“You don’t think she has … undiagnosed dementia, do you?”

“Your mother? No. She hasn’t exhibited any of the signs.”

“That’s true.” Ada raked her fingers through her hair. Maybe he and the police were right—she was getting worked up for nothing. No one had anything against her mother, no reason to harm her. And, as she’d already noted, nothing had been stolen from the house.

“Look, I don’t mean to be a patronizing asshole,” he said. “But you are pregnant.”

She poured herself a tall glass of water. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you have all kinds of hormones raging through your body, and they could be making you extra emotional.”

He should know; he was an ob/gyn. “You don’t think I should be worried.”

“Not quite yet. You said yourself that you found nothing to indicate foul play at your mother’s house.”

“What about the renter?”

“What renter?”

“Mom’s renter. At the chicken ranch.” She’d mentioned him before, but her husband had probably been distracted.

“Was he still there when the police came?”

“Yes.…”

“Well, there you have it.”

“What?”

“If he harmed your mother, I doubt he’d stick around to talk to the police.”

Reed had a point.…

“Honey?”

“I’m listening.”

“Should I pull out of this and fly home? Do you need me there with you?”

He was at a weeklong symposium he’d paid several thousand dollars to attend. She didn’t want him to feel as though he had to cut it short, not if her fears weren’t well founded. “No, it’s too soon to make that determination. I’m just trying to figure this out.”

“I can see why you’re worried. But give the police a chance.”

She couldn’t help recalling the chilling stare she’d received from her mother’s renter. But she had to admit there could be a lot of reasons for his less than friendly behavior. Maybe he was busy and didn’t like being interrupted. Or, as the police had suggested, he could have something to hide that had nothing to do with Edna. It could even be that the paralysis in his face made him appear to feel something he wasn’t experiencing at all—and that wasn’t anything he could help.

“Honey, are you listening to me?” Reed asked gently.

“Yes, of course. I guess you’re right about most of it. But if I don’t hear from her by tomorrow, I’m going back to take a look around.”

“Whoa! Whatever you do, don’t go back there alone.”

“I won’t,” she said. But she wasn’t about to take the police with her again. They couldn’t do anything, not without a warrant, and unless she could point to something that would give them probable cause, they wouldn’t be able to get one.

24

Anchorage, AK—Wednesday, 6:00 p.m. AKDT

Amarok was so glad to be home. He’d left Alaska only twice in his life and Evelyn had been the reason for both trips. The first time, he’d been trying to find Jasper Moore, so he’d flown to San Diego to visit Jasper’s parents. He’d been hoping to get them to talk, at last, and he managed to get a little information—enough to indicate they could say more if only they would. But his visit was what had precipitated their murder. He still felt terrible about what’d happened to them after he left. Even though they’d been aiding and abetting a known killer and it was that killer who’d turned on them, Jasper was their son. Amarok could understand the denial that had led them to believe the lies he told.