River of Bones

into the room. Paige flinched, not hearing the tall deputy enter.
“The backyard is clear,” Lambert said. “The grass is thick back to the hedges, so I couldn’t find a footprint.”
“Dust the door for prints and see if you can determine how our intruder broke inside the house.”
“I’m on it.”
After Lambert left, Thomas swung his attention back to Paige. The woman fidgeted like a frightened zoo animal on display for the first time.
“What do you do for a living?”
“I’m a sales rep for Pelletier Apparel.”
“Never heard of it.”
She dragged her eyes down Thomas’s cookout clothes and scoffed.
“I’m not surprised. Pelletier is the hottest fashion company in Paris. They expanded into the United States two years ago.”
“They must pay well,” he said, gesturing around the spacious kitchen.
Thomas doubted they paid well enough to support Paige Sutton’s lifestyle.
“It’s important to keep up appearances.”
“How often are you on the road?”
“Two, three days a week. Why?”
“In your travels, have you ever encountered anyone who might want to hurt you?”
“No.”
“Ms. Sutton, has anything like this ever happened before?”
“Never.”
“No strange phone calls in the middle of the night, nobody following or harassing you.”
“No.”
Thomas blew out a breath.
“I need you to be honest with me. Is this Skye Feron’s bracelet?”
Paige stared at the ceiling and blinked away tears.
“I think so.”
“Why would someone leave the bracelet in your house?”
“If I knew the answer, I wouldn’t need your help.”
Thomas scratched his chin.
“Since Skye disappeared, has she ever contacted you?”
“Of course not.” Fire flared in the woman’s eyes. “I’ve spent the last six years mourning my friend, not knowing what happened to her. If I’d heard from Skye, I damn well would have told someone.”
“Who wanted to hurt Skye Feron?”
Paige’s lips quivered. She looked toward the backyard.
“Nobody. Everyone loved Skye. There wasn’t a nicer girl at Wolf Lake High.”
“Did she have trouble with a boyfriend?”
“Not that I recall.”
“She would have told you if she did, right?”
“Skye told me everything. Nobody was closer to Skye than me.”
“Not even Justine Adkins?”
Paige wandered across the kitchen and stared through the patio doors.
“Not even Justine.”
“I’d like to speak with Justine. Can you tell me where she’s staying?”
The woman lifted a shoulder.
“Some bed-and-breakfast outside Kane Grove. I’m not sure which one.”
That was interesting. If the three women were inseparable, why did Justine choose a room outside Wolf Lake and not give Paige the address? As he pondered the question, Lambert returned from the doorway.
“The intruder used a lock pick on the front door.” The deputy gestured at Paige. “If I were you, I’d change the lock set. Get something modern and harder to pick. I’d also install bolts on all the doors, including the patio.”
Paige nodded and turned back to the yard. Thomas and Lambert questioned the woman for another five minutes. They weren’t getting anywhere. Paige didn’t have enemies or stalkers, and everyone loved Skye during high school. Someone was lying.
“All right,” Thomas said, removing a card from his wallet. “We’ll finish the paperwork back at the station.”
“That’s it? You’re going already?”
“I’ll leave my card on the counter. If you think of anything that will help with the investigation, call me.”
Paige picked up the card and stared at it. After a long time, she raised her eyes to Thomas.
“Sheriff, did you find Skye beside the river?”
Thomas chewed the inside of his cheek.
“We haven’t identified the victim. Lock your doors, Ms. Sutton. And make sure your neighbors know what happened tonight.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Thursday, August 12th
10:05 p.m.
 
Raven checked the clock on Darren’s stove and sighed. She needed to wake up early for work. But she didn’t want to leave before Darren returned from checking the trails.
Reclining on the couch, she breathed in the scents of pine and campfire smoke and admired the diamond mine of stars through the open window. If she had her way, she’d move in with Darren permanently. A simple life, living in a rustic cabin in the middle of a beautiful state park. Except that was folly. She’d only dated the ranger a short time, and someone needed to care for Serena.
Raven closed her eyes and began to drift away. Until a branch rustled in the woods across the clearing. Probably just an animal pawing around in the dark. But it kicked her wide awake and surged her adrenaline. That’s when it hit her. She was alone again. Anything could happen in the dark, especially when two convicted kidnappers wanted her dead.
The doorknob turned.
Raven shot off the couch and reached for her bag, where she concealed the handgun.
The lock rattled. Someone was trying to break in.
Her legs locked. Ice traveled through her veins as she watched…waited…until the door opened, and Darren stepped inside.
“I need to fix that lock,” Darren said. “Either that, or my key is jacked up.”
Raven touched her heart and closed her eyes. She’d hoped spending time with Darren would ground her. But her anxiety grew each day, a creeping, paralyzing fear that Damian Ramos and Mark Benson would escape prison and track her down. The bones below Lucifer Falls reminded her evil lurked in the shadows.
She checked her pulse and measured a hundred beats per minute as Darren hung his jacket on the rack. He turned for the kitchen and noticed her from the corner of his eye.
“Oh, damn. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
She brushed the braids out of her eyes and wandered to the window, checking the forest again.
“No need to apologize. I’m a bundle of nerves tonight.”
He took her hand in his.
“Your hands are freezing. Are you sure you’re all right?”
“I just need to settle down,” she said, releasing his hand and crossing the room to the kitchen.
She rummaged inside the refrigerator and removed a bottled water, twisted the cap off and took a long drink. Darren drew a chair from the table and sat, his gaze never leaving her.
“Maybe you should stay the night.”
Raven rubbed the chill off her arms, despite the cabin holding the day’s heat. The thought of driving home in the dark scared the hell out of her.
“I’d love to. But I