to ask the cop directly.
“Nine-one-one would work well, but I live two kilometers away,” the cop gestured behind him, “and I could respond faster than any officer on duty in Banff. Oh, and I can see you’re wearing a Medic-Alert bracelet. I’ll let the local paramedics know.” The cop stepped back and examined the front of the house. “See, around here we all stick together and get to know each other.”
Eric glanced back at Tessa again. She could see he was working up the courage to be more forthright.
“Thanks again, folks, and sorry to bother you,” the cop said as he turned and walked to his car.
“Wait,” Eric said. “Is there something we should know about?”
The cop looked up and down the length of the porch then studied his boots like they were on the wrong feet. He lifted his left foot and inspected the underside.
Weird.
“There’s nothing to know about,” the cop said. “Consider this a personal housewarming gift from a neighbor who happens to be a cop.”
“I need to be honest. As kind as this seems on the surface, it feels like there’s more purpose than a neighborly gesture. Did something happen here? In our house? Is that why we got it so cheap?”
“Nothing happened that we know of.”
“What does that mean? Did something happen that you don’t know of?”
“Look, just call me if you need me. Really, everything’s fine. I only wanted to welcome you to the area.”
The RCMP officer adjusted his Stetson and turned toward his car. Tessa’s stomach felt unsettled at how the cop acted. Could there have been a crime committed on their property or something worse? She’d never been welcomed in any home by a local cop offering his personal number.
She stared at the officer’s back as he got to his car. When she looked at Eric, he stared at her. She knew he’d seen her expression of concern.
Eric turned back to the cop. “Sir, please …” He jogged up to the front of the cruiser.
From where she stood, Tessa could barely hear what the cop was saying. She stepped down front the steps to get within earshot.
“… a man, Jared Tavallo, went missing last October after hunting in this area. We had detected his footprints in the snow, but they were quite faded by the time we found them. At this point, he’s still missing, and now that most of the snow is gone, his family has been roaming the area looking for his body.”
“What’s that got to do with us?” Eric asked.
“His tracks were found around here.”
“But there’s nothing wrong with the house, right? I mean, we did get it pretty cheap.”
“Jared’s hunting rifle was found on your porch. Everyone knows that, but when we searched the house, we found nothing.”
Tessa could tell the cop was lying. The whole conversation, he’d looked at either one of them directly when he talked. He seemed sure of himself as a veteran of the RCMP. But when he said they’d found nothing in the house, he looked away and fiddled with his car keys as if lost in thought.
Eric would’ve caught it too. He was a writer and claimed to be a people watcher. He studied them to grab nuances and character traits that he could offer his characters.
“Okay, well, thanks officer. We’ll keep our eyes open, and at least now we’ll know what they’re doing if we see people wandering around the property.”
The cop nodded and slid into his cruiser. He backed the car up, spun the wheel and drove down their narrow driveway too fast for the curves.
“What was that all about?” Tessa asked. “I’m seriously creeped out now.”
“I don’t know, but I intend to find out.”
Chapter 3
Tessa stayed on the porch as Eric walked into the house, no doubt on his way to the computer to see what he could research on the house and area.
I know him too well.
She took in a deep breath and detected the faint smell of
“Nine-one-one would work well, but I live two kilometers away,” the cop gestured behind him, “and I could respond faster than any officer on duty in Banff. Oh, and I can see you’re wearing a Medic-Alert bracelet. I’ll let the local paramedics know.” The cop stepped back and examined the front of the house. “See, around here we all stick together and get to know each other.”
Eric glanced back at Tessa again. She could see he was working up the courage to be more forthright.
“Thanks again, folks, and sorry to bother you,” the cop said as he turned and walked to his car.
“Wait,” Eric said. “Is there something we should know about?”
The cop looked up and down the length of the porch then studied his boots like they were on the wrong feet. He lifted his left foot and inspected the underside.
Weird.
“There’s nothing to know about,” the cop said. “Consider this a personal housewarming gift from a neighbor who happens to be a cop.”
“I need to be honest. As kind as this seems on the surface, it feels like there’s more purpose than a neighborly gesture. Did something happen here? In our house? Is that why we got it so cheap?”
“Nothing happened that we know of.”
“What does that mean? Did something happen that you don’t know of?”
“Look, just call me if you need me. Really, everything’s fine. I only wanted to welcome you to the area.”
The RCMP officer adjusted his Stetson and turned toward his car. Tessa’s stomach felt unsettled at how the cop acted. Could there have been a crime committed on their property or something worse? She’d never been welcomed in any home by a local cop offering his personal number.
She stared at the officer’s back as he got to his car. When she looked at Eric, he stared at her. She knew he’d seen her expression of concern.
Eric turned back to the cop. “Sir, please …” He jogged up to the front of the cruiser.
From where she stood, Tessa could barely hear what the cop was saying. She stepped down front the steps to get within earshot.
“… a man, Jared Tavallo, went missing last October after hunting in this area. We had detected his footprints in the snow, but they were quite faded by the time we found them. At this point, he’s still missing, and now that most of the snow is gone, his family has been roaming the area looking for his body.”
“What’s that got to do with us?” Eric asked.
“His tracks were found around here.”
“But there’s nothing wrong with the house, right? I mean, we did get it pretty cheap.”
“Jared’s hunting rifle was found on your porch. Everyone knows that, but when we searched the house, we found nothing.”
Tessa could tell the cop was lying. The whole conversation, he’d looked at either one of them directly when he talked. He seemed sure of himself as a veteran of the RCMP. But when he said they’d found nothing in the house, he looked away and fiddled with his car keys as if lost in thought.
Eric would’ve caught it too. He was a writer and claimed to be a people watcher. He studied them to grab nuances and character traits that he could offer his characters.
“Okay, well, thanks officer. We’ll keep our eyes open, and at least now we’ll know what they’re doing if we see people wandering around the property.”
The cop nodded and slid into his cruiser. He backed the car up, spun the wheel and drove down their narrow driveway too fast for the curves.
“What was that all about?” Tessa asked. “I’m seriously creeped out now.”
“I don’t know, but I intend to find out.”
Chapter 3
Tessa stayed on the porch as Eric walked into the house, no doubt on his way to the computer to see what he could research on the house and area.
I know him too well.
She took in a deep breath and detected the faint smell of
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