Page 28 of In Cold Blood (High Peaks Murder, Mystery and Crime Thrillers #1)

S eeing the Adirondack Daily Enterprise again brought back a host of memories. Perched on a stool at the window inside a restaurant that sold sub sandwiches, Noah gazed across to the one-story building crouched at the crossroads of Broadway and Olive Street.

He looked at his watch. It was just after one. She was usually out by now. A woman of routine. That was one thing that hadn’t changed over the years. After decompressing from the situation in High Peaks that morning, he’d tried to connect with Lena at her house but there was no answer.

With all that had happened the previous night and the week before, he could only imagine she was eating it up, putting in the hours, and peppering anyone and everyone for leads.

Like him, she had gone a different route.

Instead of following in the shadow of her family, hers being an illustrious local law firm, she’d opted to dip her toes into the world of reporting.

Each day was never the same. It offered a challenge that a courtroom couldn’t.

She wasn’t interested in defending or prosecuting, she just wanted to be the one who uncovered secrets .

Looking back now, he could see why they’d connected.

They had a lot in common. They were a mirror of each other.

Her, hell-bent on snagging a breaking story that would earn her the admiration of her peers and the respect of her family; him, doing the same except within the confines of law enforcement.

Although he hadn’t seen his ex in two years, they’d spoken countless times on the phone when arranging for him to see the kids. Lena preferred they headed his way, rather than him venturing up, knowing the issues Noah had with his father.

However, now he understood why.

Lena stepped out, almost on time.

She looked good. Really good.

Healthy. There was a glow to her cheeks.

She’d lost a few pounds, as most did after breaking away from the comfort of the monotonous and pursuing a new man.

Noah had to wonder if Aiden hadn’t gotten her hiking the forty-six peaks.

He’d never done all forty-six himself but it was almost like a rite of passage for those who grew up in the area.

“I’ll see you later,” Lena mouthed to Maggie, an editor who had been working there forever. No doubt she'd offered Lena her old job back the moment she returned home.

In the height of summer, Lena was dressed for comfort. She wore a light cream-colored dress dotted with flowers and brown sandals. Her hair was shorter now. There was a bounce to it. A pair of Ray-Bans were tucked neatly into the hair. She set them down to cover her eyes from the glare of the sun.

Lena adjusted her brown leather bag and ambled up the street.

She glanced across toward the sub store, and for a second, he thought she was going to cross, but instead an SUV came rolling down and stopped.

There was a large graphic on the side of it for a local church in the area, New Life Church.

The door opened and a Latino man got out, smiling.

Lena embraced him and kissed him on the lips.

“Huh?” Noah muttered.

The two spoke for several minutes before he handed off a brown paper bag and a coffee. Another kiss and he got back in and pulled away, heading south.

Noah didn’t care that she was seeing someone else. It wasn’t like they separated on bad terms. It was mutually agreed. But Dax had given him the impression that Aiden gave tours, not that he worked for a church.

After, Lena crossed the road and went into the bank.

Noah remained, chewing it over. It was bizarre.

“You going to order anything?” a young guy said from across the room.

The place was under new management. Back when he was a youngster, it was owned by a hearty fellow named Al Richards.

A nice guy that would give out a free sub from time to time.

Not this chump. He even had a lock on the bathroom door to prevent anyone who hadn’t ordered from using it.

Noah had bought a coffee but that was it.

When Noah didn’t reply, he walked over.

“Sir? Are you ordering or can I free up the seat?”

Noah looked around. The place was practically empty. He stifled a laugh. Right then Lena walked out of the post office. “Nah, I’m good. I was about to head out.” He exited and for a second he lost sight of Lena.

Then he spotted her.

She’d crossed the road that went around the back of the bank and cut through the parking lot.

Noah made a beeline after her, crossing the road, almost getting hit by a vehicle.

The guy honked his horn and Noah tossed up an apologetic hand.

When he made it around the back of the bank, he couldn’t see her, then he spotted her tossing some bread into the water.

She was standing on a bridge that arched over a slow-moving river close to the Saranac River Walk.

Noah made sure he had nothing on his top, he ran his hands through his hair and made his way over.

“You’ll attract the bears,” he said.

It was a joke between folks after an article came out advising locals to take down their bird feeders because there had been reports of bears scavenging for food.

She glanced his way, cupping a hand over her eyes to block the glare of noon sunshine. “Noah?”

A flicker of a smile danced on her lips only to vanish as quickly as it came.

As he got closer, a pained expression masked her face. Initially, without saying a word, she embraced him and held him. “I’m so sorry.”

He could tell she meant it. She held him for a moment longer. He breathed in the smell of her hair. For a second he was back there, in the past.

“Thanks.”

She stepped back from him.

“When did you get in?”

“Tuesday.”

“You’re staying with family?”

“No. I made other arrangements.”

She nodded. “How’s your father?”

“You know. Same old. Same old. I see him tonight.”

“And Kerri and the kids?’

He bypassed her question and delivered the one he wanted an answer for.

“Lena. I’ve been trying to get hold of you since Tuesday. It’s Thursday now. ”

“I know. I’m sorry. We went away with the kids. My phone has been on the blink. I had to get a new one. I would have texted you but I only picked it up last night.” She took it out of her bag and showed him as if she knew he would doubt her.

“I didn’t see you at the funeral.”

“No. I….” She sighed. “I thought it was best that we didn’t attend.”

“But the kids. They’re family. Luke is their uncle. He would have wanted them there.” He raised his voice ever so slightly. “I wanted them there.”

She gave a nod as she turned away to the railing of the bridge and looked down into the river. The surface glistened, gently lapping against the banks. “I don’t know how much Luke told you… but a lot has happened between our families. When did you last speak to him?”

“A few months ago. On his birthday. We mostly text. He didn’t always pick up when I called.”

“Right,” she said. “And he never said anything?”

“Nothing that struck me as unusual.”

She nodded.

“This is to do with the Cyrus Keller case, isn’t it?” Noah asked.

She confirmed it with a yes then looked away.

“I didn’t want to get caught in the middle of it but I did.

Luke thought he could get information from Jack about Cyrus.

He overstepped. I told him to stay away.

That he was barking up the wrong tree. Then when Cyrus was arrested my father stepped in as the defense attorney and that just tipped him over the edge.

That’s when the accusations started rolling in.

He accused my father of being paid with drug money to get him off.

” She snorted. “As if my father needs money,” she said, shaking her head.

Lena was right there. Her family came from wealth.

She tossed her cup of coffee into a trash bin nearby.

“ After that, he acted like we didn’t exist, and that went for Mia and Ethan. ”

“No. He wouldn’t do that. Not to them.”

“I’m telling the truth. I would see Luke from time to time parked outside our house in the evenings. He would drive by my workplace. My father said the same. It was getting scary. Intimidating. In the end, I had to get Aiden to speak to him.”

Noah took a deep breath, tightening his grip on the wooden railing.

It didn’t sound like Luke. That wasn’t his way. He wouldn’t have jeopardized his reputation or that of the Sheriff’s Office. That was everything to him.

In the light of day, he saw a twinkling rock on Lena’s finger.

“So, Aiden… he’s not a tour guide?”

She chuckled as if finding that amusing. “What?”

“Dax. He told me you were seeing some outdoorsy type. Who gave tours.”

“He does. But only in his downtime. He’s actually a full-time pastor. He likes to volunteer with a local outdoors facility for troubled youth in the summer months.”

“Of course he does,” Noah replied, running a hand around the back of his neck. “I thought you said you would never marry a religious person.”

“No, I said I wouldn’t marry someone who was married to their work. He’s not.”

That jab cut deep, bringing with it some of their final conversations before parting ways. “No, he’s just married to God.”

She glared at him.

He was quick to smooth things out. “Still, Aiden must be quite the catch.”

“He’s a good man, Noah.” She glanced at him. “Look, are you here to grill me or did you have another reason for coming?”

“I would like to see the kids. ”

“Sure, that can be arranged.”

“And I want to know how Jack came to find Keith Erikson’s body.”

She stared back at him as if surprised that he even knew.

“I know he told you. That’s how you got that article out so fast.”

“People deserve to know the truth. If we didn’t get it out, it would have hit the net. That’s my job.”

“And it’s my job to know the truth of how he came to find the body.”

“From what I hear, it’s not. You’re not involved. State sent someone else in to handle matters.”

“For Luke. Not Erikson. Now how did Jack find the body?”

She shook her head.

“Lena. This is me.”

“Hunting. Okay?”