Hunting Ground by Meghan Holloway

Author:Meghan Holloway [Pinter, Jason]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Polis Books

Nineteen

The sharp thorn often

produces delicate roses.

-Ovid

EVELYN

It was snowing when I left the casino.

I paused in the threshold and took a deep breath. I felt adrift, and uncertainty tore at me. I had stumbled into a hunting ground. There was no doubt in my mind the disappearance here eight years ago was connected to the two in Raven’s Gap.

Come out, come out, wherever you are. Chad Kilgore’s whisper brushed against the nape of my neck, and I closed my eyes to block out the memory of his taunts. I had been prey once. That fear was poisonous. I wondered if these women had even known they were in a predator’s sights.

I drew my hat from where it was tucked into the pocket of my coat and pulled it down over my ears before crossing the pavement to Ed’s old Chevy. I stared out over the windswept, barren landscape that surrounded the casino and then pulled out on the empty road.

I retraced my route through the southeast corner of the reservation. The roads were slick, and the shroud of snow only heightened the sense of disquiet that blanketed the land. By the time I left the reservation, the snow had thickened into a white, swirling wall and my stomach was tight with nerves.

I crept along the highway, knuckles white, wipers set to the highest speed. Several vehicles sped around me, kicking up dirty snow that fell in sheets over my windshield and blinded me for terrifying seconds.

The drive to Cody took me twice as long as it had only a few hours ago. My hands were shaking and a headache beat steadily in my temples when I slid into the parking lot of the first hotel I saw.

The amenities were few, but the room I checked into was clean. I took a long, hot shower. By the time I turned off the water, the room was full of steam and my headache had abated.

I curled in bed and turned the television to a cooking channel as I ate the last two muffins Faye had packed me. I stared blindly at the screen, flicking it off after a while when I realized I had watched an entire show and had no clue what had been made over the course of the hour.

I finished my nightly routine in the bathroom and then turned the lights off and crawled back into bed. I lay awake long into the night debating about what I needed to do.

It was in the early hours before I finally fell asleep, and I slept late into the morning. When I pushed back the curtains, I was stunned to see over a foot of fresh snow on the ground. Plows had already churned up and down the street, and the sidewalks were cleared and salted. The snowfall had abated for now, but the sky was gray and heavy.

After digging the Chevy out from under the fresh snowfall, I checked out of the hotel and stopped into a drive-through before heading north. The hours passed quickly, and by the time I turned south in Livingston, it was snowing again.

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