Page 85 of Snowbound Threat

He noticed her watching him and realized he was probably giving too much away. Would there be a time for them when the heavy past wouldn’t be standing in the way?

His cell phone rang. Ryan picked it up and noticed the number. “It’s Boone.” Abandoning all other thoughts, he answered the call and put it on speaker for Charlie. “Were you able to speak with Grant or Jason?”

Boone sighed deeply. “I was and I talked to Jason with his father present.”

Charlie, seeming unable to sit by and do nothing, cleared the table while she listened.

“According to both, they weren’t around when Pete would have been killed.”

“I don’t think that’s the truth.” Ryan told him what Lila said about connecting with Jason.

“I’ll confirm the timeframe with Lila,” Boone assured him.

Ryan still wasn’t convinced of Jason’s innocence. “He could have hired someone to administer the potassium chloride. I doubt that either man is the type to get their hands dirty.”

“It’s possible,” Boone said. “I’m checking their alibies as well as anyone connected to them who might have done the job. I have Will checking where the drug might have been purchased. It doesn’t appear to have been stolen from the hospital or any clinic around the area. We’re investigating veterinary clinics as well as agricultural supply businesses. Potassium chloride is commonly utilized in fertilizers and is also distributed to laboratories for research purposes,” Boone stated. “Of course,there’s always the possibility it was purchased off the Dark Web.”

“If that’s the case, it’ll be hard if not impossible to track,” Ryan added. “What did he say about Abby?”

Boone told them not much. “Only that he barely knew her and didn’t remember seeing her before she went missing.”

“That’s a lie,” Charlie interjected angrily. She told Boone what Lila said.

“Well, that’s concerning. I’ll speak with Lila and get all the details, then we’ll go back to Jason and his father with what Lila said.”

Ryan told them about what Charlie remembered. “I think we should speak with Abby’s parents again. Maybe she mentioned something about this boy she was interested in.”

“Let’s hope. We really could use a break. The one thing we know for certain is we have a killer out there somewhere who is willing to kill again to keep from being discovered. Call me if you find anything from Abby’s parents.”

“I will.” Ryan ended the call as an uneasy weight settled over him. Outside, the weather had turned ugly turning the afternoon to dusk. More snow was on the way. The weather predicted another six to eight inches overnight.

He helped Charlie with the dishes then went over to the window and cracked the curtains enough to look out. If the storm hit, the road outside the property would be unpassable until the snowplows came through. The idea didn’t sit well.

“Should we call Abby’s parents now?” Charlie stopped behind him. His attention remained on the gathering darkness outside through the slit in the curtains.

“What’s wrong? Do you see something?” She continued to search his face. “Ryan, what is it?”

He shook his head and turned to her. “I don’t know. Just the case, I guess.” He didn’t really answer her question, but itwas the best he could do because that bad feeling chasing him wouldn’t go away.

“You think he’ll come here?” The fear in her eyes was real.

He couldn’t give her a positive no. “We weren’t followed, I made sure of it, but it wouldn’t take much digging for the killer to find this place.”

She visibly shivered. “Should we leave before the storm hits? In a few hours we’ll be stuck here until the road is plowed.”

Hearing her mimic his thoughts made the decision easy. “Let’s go. We’ll head to the station and figure it out from there.”

Charlie retrieved her bag from the room where she’d placed it while he extinguished the fire and checked to confirm everything was off before grabbing his things.

He met Charlie at the door. Ryan slipped into his coat and helped her into hers. “Give me a second to take a look around. Lock the door behind me. I’ll be right back.”

She didn’t argue, confirming she understood the seriousness of their situation.

Ryan grabbed his weapon and flashlight and stepped from the house waiting until she’d locked the door before clicking on the light. Normally, a darkness like this was hours away but thanks to the incoming storm it appeared like night.

He stepped from the porch flashing the light around their isolated surroundings.

Nothing moved. Still, the feeling of impending danger wouldn’t go away.