Page 45

CHAPTER

FORTY-FOUR

Dr. George Winters rose from behind an imposing mahogany desk as Logan and Andi entered his office. His tall frame unfolded with deliberate precision.

In his late fifties, he possessed the kind of distinguished bearing that came from decades of listening to people’s darkest secrets.

His silver hair was meticulously styled, and his wire-rimmed glasses caught the light from the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking downtown Fairbanks.

His charcoal wool suit was expensive but understated, the uniform of a man who understood that trust was built on projecting competence without intimidation.

His office reflected a careful balance of professionalism and warmth.

Leather-bound psychology texts lined the built-in shelves.

There were softer touches also—a small jade plant on the windowsill and a framed landscape photograph that Logan recognized as Morgan’s work.

Together, all of it suggested genuine care for his clients’ comfort.

When Dr. Winters extended his hand in greeting, his grip was firm but not aggressive. His pale blue eyes held the steady, evaluative gaze of someone accustomed to reading between the lines of what people said versus what they meant.

Winters laced his fingers together in front of him. “You said Morgan is in trouble?”

“She’s been abducted.” Logan decided to cut to the chase and not mince his words. “People connected to her are being murdered.”

Winter’s face went pale. “I’m sorry to hear that. But I’m not sure how I can help.”

“We’re trying to identify people Morgan may have been close to who could potentially be another victim,” Logan said.

Dr. Winters’ gaze fell on Logan. “She certainly talked a lot about you.”

His breath hitched. “She means a lot to me.”

“I know.” Winters gave him another knowing look. “But honestly, other than you and her brother, she didn’t really talk about a lot of people. I really wish I could tell you something that would help, but I’m not really sure what.”

“Did she happen to mention if she’d felt uneasy or scared of anybody in particular? Even if it wasn’t a friend?”

His brow furrowed in thought. Then realization stretched through his gaze, and he nodded. “She did mention one person. I probably shouldn’t name names, however.”

“This is life or death, Dr. Winters.” Logan held his breath as he waited for the man’s response.

He blew out the air from his lungs. “She mentioned to me once they she often stops by the pharmacy down the street when she’s in town. She likes picking up one of her supplements there. But she said the pharmacist always acts strangely toward her.”

Logan leaned closer. “Strange how?”

“Said she asked him a question, and he sounded shaky, like he was nervous. It left her unsettled enough that she mentioned it to me.”

Logan stood. “Which pharmacy is this?”

Dr. Winters rattled off the name of the pharmacy and the pharmacist.

“Thanks.” Logan knew where he needed to head next.

Logan and Andi climbed back into his SUV.

Before the doors had barely closed, Andi turned toward him. “Let me guess—you wanna go check out this pharmacist now?”

He shrugged. “You read my mind.”

“Do you want to check in with Duke and Ranger first?”

“That’s a good idea. We should see if they found out anything. Hopefully, they have service out there.”

He punched in Duke’s number and, a moment later, his friend’s voice came through his car speaker. The connection wasn’t strong, but at least they could talk.

Andi started by giving him the update on what Winters had told them.

“We’re going to try to track down this pharmacist now,” Logan said.

“Smart thinking,” Duke said.

“How about you guys?” Logan asked.

“We found the pier,” he told them. “There’s nothing else out here. It’s isolated. No signs anyone has been here for a while.”

“At least you were able to pinpoint the location.” Logan was trying to look on the bright side.

“We start planning now, and we can catch this guy out here tomorrow night. This time we’ll be prepared. No surprises.”

“Sounds good. We’re going to go talk to this pharmacist. If we learn anything, we’ll let you know.”