Dina had put on dry clothes-a lime green sweater and dark jeans-and she stood near the fire as it spread across the logs. “People are pretty predictable, Ren. I figured she was hiding and hungry and you were her best hope for food and safety. If she was afraid of being seen, she’d come at night. I just posted myself to watch your cabin and I waited.”
Cork thought about all the coffee she’d drunk that afternoon. He realized she’d been planning her stakeout even then.
“How did you know she was alive?” Ren asked.
“I wanted her to be, Ren. That’s all.”
She’d smiled at him across the room and Cork saw a flush of the boy’s face that had nothing to do with the heat of the fire.
When she’d eaten her fill, Charlie stared at the flames leaping toward the chimney. It was Jewell who eventually began the asking. She spoke gently, as if coaxing a skittish animal.
“Where have you been, Charlie?”
The girl didn’t answer.
“Can you tell us what happened?”
She gripped her cup of hot chocolate and a visible quiver ran the length of her body. “They killed him,” she said.
“Yes, Charlie, we know.”
Outside, the wind and rain pummeled the cabin, but in that room except for the pop and crackle of the fire, it was quiet.
Charlie leaned forward. The sofa creaked. “I saw him. I saw him and I ran away.”
The sullen look had vanished, and her face had gone slack, dazed.
“Did you see who did it, Charlie?”
She gave a faint shake of her head. “I got home. He was still awake, still drinking. I didn’t want to be there with him, so I told him I was going to spend the night in the truck. I do that sometimes when he’s drunk. I went out there and went to sleep. Then somebody came. I heard car doors closing, and when I peeked out, some guys were heading toward the front door. I figured they were, you know, drinking buddies. A little bit later I heard them all yelling. I got out and went to one of the windows and listened. I didn’t even want to go in there.”
“Sure, Charlie. Of course.”
“I heard stuff breaking and some more yelling. I couldn’t hear a lot of what they were saying but it sounded like they wanted him to tell where something was and he wouldn’t. Then it got real still. A minute later the front door opened. I hid in the bushes and waited until they drove off.”
Her gaze shifted from the hot chocolate to the fire. Jewell didn’t press her. In a minute, Charlie continued.
“I went in. Everything was a mess. I didn’t see him. I went to my bedroom. The light was on. I saw his feet. I thought at first he was drunk, passed out. Then I saw the rest of him.”
Her shoulders began to quake and in a moment her whole body was shaking. Jewell crossed to her quickly, took the cup from her hand and set it on the floor. She put her arms around Charlie and let the girl weep into her shoulder.
Jewell whispered, “Why didn’t you come here?”
“I was afraid.”
“Where were you, Charlie?”
The girl shook her head and wouldn’t say.
Cork said quietly, “Did you hear what it was the men wanted?”
“No.”
Jewell pulled back from the girl slightly and looked into Charlie’s face. “You’re safe here, okay? Totally safe. Oh, sweetheart, you look so tired. I’ll make up the bed in the guest room for you. Ren, will you get some clean linen?”
Ren nodded obediently. His eyes never left his friend.
When everything was settled-Charlie and Ren in bed-Cork, Jewell, and Dina stepped onto the front porch so they could talk without being overheard. The wind was strong around them, and a cold spray of rain occasionally blew over them.
“Those men wanted something,” Cork said. “They wanted it badly enough to kill Charlie’s father. Do you have any idea what it might have been, Jewell? Was Max Miller into drugs? Using? Selling? Or heavy into gambling, maybe?”
Jewell wore a hooded gray sweatshirt. Though it was lined with fleece, she hugged herself against the damp cold. “I don’t know. He drank, but that’s all I was aware of.”
Cork leaned against the wall to give his leg a rest. “It could simply have been drunks arguing and things got out of hand. I’ve seen it before. People die over stupid things, kill for something as simple as the refusal to share a bottle of booze.” He waited a beat, then offered what he suspected would be an unpopular opinion. “She needs to talk to the sheriff’s people.”
“No way am I going to turn that girl over to the police,” Jewell snapped.
“Look, Jewell, if you keep her here and they find out, you could be charged with interfering in a felony investigation. That’s serious.”
“That’s a chance I’m willing to take.”
“I agree,” Dina said. “She’s in no shape to talk to anyone right now. And, Cork, you know what they’ll do.”
Jewell looked from Dina to Cork. “What?”
“It’s not a sure thing, but they’ll probably take her into custody,” Cork said. “Just to hold on to her. She ran once. They’ll view her as a flight risk.”
“I absolutely won’t allow that,” Jewell declared.
Cork shrugged. “Even if you let her stay here, there’s no guarantee she won’t bolt.”
“I think right now she’ll sleep. She needs it.”
“All right,” Cork said. “It’s your decision. But there’s one more thing to consider.”
A gust of wind hit him so hard he almost fell over.
“What if it wasn’t drunks arguing?” he went on. “If they were after something they thought Charlie’s father had, they may wonder if Charlie knows where it is, and they’ll be looking for her. If it was important enough to kill a man over, they probably wouldn’t balk at killing a girl. Or anyone who stands in their way, for that matter.”
Although he couldn’t see her face clearly in the dark, Jewell’s silence told him much.
“We’ll talk about it some more tomorrow,” she said at last. “I’m tired.”
Dina said, “It might be a good idea if I slept on your couch tonight, Jewell. Just to be on the safe side.”
“Fine. I’ll get the linen and see you inside.”
Jewell opened the door and a wedge of warm light cut into the rainy night. Then it was gone.
“I hate being the voice of reason,” Cork said, speaking mostly to himself.
Dina put a hand on his shoulder. “You’re a good cop, Cork, but sometimes it gets in the way of being a compassionate human being. Good night.”
She turned and went back into the warm cabin.
Cork stood alone in the cold wind, wondering if his was really the voice of reason, or simply the rumble of a grumpy old man.
21
“Ren?”
He woke up, groggy. “Huh?”
“You asleep?”
He tried to focus and through a drowsy murk saw Charlie standing next to his bed, dressed in the blue
