But, of course, that wasn’t the worst of what happened.…

She drank one whole bottle before getting up to eat the banana and oatmeal. The food wasn’t what she’d call good. She could tell the oatmeal was instant, probably cooked in a microwave. But at least she was able to stop her stomach from growling, and the banana did improve the taste.

After she finished, she drank only half of the second bottle of water before making herself save the rest. After all, she had no idea when the man in the camouflage pants would be coming back. If this was dinner, it would be a long time until breakfast.

Hilltop, AK—Tuesday, 10:30 p.m. AKDT

“Excuse me?”

Prepared for anything, Amarok spread his legs about eighteen inches apart, the right foot slightly behind the left, so he’d have better balance if one of the Ledstetters came at him, and stood with Makita at least five feet from the door. They were good folks, but Davie, who was in his mid-fifties, and Junior, who was Amarok’s own age at thirty-two, were known hotheads—not the type to take an insult of this magnitude lightly. “Have you seen Evelyn?” Amarok asked, repeating his initial question.

“You have hundreds of criminals, a large majority of which are serial killers—the worst of the worst—just five miles down the road and you show up at my house after ten o’clock with this kidnapping bullshit?” Davie demanded.

“I didn’t say anything about kidnapping. I just asked if you’ve seen her.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve heard what’s going on. It’s all over town. So I know what you’re really asking.”

“So? What’s the answer?”

“Seriously? I’ve never even had a DUI!”

His son had been arrested for fighting on more than one occasion, but Amarok let that go. “I’m sorry,” he said, and meant it. “With what you’ve been through … It’s not that I want to be here.”

“Then why’d you come?” he demanded. “You’ve known me your whole life. You know I’m no criminal.”

“Heartbreak and hatred can twist a man’s heart.”

“So now my heart is twisted?”

“I’ve seen how you and Junior glare at Evelyn whenever she’s around.” His wife, Betty, did the same. To a lesser extent, so did the two younger girls. But Amarok didn’t want to accuse the women in the family, too. “I’m just asking if you’ve seen her, Davie. Let’s try not to make anything more out of it.”

“You believe I might’ve done something to her. I can tell by your face.”

“I’m hoping you haven’t.”

The television went off as more members of the family came to see what was going on. Amarok noticed how Betty’s expression grew accusatory when she saw him. He used to be good friends with the whole family, but that relationship had been destroyed since Sandy’s murder. They didn’t like seeing him with Evelyn—took it as a betrayal of sorts, as if he’d chosen the other “side”—and these days he was always with Evelyn.