“There is no right of way, not officially.”

“Hard to make that stick with umpteen generations of people who have been using it for whatever,” Len said.

“And then,” Liam said slowly, “along comes Erik Berglund, who says the trail might go back millennia for the Sugpiaq.”

Gabe nodded glumly. “And if he’s right, there will be zero chance of me gaining title to that trail.”

“And now he’s dead.”

It was his turn to be glared at. “I can always buy another house.”

“Yeah, but you like this one,” Len said.

Gabe transferred his glare. “Whose side are you on anyway?”

Len patted the air. “Relax, kid. Better the trooper knows it all upfront.”

Gabe crossed his arms and glared out the window instead. “I liked Erik, right of way or no right of goddamn way. If he’d proved his point we could have come up with a workaround, and if not I would have learned to live with it. Maybe buy out the property on the other side of mine and put in access that way, and then close off the existing driveway altogether.”

“Maybe build a moat while you were at it.”

“Maybe,” Gabe said with emphasis. He looked back at Liam. “I’m a full-time resident now, except when I’m off on a shoot. I’m here for the duration, registered to vote in Alaska and everything. No way I wanted to start out in the Bay with something like this.” He sighed and let his arms fall. “Erik was a good person, and a scholar. I only knew him a couple of months but I think… I think we were on our way to being friends. I don’t know that many people who don’t give a shit who I am.” He looked back at Liam. “And now we are all deprived of whatever future discoveries he might make, whatever they were and however they impacted me. Whoever killed him robbed us all. I hope you find him and throw him in prison for the rest of his life.”

Liam looked down at the list. “When did the party start?”

“I told everyone six o’clock for food and drink. We ran the film at eight p.m. It ended at nine-thirty. There was dessert, more drinks, and everyone left between ten-thirty and eleven.”

“No wait staff? No caterer?”

A shake of the head. “It was just beer and wine and burgers and dogs and ice cream.”

“Who was the last to leave?”

“Erik,” Gabe said glumly. “We had another beer and shot the breeze for another half an hour after everyone else left. You’re right, Len and I are probably the last people to see him alive.”

“After which,” Len said, “the two of us cleaned up—” He caught Liam’s look and grinned. “Well, okay, we didn’t actually clean up. We bagged the trash and stacked the dirty dishes. The housekeeper came the next morning and cleaned up.”

“After that?”

“I went to bed.”

“In your cabin?” Len nodded. Liam looked at Gabe. “And you?”