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“Who all has handled the clothing you removed from Mr. Schild?”
Ms. Russo raised her hand, as did the black man sitting beside her.
“And you are Ms. Russo?” the officer asked.
She nodded.
His gaze went to the black man.
“Nate Holcomb,” he murmured.
“I’ll need everyone to remain inside this building until I’m finished,” the officer said. “I’ll try to do this quickly because we’ll leave as soon as I finish. If someone will show me where I can set up…?”
Ms. Russo turned to the blond man, who swiftly pushed up from the couch and led the officer away.
Everyone seemed to let out a sigh.
Ms. Russo drew a deep breath and leaned back against her seat. Her gaze flickered over Gunn and the two bags lying on the floor beside him, then rose to meet his.
Her hazel eyes locked with his for a moment. “You must be our security guy.”
Gunn nodded. “I am.”
“Do you have any experience living in extreme cold?”
“I’m from northern Minnesota, ma’am. Raised on a lake. I know cold.”
“That’s a relief.” She twirled a finger around to indicate the people in the room. “We all went through some things learning to adapt, but we’ve all had at least one winter on the island.”
“I’m told this is the last one you’ll spend here.”
She nodded. “Yeah, the ice has been getting more unstable every summer. We’ve been here seven years—not me, personally—but Polardyne.”
“I’m Gunnar Neilson,” he said. “But call me Gunn.”
Her mouth twitched. “Seriously?”
Gunn smiled. “As a heart attack.”
“Well, welcome. When the officer is done, we’ll talk.”
He nodded, wondering if he’d still be needed when the officer was finished with his interviews. If he determined who was responsible and apprehended them, Gunn’s job would be done. However, odds were that one of the scientists in this building was the killer.
“You’ll be needed,” she said, apparently reading his mind. “I don’t believe my people were involved.”
“You believe someone accessed the island and killed your guy?”
“What reason would anyone here have for killing Mateo? We’re all friends. We’ve all worked together at one time or another. They’re all researchers; they breathe science.”
“They. Not you?”
She huffed a breath. “I’m the babysitter.”
“Stop,” Nate said. “She’s integral to the team. She keeps everything running. She’s our site project manager. Without her, we’d freeze or starve to death. She speaks ‘corporate,’” he said, using air quotes.
The Polardyne rep nodded. “She’s our point of contact. She keeps them to a schedule, makes sure the reports come into HQ, orders resupplies… She even assists when these guys need another set of eyes or hands.”
“Like I said, the babysitter,” she said, grinning.