Lara asked about her work and what Amarok had found so far regarding the murders. After Evelyn had given an update on her research and shared what she could about the investigation, she considered mentioning that they’d found Jasper’s DNA at the house where Charlotte was killed and might be able to place him here in Alaska but decided against it. She didn’t want to set her parents up for more disappointment if those manifests didn’t reveal the information they thought should be there. So she kept her mouth shut and listened as her mother complained about a disagreement they were having with a new neighbor over a fence between their two properties that needed mending, plus the fact that her father was spending far too much time on the golf course (translation—her mother was lonely, which didn’t make Evelyn feel any better about her desire to stay in Alaska), and raved about how much she loved the new cheesecake-filled banana bread recipe she’d found on Facebook.
They were at the departure curb and Amarok was getting out to retrieve Brianne’s luggage by the time Evelyn ended the call.
“How’d it go?” Brianne asked as Evelyn returned her phone.
“You’re right. She’s struggling. And I feel bad about that.”
Her sister drew an audible breath. “I’ll do what I can.”
“I know you will. And I know you have. Thank you for carrying the heavy end.”
She nodded and started to pull up the handle on her suitcase so she could wheel it inside when Evelyn stopped her. “Bri?”
Her sister waited to hear what she had to say. Brianne had been happier this morning than any other day since she’d arrived, but Evelyn could see that the pressure of returning home was beginning to weigh on her. “When will you tell Mom and Dad about Jeff and the baby?”
“I don’t know. When I can face it, I guess.”
“Sooner might be better than later. You won’t be able to pretend he’s part of your life for long, not if he isn’t coming around anymore.”
She blew out a sigh. “True.”
“It might be easier to get it over with. Then you won’t have to dread it anymore. Or are you holding out hope that you and Jeff will get back together?” Evelyn could see not saying anything about the breakup if Brianne thought there was a chance they might reconcile. Their mother would probably take longer to forgive him than Brianne would.
Brianne called up her last text exchange with Jeff and turned her phone so Evelyn could see it. “I haven’t heard from him the entire time I’ve been here. I think it’s safe to say it’s over.”
Evelyn embraced her. “His loss. There’ll be other men.”
“That’s the kind of stuff Mom’s going to say once I tell her,” she grumbled. “I feel so pathetic.”
Evelyn looked into her face. “Heartbreak happens to the best of us. So keep your chin up.”
Brianne hugged Amarok. “Sorry about what you had to see at the Moosehead. I’m beyond embarrassed.”
“Like I said, none of my business.” He grinned at her as if he’d already banished any negative opinions.
“I can see why she loves you,” she said.
Amarok slung his arm around Evelyn as Brianne took her luggage, but before she could disappear into the building he stopped her. “Actually, you’re a little early. Would you mind if I used your phone to check my voicemail before you go? I’m going over to rent a satellite phone after this, but—”
“You are?” Evelyn asked. “You’ve mentioned wanting one before, but I thought they were outrageously expensive.”
“They are. At this point, however, I don’t care what it costs. Your life could be at stake. I need to be accessible at all times.”
“Where do you even get one?”
“There’s a place here in Anchorage. A lot of hunters and fishermen use them.”
Evelyn thought of Sierra and the terror she’d likely faced in the Barrymore cabin. “I wish Leland had had one.”
“Me, too,” he said. “But at two dollars a minute, it’d be better for me to use Brianne’s phone while I can. I’d like to see if there’s been a change in the investigation. And I should find out if anyone’s trying to reach me sooner rather than later.”
“I agree.”
“I don’t mind.” Brianne pulled her cell back out of her purse.
“It’s Sunday, so it might be too soon to hope for that warrant, but you never know,” Amarok said.
She and Brianne talked while he dialed his voicemail and went through his messages. Evelyn was just suggesting that Brianne buy a sandwich to put in her purse for the long plane ride when she saw Brianne give Amarok a funny look and turned to look at him, too.
“What is it?” she asked when she saw the grimace on his face.
“Nothing,” he replied, but when she pressed him he punched a couple of buttons and handed her the phone.
The message wasn’t about the warrant for the flight manifests or the investigation of the murders in Alaska, as Evelyn had expected. What she heard was Samantha’s voice. “Amarok, please. I’ve grown up a lot since we were together. I know I was immature before, but now … things are different. We’d be perfect for each other. Give me the chance to prove it, okay? I don’t understand why you’re wasting your time with Evelyn. She’s only going to break your heart. Come over tonight or any night. Let me show you what you’re missing. And if you need a little time to compare what you get from both of us? I won’t say a word to anyone.”
Evelyn shook her head in disbelief. “Wow, she doesn’t give up, does she? How are you going to respond?”
“I’m not.” He took the phone back and deleted the message before returning it to Brianne.
*
Where the heck was Jasper Moore? Samantha wondered. If he was so dangerous, why was Evelyn still alive and breathing? Surely if he was as smart a psychopath as he was supposed to be—as Evelyn said he was—he would’ve been able to figure out some way to kill her by now.
“Must be a freaking idiot,” she muttered as she drove past Amarok’s house; she was so obsessed with Amarok, she couldn’t make herself stay away.
Evelyn’s SUV wasn’t there, but Amarok’s truck was. Was he home alone? Had he gotten her message?
If so, how would he respond?
The thought that he might appear on her doorstep one night—if not tonight, then when he came to realize that his relationship with Evelyn wouldn’t last—made it difficult to breathe. It’d been ages since she’d been with a man, and after the many months she’d longed for Amarok she could hardly wait. She dreamed constantly of his mouth on hers, of lying beneath him.… Because she’d been with him before, she knew what she’d been missing, understood that not every man could make love the way he did.
She’d probably climax the second he touched her, she thought with a laugh. But that was okay. She’d take as many orgasms as he’d give her—and she’d give him as many as he wanted in return.
Tempted to drive by his place one more time, just in case he might be home alone, she slowed at the corner. But his house looked dark. It was possible that he and Evelyn were both gone.…
She forced herself to head back home. She didn’t want anyone to see her hanging around his place. She’d finally worked up the nerve to extend the invitation she’d wanted to extend. Now it was time to wait and hope he took her up on it.
27
Jasper had his flight all arranged. He’d be flying to Mexico City first thing Thursday morning. The various police departments that were looking for him would soon have his picture, and they’d publicize it, which would remove the benefit of the cosmetic surgery that’d served him so well for the past two decades. He had to get out of the States, but that wasn’t an entirely bad thing. After the cold of Alaska, he was looking forward to spending the next five or ten years in a warm, relaxed climate with plenty of sun, sand and cerveza. He could get a girlfriend who’d take care of him in Mexico as easily as anywhere else. He could also kill there as easily as anywhere else. And he’d have the memory of Evelyn to sustain him, since by the time he left she’d no longer be breathing. He had it all planned out. Everything would happen Wednesday night, and he’d disappear the next morning.
Finished packing the only suitcase he was going to take, he left it open on one side of the bed so he could add a few things he wasn’t ready to put in yet and went to take a shower. He had to be at the prison in two hours. It was unfortunate that he was scheduled to work each of his final days in Alaska. He still had so much to do in order to be ready for Wednesday night. But if his plan was going to work, he had to keep up appearances.