“Yeah, well, shit happens in the Bush. If you dont know how to handle yourself, stay the hell out.

Prince closed the file and folded her hands on top of it. She looked at John, ignoring Teddy. “You hunt the Nuklunek Bluff every year, dont you, John?

“What of it?

“Why there, in particular?

“Because we always get our moose there, why else?

“Did pretty well this year, too, according to Wy Chouinard. She said you packed out three planeloads of meat. Prince smiled suddenly, a wide, warm smile. It was infectious; John, thrown off balance, nearly smiled back. “Good news for the family.

“Yeah, well. Fishing hasnt been all that great, last couple of years. People gotta eat.

Prince nodded sympathetically. “So you were out there, what, ten days?

“Yeah, wewhat the hell is this? Youve talked to Wy, youve probably seen her log, you probably know perfectly well how long we were out there.

Princes smile vanished. “Its important to confirm what we already know, John. So, while you were out there, did you run across anyone else? Any other hunters?

“No, he said.

Teddy squirmed.

“Did you hear or see anything unusual? Anything out of the ordinary? Anything you thought was odd?

“No, why should we?

Prince frowned down at the file. “Do you have a cell phone, John?

A brief pause. “Why?

Prince pulled out an evidence bag, the cell phone sealed inside clearly visible. She put it on the table, in the exact center so that it was the focus of four pairs of eyes. Johns were fierce, Teddys alarmed, Princes inquiring, Liams uninterested. “Because we found this in your backpack when we searched your house.

“Oh. Nonplussed for a moment, John fired up immediately. “What business you got going through my house?

“We had a warrant, John, Prince said, almost apologetically. “We had probable cause.

Teddy whimpered. John nudged him in the ribs with an ungentle elbow. “Whats probable cause?

Princes smile vanished. Like any cop, she didnt care for the jailhouse lawyer. “Probable cause, John, is when weve got a couple of yo-yos hunting ten miles from where we find a man who caught a load of buckshot in the chest. Probable cause is when both yo-yos have a long record of harassing other visitors to the area. Probable cause is when both these yo-yos are packing rifles to hunt moose and caribou, and shotguns to hunt ptarmigan. Probable cause is when we find the dead guy was killed with a shotgun. Prince sat back and folded her arms across her chest. “Probable cause is when we respond to a call for help from someone who isnt there when we arrive, a Mayday that was picked up by Alaska Airlines and which call, we are reliably informed, was routed through the local cell phone signal repeater with an ID number that traces back to your phone.