Page 24 of Winter’s Teeth

“Great,” Riss groaned.

“Perfect.” I was already bounding out of the car to knock on his door, Maple at my heels. She wandered off, her nose leading her around the porch. No one else followed, though I wasn’t fazed since I hadn’t warned my friends of my plan to confront Arthur Winter right out of the gate. This was something I had to do on my own—a half-baked scheme I was enacting on a desperate, crazed whim.

Anything for Everly.

Riss started to protest. “Rae, what are you—”

The door opened, and the overpowering smell of cleaning solvents assaulted me. I wrinkled my nose, holding back an agitated sneeze.

“This ought to be good,” Arthur grunted, crossing tree-trunk arms over his chest as he leaned against the doorframe. The man took up the entire doorway, leaving no room for anyone to wriggle by, let alone peek at the house behind him.

“I wanted to apologize,” I blurted. A rehearsed script I wrote during the previous night’s insomnia replayed like white noise in my head, guiding me on what to say next. “I think we got off on the wrong foot. I should have called, and—”

“And you still didn’t call. You just showed up expecting me to be here?”

Precisely. “Well, you are here...”

“I’m cleaning the place. Though the wedding didn’t happen as planned, everyone still made a mess.”

I nearly apologized for that, but at the last second, I bit my tongue. We paid him. Wedding or no wedding, the venue had been paid for, and if he was going to complain about that, he could take it to the bank.

“I just really want to find my sister,” I emphasized, hoping to appeal to his better nature. “You can understand, can’t you? She’s my only family. The only family that matters, at least. I can’t lose her.” Truth seeped into my words like blood in the snow. There was no denying I was desperate to find her or any clue of what might have happened to her.

The stiffness of his arms loosened a fraction of an inch, the steely anger giving way slightly. “Look, kid. I already told the cops everything. I have no clue what happened to her. We were all setting up outside, and no one noticed her run off. I don’t know whose footprints those are, and I don’t know what happened to her. It’s a mystery for sure, but I know she isn’t on my land.”

I nodded. Everything sounded reasonable. Everything made sense. He was just a frazzled business owner trying to salvage his venue before everyone called off their events in the spring to avoid the crime scene. His land was overrun, his privacy was obliterated, and now an annoyingly persistent girl was showing up on his doorstep every day to find more answers.

But his family was fine. They were all safe and sound while my sister was dead or suffering. He could shove his uncomfortableness and be a decent human being for five seconds.

My gaze hardened. “I get it, Mr. Winter, I really do, but have some perspective.”

He glared, clearly not enjoying being told off by a twenty-year-old. Barely ten years younger, but I was sure I appeared twelve in his eyes.

“My sister is missing. She might be dead. I need help finding her, and I need you to cooperate if you won’t do everything in your power to help.”

He licked his lower lip, scoffing at my brazenness. “Is that so?”

“It is.” I stiffened as he stood up straighter, towering over me on the porch.

“Get the hell out of here.”

“Look, Mister—” I started indignantly.

“I’ve got family coming over tonight,” he interjected. “Family traditions and festivities you’ve got no business with. You have my number and email from the venue website, so get in touch with me that way. I’ll let you know if there’s anything noteworthy going on here.”

Though I wanted to call bull on his ploy to get me out of his hair, the sound of crunching gravel under rubber tires followed up the drive.

He’s telling the truth about a family get-together at least, I thought ruefully. I wanted to catch him in a lie instead, something to warrant me flouting his wishes every day by trespassing, but so far, he was squeaky clean.

“I suppose I’ll be talking to you,” he said in a gruff dismissal, resignation hanging heavy in his tone.

“You will,” I said, dazed and annoyed to be dismissed so early.

If this was how we had to play it, so be it. I would fake politeness, and I would get my answers one way or another.

After grabbing Maple off the porch, I marched back down to the car with my friends and slammed the door with enough force to shake the whole vehicle.

“Are we going?” Ben asked.