“Wyatt actually attempted to polish his cowboy boots, and he’s never escorted anyone to their cabin. And Bram’s horse-drawn taxi service to bring you here didn’t go unnoticed. In either case, those are two hunky men—”

Maja returned with two large bones in a plastic bag and handed them to me.

“Would you go see if the tables are ready?” Cookie said to the woman. When we were alone again, she said to me, “Don’t worry, Darby. I know all about you. I’m a graduate of Clan Firinn myself. Scott Thomas wanted to be sure you had someone you could turn to on your first job after going through the program.”

I almost dropped the bag of bones. “How long—”

“Since I left? Ten years. How long was I there? Two years. About the same as you. How long did I battle PTSD? I still have my moments. I didn’t lose part of my leg, like you did, but I did lose a lot.”

I nodded mutely.

“Scott told me you were a rodeo star.”

“No. I competed as a kid in O-Mok-See competitions. Did a little barrel racing, team roping, trick riding, but . . . not since . . .”

“Feel free to talk to me anytime, but please keep our conversations confidential. Like you, I don’t like to share my personal information.”

“Of course. I would like to talk to you about Mule Shoe.”

“That would be a good idea. Maybe later when I have a break and your class is over for the day. Now, why do you suppose a bear wandered so close to the resort?”

I blinked at her change of topic. “I think it was lured here by sardines.”

Cookie’s eyes narrowed and she said in a low voice, “I was afraid of that. You need to be very careful—”

Maja returned to the kitchen. “Tables are all ready.”

“I hope your dogs enjoy their treats.” Cookie’s voice was back to normal. She gave me a long look, then turned to the kitchen.

Very careful? I smoothed the scratchy feeling on my neck, then left, heading for my cabin. So much for reading a few statements, asking a couple of questions, and enjoying my stay. What had I gotten myself into here?

*  *  *

Bram typed forensic linguist into the search engine. More than three hundred thousand hits showed up.

He rolled his lips. He’d never heard of the profession, but it seemed both recognized and established in law enforcement. The field encompassed legal language in court, foreign languages, as well as deception and evidence. Any kind of threatening communication, such as extortion demands, could be examined by a forensic linguist. He read that linguists had been consulted in two well-known cases—the manifesto of the Unabomber and the note from the JonBenét Ramsey murder case.