Arctic Witness

by Heather Woodhaven

  “Which is why I said I needed some time to think about it.” She reflected on his words again. “But what do you mean by all decisions?” Her eyes narrowed. Did he know about the adoption? He’d come down the stairs when she was counting inventory at the mission, too distracted by the destruction of all the displays to have realized the implication. He’d been in her apartment. Had he seen Dylan’s adoption papers?

  “All I’m saying,” Sean said, turning the vehicle around to head in the direction of where Minnie was caring for Dylan, “is that you’re a single woman.”

  “I know that I’m a single woman.” So many comments came to mind, but part of the process in becoming a foster parent was learning better communication skills. She couldn’t claim that fighting fair came easy, especially with Sean, but the class had taught her that disagreements were useful if genuinely trying to understand the other person. She took a deep breath. “I’m a little confused what you mean by that statement. I would think having a big dog would be an advantage, not a weakness, given that I’m single.”

  “You’re alone. If something happened to you, what would become of the dog? Or what if the killer decides to come after the dog? What if he’s angry you have it and decides to hurt either of you? What if the dog is hurt or, worse, dies? How would you ever recover?”

  His last two words reverberated with emotion. She pressed her lips together. Where had that come from? The rapid list of scenarios and the way he gripped the wheel until his knuckles turned white set off alarm bells. Was Sean scared about something?

  Her mouth went dry. Her gut insisted this wasn’t about the dog.

  He blinked rapidly and shrugged. “Just some things to think about tonight, I guess.”

  “I guess so,” she replied softly, her mind still reeling. “Thank you for telling me what was on your mind, but I think I need to tell you what’s on mine. Would you be willing to pull over for a second?” She’d like to avoid arriving to pick up Dylan as an emotional wreck.

  He gave her a side-glance and frowned. “Of course. It’s been a big day.” He pulled over to the side of the road.

  Grace made a sound in the back that sounded like half a whine and half a question. “Still off duty,” Sean said softly. He twisted his torso to face her.

  “Would you have the same opinion, the same questions for me to consider, if I told you I was applying to adopt Dylan?”

  His form remained statuesque, but his pupils widened, darkening his eyes. He blew out a breath and his torso sagged in front of her. “I think we both know I saw the adoption papers back at your apartment.”

  “If it bothered you, why didn’t you say something earlier?”

  “Instead of resting it all on the husky, you mean?” He shook his head and offered a small smile. “You could always see right through me.”

  “Funny because I always felt like you were a mystery most of the time.”

  “I have no right to tell you what to do, Ivy. We both know that. But I’ve said it before. I still care about you, so I have these knee-jerk reactions. I’m trying to work through it.” He scratched the top of his head. “I think I finally need to tell you something.”

  She held her breath. The promise of a secret terrified her. Would she finally find out why he’d changed so drastically early in their marriage?

  He folded his hands and rested them on the bottom half of the wheel. “On my first call out with Grace—an earthquake discovery—I was convinced we would find people alive.”

  “Oh.” The word came out as a hushed breath. “I didn’t think she was trained to find—”

  “Grace is not a search-and-rescue dog, if that’s what you mean. But if she comes across a person who is still alive while she’s working, she’s going to react in some way. And I’d notice.” He offered a sheepish grin. “Newbie optimism, I guess. Anyway, we were called out within seconds of the earthquake and only five minutes away.”

  “I remember that day. The chandelier swung in our dining room for like five minutes. You called to check on me before you went out on the call.”

  He nodded. “I’d hoped that we’d arrive fast enough to the scene. Grace alerted almost right away. Rescuers swarmed the area. We dug and moved the rubble as fast as possible and found—” His voice broke and he cleared his throat. “We found a woman... She looked remarkably similar to you.” He spoke in a low, gravelly monotone. “And she had her arms wrapped around a child. The woman had already passed away, but the child stirred—at least, I thought she might have.” He coughed. “But I was told the child was also already gone, too. We weren’t able to save either one.”

  It was as if a grainy home movie rewound in her mind and replayed. Ivy questioned every interaction they’d ever had after that moment. She’d always assumed he’d never found anyone in that earthquake. He’d said Grace did great on her first run. That was all. Was that when he started dragging his feet into their home each day, drained? She couldn’t be sure when that had started. Had she misunderstood him most of their marriage? “Your first call out,” she said weakly.

  “I didn’t tell you to upset you. In my specialty, officers aren’t encouraged to talk a lot about what we discover, especially with our families. Besides, it’s best if we don’t dwell too long. I didn’t want you to hate my job. I had to work through it and figure out how to cope. Just because it was hard didn’t mean I wanted to quit.”

  She nodded, because she wasn’t sure what to say. Surely, he could’ve at least told her that he was having a hard time coping. Couldn’t he have?

  “I’ve learned it’s best to focus on the good things and move on, but that discovery was my first and the hardest. I’m only telling you now because if you’d experienced what I have, then maybe you’d agree.”

  “Agree about what?” she asked softly.

  “That there’s so much pain and sorrow out there.” He waved his arms, gesturing to the world outside the window. “You have to know, Ivy, that you’ll face that kind of sorrow if you agree to adopt. If it’s not a murderer threatening you, then maybe it’s the choices Dylan makes later on. It’s not a matter of if but when. And I’m not sure you’ve ever understood that agreeing to parent is assenting to a broken heart, on purpose. Do you really want that for yourself? To end up broken?”

  She’d heard his argument against having children so many times that she had it memorized, but this was new. Entirely different. This time she finally comprehended the moment that convinced him that he shouldn’t become a parent. No wonder he’d changed his mind all of a sudden. Her eyes burned with unshed tears, but she refused to cry for him, for them, for that mother and the child he’d found. Even though she desperately wanted to be alone and do just that.

  Instead, she focused on the crumbling building in front of them and took shallow breaths. The building was missing pieces of siding. Just like she’d been missing pieces in understanding Sean. It’d weakened them and led to their entire marriage crashing down around them. Her voice shook as she said the words that played in her head on a loop. “I guess I’m just in shock you didn’t tell me about your first call out. That’s a pretty big thing.”

  “To be fair, you never really asked me about that part of the job.”

  “I always asked about your day!” Her volume rose despite trying to stay calm. “I wanted to respect your professional boundaries if you couldn’t tell me some things. What was I supposed to say? Find any bodies today?” She recoiled at her own words.

  “Of course not.” He shook his head. “I wasn’t trying to start a fight. I was only trying to get you to realize how big a deal—”

  “—having a child is. Yes, I heard you.” All his other reasons he’d tried to convince her with over the years were overshadowed by this one. “I’m also hearing how much fear and control had a say in our marriage.” She hung her head. “More than I’d thought. I’m sorry if that sounds harsh.”

&nbs
p; “What? No, I think you’ve misunderstood me. Ivy...” Radio static burst through the speakers.

  “Sean, we need you at headquarters,” Gabriel said. “Bring Ivy.”

  He let out an exasperated sigh. “Guess we’re out of time.” Sean shifted the SUV into Drive.

  She faced forward, realizing his statement had more than one meaning.

  EIGHT

  Sean vibrated with energy as he parked in front of the trooper post. The few officers assigned to this post had to cover an area the size of West Virginia. So it wasn’t unusual that the post was empty enough for the K-9 troopers to take an office. They shared the space with the Alaska National Guard Armory. The entire bottom section of the building was made of garages for the various vehicles needed, given the constant changing terrain. He led Ivy and Grace up a set of metal stairs to enter the main offices.

  Each step on the metal stairs set his teeth on edge. He needed to let go of the last words Ivy had said to him, especially since he wasn’t afforded the option to discuss it further. He should’ve never told her about that earthquake in the first place. Delving into things from the past was like stepping into an unmarked minefield. But he thought she’d understand that he was trying to keep her from making a mistake. A dog and a kid would make her even more vulnerable.

  That first call had been on his mind more than usual lately. They had a new rookie trooper getting ready to join their ranks, Ian McCaffrey, with his newly-trained cadaver dog. A German shepherd named Aurora. Sean would be assigned to help show him the ropes and let Ian shadow him from time to time. It’d forced Sean to reevaluate how he’d handled his first year before he could offer any advice.

  The unpleasant conversation with Ivy had left a bad taste in his mouth. She couldn’t be right about the control thing, though. Could she? He almost scoffed aloud. There were plenty of things in his life outside of his control, his job being a prime example. Not five minutes had gone by since they’d left the vet before a work call had interrupted their conversation. Control was only an illusion in life, something he’d fully admitted when he’d recently decided to believe in God.

  He reached the top step and offered Ivy a forced smile as he opened the door for her. She’d misunderstood him, that was all. Understandable, considering how someone had tried to kill her only an hour before. If a quiet moment presented itself later that day, maybe he’d try again.

  “Over here,” Helena called, poking her head out into the hallway, the third door to the right.

  Sean let the door close behind them as they hustled down the hallway. They stepped inside the office in time to hear the colonel speaking through the desktop monitor station on the countertop.

  “We need you back in Anchorage.” Lorenza glanced down at something off the video conferencing camera.

  A muscle ticked in his jaw. He knew this would happen. Now more than ever, he couldn’t leave Ivy. The gunman had specifically aimed his shots at her, not the rest of the team. Sean took a step forward and opened his mouth to speak.

  But Gabriel placed a hand on his shoulder before he could utter a word. “You and Helena are staying here in Nome, on the case. I’m going back to help with the reindeer case.”

  “Sean, good to see you,” the colonel said. “Yes, we don’t want the lead on Terrence Kapowski to go cold. Katie’s counting on us.”

  “Understood, ma’am.” He blew out a breath, releasing all the pent-up energy from being prepared to argue.

  “Lorenza has some news on Ivy’s case,” Helena said. “That’s why we needed you both here.”

  “Yes.” The colonel offered a friendly smile. “Good to see you, Ivy. Sorry that it’s under these circumstances. Appreciated you helping us out with the survivalist case recently.”

  “Not sure I was much help, but thank you,” Ivy said. “I’m always happy to offer what I know.”

  Lorenza’s smile faded as she addressed her fellow team members. “Now to the news. We’re sending the results on the victim your way. Check your fax machine. Tala was able to find a match on the blood DNA of the victim. Let me share the most recent photo we have in the system.”

  The screen switched to a zoomed-in version of a Washington driver’s license photograph. “‘Francine McMillan,’” Sean read aloud.

  Ivy blanched. “That’s her. A few years younger and with different hair, but definitely her.”

  The fax machine roared to life. Gabriel gathered the papers that spit out. “Arrested on shoplifting a few years back. Last known address was near San Francisco. Nothing else of note that I can see.” He passed the stack of papers to Helena to review, as well.

  “So, our victim wasn’t a resident, and we have no idea why she was in Alaska,” Sean said.

  “No idea what motive our suspect could have yet, either,” Gabriel told Lorenza.

  “Could’ve just been the wrong place at the wrong time,” Helena mused. She frowned, reading over the papers. “Not getting any clues from her record, either.”

  “Maybe she lifted something off our suspect,” Sean said.

  “That would explain why he kept asking me where she’d put it,” Ivy added. “You think this is a theft and a violent retaliation?”

  Lorenza’s eyebrows shot up at Ivy’s interjection. “I’ll leave it to you guys to take it from here. Sean, make it your priority to find the deceased. Helena, take the lead. Gabriel, have a safe flight. Check in tomorrow morning with me.”

  Gabriel agreed and signed off the communication.

  The muscles in Sean’s back wouldn’t relax. While he was glad that Lorenza wasn’t ordering him back home, the message had been clear. She wanted him to find the body and leave Ivy’s protection to others. And he knew the moment they found the victim, Lorenza wouldn’t hesitate to bring him back to Anchorage, whether or not they’d found the murderer. Professional courtesy, given his relationship to Ivy, only went so far.

  “Can you make a copy of the license for me to take?” Ivy asked, jarring Sean out of his thoughts.

  Helena frowned. “What’d you have in mind?”

  “I’d like to ask Minnie if she recognizes the victim. Fiona may have her pulse on all the visitors who stay at her B and B, but Minnie knows all the locals and several from the nearby villages. She’s lived here for ages.”

  “It’s a good idea,” Sean acknowledged. But they couldn’t just hand Ivy copies of the reports. “I can show Minnie.”

  Gabriel moved to a desk monitor and took a screenshot of the license, cropping the photo so it only showed Francine’s face, and printed it. He handed the printed photo to Sean and shook his hand. “Hope I’ll see you soon back at base. But not too soon.”

  At least his teammates understood the importance of finishing this case. He gestured to the door with the photo. “Shall we?”

  Gabriel flashed her a grin as she turned to leave with Sean. “And don’t worry,” he said. “These guys don’t need me to solve the case.”

  “I wasn’t worried until you said that,” Ivy said, a teasing lilt to her voice. It didn’t disguise the strain in her eyes and forehead.

  Helena handed them each a hoagie from the sub shop across the street. “You need to keep your strength up. And say the word if you need to take a rest, Ivy. You still are recovering from a nasty bump on the head.”

  Sean studied the loose bun she had at the nape of her neck. He should’ve noticed it wasn’t her usual style. Her head likely hurt too much to pull it back into her standard tight ponytail.

  “Oh, and before I forget, there are a few empty rooms with cots and blankets down the hall, reserved for traveling troopers. They’re available to us. This won’t be luxury accommodations, but it’ll be safe.”

  He nodded. “Agreed.”

  “I’m staying at the bunker,” Ivy said.

  “We can’t force you, of course,” Helena cut in before Sean could object. “But
we do highly recommend you allow one or both of us to stay in the same location for your safety. At least until we have the shooter behind bars. This office is well protected.”

  “Yes, and as you mentioned, it’s bare-bones. No offense to anyone, but it’s not well suited for a toddler’s needs. The bunker is already childproofed. There’s plenty of room for you and Sean, if you’re willing.”

  Helena raised an eyebrow but said nothing as she exchanged a glance with him. Judging by her expression, she was just as apprehensive as he was about the bunker scenario. He’d had enough dealing with survivalists lately; he didn’t want to live like one, too.

  “Give us until the end of the day before you decide, please,” Sean said. “Maybe neither will be necessary.”

  “Okay. I think I’ll take my sandwich to go. I’d really like to be with Dylan now.”

  “Of course.” He was just as anxious to leave, but not for the same reason. Though, the thought of seeing Dylan again eased some of the tension in his muscles. Didn’t mean he was changing his stance on having kids. He could find them amusing without wanting one of his own. It was human nature to enjoy a baby’s laugh. It was in a dog’s nature as well, if Grace was any indication.

  Neither of them ended up eating their sandwiches, though, despite nearing late afternoon. Sean, for his part, knew the bread would taste like cardboard until the day was done. Now that the danger of the morning had fully passed, his brain replayed the shooting on a loop. He’d almost lost Grace and Ivy in one go. But it hadn’t happened. Maybe his prayers were being heard. Though, why God couldn’t have also stopped the man from kidnapping Ivy and murdering Francine was something he might never understand. That’s why they call it faith. Eli Partridge, their tech guru, had answered that to quite a few of Sean’s questions.

  He pulled up to the house they’d escorted Minnie to that morning. An unmarked police car sat on the corner with an officer who waved at them. “See? He was safe the entire time.”

  She strode ahead of him to the porch and knocked. Minnie answered with Dylan in her arms. “Doggy. Mama,” the boy said, rubbing his eyes.