Against the Sky (14 page)

Cord blew out a frustrated breath.

“We need evidence,” Nick continued. “Something that'll support our claim Alex Evans's death was more than a heart attack. We get it, we can get them to exhume the body, find out what really happened.”

Cord looked back at the thin trickle of smoke still drifting out of the office. “What about the fire? It's going to come up arson, right?”

“Maybe. But this is a local fire department, all volunteer. Unless these guys find a reason to suspect arson, it won't come up.” There was a small fire station in Fish Lake, but it was kept locked unless there was a fire. Considering the volunteers weren't on anyone's payroll, they did a helluva job.

“Where'd it start?” Cord asked.

“The study. The fire department was able to contain it to just that one room.”

“Was that where Evans was killed?”

Nick nodded. “He was sitting at his desk, leaning back in his chair when Jimmy found him.”

“That's what Mary told me.”

Nick's eyebrows went up. “I thought you just gave her a ride up the hill.”

Cord shrugged. “It was my day off. We went into Fish Lake and had lunch. We ended up spending a couple of hours together at the house before I headed back to Anchorage and went to work.” He pinned Nick with a glare. “To dig up information for you, if you recall.”

Nick ignored the jibe. “You didn't tell her anything, did you?”

“Hell, I didn't
know
anything. I still don't.”

Nick turned at the sound of a car coming up the road, saw Mary's white Subaru Outback pulling up in front of the house. “There she is now.”

Cord turned and started walking. Mary got out of her car, paused to look at the firemen putting up hoses, doing general cleanup. Cord reached her, drew her into his arms. Mary didn't resist.

Looked like the attraction was mutual.

Cord finally let her go. Though Mary was maybe five eight, Cord was still about four inches taller. Nick couldn't hear what they were saying, but he figured his friend was telling her the fire was under control and had only affected one room in the house.

The two of them started walking toward where Nick stood next to Samantha. Mary jerked to a sudden stop. “Where's Duke?” She glanced wildly around, a look of panic on her face.

“Duke's okay,” Samantha assured her. “Nick found him in the side yard. He was right here a minute ago.”

Mary turned. “Duke! Here, boy! Duke!”

When the dog barked and came trotting up to her, the worry drained from her face. Mary rubbed the retriever's golden fur, seemed to relax even more when she saw he was okay. “Thank you for taking care of him.”

“No problem,” Nick said.

“Do they know what started it?”

Nick and Cord exchanged glances. “Not yet,” Nick said.

Mary's gaze went to the house. “It's going to be a mess to clean up.”

“I'll help you,” Samantha offered. “With two of us working, it won't be so bad.”

“We'll all pitch in,” Cord said.

Mary looked at the cluster of people who were becoming her friends and tears welled in her eyes. “Thank you.” She glanced up as one of the firemen walked toward her, his helmet covering most of a soot-blackened face.

“Are you the owner?”

“I'm Mary George. I live here with my nephew, Jimmy.”

“The fire destroyed the office, Ms. George, but aside from the mess, the rest of the house is okay. Looks like there was lots of office equipment in there, computers, printers, scanners, stuff like that. There were a lot of electrical cords plugged into a single power supply. That's probably what started the fire.”

“The room wasn't being used. Jimmy's father recently passed away. Alex had a lot of computer equipment. I should have checked, paid more attention.”

“It wasn't your fault,” Cord said darkly.

“We'll have to turn in a report,” the fireman said, “but unless something else comes up, we've got all we need.”

Mary nodded. “I really appreciate what you did. Thank you.”

“I wouldn't try to go back in for a while. Better to let things cool down.”

“Why don't you come over to the house?” Nick asked Mary. “We'll get some lunch and you can wait for the school bus there.”

“All right.”

“We'll start working on the house this afternoon,” Samantha said. She turned to Nick. “If it's all right with you, I'll make supper for everyone tonight. I saw some hamburger in the freezer. I can make us a batch of spaghetti.”

Nick grinned. “That sounds great. But that's ground caribou in the freezer, not regular hamburger.”

“Caribou?” Samantha's eyebrows shot up. “You expect me to cook a reindeer?”

Nick and Cord each boomed out a laugh. “That's Alaskan hamburger, honey,” Nick said. “It's some of the healthiest meat on the planet.” He slid an arm around her waist. “Come on, let's go home.”

Walking next to him, Cord led Mary down the hill, Duke trotting along beside them. Nick thought of the fire and what could have happened if whoever had set the blaze had done it while Mary and Jimmy were home.

His jaw hardened. At least for now, everyone was safe.

As soon as lunch was over, Nick led the small group up the hill to survey the damage to the house. Mary called Jimmy on his cell and told him the firemen had left. She said they would be working at the house, cleaning up the mess when he got home from school.

“Let's get these windows opened,” Nick said, “air the place out and get rid of the smoke.” Aside from that, the house looked livable. They fanned out, going into the rooms on both floors, then Samantha and Mary got out cleaning supplies and started mopping up what looked like an ocean of water.

The good news was the door to the study had been closed when the fire started and the firemen had done their best to keep the destruction contained to that room. The blaze had burned up the office furniture and equipment, cabinets, books, photos and whatever else had been in there, but the damage to the rest of the house was minimal.

As Nick worked next to Samantha, wiping soot off the walls in the hallway outside the study door and doing other miscellaneous cleanup, he heard the school bus coming up the hill.

“That's Jimmy,” he said.

“He's going to be upset,” Mary said worriedly. “He just lost his father. He doesn't need more problems.”

Unfortunately, at the moment the kid had trouble in spades.

“Let's wait for him on the porch.” Nick urged Mary toward the front door. The two of them walked outside and stood at the rail to wait. The bus pulled up and the doors slid open. As Jimmy descended the steps, Nick waved and the boy hurried toward the house.

“What happened?” he asked, panic in his face as he climbed the front porch stairs.

Mary managed to give him a smile. “It's okay, Jimmy, it was only one room. Everyone's okay. Duke's fine.” The dog trotted up at the sound of his name, and Jimmy's hand unconsciously sank into the animal's golden coat.

“The water is the worst part,” Nick said. “We're all pitching in to clean up.”

“We won't have to move out or anything,” Mary finished.

Jimmy nodded, but those dark, worried eyes swung back to Nick in search of answers and stayed firmly fixed on his face.

Nick tipped his head toward the stairs. “Let's take a walk, okay?”

Jimmy set his backpack down on the porch. “Okay.”

“We won't be long,” Nick said to Mary, who seemed grateful for his help. She and Jimmy were coming to know each other on a deeper level, forming closer family bonds. But it was going to take some time.

Resting a hand on the boy's thick shoulder, Nick guided him down the front steps. They walked through the pines, Duke trotting along beside them as they continued along the trail leading to the edge of the lake. It was quiet there, the wind calm, the pine boughs barely shifting above their heads. The lake stretched out before them, deep blue and smooth as glass.

At the water's edge, Jimmy stopped and turned. Nick could read the questions in his face.

“Was it them? The men who put me in the trunk?”

There was no sense lying. The kid needed to know the truth. “Probably not the same two, but someone who works with them, someone who knows about fires. The blaze only burned the office. Whoever set it made it look like an electrical fire. They weren't trying to burn down the house, Jimmy, just get rid of any evidence.”

The kid stared up at him. “But you got it first, right? When you went into my dad's office the other night?”

“We got what we could. I'm not sure exactly what we found, but we're working on it.”

Jimmy nodded. “That's good.” He kicked a loose rock, watched it sail into the water. “Do you think they'll come back?”

“I don't know why they would. They got what they came for. The fire burned up everything in your father's study.”

“Maybe we should . . . you know . . . tell the police.”

“If that's what you want, maybe we should. Cord thinks it's a good idea.”

“Cord's a cop, right? I thought you weren't going to tell anyone.”

“Cord's a detective, but he's also my best friend and a man I completely trust.”

Jimmy said nothing.

“Look, Cord's helping me work the case. We had to have someone who could get the information we need. Cord's come up with some promising leads.”

“I guess it's okay, then.”

“Cord won't do anything that would put you or your aunt in danger.”

Jimmy looked up at him. “So what do you think we should do?”

“I think it would be safer to wait, see what we can find out.”

“Do you think we're going to find the guy who murdered my dad?”

“I do. Eventually we'll have enough evidence to take to the police. We just aren't there yet.”

Jimmy turned toward the lake. A fish jumped, flashing silver and sending concentric rings fanning out toward shore. When he turned back to Nick, his features were solemn. “I think you're right. I think it would be safer to wait. Those two guys . . . they said they'd kill us. They'll do it, Nick.”

Nick gave the boy's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Okay, then. We'll wait a little longer, find something we can give the police. I worked homicide with those guys for years. They're good men. We give them enough, they'll run with it. They won't quit till they find the guy who killed your dad and arrest him.”

Jimmy stared up at the big log house on the hill. Just the peak of the roof could be seen through the pines. “I bet it's a mess in there.”

“Could be worse. The office will need to be gutted and completely rebuilt, but the rest of the place is okay. We'll finish cleaning it up, then Samantha's cooking dinner for all of us. Spaghetti.” Nick grinned. “Reindeer spaghetti. She wasn't thrilled about that.”

Jimmy laughed, the happy sound a kid makes when he thinks something is extra funny. It made Nick's chest feel tight.

“Yupiks eat caribou all the time,” Jimmy said as they started back up the hill, the dog at his heels. “Mary says I have an uncle who can teach me to hunt.”

“That's a handy thing to know in this country.”

“If I could shoot, I could protect Aunt Mary.”

Nick's stomach tightened. “You won't need to do that. If it comes to it, I can shoot. I won't do it unless I have to. But if I pull the trigger, I don't miss.”

Jimmy said nothing till they reached the bottom of the stairs leading up to the front door. He paused for several long moments.

“I'm glad you're my friend,” he said.

Nick glanced away. “Me, too,” he said gruffly, and they started climbing the stairs.

 

 

Samantha showed Mary how to make reindeer spaghetti—which, to Samantha's relief, turned out to be surprisingly good. Afterward they all pitched in to clean up the dishes, then Mary pulled her aside.

“I want to thank you for your help today. The house was a real mess, and you hardly even know us.”

“It wasn't that bad and with all of us working together, it was kind of fun. You'll need to get a cleaning company out here to suck the water out of the carpet.”

“I've already called them. I still appreciate your help. I can think of a lot more fun things to do than scrub floors and wash walls. And you even fixed supper.”

“I'm glad I could help.”

“I know you've already done enough, but I was wondering. . . I need to buy new curtains for the downstairs bathroom and replace a few other things that didn't fair too well with all that water. Do you think you would consider coming to Wasilla to help me shop? I'm really bad at decorating. We wouldn't be long, just a couple of hours.”

Samantha glanced over at Nick, who was talking to Cord but watching her from the corner of his eye. He'd been doing that all afternoon.

“I love to shop. It's one of my favorite pastimes. What time do you want to leave?”

“The cleaning service is coming first thing in the morning. They should be done by ten. Why don't I pick you up then?”

“Perfect.”

They walked into Nick's living room to join the men.

“I think we'd better be getting home,” Mary said to Jimmy.

Cord stood up from the sofa. “You've got school tomorrow, right?” he said to the boy.

“Yeah.”

“Come on, then. I'll walk you two home.”

Mary flashed Cord a look of gratitude. “Thank you.”

As the three of them left the house to head up the hill, Samantha closed the door behind them. She turned to find Nick watching her, the way he had been all day.

“What is it? What's going on?”

He rubbed his jaw. “I was just wondering.... I know we aren't supposed to talk about, you know . . . you being pregnant, but are you sure pregnant women are supposed to work as hard as you did today? Aren't you worried you might do something to the baby?”

She laughed. “In the old days, women worked in the fields till the day they delivered, then went back to work the next day.”

“Yeah, well, we don't live in the old days. We live in the twenty-first century.” The worry in those amazing blue eyes made her heart squeeze.

“Concern noted,” she said. “But I doubt I'll have to scrub any more floors during the rest of the time I'm up here, okay?”

“I guess.”

Since there was nothing more to say, she changed the subject. “We didn't hear from your friend Lisa today.” With Evans's study destroyed and any other evidence with it, they needed to know more than ever what was on that flash drive.

“She said it would take a day or two.”

“Any idea what she might find?”

“I wish I did. We're stalled till we hear from her. Or I figure out that phone number, or Cord comes up with something from Evans's client list.”

“Since there's nothing we can do for a while, I'm going shopping with Mary for a couple of hours tomorrow morning. We should be back by early afternoon. You don't mind, do you?”

She could tell he was mulling it over, looking for any possible danger, finding no reason to object. “I don't see why not. It'll give me a chance to work on that phone number.”

“Okay then.” She glanced at the clock. “It's getting late and we've had a rough day. I think it's time we went to bed.”

The muscles across his shoulders went tense. She could clearly read his thoughts, knew he wanted her, but he didn't say a word.

Samantha walked over and took hold of his hand. “Are you coming?” she asked.

Nick's gaze turned dark and hungry. Samantha gave a startled gasp when he scooped her up in his arms and started striding down the hall toward his bedroom.

 

 

While Samantha was shopping with Mary, Nick went in to work at his computer. Since his eyes kept wandering toward the unmade bed and his mind kept flashing back to the hot night he'd shared with Samantha, he walked over and made the damned thing before he sat down at his desk.

Clicking up his e-mail, he scanned the list of messages, replied to one from Dylan, who wanted an update on Nick's “baby” situation. Nick told him they were taking his advice and moving slowly. The next message was the one from Cord he'd been hoping to find.

Good idea, Nick thought, hoping he'd get more from his ex-girlfriend than Cord had given him.

He went back to Cord's message and hit reply. Thanks for the legwork. Keep in touch. N.

Pulling out his cell, he punched in Lisa's number, waited impatiently for her to pick up. He remembered he'd spent a good many hours waiting for the lady when they had been dating. It wasn't his favorite pastime.

The phone clicked as she picked up. “Hey, Leese, it's Nick. Have you got anything yet?”

“Hi, lover. I think I have something.”

“Don't make me guess.”

“You sent me Evans's accounting records. I gave each of his clients a cursory look, then went back and examined the accounts that were more complex. I narrowed it down to two that might lead to something.”

“Which ones?”

“Northland Corp owns Sleep E-Z, which owns a string of cheap motels in Fairbanks and others scattered around the state. SeaWest owns twenty Captain Henry's Fish and Chips. They're fast-food restaurants located in Fairbanks and Anchorage.”

“So?”

“You ever heard of Captain Henry's?”

“I don't think so. I've never eaten at one.”

“That's the thing. Both these corporations pay taxes on a helluva lot of money. With income like that, they ought to be practically a household name, but they aren't.”

“Go on.”

“And there are all these money transfers, stuff going from one bank to another, in and out of the country, then some of it coming back.”

Nick started nodding, though Lisa couldn't see. “It's called layering. Moving the dollars around. Makes them almost impossible to follow. Looks like Evans was helping them launder money. Whoever he was working for doesn't mind paying the tax, they just don't want to get caught doing whatever it is they're doing.”

“Could be they took in a boatload of dirty, came out with a big wad of clean.”

“If that's the case, the question is, what are they doing to make all that change—beside selling deep-fried fish and renting cheap-ass rooms?”