel was in that lamp, it’s highly combustible. The flash and fire—”

  “He didn’t stand a chance if he was standing close, didn’t know.”

  Rose remembered every detail of walking into the shed. The smell, the cold, the stillness. Seeing Derek’s coat on the back of the chair. The shed wasn’t heated but he’d had on layers. He could have been warm from hiking up from his car.

  She signaled Ranger to follow her as she and Brett went around to the ell. Even with the fresh snow, the area in front of the door was still visibly trampled from the investigators. The smell of charred wood was stronger here, but the shed blocked the worst of the wind. The rough wood door was propped open with a brick.

  Brett hesitated, gripping his camera, and jumped, visibly startled, when Zack exited the shed.

  “It won’t be easy to figure out exactly what happened here,” Zack said.

  Nick was right behind him. “It often is with a fire. Arson’s one of the hardest crimes to prove, solve and prosecute.”

  “Too many of these bastards get away with setting their little fires,” Zack said, his disdain clear. “You can’t generalize about arsonists. Each one’s an individual. They have their own methods, their own reasons, if you want to call them that, for doing what they do.”

 
Brett’s breathing was rapid, shallow. “Do you know for sure this even was arson?”

  Zack’s turquoise eyes seemed lighter in the brightening sunshine. “You’d have to talk to the lead investigators.”

  “First they have to rule out a natural or accidental cause,” Nick said. “In this case, that’s going to be difficult because of the circumstances. Coleman fuel is easily accessed and commonly used. If it works under pressure in a little camp stove, why not in a kerosene lamp? I can see someone thinking like that, just making a stupid mistake.”

  Brett shook his head. “Not Derek.”

  “It could have been one of the Whittakers, even one of their guests.” Zack bent down and rubbed Ranger’s front. “That was a rough morning for you, wasn’t it, buddy? You come out here to play fetch and get put to work.” He stood up again and looked at Rose. “I promised Beth I’d fill in for her tonight at the café. It’s cleaning night.” He grinned. “Feel free to take my place.”

  Rose knew his good humor was as close as she’d get to an apology from him for his earlier surliness. “I’ve done cleaning night with you, Zack. Mostly you just eat leftover brownies.”

  “Dom’s brownies are the best,” he said. “See you all later.”

  He took the path around to the front of the shed. Rose sighed at his retreating figure. “Zack hasn’t changed since fifth grade.”

  Brett had stepped just inside the shed, his gaze fixed on the spot where his friend had died. He backed out suddenly, stumbling, dropping his camera in the snow. “I knew this’d be hard, but—” He broke off, looking agonized, and scooped up his camera. “Why didn’t the whole damn place didn’t catch fire?”

  Nick answered, his tone neutral, professional. “It looks as if your friend Derek put out the flames when he hit the floor.”

  “He probably wasn’t killed instantly, then.”

  “Probably not, no,” Nick said. “If this was arson, his killer undoubtedly intended for the shed to burn down. There’d be even less evidence for investigators to go on.”

  Brett held his camera in a bare hand, staring at it as if its familiarity gave him comfort. “I can’t imagine what it was like to find him. I’ve never seen a dead body. I’ve dealt with a few injuries skiing and giving lessons, but nothing like what Derek must have suffered.”