Page 66 of Cole

"Excellent." Penson's good humor had returned, and the confrontation with his employees had apparently been forgotten. "Are we nearly finished then?"

"Just a few more measurements," Cole said. "Another hour should do it." With no one assuming Janice was still in the area, he breathed easier. And staying a little longer would ensure no one would think he had anything to do with her.

He spent the next hour installing a few hidden cameras around the outside of the house. Cole didn't let himself relax until he was in the SUV, pulling away from the property. He pulled out his phone and dialed her number, needing to hear her voice, needing to know she was safe.

29

Bear Paw Tavern

Ray Hutchins sat in the corner booth of the Bear Paw Tavern, nursing a beer he didn't want and listening to Jake and Jeffrey complain about the cold. The storm had kept them holed up in this shithole town for two days, and everyone seemed to be fine with the break except him. Being snowbound made him antsy. They should have been working at the mine site, but Mr. Penson had decided the risk was too high given the roads as they were.

Ray knew he shouldn’t complain. After all, the hotel bed was a hell of a lot more comfortable than the makeshift bunkhouse at the camp, and Donna's burgers were better than anything they had up there. Plus, he got paid the same whether he was working the mine or killing time in a hotel.

At least now, he and his crew returned to the mine this morning, while he’d sent two of his more discreet crew members to look for the veterinarian who’d stumbled on something she shouldn’t have.

"I'm telling you, the boss was fucking glad when we told him the cabin had been cleaned out," Jake said, leaning across the table with the intensity of a man who'd had one beer too many. "Good riddance to some tree-hugger, animal-loving busybody poking around where she doesn't belong."

"Cheryl was there this morning," Jeffrey said with a grin, waggling his eyebrows. "Sitting in his big house, drinking coffee. Guess we know where she spent her snowbound days." He made a rude gesture with his hands before guffawing loudly.

Ray took a long pull of his beer, letting the conversation wash over him. He'd learned early in this job that asking too many questions was a bad idea. You showed up, you did the work, you took your paycheck and kept your mouth shut. That was the deal.

He didn't give a fuck what they dumped in that creek. The pay was too good to walk away from. Besides, what was he supposed to do? Even if he grew a conscience, he'd be out of a job, or worse, if Penson found out he'd talked.

So Ray kept his head down, did his work, and turned a blind eye to the dead animals he'd seen near the water.

Donna appeared at their table, her tired smile not quite reaching her eyes. "You boys need anything else?"

"I’d like another beer," Jeffrey said.

“No,” Ray barked, glaring at the man who’d had too much to drink on a workday lunch. “We’ve got to head back to work this afternoon.”

Donna nodded, then turned to one of the other servers. “Can you check these men out? I have to get a take-out order that’s going to the hotel. Said I’d deliver it myself.”

“I didn’t think we had anyone delivering today since Bobby’s out sick,” the server said.

“It’s for someone who came in from her place during the storm. She’s unable to get out, so I told her that I’d run it over to her.”

Donna moved toward the kitchen, calling out to the cook. Ray was pulling out his wallet to pay for his lunch when his attention snagged on something she said. "Sandwich order for the hotel. Room 7. The sweet veterinarian who was in the area is there. I’m taking it to her."

Ray's head snapped up. Jake and Jeffrey heard it too, their conversation dying mid-sentence.

"Did she say, veterinarian?" Jeffrey asked quietly.

"The one who was in the area," Jake confirmed, his expression sharpening. "How many veterinarians do you think are working out here in the middle of nowhere?"

Ray felt his stomach clench. This was bad. This was the kind of thing Penson would want to know about immediately. The kind of thing that could get complicated fast.

"She's at the hotel," Jake said. “We’d better tell the boss.”

"No, wait. Maybe it's not her," Ray ordered. "Could be someone else, and then we’d piss off the boss for giving him false information.”

“What do we do?” Jake asked, blinking away the sluggishness from too many beers.

“We go and see for ourselves.” Ray finished paying and nodded for the others to follow. Once outside, they sat in the truck for a few minutes waiting for Donna to come out with the take-out order.

“Turn the heat up,” Jake grumbled. “Freezing my balls off back here.”

Jeffrey turned in his seat, making a vulgar comment to Jake, but Ray kept his eyes pinned on the windshield. “There she is,” he muttered as a bundled Donna came out with several large bags in her hands.