The inn was the nicest place in Buckton, even if most of the people in town had never been through the front door.
"Mick," Tina snapped into the phone. She turned to look at Alan and rolled her eyes. "No, Mick, listen! I've called over to Byron to come and repair the roof, but there's nothing he can do until it stops raining, and that's going to be tomorrow morning. Just keep dumping the bucket into the toilet . . . or out the window, if you want. It's only supposed to rain for another few hours. Then tomorrow morning, I'll take care of it."
Jaw set in a firm, angry line, Tina closed her eyes and sighed. The phone was clutched tightly in her fist.
"Then find another place to live!" she shouted into the phone before slamming it back down into its cradle.
"Wow," Alan said, unable to hide the amusement he felt. "You sound just like my mother. Is that a good idea, chasing your customers off ?"
"Where would he go?" Tina replied, shaking her head slowly.
Alan heard someone clear his throat and turned quickly to see a young couple standing in the lobby with a dripping umbrella. The guy was average height and muscular, with dark hair and intense eyes. His girlfriend, if that's what she was, had an alluring mess of rich, red hair and a way of standing - hip jutted out to one side - that told him she wasn't the type to put up with foolishness from anyone.
"Oh," Tina squeaked. "That's not exactly good public relations, is it?"
With a frown, Alan glanced at her. There was a lightness in her voice that was unusual for her. She even seemed to have flushed a bit. He understood that she was embarrassed that the guy and girl, neither of whom looked like they could possibly be over twenty - probably college kids, he reasoned - had overheard her tirade against Mick. But Alan did not think she should be concerned.
"Don't worry. Tina only snaps at the regulars. She's real nice to out-of-towners," Alan said.
"So," Tina asked, "you two want a room?"
The two young people glanced shyly and a bit awkwardly at each other. Alan thought it was fairly precious. He had been to college out in the real world, but even in a little town like Buckton you didn't often find kids who were nineteen or twenty years old who still had it in them to display that sort of hesitation. They weren't that much younger than Alan himself, but he knew that most kids their age were all bluster and swagger. That was how they dealt with each other.
He liked these two.
"So you two are hikers, I take it?" Alan ventured.
The guy glanced at him, and suddenly everything changed. His eyes, so innocent a moment before, became veiled and suspicious.
"Well, amateur hikers, I guess. Just exploring New England, Officer."
"Deputy," Alan corrected. "Deputy Sheriff Alan Vance, at your service."
He held out a hand. After a slight hesitation, the kid shook. The girl did the same, and now she, too, seemed to have retreated within herself. Alan had liked them on sight, that much was true. But all of a sudden he wasn't sure if he could trust them.
"I'm Molly Hatcher," the girl said. "This is my friend, Jack Dwyer. We've heard you have some beautiful terrain. Excuse us if we seem surprised, but we're from Boston. We're not used to the police being so hospitable."
She smiled so charmingly that Alan laughed. "All right, Miss Hatcher. No pushy law enforcement around here. Just being friendly, is all."
"He does look rather imposing in the uniform, though, doesn't he?" Tina said, teasing him.
Molly and Jack smiled, and Alan shot Tina a withering glance. Though he supposed it was better for her to hassle him in front of tourists than in front of locals.
"Actually, I'm glad you're here, Deputy Vance," Jack put in casually. "I was wondering if there were any special precautions we ought to take, hiking around here?"
Alan frowned. There was something in the kid's tone again. It was weird how he kept shifting from friendly to guarded.
"You mean to avoid getting lost?" Tina asked. "Because people always find their way back to the inn. It's my animal magnetism."
Jack narrowed his gaze. Tina had been flirting a little, but Alan was glad to see that for once it had not had the effect she had wanted. Not by the look the kid gave her.
"Actually, we were concerned because of the murders," Molly explained, pushing her hair away from her face.
Alan froze. "Murders?"
"That mailman and the other guy," Jack explained. "We read it in the papers down in Boston, but we didn't want to change our plans so late. That's what I meant about precautions. Should we be concerned?"
"I . . . I don't think so," Alan said hurriedly. "Isolated incidents, you know?"
"Any theories?" Molly prodded.
For a moment Alan felt as though he were being interrogated. Something gleamed in Molly's green eyes, a fire that added weight to her questions.
"A few," he said evenly, more confident now. He was the law in Buckton. Part of that job meant keeping the peace, and part of keeping the peace was keeping the people calm. "If you're experienced hikers, you should have no problem. Just keep to the trails and watch for wild animals."
"What kind of wild animals?" Jack asked.
"Coyotes. Bobcats, though they don't really bother people as long as you don't try to pet them."
"Lions and tigers and bears," Molly said with a small laugh.
Yet the laugh sounded hollow to Alan.
"No lions or tigers, but possibly bears," Tina put in. "There may have been a sighting or two in the last couple of weeks. They're not uncommon up this way."
A sudden and unwelcome silence fell over the lobby. It was slow this time
