So Rick Allen went missing the same time as Dewayne Gammons? It‘s not much.

It‘s more than we had before. Let‘s see what‘s in his room.

But the ever efficient Lyda Blue had long since emptied it out and they found nothing, no loose floorboards or ceiling tiles behind which Allen had concealed even so much as a secret stash of girlie magazines.

Kate found her way back to the bakery. Jim‘s expression when he saw Randy Randolph for the first time reminded her that no matter how tragic and terrible life could sometimes be, sooner or later it would be leavened with a glimpse however transient of the eternal comedy.

You‘re Randy Randolph? Jim said.

Randy nodded, looking resigned. Are you arresting me, officer?

What? Oh. Uh, no, uh, no no, of course not. Jim glared at Kate, who was looking preternaturally solemn, and pulled himself together. I mean, not yet, Randy. Bigamy is a crime, a Class A misdemeanor in the state of Alaska. You‘re going to need to get your personal life in some kind of order or—

Kate saw that Jim was trying to recollect the penalties for bigamy and, ever helpful, said, You could be fined.

Jim turned his shoulder on her in pointed fashion. Randy, you‘ve heard about the death in camp, haven‘t you?

Lyda Blue. Randy nodded, his pasty face set in grave lines. She was a nice lady. I liked her a lot.

Jim gave Kate a look that stopped whatever she had been about to say dead in its tracks. You knew about her peanut allergy?

Oh yeah. Jules made sure everyone knew about it. He had kind of a crush on her, you know.

Yes, we know. Is there any way that ground peanuts or peanut oil or anything made from peanuts could have gotten into something it shouldn‘t have? Randy shook his head. No, he said, and he was very firm. We haven‘t used peanut oil for months. The peanut butter and jelly is on its own tray, and Jules is rabid about reading the ingredients on packaged foods before he uses them on the line.

He pulled a tray of croissants out of the oven. They were pale gold perfection, and Kate wondered if it was perhaps his baking skills—along with the eyelashes—that were the attraction here. Randy, you know Sergeant Chopin found another one of your wives, right?

He looked glum. Yeah, I heard about it.

She‘s not happy. Neither is Suzy or Bonnie. Might maybe want to get yourself a good lawyer.

Why? He looked like he might burst into tears. I don‘t want to divorce them. I love them all, I want to take care of them all.

Whatever. Randy, you remember you said you knew Dewayne Gammons? Yeah. He looked a little whipsawed at the change of subject, which was what she‘d intended.

You said he didn‘t have any friends.

No. Well, not to speak of, not like I saw him hanging around with the same guy all the time.