Page 29

When the motel room door opened, John lay still, pretending to be asleep. His dad walked straight for the bed, his movements not sloppy, but coordinated, as he slipped off his coat and crawled into the bed beside John.
The world outside was quiet. The bar had to be closed.Where had his dad gone with the rental car?But he knew better than to ask.John turned on his side, willing himself to go back to sleep as his father’s breathing morphed into snores.
John lay there a little longer before giving up and sliding out of bed, knowing if he continued lying there, it wouldn’t be long before images of Sally—and that dead bear—consumed his thoughts. Wide awake, he moved to the window and parted the scratchy curtains, peering out into the night. He glanced back at his dad, still asleep, before quietly pulling on the clothes he’d worn yesterday that were lying on top of his suitcase.
His mind reeled, wondering where his dad had been tonight. What had he been doing? John turned for the motel door. He needed some fresh air to clear his mind. There was also something adventurous about going out on his own. Hopefully, after a cold walk, he’d be able to go back to sleep.
Chapter 15
JOHN
“Hey. John. Wake up.”
John opened his eyes. His dad sat on the edge of the mattress beside him. John rubbed his eyes as they adjusted to the bright daylight filtering in through the blinds.
“I’ve changed our plans. We’re going to head back to the airport this morning.”
His dad crawling into bed at two in the morning came flooding back to him. “What? Why?”
His dad ran a hand through his brown hair. “I want to see if we can catch an earlier flight instead of the red eye. That way you can get a good night’s sleep in your own bed before school tomorrow.”
Becoming more awake, John propped himself up on his elbow. “What about the hot springs?”
His dad’s features relaxed. “I’m sorry. We’ll have to do that next time when we come back in the fall to go hunting.” He patted John’s legs beneath the comforter. “I’m going to get in the shower, then we’ll go.”
John threw back the comforter and saw he was still in his clothes that he’d worn on his walk last night. Had his dad noticed? After the bathroom door shut, John turned on the TV. A dark-haired lady in a pink blazer and matching skirt appeared on the screen beside a large weather map covered in swirling shades of blue and white. She pointed to Fairbanks on the map.
“We’re expecting more snow on the way for Fairbanks this weekend, with up to six more inches of snowfall by Sunday before we move into highs in the mid-fifties and even some patchy sunshine by the end of next week.” She smiled and looked into the camera. “Paul, back to you.”
The screen changed to a man sitting behind a news desk with the same backdrop of Fairbanks as last night’s evening news. The news anchor stared into the camera with somber eyes.
“Breaking news this morning after a young woman’s body has been discovered in a ditch off the Parks Highway. Detectives have yet to release her name to the public, as they are waiting to confirm her identity. But she is believed to have been last seen leaving the Timberline Tavern in the early hours this morning.”
The shower water turned on. John shot a glance toward the bathroom.
“The victim was discovered partially clothed, despite the below freezing temperatures. Authorities have confirmed they are treating her death as a homicide and are asking anyone with any information to come forward.”
John was barely aware of the shower turning off as the news went to a commercial. When his dad emerged from the bathroom a minute later, John still stared at the screen. Heart pounding, he flicked off the TV. As he looked at his father, a strange numbness came over him. It started in his fingertips, making them feel heavy and distant, as though they no longer belonged to him.
“Ready?”
John followed his father outside to their rental car in silence, his gaze cutting across the street to the Timberline Tavern. In the daylight, all the letters were visible on its sign. He pictured the dead woman leaving the bar last night before climbing into his dad’s car.
Behind him, the car door opened. “Get in, son.”
John turned to his dad, who held open the passenger door.
His father’s look of impatience morphed into concern. “What’s wrong?”
John averted his gaze from the bar and met his father’s warm eyes. He worked to relax his shoulders, afraid his dad could sense the emotion raging inside him. “Nothing.” He trudged toward his father who rested a hand on John’s shoulder before he sank into the passenger seat.
Through the frosted windshield, John watched his dad’s outline move around the front of the car. He climbed behind the wheel to start the engine before stepping out to run an ice scraper across the windshield. Warm air blew out of the car’s heater, and as John shifted in his seat, something bumped against his tennis shoe. He reached down, fingering what felt like a shoe on the floor.
He lifted it up. It was a woman’s sneaker. Baby blue. The brand nameKedswas etched into the sole.
His heart froze, as if time itself had stopped.
His dad sank into the driver’s seat beside him. John felt the blood drain from his face as he turned to his father, still holding the shoe.