Page 9 of Deathmarch

“I’m never going to regret a single minute I spend with Kate.”

Murph had gone into witness protection so he could stay with the woman he loved when she’d been the target of an international assassin. Now that Interpol had eliminated the bad guy, Murph and Kate were back in town, running the new vet rehab facility. Murph was ex-Army Reserves and Kate was a therapist, so they were perfect for the job. Then again, that didn’t mean…

“You happy at Hope Hill? For real?”

“Nice to be making a difference. It helps that the town is supportive.” Murph sounded like he meant every word. “You need my help or not?”

“Your plow isn’t any bigger than mine.” Harper put the truck into Drive and moved forward a dozen feet.

Hope Hill had pretty much the same setup he did. He drove a Ford F-150 with a detachable front plow. The rehab center had a Dodge Dakota for their long driveway and the parking lot in front of the registration building.

Murph groaned on the other end. “Do you really want to have awhose plow is biggerconversation in the middle of a weather emergency?”

“We’re having theroad is closedconversation. It won’t be open until morning. By then, Eddie Gannon will have the snow cleared with the big town plow. You stay home and snuggle up to Kate. No reason for the both of us to be freezing our balls off in this hell.”

“Why did you go out?” Murph wouldn’t let it go, clearly a victim of cabin fever.

Harper had a fair case of it himself. It’d been a long, hard winter. “Thought I’d check to make sure nobody was stranded. Found some lunatic dressed like a grizzly bear, got her to the pub for a hot meal. I’m just going to tow her car out of the ditch, then I’m done here.”

“Why was she dressed like a grizzly bear?”

“Damned if I know.” Harper pushed his hat out of his eyes with the back of his hand. “She had cowboy boots. Spurs and all.”

“You making this up? Why would anyone drive with spurs?”

Harper put the pickup in Park and jumped out. “Why do women do anything?”

“Maybe Brittany Wallingford could tell you,” Murph said. “If you asked her nicely.”

“Still not funny.”

“Heard it was hilarious. Mike says he wishes he snapped pictures.”

Harper didn’t doubt it. Brittany did have a great body. She’d dated his brother Jack for a while, really into the whole Navy SEAL thing. Then Jack broke up with her and married someone else, and Brittany dated another one of the Finnegan brothers, Ian.

And then she set her eyes on Harper, and fine, they hooked up once or twice. Harper meant it as good times. Brittany, however, had her heart set on marrying a Finnegan, for some unfathomable reason. So when Harper didn’t return a call on her timeline, she called for police assistance when she knew he was on the night shift. She lied about an intruder and waited for Harper naked at the front door. Except Harper got tied up and sentOfficer Mike McMorris.

“Hey,” Murph said. “Maybe your mystery woman was Brittany trying some other trick.”

“Don’t think so. She wouldn’t be caught dead wearing that much clothing.” Harper walked around the Chevy and checked it over for damage. Looked like the back kissed the telephone pole as the car slipped into the ditch, but the damage was barely a scratch. “Car has Virginia plates.”

“So?”

The wind died down enough that he didn’t have to shout his response. “I thought she looked familiar.” Vague thought fragments floated at the edges of his consciousness, right there, yet out of reach, teasing him. “I don’t know anyone in Virginia.”

Murph must have heard something in his voice, because he asked, “But?”

Harper felt stupid saying, “I don’t know. Something was off about her.”

Murph didn’t laugh him off. Ex-cops didn’t discount cop instincts.

“She hid her face,” Harper told his friend. “She had a scarf wrapped around her head, and she didn’t take it off on the ride into town.”

“She was cold.”

“Plenty warm inside the pickup, and I cranked it up extra.” He thought back, testing his memories to see if he’d missed some detail.

“Was her voice familiar?”