She swiped on some fresh lipstick and applied a little eyeshadow, more to make her look less like the living dead than anything else. She hated that she was second guessing her actions simply because the lawyer was hot. She would have done exactly the same thing if she’d been visiting someone’s grandmother.

She grabbed her laptop because she had no idea how long she’d be stuck at the hotel and may as well get some work done while she was there.

She ran down the stairs and kissed Aiden on the forehead even though he barely lifted his eyes from the TV screen. “I’ll see you later. Keep the doors locked and don’t let anyone inside, ’kay?”

He sent her a look that suggested she’d lost her mind. She huffed out a small laugh as she snatched up her parka and headed out of the back door, making sure she locked it behind her. Aiden probably wouldn’t move before morning. She should have reminded him to get to bed at a reasonable time but inexplicably there was no school tomorrow so what the hell.

She’d noticed boys like her son didn’t grow up with the same set of ingrained unspoken rules as girls did. Aiden never assumed he might be in danger when he walked outside alone. He never checked over his shoulder to see who was following him, or crossed the street because the other side was better lit. And while she was glad for him, she was worried his naivety might get him hurt one day. Bad things happened to everyone. Girls tended to learn that lesson a lot earlier than straight white boys.

She reversed out of her driveway. A light snow had started, but it didn’t take long to arrive at Diamond Head Lodge—named for the nearby mine. It was the nicest hotel in the city with a view of the river and close to the airport but not too close. The restaurant was supposed to be amazing, but she’d never tried it—it was a little out of the price range of a public servant.

She got a text the moment she pulled into the driveway which suggested Byrne was watching for her.

She looked up but couldn’t see anyone in the windows. She parked in a visitor spot. It was an unmarked car, so she hoped she didn’t get towed. She checked the text: Room 405. There’s a keycard at the desk.

She noticed she had two missed voicemails. One was from Chief Jacobs, the other Kim Gleeson.

“Detective Torgerson. This is Dr. Gleeson here. Good news, Corinne called, and she did indeed head to Anchorage as I suspected.” He released an audible sigh of relief. “She was upset and worried about her job, but I told her I was just glad she was okay. She swears she locked up on Tuesday and the security company verified that. The bastards who broke in somehow turned off the alarm and then opened the window at the back—possibly to encourage more burglaries to put the blame on someone else. Anyway, I wanted to pass that information on immediately. She said she’d fly back on the next available flight, but I told her I wouldn’t need her until Monday regardless. You know how to reach me if you have any updates on the break-in.”