Double Play Perfect Victim by Kelley Armstrong

Author:Kelley Armstrong
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781775150411
Publisher: KLA Fricke Inc

5

Nadia

Cypher had to wait until after lunch to talk to us. Guests paid for access to the host, which meant there was a limit to how much time I could be unavailable. Until Jack and I built the chalet, I’d lived in the lodge, partly to avoid any temptation to retreat for a little me-time. Jack had helped me see there was an unhealthy side to that, the side that felt I didn’t deserve me-time. The truth was that guests didn’t really expect me on call 24/7, and any debt I owed the world could not be paid off by providing an impromptu canoe trip.

We told Cypher that we’d hear him out after lunch, which kept him from breathing down our necks. He took his meal to go and said he’d be over by some ramshackle cabins on the far edge of the property.

Jack and I ate with our guests. I regaled them with life-in-the-lodge anecdotes while Jack . . . well, Jack ate. Most of what he did around the lodge was behind the scenes, slowly taking over for my aging caretaker, Owen. Jack interacted with guests for the activities I hated but otherwise kept to himself. No one bothered him. Some people just have that air about them—the one that says they won’t bite your head off if you speak to them, but they don’t encourage it either.

After lunch, I reminded guests about the twilight canoe excursion. Then Jack and I left to speak to Cypher.

It was a good twenty-minute hike to that part of the property. Up until a few months ago, it belonged to a neighbor. When they’d been preparing to move, Jack had approached them with an offer: he’d pay for over a hundred acres of their lot, leaving them to sell the house with five acres, which was all most people wanted—just enough to feel like they’re living in the wilderness.

The ramshackle cabins had once been rental units. That was before my time, and I’d always grumbled about them being both an eyesore and a safety hazard. Guests couldn’t resist wandering over to explore or photograph the cabins, which was dangerous. So Jack bought the land. We’d tear the shacks down soon and erect small cottages, expanding the business.

When we arrived, Cypher was poking around a ruined cabin.

“Careful,” I called. “We’ve had one collapse.”

“Kind of a safety hazard, don’t you think?”

“We just bought the land,” I said. “We haven’t gotten to the demolition part.”

He grunted. “Good. I was afraid you were renting them like this.”

“I should hope not.”

“Never know. Where I’m from, sometimes, this is what you get.”

I walked over, Jack beside me, the dogs trailing along.

“Speaking of where you’re from . . .” I said. “You want us to help someone you know. But you also suggested you live someplace without easy access to the outside world. So how’d you know your friend was in trouble?”

“I have ways. It’s not exactly regular contact. She’s been dealing with this shit for months, and I just found out.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.