Deadly Fate (Krewe of Hunters #19)(92)

“That’s not a problem. There are dozens of little boats around, ready to take people for a bit of a spin. It’s a moneymaker,” Emmy said drily.

When they reached the dock with plenty of little local boats, Emmy stepped out to hail them a ride. Clara dug around for her phone, but couldn’t find it. It was in her bag, she was certain.

“Hey, I’ve got a guy! Hurry, please, he might not wait long. We’ll get out there, I’ll grab the few things I need...maybe that witch Magda will feed us!” Emmy said, and made a face.

“Oh, she’s just grim. She’s all right,” Clara said. She figured she’d call as soon as they were under way.

The ride to the island was choppy and the little boat they took was small. Clara tried to appreciate the quick beauty of the trip, but the gorgeous whitecaps were throwing them around too much.

It didn’t seem to bother Emmy and the Native American boat master.

And it wasn’t until they were on the island, and it was too late, that she realized she’d never made her call. That was all right; she’d reach him via the Wi-Fi once they were there.

She couldn’t have let Emmy come alone.

She knew that as she looked at Black Bear Island and realized that she’d never, ever wanted to set eyes on the place again herself.

*

Emmy Vincenzo had been released; the nurse in charge didn’t know where she’d gone.

None of the security personnel knew, either; she wasn’t being watched for any reason. Once she’d been questioned and interviewed and her statement had been taken, she’d been free to go. No charges were being pressed.

Why should they be? The woman was a heroine!

Thor had gotten ahold of Enfield, Jackson and Mike.

Mike was heading to the hotels in the area; Jackson would take the ship and Thor would study the security tapes at the hospital and assure himself that Clara had picked up Emmy; Enfield had seen to it that every officer in the vicinity was looking for Astrid’s car.

A view of the footage of the hospital entry showed that Clara had gotten Emmy; Emmy had waited for her and been ready to hop right into the car when she had driven into range.

On the phone with Enfield, Thor was tense. They needed to find the two women—fast.

Enfield was skeptical. “I don’t get it—so she went to pick up Emmy, a young woman who was browbeaten for years before Kimball beat her up physically and she fought her way free.”

“Something is not right,” Thor said.

“What? I’m sending all these men out to find two women—because something isn’t right? You were there, Thor. You saw it all.”

“I saw what Emmy wanted us to see. Kimball didn’t help Morley—Emmy did. She was the one who screamed—she told us that. The scream took Jackson away from Clara. She slammed herself into the door and made Clara believe she was in danger.”

“But Kimball was at her side!”

“With her knife in his side, not the other way around. Kimball never said a word—I asked Clara over and over again. He never said anything. Emmy pretended he was calling the shots. She’d already stabbed the ship’s security officer. Kimball knew that she’d kill him. He was playing for time—desperate to save his own life. In the end, she killed him anyway. She must have really enjoyed doing so.”

“But we’re studying the letters she told us about—”

“Letters she put in the secret drawer. Letters she’ll claim were correspondence between Kimball and Morley.”

“Thor, this might be crazy.”

“Trust me, it’s not!”

One of the police officers called to the hospital was approaching him quickly. Thor turned to him.

“We’ve found your sister’s car,” he said.

“Where? Did they find Clara and Emmy?”

“No, but we found one of the charter-boat captains who saw them—they were headed out to Black Bear Island.”

*

It was strange to be back in the Mansion; Clara could remember the first time she’d seen it—covered in fake body parts and blood—and the second time, working with the film crew to pick up the fabricated gore.

She didn’t like it—the house might have been beautiful, but there was no way she would ever feel comfortable here. While she idly paced the living room, waiting for Emmy, she remembered the magnificent moose she had seen on the island.

But then she remembered running and running in terror.

Seeing Amelia Carson—dead in the snow.

And she remembered Thor, catching her, tackling her down to the ground while she beat furiously at him, trying to fight him off until she’d believed at last that he was with the FBI.

Alaska was home to Thor.

And she still loved Alaska.

She just didn’t think that she’d want to return to Black Bear Island again.

“Emmy, are you about ready? Did you say that we had to get some things at the Alaska Hut?” she called.

At her angle, she could see all the way up the stairway, not that Emmy knew that.

And there was Emmy—weak, terrified Emmy—quickly sliding bullets into a gun in the upstairs hallway. And she had a knife tethered to her jeans.

To Clara’s self-disgust, she stared at the woman several seconds in confusion. And then, little things suddenly seemed to make sense to her.