the snow here?” she asked.
“Could be six, ten feet, maybe more.”
“How many tree wells between the top of that lift and the Village?”
“So you’d toss the gun into a tree well when no one was looking.”
“Wouldn’t you?”
He nodded. “Makes sense.”
She drained her glass and waited. He seemed lost in thought. Was he preoccupied with his other ‘friend’?
“I’m going to need a lift back to the Coast Peaks tomorrow,” she said.
“What time?”
“Some time before checkout time here, obviously. Right after breakfast maybe?”
“Right.” He spoke absently, as if his attention was somewhere in the darkness beyond the plate glass window. Her less-than-subtle hint that they spend the night together had either gone right over his head, or was being pointedly ignored.
When he said nothing further, she got to her feet. “I’m done. Good night.”
He looked a little taken aback, but didn’t say anything, didn’t reach for her hand, no protest of any kind.
“That’s right,” she said, unable to keep the irritation out of her voice. Why was he just sitting there, not speaking? “You and me? Just not gonna happen. I’m fine with that.”
He pushed his chair back.
“No. Sit down. Finish your beer. You’re paying for it.” She pulled a ten dollar bill out of her wallet and threw it on the table. Going dutch expressed just how she felt. She leaned toward him, her hand on his shoulder, knowing that he couldn’t help but notice the top of her breasts in the V of her shirt. “You must be tired after your busy day. I can find my own room.”
“Alora, hang on. I —”
But she waved him off. “Besides, I don’t have to worry about Mike any more…” She pulled her room key out of the back pocket of her jeans as she walked away, her hand sliding slowly up the curve of her butt. Let him see what he was missing. “…now do I?”
C H A P T E R
SIX
Hunter woke to an empty house. Tom had the day off, and had told Hunter that he was leaving early for Vancouver to run some errands, then pick up his wife at YVR. Hunter stood at the kitchen window while the coffee maker did its job. The sun wasn’t up yet, but the fallen snow already reflected the pale light of dawn to reveal the army of snow-draped fir trees surrounding Tom’s chalet. Smoke rose from a neighbor’s chimney. He poured himself a coffee before calling Elspeth Watson, his dispatcher. Even though it was 7:30 on a Sunday morning, he knew she would be at the office.
“Watson!”
“Mornin’, El.”
“Hunter! Can you come back to work yet? Did they catch the guy?” El seldom wasted time on pleasantries. Work was a game she loved to play, and Hunter was used to her single-minded devotion to it.
“I’ve lined up Sorenson to do the run for me. He’s meeting me at the White Spot in Squamish at eleven. But, tell me, did you get some photographs on your fax machine?”
“Yeah. Just came through. What the hell are they? I would have figured them for a wrong number but my name was on the cover page.” He could hear her flipping through papers.
“It’s a missing kid. His mother in Calgary thinks he might be in Vancouver, and I was hoping you could make a bunch of copies. I’ll need a couple, and if you’ve got anyone doing deliveries downtown…“
“I get it. Sure. I’ll hand a few out. Needle in a haystack, but I guess it’s worth a shot.”
“I’m going to call Sorry right now and get him to swing by the warehouse for the pictures on his way here.”
“If you can drive to Squamish, why not …”
“I can’t clear my name by sitting in the cab of my truck, for starters. And they don’t want me to leave the country yet, El.”
“You sure Sorenson can do the job without screwing up?”
Dan Sorenson and El had hit it off like hail on pavement. Hunter knew that Sorry often gave the impression that he was a big goof, but he wasn’t a stupid man. “Don’t worry, El. Redding isn’t far
“Could be six, ten feet, maybe more.”
“How many tree wells between the top of that lift and the Village?”
“So you’d toss the gun into a tree well when no one was looking.”
“Wouldn’t you?”
He nodded. “Makes sense.”
She drained her glass and waited. He seemed lost in thought. Was he preoccupied with his other ‘friend’?
“I’m going to need a lift back to the Coast Peaks tomorrow,” she said.
“What time?”
“Some time before checkout time here, obviously. Right after breakfast maybe?”
“Right.” He spoke absently, as if his attention was somewhere in the darkness beyond the plate glass window. Her less-than-subtle hint that they spend the night together had either gone right over his head, or was being pointedly ignored.
When he said nothing further, she got to her feet. “I’m done. Good night.”
He looked a little taken aback, but didn’t say anything, didn’t reach for her hand, no protest of any kind.
“That’s right,” she said, unable to keep the irritation out of her voice. Why was he just sitting there, not speaking? “You and me? Just not gonna happen. I’m fine with that.”
He pushed his chair back.
“No. Sit down. Finish your beer. You’re paying for it.” She pulled a ten dollar bill out of her wallet and threw it on the table. Going dutch expressed just how she felt. She leaned toward him, her hand on his shoulder, knowing that he couldn’t help but notice the top of her breasts in the V of her shirt. “You must be tired after your busy day. I can find my own room.”
“Alora, hang on. I —”
But she waved him off. “Besides, I don’t have to worry about Mike any more…” She pulled her room key out of the back pocket of her jeans as she walked away, her hand sliding slowly up the curve of her butt. Let him see what he was missing. “…now do I?”
C H A P T E R
SIX
Hunter woke to an empty house. Tom had the day off, and had told Hunter that he was leaving early for Vancouver to run some errands, then pick up his wife at YVR. Hunter stood at the kitchen window while the coffee maker did its job. The sun wasn’t up yet, but the fallen snow already reflected the pale light of dawn to reveal the army of snow-draped fir trees surrounding Tom’s chalet. Smoke rose from a neighbor’s chimney. He poured himself a coffee before calling Elspeth Watson, his dispatcher. Even though it was 7:30 on a Sunday morning, he knew she would be at the office.
“Watson!”
“Mornin’, El.”
“Hunter! Can you come back to work yet? Did they catch the guy?” El seldom wasted time on pleasantries. Work was a game she loved to play, and Hunter was used to her single-minded devotion to it.
“I’ve lined up Sorenson to do the run for me. He’s meeting me at the White Spot in Squamish at eleven. But, tell me, did you get some photographs on your fax machine?”
“Yeah. Just came through. What the hell are they? I would have figured them for a wrong number but my name was on the cover page.” He could hear her flipping through papers.
“It’s a missing kid. His mother in Calgary thinks he might be in Vancouver, and I was hoping you could make a bunch of copies. I’ll need a couple, and if you’ve got anyone doing deliveries downtown…“
“I get it. Sure. I’ll hand a few out. Needle in a haystack, but I guess it’s worth a shot.”
“I’m going to call Sorry right now and get him to swing by the warehouse for the pictures on his way here.”
“If you can drive to Squamish, why not …”
“I can’t clear my name by sitting in the cab of my truck, for starters. And they don’t want me to leave the country yet, El.”
“You sure Sorenson can do the job without screwing up?”
Dan Sorenson and El had hit it off like hail on pavement. Hunter knew that Sorry often gave the impression that he was a big goof, but he wasn’t a stupid man. “Don’t worry, El. Redding isn’t far
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