Cold River - Carla Neggers [111]
“Hannah’s a private person,” Elijah said.
“I got out of there as early as I could. Maybe I made a mistake staying last night, but I wasn’t leaving her there alone.”
His brother gave him an unwavering look. “What’s between you two is your business. You’re old enough to take care of yourself.” He grinned. “Hannah can take care of you, too. I don’t worry about her.”
“She has more friends in this town than I do.”
“Than any of us. She’s got backbone, she’s a hard worker and she’s a gentle soul.”
“I don’t intend to break her heart.”
Elijah was silent a moment. “I didn’t intend to break Jo’s heart.”
“Have you heard from her?”
“Nope.”
They climbed out of the truck into the dry, heart-stopping cold of January in northern New England. The front had blown in overnight. It was Sean’s favorite kind of winter day. Why hadn’t he just grabbed Hannah and pulled her back under the blankets?
Elijah looked at his younger brother as they walked across their sister’s frozen driveway. “This is your show.”
Sean nodded without argument. “What if she’s not up?”
“Then we get her up,” Elijah said.
They found Rose already out in the snow with Ranger. Sean saw from her expression that she knew they weren’t there to help her fill her wood box or sand her walks. He didn’t give her a chance to adjust. “A California arson investigator named Jasper Vanderhorn was killed in a fire last June. How well did you know him?”
She glanced at Elijah, then looked out at her dog pawing in a snowbank. “Not well. I know what you’re asking. Yes, I’m just afraid my distractions helped cause his death.”
Sean shook his head. “There’s no evidence of that. The fire was still hot. It shouldn’t have been. That’s not your area of expertise.”
“Does Jo suspect Jasper’s a potential victim of these killers? Or do you?”
Sean didn’t back down. “What happened in California?”
“Nothing that matters. Please don’t ask me anything else, Sean. If the police have questions for me, they can ask them. Pop’s gone, but you and Elijah and A.J. aren’t his replacements. You’re my brothers.”
“You weren’t in town in November,” Elijah said.
She was silent.
Sean steadied himself against the bitter cold.
“I hired Bowie,” Rose said. “It’s not a secret. It’s just none of your business.”
Elijah stabbed a toe into a snowbank. If he was patient with Hannah, he wasn’t with his sister. “He’d just gotten out of jail. He’s on probation—”
“I know. He also fixed my stone wall.”
Sean nodded to the fading sunrise. “Nice view of the lodge from here.”
Rose wasn’t as combative now. “I think Hannah noticed, too. Other people have been up here. Judge Robinson, the McBanes, Lowell Whittaker. Dozens of people could have inadvertently mentioned the view to the wrong person. We don’t even know the bomb was triggered here.”
“We’re done,” Elijah said, turning to his sister. “You’re not staying here alone.”
“My house isn’t the only point on this road the killer could have used.”
Elijah ignored her. “The lake, A.J.’s, the lodge. Pick one. Pack. Let’s go.”
Ranger sat on Rose’s foot, as if he wanted to get as close to her as possible. She didn’t back down. “Maybe I’ll fly to California and stay at Sean’s house and swim in his heated pool.”
Elijah didn’t back down, either. “That’d work.”
Sean noticed the barest flicker of pain in his sister’s eyes as she shook her head. “No, it wouldn’t work. Elijah, I’ll stay with you. I know it must be lonely for you without Jo.” She immediately gasped and said, “I’m sorry. That was a low blow.”
Elijah grinned at her. “Nah. You just stated a fact. It is lonely without her.”
“You and Jo were by Melanie Kendall’s car that day. You’d just grabbed Nora out of the front seat. She’s an innocent teenager. She could have been blown up. You and Jo…” Rose inhaled. “If whoever set off that bomb did it here…I don’t care if he was used or paid off, if Bowie was involved—”
“First things first,” Elijah said. “Get your