Cate shrieked and jerked back as she rounded the corner of the barn and came face-to-face with a guy in a ski mask.

Adrenaline spiking, she did what she always did in threatening situations at work.

She reached for her Sig Sauer.

Of course it wasn’t there.

She was a student, not a detective.

Stay in your role play, Cate. It’s the middle of the day. This person is not part of Zeke’s drug ring. React the way a student would who isn’t expecting to run into drug runners.

Right.

Besides, the guy didn’t seem threatening. He too had stumbled back a few paces.

“Sorry.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “You scared me.”

After a moment, the man slowly reached up and removed his mask.

Will Fischer. Ivy Hill’s security chief.

Why was he hiking the grounds on such a cold day?

“You’re the new student, aren’t you?”

She feigned innocence. “Yes. Who are you?”

“Mr. Fischer. Head of security.”

“Oh . . . right. I saw you last weekend at check-in. Ms. Howard, the house mom, pointed you out.”

“What are you doing here?”

She shrugged. “Taking a walk. At home, I walked every day. That’s okay, isn’t it? One of the girls told me about the trails through the woods.”

“It’s fine—but it’s always safer to walk with a friend. And only in daylight.”

She affected a shiver. “I make sure to be back in the dorm before dark. Trust me, I wouldn’t be caught dead in these woods at night.”

A flicker of emotion passed across his face, too fast for her to identify. “Ivy Hill is safe, but it pays to be cautious.”

“Yeah. That’s what my dad always says.”

“Listen to him.”

She tucked her chilling fingers under her armpits to add another layer of insulation to the Sealskinz gloves. “Is that why you’re out here? Keeping the place safe?”

He tugged his ski mask back down, hiding his features. “Yes. We added a day and night grounds patrol first of the year. The safety of our students is our primary concern.”

“That’s good to know. I heard about the girl who disappeared from here last fall.”

“By choice. She ran off with her boyfriend.” His tone was flat. Emotionless.

Like everyone else, Fischer was sticking with the original police verdict.

Except someone knew it wasn’t true.

Who?

Could Will Fischer be involved?

Did he know if the disappearance was connected to the drug ring?

Yet why would a man who’d spent his life protecting people go over to the dark side?

Still . . . who would be in a more perfect position to provide access to the barn for the drug ring than the man with keys?

Other than Eduardo, obviously. The maintenance supervisor had the run of the place too.

How deep had the DEA dug into the two men’s backgrounds?

One more question for Zeke.