Arctic Witness Read online

  It wasn’t that he didn’t like kids. He enjoyed them a lot. Other people’s kids. He could make them laugh, then walk away without getting too attached...

  Dylan and Ivy pulled back from their hug, beaming at each other. Despite himself, his heart melted again.

  Sean turned to Grace to get his bearings. The dog, the team, the job. That was his life. And right now, he needed to focus on finding the murderer so he could leave Nome with the knowledge that Ivy was safe. The faster he did, the better.

  * * *

  Ivy followed Minnie down the hallway of the Golden Dreams Bed and Breakfast until she stopped at a door to the left. “Here’s your room,” the older woman said. She used an old-fashioned key to unlock the door. “I’ll make sure someone brings down a portable crib for Dylan.”

  The room managed to feel bright and airy while capitalizing on Nome’s other claim to fame, the rush. While most famous for the gold rush of the late 1800s, the past few years had brought a second rush of sorts. At least, enough to draw the attention of fortune hunters and reality shows. The lamps were crystal containers of what appeared to be gold glitter, the gold bedspread was complemented by the blue curtains that looked like rivers, and even the sink basin resembled a gold panning bowl. If it weren’t almost midnight, combined with a bandaged head and painkillers in her system, she’d have been thrilled by the decor. “Thank you, Minnie. This is lovely, but are you sure I’m not taking business away from your daughter?”

  “The troopers are paying for the lodging,” Sean said, appearing behind Minnie with a backpack slung over each shoulder. “You are a witness to a homicide and a victim of kidnapping. We need to make sure you’re safe. We take our job seriously.” He stepped past Minnie and opened the adjoining door.

  Helena appeared on the other side of the door. There were two beds in the female trooper’s room and her K-9 had already commandeered one of them. “We’ll be here. If you need anything, Luna and I can make another run into town.” She pointed at Sean. “I just received some good news from the pilot we commissioned. He’s already delivered the evidence to the lab, and I’ve given Tala a heads-up that we need this bumped up to priority status.”

  “Oh, I remember Tala,” Ivy said without thinking. She might have been proud she remembered so many of their team members, but she doubted they cared if she knew who their go-to forensics scientist was. Tala Ekho worked for the Alaska State Crime Lab, only a couple of miles from the K-9 team headquarters, and she assisted with most of the K-9 cases. Ivy had been introduced to the woman at one of the picnics and was immediately drawn to her, perhaps because Tala seemed as if she was an outsider, too.

  Sean’s eyebrows rose. “You only met her once. I’m impressed.”

  “Hopefully, we’ll have some new leads soon. And we’re working on tracking your phone, Ivy.” Helena offered a friendly smile. “So far no pings, but we’ll keep at it. As soon as the phone is somewhere with a signal, we should get a lead.”

  “That is good news. I don’t like the thought of him having my phone.” She couldn’t shake the weird memory of the man grabbing her hand before she was fully awake.

  “I finally made it.” Gabriel stepped past Helena, as if joining a late-night party in Ivy’s room. The thought almost made her laugh aloud. The trooper carried a jug of milk and a bag of baby food and snacks, while also loosely holding a leash for Bear to stay at his side. He set down the items on the dresser. “Did you know they sell ATVs in the produce aisle? They’re sitting right there in between the cucumbers and the shelves of bread. And eight dollars for a gallon of milk?”

  Ivy snickered, imagining his reaction. “Thank you, Gabriel. Welcome to Nome.” Such a beautiful and remote area came with a price. All groceries and supplies had high transport costs added. And their grocery store didn’t only carry groceries. She’d gotten used to vehicles in the veggie aisle without much thought.

  “Doggies, doggies, doggies.” Dylan squirmed in her arms, reaching both hands out, opening and closing his fingers, as if he wanted to squeeze the K-9s like stuffed animals.

  “Sorry, buddy. Bear’s head is almost the same size as your entire body. I’m not sure he’d appreciate you pulling his hair out.” Ivy perched on the edge of the bed so he could see the dogs better.

  Sean threw a thumb over his shoulder. “Gabriel and I will be stationed in the rooms across the hall.”

  Minnie stepped back into the room. “I may not technically own the place, but being the mother of the owner does have its perks.” Minnie’s son-in-law, Ben Duncan, appeared with the folded-up portable crib. “It’s been a slow tourism year, so they’re happy to have you.” Ivy knew Ben, but not very well. “Okay, we’ll let you get your rest,” Minnie said.

  Ivy’s cheeks heated as she faced the woman who was not only Dylan’s babysitter but her closest friend in town. Minnie had actually been the one to lead her to Christ. The freedom and love that Ivy found in the Gospel was one of the reasons she wanted to spend her life helping others.

  Everyone left the room except Sean and Grace. Helena’s door remained slightly ajar as Sean set up the folding crib. Ivy sat down on the edge of the mattress. Her bones felt like they weighed twice as much as usual. Grace rested her chin on Ivy’s free knee. “Oh, you really do remember me.” Ivy helped Dylan hover his little hand on top of the Akita’s head. “Gentle,” she said.

  While Sean had always warned Ivy that Grace was a partner and not a pet, the dog still had managed to steal her heart. It had been so hard to say goodbye to Grace.

  “Is doggy?” Dylan asked, twisting his face until they were nose to nose. Dylan had developed the habit of getting in her face, making sure she had no choice but to answer him.

  “Yes. Doggy’s name is Grace.”

  “Yace!” Dylan attempted the name with a nod. Grace wagged her tail and let her tongue hang in response, sending him into a fit of giggles. He rubbed his eyes, so exhausted. Ivy snuggled her little boy and swayed side to side, too tired to stand.

  “I think we’re set here.” Sean checked each rail of the crib to make sure it had locked correctly. The small attention to detail was like a punch in the gut she wasn’t prepared for. This was what he would’ve been like as a father.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Fine,” she answered, pushing past the tightness in her throat.

  His eyes narrowed. “I’m familiar with traumatic brain injuries—”

  “Mild,” Ivy interjected. “The doctor said it was a mild injury. He said if I rest, I’ll be fine.”

  “He said most likely. It’s not a guarantee. You have to tell me or Helena if you have headaches or nausea. Promise me?” His eyebrows lifted and then lowered as if he realized he’d crossed a line. Her husband could ask her to promise, but it was plain odd for a trooper to ask in that way. “I mean, I hope you take your health seriously. Please ask for help if you need it.”

  She sighed. “I understand and I will. I’m about to fall asleep sitting up.”

  Thanks to Minnie, Dylan had already been fed and changed into pajamas.

  “Then let me help you.” Sean’s expression softened, staring at the toddler. She glanced down to find him asleep on her chest. Sean bent over and lifted him from her arms. The coconut scent of his hair caused her to inhale automatically. She loved that smell.

  Sean turned and lowered him down in the crib carefully. Dylan blinked his heavy eyelids and began babbling, half-awake, his normal routine to drift off to sleep. At least he hadn’t started singing. He really enjoyed babbling songs, though she was probably the only one who could recognize them.

  Grace turned and sniffed the mesh panels of the crib. “Not now, Grace,” Sean whispered. Dylan giggled but thankfully didn’t stand back up.

  “I’m thankful, Sean. I really am. Now that I’m safe, I feel certain that when I interrupted that horrible man’s plan, he acted in the heat of the moment when h
e abducted me. He’s headed as far from here as he can if he’s smart. I’m sure I’ll never see him again.” Even saying so aloud helped ease the hum of anxiety in her stomach.

  Sean picked up the backpacks he’d left by the door. “I don’t like to remind you, but you did see the man’s face.”

  “And Alaska is huge. I want him behind bars just as much as you do, but the point is, he has a chance of never being caught. And if that’s the case, I’m safe. I’ll take you guys to the shack tomorrow and hopefully you’ll find enough to track him down, but I don’t think it’ll be anywhere near here.”

  Sean tapped his leg and Grace returned to his side, a stark reminder that the dog’s loyalty to Sean and the job always came first. “Get some rest, Ivy. We can discuss the next steps in the morning.”

  There was wisdom in waiting until morning to make any decisions, but old hurts and longings rose to the surface at his abrupt end to the conversation. Like pausing an old movie before she’d seen the ending. “Good night, Sean. Good night, Grace.”

  He slipped out the door, and within minutes, Ivy had put away the milk and groceries into the mini fridge and readied herself for bed. Focusing on tasks that needed to be done helped keep the churning thoughts at bay, though she feared it would be harder now that her head was no longer distracting her with throbbing pain.

  Helena’s hotel door was left an inch ajar, but her light was already out, as well. Ivy clicked off the lamp and snuggled under the covers. Minutes of sleeplessness turned into an hour of staring at the patterns in the ceiling. She was growing more awake, not less, despite the exhaustion. Maybe it was the painkillers’ fault.

  The whine of a door hinge sent a shiver up her spine. The moonlight seeped in between the sliver of the two curtains. A shadow moved across the wall closest to Dylan.

  A man was making his way to her bed.

  FOUR

  Sean tightened his fists for a count of five and released. He’d already changed into his K-9 Unit sweatpants, but it was hard to relax when he kept replaying every interaction with Ivy. Fatigue finally won out. He focused on his breathing as sleep took his mind.

  Grace growled, a low rumble in her throat that sent him jumping out of bed, all promise of slumber gone. She never made that kind of noise without a reason. “What is it?”

  Grace trotted to the hotel door. She barked another deep and impressive growl. Sean grabbed the gun on the nightstand. His heart pounded in his head as he yanked the hotel room door open. The hallway was pitch-dark. Why? The hallway light was on when he’d gone into his room.

  Another bark sounded, this one higher pitched, and not from Grace. A woman screamed.

  Helena yelled, “Attack!”

  A baby wailed. Dylan?

  Sean lunged across the hall. A sliver of light led him to Ivy’s door, left ajar. “Alaska State Trooper,” he yelled as he burst into the room. The baby’s cries accompanied Luna’s frenzied barking. Light from the street streamed in from the open window. Luna was halfway through the window, her head poking out.

  Helena tugged on her K-9’s collar. “Off, Luna.” The curtains fluttered into the room, along with the cold arctic breeze. The dog sat and Helena closed the window and flipped the lock.

  While still dim, the light from the street highlighted Ivy’s form, hunched over and pulling the screaming Dylan from out of the portable crib. She straightened and whispered, “Shh,” in a soothing pattern.

  Lights flooded the hallway. Sean spun around to find Gabriel and Bear in the doorway.

  “What happened?” Gabe beat him to the question.

  “A masked man entered through the hallway,” Ivy said softly. “Shh, it’s okay.” She went back to comforting her baby boy.

  “Ivy screamed. I ordered Luna to attack, but the assailant made it out the window.” Helena spoke rapidly. “I think Luna bit his wrist but didn’t get enough of a grab to hold him. By the time I got to the window, he was gone.”

  “Do you think we can find a scent? Should I go?” Gabe asked.

  “Let’s try. I’ll go with you. If we catch sight of him, I’m sure Luna will want a second chance to take him down.” Also dressed in her official sweatpants, Helena ran into her attached room with Luna by her side, presumably to slip on her shoes on the way out. Gabriel met her in the hallway, and they ran together, out the door.

  The adrenaline pulsed hard and fast in Sean’s veins, begging him to search with his team, but Ivy needed him. And Bear and Luna were more suited to the task.

  “I know you probably want him to go to sleep, but I need to ask you some questions first.” Sean found the light switch and lit up the room. Ivy dipped her head, her cheek pressed against Dylan’s. “It’s okay,” she whispered. The baby’s cries had faded into staccato sniffing and shuddering gasps.

  She rubbed Dylan’s back. “Oh, honey, I know. It was scary. You’re safe now.” She kissed the top of his head.

  A memory of his first recovery with Grace, after an earthquake, made an unwelcome appearance in his mind. He blinked it away. “I need to know exactly what happened tonight.”

  Even as he asked for more details, he knew the most important fact. The killer definitely hadn’t left the area, and Ivy was still in danger. All the other questions made background noise in his mind. The killer had figured out her room and how to get inside without being detected.

  He’d driven Ivy’s Jeep here, but her vehicle blended in with the many other Jeeps in the lot. Helena and Gabriel had also parked their trooper vehicles in the parking lot. Law enforcement vehicles were a deterrent for any “normal” criminal. In his experience, the more desperate a criminal, the more dangerous.

  His boss would want him to make finding the murdered victim a priority tomorrow. But now that Ivy had been rescued, once he and Grace found the victim, the colonel would likely take him off the case and leave other troopers to track down the killer. The truth hit him in the gut. Even if he had to take time off, he wasn’t leaving Nome until he knew Ivy and Dylan were safe.

  She swayed from side to side, still attempting to lull Dylan back to sleep. “I need to keep my voice light, like I’m happy, or he’ll get worked back up again.”

  “Give Dylan to someone else.”

  Her lips pursed. “Excuse me?”

  “If you want to be a foster mom after we find the killer, you still can. But right now, you’re not safe. The baby isn’t safe. Let someone else foster him and go to Anchorage.”

  “Give him back?” Ivy’s eyes went wild and she clenched her jaw. But when Dylan turned his face up to her, she forced a strained smile.

  Sean’s chest tightened. The words had come out without a filter, again. “I could’ve been a little more tactful, but the bottom line is still true.”

  “While I agree that Dylan’s safety is paramount,” Ivy replied stiffly, “I can’t just give him back, as you say.” She turned away from him and set the boy in the portable crib with a new bottle. Dylan, though, had no interest and climbed up to standing, reaching for Grace, whose tail was just out of reach.

  Ivy took a step closer to Sean. “I will contact the social worker first thing in the morning to keep her updated and decide what is best for Dylan, but I’m not going back to Anchorage. I’ll go to the bunker.”

  “In the middle of nowhere?”

  “All the more difficult for that—” she gestured to the window “—man. No one knows about the bunker. Which makes it almost impossible for any danger to find us.” She blinked away the new sheen of tears forming in her eyes and stared at the golden carpet below her bare feet. “Sean,” she said, almost in a whisper, “I appreciate you coming all this way and finding me. I really do. I know you’re trying to keep me safe, but I’m a mother now, whether you like it or not. And I’m not your wife.”

  His internal temperature rose ten degrees on the spot. He’d let his desire to keep her safe rule his
thoughts and feelings, instead of acting like the professional he was. At least Helena and Gabriel weren’t there to witness his rash behavior, ordering her around like that. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  Ivy’s forehead wrinkled and her mouth dropped open. Grace looked up, her mouth also slightly agape at him. “Come on. It’s not as if I’ve never apologized before.” He chuckled, hoping his cheeks weren’t turning red.

  “True. Just a new speed record.” She offered a small smile.

  “I suppose I deserve that.” One of his greatest regrets was how he’d handled disagreements in their marriage. He wanted to think he’d changed for the better, grown up since she’d left. And yet, the instant fear gripped his heart, he’d tried to lay down the law without so much as a conversation. Would he really have given a stranger the same advice? Maybe, but he would’ve asked a lot more questions. And he would’ve respected their input first and suggested a new course of action in a more delicate manner.

  But even after the adrenaline of the incident and the argument began to fade, he still thought his plan was best. “As your...” He didn’t want to call himself the ex. But did he have the right to say they were friends? “...former husband,” he finally said, “I am asking you to reconsider coming to Anchorage. I think tonight is proof this man has no plans of leaving a witness alive.”

  Her face paled. Dylan giggled, averting their attention. Grace swished her bushy white tail left and right, barely out of reach of the boy’s greedy little fingers. He cackled, laughing so hard he fell down to sitting in the crib and reached for his bottle. It proved impossible not to smile in response, which made it harder to return to the subject at hand.

  “As a state trooper responsible for your safety, I’d like to place Grace in your room for the rest of the night as added protection.”