Page 51 of The Boy Who Cried Bear
“Okay.”
“Keeping the details to a minimum, Dana and her husband witnessed a murder. They told the police what they saw. Then came the offer of a bribe.”
“To retract their story.”
“Yes. When that failed, the carrot turned to a stick, with threats, and soon what they’d presumed was a simple matter of testifying against a killer turned into something much more dangerous. They weren’t accusing an average citizen. This man had money. A lot of money, and a lot of dangerous people in his contact list, ready to take some of his money to help him stay out of prison. Dana’s family was put into witness protection. The man went to prison, which should have been the end of it, but his wife was determined to get him out and since his conviction hinged on eyewitness reports…?”
“She thought getting Dana and her husband to retract their story could lead to at least a new trial.”
“Yes, but by then, they’d disappeared into the witness-protection program. A year ago, the man Dana and her husband helped convict died—killed in prison—and his wife now wants something else.”
“Revenge.”
“She tracked them down and hired men to stage a home invasion and murder Dana and her husband. But the police arrived before Dana could be killed.”
“And the police are certain this man’s wife was behind it? That it wasn’t a home invasion?”
“The two men weren’t going to kill Dana and her husband without letting them know why they were dying. The home invasion was staging for the police. It failed because Dana survived. Carson also overheard enough to confirm why the men were there.”
Dalton calls over, “So why wasn’t the wife arrested for hiring whoever killed Dana’s husband?”
“She’s too careful. The men escaped, meaning no one can roll on her. The police are continuing to investigate, but she’s covered her tracks well. The only way for Dana to get away was to truly get away.”
“Come up here,” I say. “Except she might not have gotten away. So the question is whether someone followed them and is waiting outside Haven’s Rock … or followed them into Haven’s Rock. The first possibility means someone tracked a plane and is in the woods. The second means someone is in here, having come under a false story.”
“I can’t see how someone would track the plane, but having someone slip in is even less likely. I’ll comb through all the files, though, in case I’ve made a mistake.”
“Thank you,” I say. “I’d also like to know more about Louie.”
A pause, one that stretches long enough for me to take a sip of my tea.
“Not as someone who followed Dana here,” I say. “He was in Haven’s Rock before her.”
“Yes, and my person found him before the home invasion even occurred.”
“Which means he didn’t come here because of them. Nor did he slip that note under the town hall door. But he’s up to something. None of his excuses for being in the woods make sense. It might be completely unrelated to Max. But while he didn’t come here for Dana, that doesn’t mean he isn’t working with someone who did.”
“Ah. Yes. That makes sense. All right. Let me pull up his file.”
* * *
If Louie had any hunting experience, it wasn’t in the file we received … or the broader one Émilie has. Likewise for any search-and-rescue experience. Does that mean he was lying? Not necessarily.
There are things we need to know and things we do not. Hunting and searching experience may come in handy, but it’s not a criterion for choosing whom we let in.
Émilie doesn’t tell us why Louie is here. What matters is whether his reason for coming raises any red flags in the current situation. It does not, apparently. He is a legitimate resident here for a legitimate reason, and while she’ll dig deeper, this isn’t the old Rockton, where anyone paying enough could get the council to accept their story at face value.
Émilie has someone who investigates the backstories and confirms details. All she can do now is double-check. Mostly what we need her to double-check is Louie’s background beyond his reason for being here. Are we sure he’s never been charged with or accused of a crime? Whatever he’s doing in the forest, he’s up to something, and his disdain for law enforcement raises red flags.
We also ask Émilie to double-check Gunnar’s background for any hint of crimes against children. Obviously, he’d never have gotten on Yolanda’s crew with a conviction, but we need to dig deeper. Even a whiff of concern would be enough.
Once we’re done talking to Émilie, it’s after midnight. I might long to get back out there, searching, but I’m no longer convinced that’s the most expedient way to find Max. I want to talk to Louie again, and I want to talk to Dana again, and I want to find out who slipped that damn note under the town hall door.
All that, though, has to wait. It’s late, and if we have the chance to get a decent night’s sleep, we need to take it, whether we want to or not.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Max
