Page 69 of Snowbound Threat

“I don’t want you staying alone. After what happened today and the message left at Pete’s place, it’s not safe.”

She prepared to argue but he needed her to hear him out.

“Charlie, do you understand how dangerous this is? Someone wants to do more than scare you off. They want to silence you. And they won’t stop until that happens.”

She jerked back as if he’d struck her and he felt like a heel.

“I’m sorry. But I need you to listen to me.”

Her wide, round eyes held his. “What would you have me to do, Ryan? Give up? Run away like I did before.” She choked the words out. “I won’t do that. Not again.”

“I’m not asking you to. But it’s not safe to return to your uncle’s place. You can come stay with me.”

Her stony reaction showed she disliked the suggestion.

“We both lost Abby. Your uncle. You know I loved your parents.” He stopped and gathered a breath. “I can’t lose you, too.”

All the fight went out of her. “Okay, but won’t our suspect be expecting me to go to you? If it’s what we suspect and this personis from Pine Haven, then they’ll know about our past connection. They’ll expect me to be with you.”

Past connection. The words stuck in his head, hanging on “past.”

As if past tense. As in finished.

“You’re right. My place would be the obvious location to take you. Best to play it safe. I’ll reach out to Boone for a suggestion.”

“How do you think he keeps finding us?”

He’d wondered the same thing. “I’m guessing he followed us today. But it’s possible he’s listening in on our transmission. Everyone in town has a police scanner. It helps in the wintertime between tourist seasons. To be safe, I’ll let Boone know all future transmissions should be by phone.”

If the suspect was using the scanner to track them, it could be anyone in town. Still, one thought troubled him. He hadn’t used the radio to coordinate the trip to Abby’s family home. Somehow, he’d missed the suspect trailing them and that scared him. Charlie’s life depended on him staying sharp. He couldn’t let his feelings for her get in the way of him doing his job.

Charlie faced forward again as they drove past the shops in town toward The Avalanche Café while his mind tried to work out the missing pieces of the puzzle.

While growing up, Ryan couldn’t imagine Lila running her family’s café. She’d been a bit of a wild child. A skilled downhill skier and a stellar athlete—not to mention an amazing artist. He’d expected her to try out for the Olympic ski team, but Lila never really took the sport seriously. She told him once she skied for fun. Why ruin it with a competition?

After she’d graduated from high school, she moved to New York and then to Paris to study art. But it wasn’t long before she returned to Pine Haven and began working at the café. She told him she missed the small-town life and the café.

As soon as he parked, Lila exited the café as if she’d been watching for them. She hugged Charlie then him. “Are you both okay? I heard the call come over the scanner.”

Ryan should have known. Lila told him listening to her police scanner helped pass the boring moments in Pine Haven. There were many people who came into the café to discuss what they heard over the scanner. It was cheap entertainment, he guessed.

“We’re both fine,” Charlie assured her.

Ryan glanced at the passing traffic with unease. He also kept his eyes on the customers coming in and out of the café. “We should get your things and leave. I don’t like you being out here in the open like this.”

“Wait, you’re leaving?” Lila’s disappointment was clear. “I’d hoped we’d have more time to catch up.”

Charlie gave her another hug. “I’m sorry. Hopefully soon. Once whatever is happening now is over.”

Lila slowly nodded. “I’m going to hold you to that. Don’t disappear again.”

Charlie didn’t answer. Ryan believed as soon as this was over and she’d settled her uncle’s estate, she’d do exactly that. Running from the ghosts that chased her.

“I’d better get back inside. I suppose you don’t have time for lunch?”

Ryan answered for them. “We should be on our way.”

Lila turned to go then stopped. “I almost forgot. Did Eddie reach you?”