Read Online The Grave Soul by Ellen Hart - Free Book Online Page B

said she didn’t want to wake Evangeline. That meant they were both inside at three in the morning. The snow would have stopped falling well before that. If Kira and her grandmother had gone out today, where were the car tracks? The footprints? “What the hell?” he said, surveying the property.
    Think it through, he told himself. Logically, Kira and her grandmother were either still in the house and were ignoring him, which he didn’t believe, or they’d left before the snow arrived last night—and that meant when Kira called him, it wasn’t from the farmhouse.
    Rushing back to his car, he gunned the motor and fishtailed out of the drive back onto the county highway. If anyone knew where Kira was, it would be her dad.
    When Guthrie had come for Thanksgiving, Kira had taken him into town, to her dad’s bar. She’d walked him through the apartment on the second floor that had been her home from the time she was six until she left for college. Her father still lived there. Feeling a surge of hope, Guthrie felt certain he knew where she was.
    The Sportsman’s Tavern was one of six bars in town. Kira had casually mentioned once that her home state had more bars than any other state in the union, with the exception of Montana and North Dakota. She described her dad’s place as blue collar, with the occasional fistfight, but also with a loyal group of regulars. A large flat-screen TV hung above the back bar, always tuned to a game—any kind of game. A back room accommodated monthly meetings, everything from the Lions Club to the local horticulture society.
    Pushing through the front door, Guthrie found a heavyset older woman in a Green Bay Packers sweatshirt and pearls standing behind the bar. “Is Kevin around?” he asked.
    â€œSorry.”
    â€œHow about his daughter, Kira?”
    â€œNope.”
    â€œYou’re sure.”
    â€œOne hundred percent.” She wiped a cloth across the counter.
    â€œYou one of the regular bartenders?”
    â€œHell, no. I sub from time to time, when Kevin makes it worth my while. This ain’t exactly my idea of a great time, if you know what I mean.” She winked.
    â€œWhen will Kevin be back?”
    â€œHe said he’d be here to close up on Sunday night.”
    â€œDo you know where he went?”
    She leaned against the counter. “I don’t keep his social calendar, son. Can I get you something? A beer? A bump?”
    He eased down on one of the stools. “Just information.”
    â€œMight cost you more than the booze.”
    He wasn’t sure if she was kidding or if she meant it. “Look, I’m trying to find Kira. She’s my girlfriend. She’s not at her grandmother’s place. I know she has an uncle in town. Doug Adler. I don’t suppose you know where he lives.”
    â€œAs a matter of fact, I do. We’re neighbors. It’s called the Jack Pine Trailer Park. If you drove into town on Highway 30, head back out that way. You’ll see a sign about six miles out, on your left. Can’t miss it.”
    â€œHow do I find his trailer?”
    â€œIt’s white with rust-colored trim. Only one there with those colors.” She leaned an arm on the counter. “Course, if you’re looking to find him, he’s not there. I talked to Laurie—that’s his wife—yesterday morning. She said they were planning a little weekend getaway.”
    â€œWith the rest of the family?”
    â€œNo idea.”
    Guthrie held on to the edge of the bar to steady himself. “Kira has an Aunt Hannah—”
    â€œThe doctor. Yeah.”
    â€œDo you know where she lives?”
    â€œNope. Me and her don’t run in the same social circles.”
    Guthrie opened his wallet and pulled out a five-dollar bill.
    â€œI was kiddin’ about that,” said the woman.
    â€œNo, I appreciate your time and the information.” He left it on the counter.