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Authors: Vonna Harper
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apron but hadn’t added anything to what little she’d learned from those conversations. Either Joe tuned out the wagging tongues loosened by the liquor he sold, or he didn’t want to encourage her poor excuse for an investigation. Or concern for his wife’s health came before anything else.
Alice and her friends had left before she did, saving her from trying to decipher the older woman’s expression. She couldn’t imagine Alice approving of her coming alone to the bar and allowing herself to be surrounded by men who weren’t the town’s most upstanding citizens.
Fortunately the rain had let up. There wasn’t much snow mixed in with it, but according to the news she caught on the truck radio, things were going to get colder in a few days. That coupled with the accompanying clouds added up to one thing: winter’s first snowstorm.
Then what, she asked herself as she unlocked the door to what had been her mother’s place. Should she stay here and risk not working for the Service in Alaska after all? Her supervisors were being understanding about her need to take some time off, but they could only leave that wildlife biologist position out of Homer vacant for so long.
She couldn’t remember her or her mother ever locking themselves in while she was growing up, but she did so. After putting away her groceries, she started a toasted cheese sandwich. Then she went into what had been her childhood bedroom and took off all but her shirt and jeans. She put on slippers, turned on the TV in the living room and flipped her sandwich over.
A police investigation show was playing. She’d never understood the appeal of graphic crime scenes but stared at the screen until she smelled something burning. After scraping off the burned parts, she plunked herself on the couch in front of the TV with her dinner and a glass of milk on the coffee table. Tonight she wasn’t going to think about the nights her mother had spent doing the same thing; she wasn’t!
Jacki had had at least two romantic relationships after her daughter moved away. The one she’d talked the most about had been with another ranger who’d been transferred up to Washington State. Instead of asking for a transfer herself as Jerry had wanted, she’d chosen local spotted owl research over him.
Prescott had entered the picture less than a year after the relationship with Jerry ended. He’d been and still was a Fish and Wildlife employee. Whenever Rane asked about him, Jacki had given her a brief answer and changed the subject. Finally her mother admitted that Prescott was married. Separated but not talking divorce.
A few awful times right after Jacki went missing and Rane was sick with fear, she’d wondered if her mother had decided she couldn’t live without Prescott. By day’s light, she’d acknowledged her mother was stronger than that. Her belief in her mother had been confirmed when Jacki’s body was found. No way could the bullet that killed her have been self-inflicted.
An ad for a luxury car came on. As she watched beautiful people speeding along a deserted stretch of highway in a black convertible, she wondered what made advertising companies think that would sell cars. Her job paid relatively well, but she’d never be in that driver’s seat. Besides, she didn’t want to be.
That led to the question of what she was going to do with her life now that the most important person in it was dead. Murdered.
“Damn it, enough!” Upset and angry at herself, she extracted the knife her mother had given her from her backpack. Today had been full enough without throwing questions about life direction into the mix. Placing the knife on the couch next to her, she leaned back and closed her eyes.
Did she really want to see Songan again? He might be her only chance of learning the truth about her mother’s death, but there was a lot of baggage where he was concerned.
He turned her sexual cranks. Absolutely no doubt about that. When he became human,
Alice and her friends had left before she did, saving her from trying to decipher the older woman’s expression. She couldn’t imagine Alice approving of her coming alone to the bar and allowing herself to be surrounded by men who weren’t the town’s most upstanding citizens.
Fortunately the rain had let up. There wasn’t much snow mixed in with it, but according to the news she caught on the truck radio, things were going to get colder in a few days. That coupled with the accompanying clouds added up to one thing: winter’s first snowstorm.
Then what, she asked herself as she unlocked the door to what had been her mother’s place. Should she stay here and risk not working for the Service in Alaska after all? Her supervisors were being understanding about her need to take some time off, but they could only leave that wildlife biologist position out of Homer vacant for so long.
She couldn’t remember her or her mother ever locking themselves in while she was growing up, but she did so. After putting away her groceries, she started a toasted cheese sandwich. Then she went into what had been her childhood bedroom and took off all but her shirt and jeans. She put on slippers, turned on the TV in the living room and flipped her sandwich over.
A police investigation show was playing. She’d never understood the appeal of graphic crime scenes but stared at the screen until she smelled something burning. After scraping off the burned parts, she plunked herself on the couch in front of the TV with her dinner and a glass of milk on the coffee table. Tonight she wasn’t going to think about the nights her mother had spent doing the same thing; she wasn’t!
Jacki had had at least two romantic relationships after her daughter moved away. The one she’d talked the most about had been with another ranger who’d been transferred up to Washington State. Instead of asking for a transfer herself as Jerry had wanted, she’d chosen local spotted owl research over him.
Prescott had entered the picture less than a year after the relationship with Jerry ended. He’d been and still was a Fish and Wildlife employee. Whenever Rane asked about him, Jacki had given her a brief answer and changed the subject. Finally her mother admitted that Prescott was married. Separated but not talking divorce.
A few awful times right after Jacki went missing and Rane was sick with fear, she’d wondered if her mother had decided she couldn’t live without Prescott. By day’s light, she’d acknowledged her mother was stronger than that. Her belief in her mother had been confirmed when Jacki’s body was found. No way could the bullet that killed her have been self-inflicted.
An ad for a luxury car came on. As she watched beautiful people speeding along a deserted stretch of highway in a black convertible, she wondered what made advertising companies think that would sell cars. Her job paid relatively well, but she’d never be in that driver’s seat. Besides, she didn’t want to be.
That led to the question of what she was going to do with her life now that the most important person in it was dead. Murdered.
“Damn it, enough!” Upset and angry at herself, she extracted the knife her mother had given her from her backpack. Today had been full enough without throwing questions about life direction into the mix. Placing the knife on the couch next to her, she leaned back and closed her eyes.
Did she really want to see Songan again? He might be her only chance of learning the truth about her mother’s death, but there was a lot of baggage where he was concerned.
He turned her sexual cranks. Absolutely no doubt about that. When he became human,
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