Snow Burn by Heatley Paul

Author:Heatley, Paul [Heatley, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781739813291
Amazon: B09M789ZSM
Goodreads: 59715457
Publisher: Inkubator Books
Published: 2021-11-28T08:00:00+00:00

29

Tom looks the area over and sees that his hunch was right. This is the waterfront cabin from the framed photographs back in the Noakes’ house, and there’s his truck parked down the side. Emma sees the truck, too.

“This must be the place,” she says.

A door down the side of the cabin, near the truck, opens cautiously. Tom and Emma freeze. Tom’s hand reaches back to the Beretta tucked into his waistband, ready to grab it.

Roger Noakes pokes his head out. “Hey,” he says. He holds out an arm, and at the end dangle the keys to Tom’s truck. “Are you here to take your truck back?”

Tom strides up to him and grabs the keys from his hand. He shoots him a look and Roger withers, shamefaced. “Yes,” Tom says. “But we’re also here to talk.”

He notices the surprise on Roger’s face, like he expected him to grab the keys and be on his way.

“May we come in?”

“Uh,” Roger says.

A woman appears in the frame behind Roger. Tom recognizes Lily from the pictures in the house. No doubt Elijah is back there somewhere, too.

“Who is it?” she says. “Roger?”

“Just – just stay there, Lily. They’re coming in.” He steps back, into the house.

Tom follows him in, and Emma is behind him. “Let’s all get ourselves acquainted,” Tom says, then looks at Roger and adds, “and reacquainted.”

Roger is looking at Emma. “Yeah,” he says. “Let’s.”

They make their introductions. Tom and Emma shake hands with Lily. They avoid shaking Roger’s. Neither of them is very pleased with him. He looks like he knows this, as he clasps his hands in front of himself and turns his face to the side.

“Look,” Lily says, “I think it’s best if I’m in the room to hear whatever we’re about to talk about, but I don’t want to take a risk on Elijah overhearing anything he shouldn’t. So everyone just hang tight until I get back, okay?”

Tom nods. Lily leaves the kitchen and goes through to the living room. She tells Elijah he needs to play in his room for a while, and she accompanies him up the stairs to get him settled.

Roger rocks back and forth on his heels. “Um,” he says. “Can I get either of you a coffee?”

“Water will be fine,” Tom says.

“Same,” Emma says.

Roger hurries to it, grabbing a pair of glasses and pouring them water from a bottle kept in the refrigerator. “How, um,” he says, handing over the glasses. “How did you find me?”

Emma flashes her fake PI license. “We have our ways.”

Roger leans in close. “Are those,” he says, “are those real?”

Emma laughs.

“They’re very convincing,” Roger says.

“Your secretary sure thought so,” Emma says.

“Ah,” Roger says.

“Don’t hold it against her,” Emma says. “She’s worried about you. Said she’s even driven by your house.”

“Oh, really? She said that?”

“Said she was gonna call the cops,” Tom says. “We talked her out of it, for now. Something tells me the cops ain’t gonna be much use in this situation.”

“That’s what he told me,” Lily says, returning to the kitchen.

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