Sheriff Bowers eyed Bell’s body for a moment before turning back to Tate. “And you think this terrorist is here in Oxford County? That he killed this man?”
“It would be premature to even consider saying something like that,” Tate said quickly. He didn’t want the sheriff declaring martial law or something. That wouldn’t help anything. “I think you’d agree the chances of an international terrorist being in Hiram, Maine, are pretty low. Bell’s death is most likely nothing more than a tragic run-in with one of your local critters. But Homeland doesn’t want to leave any stone unturned, so they sent me here to poke around a bit, that’s all. I don’t expect anything to come of it, and I’m not trying to step on your jurisdictional toes.”
The sheriff nodded. “I understand, but I’m going to need you to be very discreet. I can’t have anyone getting wind of any of this, or they’ll lose their minds.”
“No one will get anything from me,” Tate assured him. “You have my word.”
“That’s good to hear,” Bowers agreed. “And I have no doubt you and Deputy York will have this situation taken care of quickly. I have a feeling you two will work well together.”
Tate had thought everything was going well up until that moment. The last thing he needed was a local deputy sticking his nose into something that very well might involve shifters, hybrids, illegal human research, corrupt doctors, and a crooked congressional representative from the state of Maine. None of those things were something he wanted York learning about.
“I understand your concern, Sheriff Bowers,” he said, giving the man a smile. “But I’ll be out of your jurisdiction much faster if I work on my own. I appreciate your offer of assistance, though.”
Bowers pinned him with a look. “It wasn’t an offer of assistance. I don’t trust you DC people as far as I can throw you. I’m putting Deputy York with you to ensure someone is watching out for the best interests of Oxford County instead of a bunch of folks inside Homeland headquarters. If you don’t like that idea, I’ll drop everything else my entire department is doing and put every officer I have on following you around for the duration of your investigation. Your call.”
Bowers must have known which way Tate was going to go, since he gave him a nod, then walked out of the room. Arnold left with him, acting like he hadn’t heard a thing.
“I guess we’ll be working together, Agent Evers,” York said.
Tate regarded the man he was apparently going to be stuck with for the next few days. Unless he could come up with a way to ditch him, of course. “I guess so, Deputy York.”
“I can take you out to the cabin where I found the body now if you want. But it’s at least forty minutes north of here by back roads, and the place doesn’t have any power, so it’ll be dark as hell.”
Tate glanced at his watch, wondering whether he’d get anything useful out of rummaging around a dark cabin with a flashlight. Probably not. He could make better use of his time sitting on a phone with one of the DCO intel analysts digging into Dr. McKinley Bell’s background. He was damn interested in knowing if Bell and Mahsood had ever crossed paths.
“It would be better to head out to the cabin in the morning,” he told York. “Any idea about where I can find a room for a couple of nights?”
“There’s a Marriott up in North Conway, across the state line,” York said. “But if you’d rather stay someplace local, the Middleton Inn is your best bet. It’s a simple place, but there’s free Wi-Fi, the rooms are clean, and the price is right.”
Tate nodded. “You had me at free Wi-Fi. Meet you at the sheriff’s office at eight in the morning?”
York shook his head. “Too far out of your way and mine. It takes over an hour to drive to Parish from here, and then we’d only have to head back this way. How about I meet you at the Dunkin’ Donuts off Highway 25. That’ll be easier for both of us.”
Damn, he might have just figured out how to ditch Deputy Chase York already. “Sounds good. See you then.”
Chapter 5
Tanner stared out the windshield at the posters on the store’s big front windows advertising discount camping gear and cheap tickets for local kayaking adventures and scenic cruises on Lake Chelan. “You bought your camping supplies here?”
In the passenger seat, Zarina looked at him, then at the store before swinging her gaze his way again. “Is there something wrong with it?”
Tanner almost laughed but stopped himself. Zarina was a scientist. She wasn’t used to shopping for outdoor gear. He gestured to the signs plastered all over the place. “Would you buy your lab equipment from a store that advertised their stuff as cheap and discounted?”
“No, of course not. But what does that have to do with camping supplies?” No sooner were the words out of her mouth than understanding dawned on her face. “Oh, now I see. I shouldn’t buy camping gear from a place I wouldn’t buy lab equipment from.”
“Something like that,” he muttered. “If nothing else, we can return the crappy flashlight they sold you. The sleeping bag, too. It’s a summer-weight model they never should have given to someone heading up the mountain at this time of year.”
Zarina looked at him sharply. “Is this another trick? Are you trying to get me to give up my sleeping bag as a way to get me to leave?”
He sighed and shook his head. “No. You’ll have to use mine as long as you’re here anyway, unless you want to freeze to death. I’m merely trying to get your money back.”
She relaxed but still looked hesitant. “When I bought my stuff, the clerk was quite
