“College isn’t for everyone.” Eban heard echoes of one teacher telling him the same thing when he was in high school. He’d proved him wrong, but the sting had hurt for a long time and motivated him to do better. “All depends on what you want to do with your life.”

“That’s right.”

Those two words were music to a negotiator’s ears.

“I work at the gold mine. I don’t need a Ph.D. to operate machinery. Louise is the brainy one in this house. She teaches middle school.”

“Brave too.” Eban smiled.

The woman laughed. “You either love it or hate it. I happen to love it. Martin came into my class once and gave a talk on plate tectonics.” Her voice cracked. “He was a great guy.”

Regret over Martin’s murder hit Eban again. Why had the man been killed? Was Darby collateral damage? A useful patsy? Eban didn’t know, but he intended to find out. The fact the dog had been barking around the estimated Time of Death set his senses buzzing.

“Mind if I take a look around your property?”

Joe frowned. “Sure, but I’ll come with you.”

Eban waited while Joe put his boots on and grabbed a jacket and a large flashlight off the shelf nearby. Without a word the guy handed Eban a pair of winter gloves and a wool hat, which he took gratefully.

“I’ll take the dog out with us. Come on, Jasper.”

Louise didn’t look too happy to be left home alone. “Don’t be long.”

“We won’t be,” Eban assured her. “I want to see if we can spot whatever might have spooked your dog last night.”

Joe shot his wife a look like he thought Eban was barmy, but he didn’t say anything.

“Lock the door,” Joe ordered his wife.

Eban followed the homeowner, not even sure what he hoped to find. They set out about thirty feet from the house. The dog was running all over the place, but Eban wasn’t in any position to order the man to put the animal on a leash. He was outside the crime scene tape and on private property.

They walked through the trees in a wide circle starting behind the house and working their way around to the front. Joe shone the powerful flashlight across the snow, turning up deer tracks, rabbits, squirrels.

Even with gloves on, Eban’s hands were chapped from the frigid temps and he was starting to shiver. What the hell was he doing here? He’d already spoken to the other neighbors and they hadn’t heard a thing. This was an epic waste of time.

“Well, what do you know.” Joe stopped and shone his beam another ten feet in front of them. There was a trail through the snow coming from the road. Human footprints.

“Call off your dog,” Eban ordered.

Joe did that as Eban moved past him using the light on his cell to look at the prints. He frowned. The size and tread pattern looked different from those he’d followed through the woods earlier. Smaller. He and Joe moved parallel for about twenty yards to where the footsteps stopped.