Page 82 of It's a Wonderful Knife

“He does have nice suits.”

“Yeah, he does,” I said, grinning. “If I didn’t hate the bastard so much, I’d ask him who his tailor is. His jackets are not fused, my friend. That’s all hand stitching.”

Royce snorted a laugh. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m lucky I have a suit at all. I paid seventy dollars for it three years ago, and it has served me well.”

“Yes, I’ve seen your suit.” I grimaced. “I… uh… still love you even if your taste in suits is mortifying.”

He sighed. “That’s the nicest thing I’ve heard all day.”

We reached our cabin and made our way up the steps. When I heard a twig snap a few feet away, I stiffened. Royce heard it too, and he turned swiftly. He shone his flashlight toward the edge of the trees near the cabin.

“Is somebody there?” he called out.

Nobody responded, but I got the distinct feeling we were being watched. Royce started to move down the stairs, but I grabbed his arm. “Let’s just go inside.” My voice wobbled.

His jaw clenched, and he gave me a stubborn look. “Somebody is out there,” he said softly.

“I know.”

“I should check it out.” His muscles were tensed beneath my hand.

I swallowed hard. “What if they have a knife?” I knew Royce had chosen not to bring his service weapon on this trip. If the murderer was the one hovering out in the trees, he or she might stab Royce. The thought of that terrified me. “Let’s just go inside.”

He ignored me and headed down the steps. My stomach sank as he moved stealthily toward the trees. I wanted to follow him, but my feet felt frozen in place. Which was probably for the best. Knowing Royce, he wouldn’t want me to follow because he’d just have to worry about my safety too.

When he stepped into the greenery, my feet finally moved. There was no way I could just stand there and watch Royce. I practically tripped down the steps in my hurry to get to him before he disappeared from sight. Before I could reach him, he started struggling with someone.

I heard a hoarse cry, and then Royce dragged Dakota out of the trees. The boy’s eyes were wide, and he looked scared. “Don’t hurt me. Please, I didn’t do anything.”

“Dakota?” I frowned, watching as Royce led the kid closer. “What are you doing outside?”

His cheeks were flushed and his eyes glittered with distress. “I… I wanted to speak to Royce, b… but I didn’t want anyone to know.”

Royce kept a tight grip on Dakota’s arm. “Let’s go inside where we can talk.” His breaths were visible in the frigid air. He marched Dakota up the steps, and I followed. “Max, can you unlock the door? The key is in my coat pocket.”

I ran up the steps and slipped my hand into his pocket. I felt the small carved elf, and I tugged it out of his coat. With shaking hands, I unlocked the door and pushed it open. I entered the cabin first, and they followed.

“Sit, Dakota,” Royce said gruffly, pointing to one of the kitchen chairs.

With bowed shoulders, Dakota obeyed. He sat with his head down, shivering every few seconds. “I’m sorry to cause you trouble. That wasn’t my intention.”

Royce studied him, his expression difficult to read. “What’s so urgent you need to sneak around in the night? Don’t you know that’s a foolish thing to do under the circumstances?”

Unless you’re the killer?

Dakota licked his lips. “Like I said, I wanted to talk to you in secret.”

I frowned. “Why the urgency? Royce is going to talk to everyone eventually.”

Dakota sighed. “By the time you get to me, it might be too late.”

“That’s rather cryptic,” I murmured.

“I’m scared. I’ve seen things, and people might know I’ve seen things.”

“What have you seen?” Royce frowned.

Dakota glanced toward the dark window. “Before you got here, something weird was going on here.”