Annie Thomas did a one-two punch, then a roundhouse kick to the leather punching bag hanging from the center beam of the rustic single room cabin. To the right of the door was a highboy with many drawers, then a window. A brass bed topped with a down comforter, a multicolored quilt, and plenty of fluffy pillows sat kitty-corner in the far right.
An old wooden crate acted as a nightstand. Next to that was the door to the bathroom and after a huge stone fireplace, the main source of heat. Above it hung the head of a bull moose, the single reminder that at one time this log home had been a hunting cabin. In front of the fireplace on an old braided rug sat a beat-up leather recliner.
On the other side of the fireplace stood a chifferobe where she hung her clothes. The back wall, except where a window peeked out, was floor-to-ceiling shelves covered with books. To the left of the front door were pegs attached to the wall for outerwear. A table with four chairs stood in front of a window.
The kitchen ran along the left side of the cabin; a butcher block table acted as a counter and divider between the dining area and kitchen proper. Under another window stood the sink where an old hand pump brought water up from the well, then there was a wood stove which she used for cooking and lastly a small ice box.
A generator supplied the electricity for the battery which ran the ice box, charged her laptop and her cell phone. It only needed to be run every few days. Kerosene lamps supplied the added light in which to read. Her only splurge presently was her satellite internet plan, since regular service was unavailable this far out.
Without a doubt, she was on her own. Not another human for miles around. The nearest town, if you could call it that, was Wolf Creek. It consisted solely of a general store and a gas station. If her family had any idea of the primitive circumstances in which she lived, her brothers would be dragging her home kicking and screaming.
But this was exactly where she needed to be in her life right now. The place had belonged to her fiancé, Matthew Locklear. This is where he went between undercover jobs to reconnect with himself. This is where she felt closest to him; reading his books, smelling him on his clothes, just being surrounded by his things.
When Matt had inherited his grandfather’s hunting cabin, the first thing he did was add the indoor bathroom with shower. Before that there was a simple outhouse which wasn’t unusual in Alaska, even when braving a raging snow storm in sixty below temperatures. But the men who used the shelter came by in the mild summer months to stock their freezers with meat for the coming winter.
When refurbishing the dwelling, he had replaced the bunk beds with a single queen. He had selected the brass headboard for her and covered the bed with a beautiful handmade quilt his grandmother had made. Annie had purchased the pillows. Before that he’d owned old feather ones. To her way of thinking, why bother? The feathers stuck through even with pillowcases and poked her skin. Besides, they were as flat as pancakes.
Annie raised her right leg and kicked the bag twice in quick succession, then stood still a moment, listening. As she moved toward the window on the right side of the door, she wiped the sweat from her face with the towel hanging around her neck. Nothing to view yet, but the low hum of a motor increased in volume.
She crossed to the other side of the room and grabbed her Glock from a drawer in the highboy. Although the curtains were wide open, Annie snuck to the side where they had gathered and used her finger to clear a spot where she could take a peek. Whoever it was, they weren’t coming in quietly, but that meant nothing. A woman living alone in the wilderness had many concerns.
There were nefarious men all over the world, but alcoholism ran rampant in this part of the country, which gave men a false bravado to do stupid things. There were illegal poachers who’d rather kill a witness than pay a large fine, go to prison or lose their vehicles, rifles, and sometimes their homes. Then there were the hermits who chose to live as far from civilization as possible. They weren’t in their right mind to begin with.
But the worst type of predators were the criminals who’d come to Alaska to escape the lower forty-eight states. One does not hide in the vast untamed wilderness for a simple B&E. Those offenders were violent. They’d just as soon slit your throat to make sure you couldn’t identify them.
Another thing one had to be wary about was the wildlife. Annie had seen some amazing animals since she’d been here: bear, caribou, moose, wolf, even musk ox. But she knew to keep her distance. Any one of those creatures could be dangerous under the right circumstances. Therefore, she never left the cabin without a weapon, whether it was her handgun or the shotgun.
Finally a snowmobile appeared through the trees. Recognizing the driver, Annie relaxed and took a deep breath. She hadn’t realized she’d been clenching her teeth. After shutting her gun back in the drawer, she stepped into the Ugg boots by the door.
Excited to greet her visitor, she quickly raised the two-by-four blocking the door and released the lock. By the time she burst onto the porch, Dawn had quieted the motor.
“What a great surprise!”
Dawn rested her helmet on the seat. “It wouldn’t be such a surprise if you checked your text messages or emails once in a while.”
Annie threw her hands on her hips. “Maybe I chose not to answer so you’d visit me.”
“Ha, ha. You tell Mom that.” Dawn stomped up the wide plank steps and the women embraced.
Annie stepped back. “How is Sissy?”
“Frantic, that’s how she is. She sent me here to check on you. If you were alive, I’m to bring you back with me for dinner.” Dawn stepped into the cabin. Annie followed and shut the door.
“That’s really sweet, but I was just going to heat up a can of soup.” Annie sat cross-legged on the bed.
“It wasn’t a request.” Dawn sat in the beat-up brown leather chair. “Her exact words were, you bring Annie or you don’t come back at all.”
A laugh bubbled out of Annie. “That’s just mean.”
Dawn nodded. “That’s my mom.”
“I don’t know.” Annie started to feel anxious.
Dawn’s face turned serious. “Look, I know what you’re going through. Christmas sucked. That’s why tonight we’re just doing a normal family dinner. No holiday. We love you and want to see you. Come on, you’ve been holed up in this damn cabin for nearly a year, venturing out only for supplies. I know, because I’ve heard of rare sightings.”
“Who told?”
“I’m not giving up my source.” Dawn pointed toward the bathroom. “Now go take a shower, you stink.”
Annie gave her an exaggerated frown. “Nice to see you too.”
Dawn pinched her nose and waved her hand in front of it. “Christ, how long has it been, a week?”
Annie removed her Uggs. “Don’t sugarcoat it, tell me how you really feel.”
“Fine. My brother would not like to see you living the rest of your life pining away for him in Gramp’s old cabin. It’s time you joined the real world.”
Annie stood before her. “The real world sucks.”
“How would you know? It could have changed since the last time you were in it. Now hurry. I’m hungry.”
“Well, since you asked so nicely, I’ll go.” Annie waved her arm around the room as if it were a showcase. “Make yourself at home.”
“Don’t I always?”
Annie rode on the back of Dawn’s snowmobile to the Locklear home. By the time they climbed off the machine, the front door was wide open and Sissy stood on the porch, waving Annie over. “Girl, you get over here and give me a hug.”
She gladly walked into her waiting arms. Annie loved Matt’s family, but loved his mother especially. She was warm and welcoming from the first time they’d met. Sissy kissed her, then embraced her tightly. Upon release, she stepped back and gave her the once over, then shook her head. “You’re a bag of bones.” Sissy grabbed her hand and dragged Annie into the mudroom. “Get comfortable and meet me in the kitchen,” she said, before leaving.
Annie slipped off her gloves and shoved them into her jacket pockets, unwrapped the scarf, removed her knit hat, then took off her parka and hung them all up before she sat on the bench and removed her boots. “Your mother is a force to be reckoned with,” she said to Dawn as she entered the house.
“Tell me about it.” Dawn followed close behind.
The moment they arrived in the kitchen, Sissy handed Annie a pile of plates and she went about setting the table. Dawn followed with silverware and napkins.
“There are six plates. Who’s joining us?” Annie asked.
Sissy removed a cookie sheet full of biscuits from the oven and began shoveling them into a big bowl. “Do you remember Matt’s friend, Stone?”
Annie thought about it. “I’m sure we met at the service, but I don’t remember. Matt talked about him often enough that I feel like I know him.”
Sissy covered the biscuits with a linen towel to keep them warm and handed the bowl to Annie. “I thought it might be nice to see him too.”
After placing the biscuits in the center of the table, Annie turned back. “What’s for dinner?”
“Venison stew.” Sissy began ladling it into bowls from a large pot on the stove. “Stone shouldn’t be too much longer, but he told us not to wait.”
“Dawn, go get your brother. I’m sure he’s got those damn ear buds in and wouldn’t hear us if we called. Annie, if you don’t mind, could you get Richard? I think he’s in his study.”
Annie found Matt’s father sitting at his big desk in front of a pile of paperwork. “Hey, Pops.”
His head came up and a warm grin enveloped his face. “Annie!” He came around the desk and gave her a bear hug. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes? I’ve missed you.”
“Me too. I’m sorry I haven’t been around.”
He stroked her head. “Don’t worry, child. We all grieve in our own way. Is supper ready yet? I’m so hungry I could eat a moose.”
“Would you settle for a deer? We’re having venison stew.”
“Even better.” He put his arm around her shoulders as they walked to the dining room. He pulled out her chair, then took the seat beside her at the head of the table.
They were halfway through their meal when there was a quick rap on the door and it opened. “Sorry, everyone.” A voice carried from the other room. “I had some paperwork that couldn’t wait.” Stone appeared. “Thanks for inviting me, Mama Sissy.” He kissed her cheek. He inhaled deeply. “Mmm, smells like heaven in here.”
Sissy pointed toward the kitchen. “The stew’s on the stove. Help yourself. And if you’re lucky, the biscuits just might still be warm.”
“My favorite.” Stone scooped huge helpings into his bowl.
“Mama Sissy, you spoil me.”
“You deserve it, son. Now come on over here and say hello to Annie.”
He sat next to Sissy in Matt’s old chair. He nodded across the table. “Hey, Annie. How’ve you been?”
“Fine. Thanks for asking.” Annie feigned interest in her stew. From the moment Stone appeared, she found herself outright staring at him. She rationalized it was because he was the one person who knew Matt better than even herself. Whatever the reason, his presence was damned distracting.
If she had to guess, she’d say he stood around 5’10”, which meant he towered over her by ten inches. His glossy black hair was smoothed back on top, and the rest hung loose over his broad shoulders, ending just above his silver belt buckle. His full lips and strong jaw were set in a permanent scowl, which gave him an air of intimidation.
His nose spread just a bit at the bottom. His brown almond-shaped eyes appeared wise, as if they’d seen things most people could only imagine. Suddenly she understood the term old soul. She remembered how his eyes completely disappeared when he’d smiled at Sissy. The contradiction between the tough exterior to the genuine warmth inside fascinated her. Annie found herself stealing glances as she pushed the remainder of her food around in her bowl.
Matt had informed Annie long ago that Stone was of the Tlingit and Koyukon-Athabascan tribes. He’d also shared his rough upbringing with an alcoholic father who couldn’t hold down a job and a mother who was forced to work two because of it. To avoid his father’s violent outbursts, Stone followed Matt home every day after school, practically living at his house. It was the Locklears who fed him and made certain he was properly outfitted for the weather.
Sissy said, “I heard about the girl over at Draper’s Pond. Do you know who she is?”
He wiped his mouth with a napkin before he addressed her. “Not yet.”
“What girl?” Dawn asked.
James’s eyes got big. “A naked woman was found trapped under the ice today by a little girl. I got several texts. It’s all people were posting about on Facebook.”
“Did she die?” Dawn asked.
“Well, duh. What part of trapped under the ice don’t you understand?” James answered.
“Shut up, dickface,” Dawn grumbled.
“That’s enough, you two,” Richard said.
“Any idea how she got there?” Annie asked.
Stone swallowed his water and set the glass down. “Not yet. We’re looking into it. At this time, we’re calling it suspicious circumstances.”
“I’d say. Who runs around naked in the dead of winter?” James replied.
Richard gave his son a dirty look, which kept him from commenting further. Annie smiled inwardly. James’s inappropriate outbursts always made for lively family gatherings.
“Were there a lot of children there today?” Richard asked.
Stone tore his biscuit in two. “There were a fair amount of kids as well as adults. A lot of folks were anxious to get out after that big storm.”
“Then why didn’t any of the adults notice her? Surely they checked the pond to make sure it was safe before they let anyone on it with skates,” Annie said.
Stone glanced her way. “The way it was explained to me, Draper’s Pond is bigger than what was needed for the skaters, so only about half of it was cleared. Then a couple of children were twirling and lost their grip. One slid across the surface, clearing away the shaved ice with her body, then struck the snow bank with such velocity that it moved a few feet before she came to a stop.”
“In effect, acting like a Zamboni and cleaning the ice with her body,” Annie said.
He chuckled. “That about covers it. When she pulled herself up, she noticed she was directly above the dead woman.”
“Oh, my heavens, that poor girl. I heard it was the youngest Bumgarden girl. How is she?” Sissy asked.
“Both Leslie and Ashley viewed the woman. That’s not something they will forget anytime soon.”
“If ever,” Richard said.
After dinner, the adults retired to the living room to enjoy coffee laced with Baileys Irish Cream. James disappeared up the stairs. Around nine, Stone stood and thanked Sissy for thinking of him. Dawn asked if he would mind driving Annie back to Grandpa’s cabin.
Annie flashed Dawn a dirty look. Naturally he agreed, not like he had a choice. That’s how she found herself sitting in the quiet cab of his SUV. As the silence droned on, she felt the need to fill it.
“When is the autopsy scheduled?”
“Not sure, the coroner has to wait for her to thaw. I won’t be forgetting the look on her face anytime soon.” Stone shook his head. “Her eyes were almost bugged out of the sockets, her mouth frozen in a scream.”
“That’s odd.” Annie stared at his profile. “I would think that her mouth would be closed so she wouldn’t drown.”