Alaska Twilight (25 page)

Gus glanced at Haley from under bushy gray brows.

“Your girlfriend saw more than me.”

Tank ignored the girlfriend remark, but he saw Haley blush. There was something between them, and others could see it, but it had about as much chance of surviving as a lupine in saltwater. Haley shook her head. “I didn’t see much. I wish I could have identified the man.”

“You have any enemies, Gus?” Tank asked.

Gus spat a brown stream of tobacco onto the charred ground. “No more than the next man.” He glanced at Haley. “Leastways you didn’t lose your film. Sent it off on the last plane out.”

“Oh, you darling man!” Haley planted a kiss on Gus’s grizzled cheek. “I wasn’t even going to ask. I figured you had enough to worry about without me whining about my film.” She stepped back and snapped a picture of Gus with his mouth hanging open.

Tank tried not to grin, but Gus must have seen the amusement in his eyes. He flushed a dull red and backed away, mumbling something about having to get to work. Tank didn’t try to contain his laughter any longer. “I bet the last time someone kissed him was at the turn of the century.”

Haley took a picture of Tank. “This is proof that you know how to smile.”

“You’ve seen me smile before.”

“Yeah, like this.” She barely lifted the corners of her mouth. “I can actually see your teeth in this one.”

He burst out laughing. “Have I been that dour?”

She nodded. “You take your responsibilities very seriously.”

“I’ll try to do better. I actually like telling jokes. Your boss rubs me the wrong way, and I’ve been taking it out on everyone else. Sorry.”

“You’re forgiven.” She snapped another photo. “I’d kill for a latte. Does anyone in this town have an espresso machine?”

“We don’t drink froufrou coffee. The coffee at the café is strong enough to grow hair on your chest. You could ask them to heat some milk and try to cobble together something that tastes like a latte. It’s not espresso, but it might do.”

She stopped and stared up at him. “You know what a latte is?”

“I’m not a complete backwoods Joe. I’ve been to Anchorage.”

She rolled her eyes. “A true metropolis, Mr. Paul Bunyan.”

“Paul Bunyan lived in Minnesota. This is Alaska, in case you were lost. Though it might be a pretty apt description of me if you’d ever seen me wield an axe.” When her smile came again, he realized he’d been watching for it. They were engaged in a flirtation, and it felt good. Wonderful, in fact. He hadn’t felt this alive since Leigh died. He took a step back. “I guess I’d better help Gus clean up. See you later.”

He told himself he wasn’t running away.

Haley hummed as she walked Oscar. He tugged her in the direction of the park, and she let herself be pulled that way. She glanced over at the burned remains of the store. Tank had his shirt off and was shoveling charred debris from the floor. She averted her eyes at the sight of his muscular back and arms. He was too beautiful to be real. She giggled nervously at the thought of how he’d react if she told him that.

Augusta sat on the park bench watching the cleanup. Oscar leaped into her lap, and she petted him. Dark circles rimmed her eyes. She hadn’t slept well last night, and it showed today.

Haley sat beside her. “You doing okay?”

“I think you’re right. We should never have come here. I’m not sure what I’ve gotten us into.”

“We have Joy as a result. It can’t be all bad.”

“I’m not sure how we’re going to work out living arrangements though. She’s adamant about staying in Alaska.”

“You could always move to Anchorage.” Haley smiled, knowing Augusta would be horrified at the idea.

“I’ve been thinking about it.”

Haley gaped. “You’re kidding.”

“You’re grown and are off trotting the globe most of the time. I should think about slowing down, and I can write anywhere. I don’t have to stay in Phoenix.”

“But what a change! Cold, dark days through the winter when you’re used to warm sunshine? I couldn’t do it.” She shivered. Augusta said Joy would never take Haley’s place, but it looked like the young girl was going to succeed in that as well. A hollow feeling lodged under her left rib, and she told herself it wasn’t jealousy. She was already beginning to love Joy too. Or at least she thought she was.

“I’ve seen the way you look at Tank, Haley. Don’t shut love out just because you’re afraid.”

“I could never live here.” Haley stood. “Where is Joy, anyway?”

“She helps out at the health clinic.” Augusta pointed to a corner building.

“That girl is as energetic as Oscar.” Her dog’s ears perked at the mention of his name. “We’ll be back in a little while.” She went down the street.

A clapboard building housed the clinic. The peeling clapboards sorely needed a new coat of white paint. A red sign proclaimed it the Stalwart Health Clinic with morning hours only. Dr. Joe Wooten’s name hung below the sign. Had he been the only doctor in town? Haley wondered how the clinic stayed open with the doctor dead.

She pushed open the door and heard a bell above her head tinkle. Oscar crouched at her feet, then barked ferociously at the sound. “Shh, Oscar. That’s enough.” She pulled on his leash, and he subsided. He’d get them both thrown out of here. The waiting room was empty and had the sharp sting of antiseptic in the air.

“Be right with you,” a female voice called from beyond the closed door to Haley’s left. It didn’t sound like Joy.

Haley looked at the picture and certificates on the walls. Dr. Wooten’s awards covered the smaller wall by the door, and pictures of Alaska wildlife decorated the larger one. The photographer was good. One shot of a wolverine was particularly artistic and showed the ferocious glare in the animal’s eyes.

The door to the exam room opened, and a large, rawboned woman dressed in denim overalls stepped out. Her gray hair was pulled back in a neat bun at the nape of her neck, and she wore what looked like bear claws around her neck. Haley gave a tentative smile, assuming it was a patient until the woman pinned her in place with a pointed black-eyed glance.

“You’re not from Stalwart,” she stated. “I’m Vonnie Bird. Can I help you?”

“I was looking for Joy,” Haley stammered. The woman’s supreme self-confidence made her feel like a kid.

“Joy!” Vonnie yelled through the open door.

Joy came through the door holding a cat. The feline saw Oscar and arched its back. It hissed and swiped its claws over Joy’s arm. “Ow!” She loosened her hold on the cat, and it shot out of her arms and landed on Oscar’s back. Oscar’s howl sounded like a scream. He tore off under the chair with the cat still clinging to his back. The ensuing scuffle overturned the chair, then the cat emerged with a victorious swagger, its tail held high.

Haley dropped to her knees to check on her dog. Oscar was a quivering mass of gray and white fur. “Come here, boy. It’s okay. The mean cat is gone.”

“I don’t know what got into Sesi.” Joy scooped up the cat and deposited it in the other room, then shut the door.

“No harm done.” Oscar was still quivering in her arms, and Haley rubbed his ears.

“Vonnie, this is my—my sister, Haley Walsh,” Joy said.

“Oh, you’re the new sister.” Vonnie gave Haley’s hand a decisive shake. “You found my boss’s body, isn’t that right?”

“I was with the group, yes. I’m sorry about his death.”

Vonnie nodded. “It was a shock. He was a good boss. I’ve wanted to meet you. Now that you’re here, and so is Joy, I think we need to have a talk. Have a seat, and I’ll get us some coffee. How do you take yours?”

“A talk? What do you mean?” Haley perched on the edge of a chair, and Joy did the same.

Vonnie went to a cart that held a Bunn coffeemaker and cups. She poured out two cups of coffee. “Cream and sugar?”

“Please.”

Vonnie handed her a cup. “You want some tea, Joy?”

“No thanks.” Joy’s voice was subdued, and Haley spared a quick glance at her. She sat twisting her hands together in her lap, and she wouldn’t look at Haley.

Haley took a quick sip of her coffee and forced it down. The bitter, burned flavor clung to her tongue. She set the cup on the table and looked at Vonnie expectantly.

Vonnie pulled a chair up to face the other two. “I’ve held my tongue for years. With Dr. Wooten dead, I think I need to tell the truth now. Joy doesn’t want me to tell it, but I’ve got to.” She shot a glance toward the girl.

Haley’s curiosity roused further. If it affected her and Joy, then it must have something to do with her parents. “Okay. I’m listening.”

Vonnie sipped her coffee, then grimaced. “Sorry, this stuff is undrinkable.” She leaned forward and set her cup down beside Haley’s. She pursed her lips and blew out a breath. “Dr. Wooten was a good doctor, but he had his faults too.” She fiddled with the buckle on her overall strap.

Haley remained silent. Vonnie needed to tell this in her own way. It was obviously hard for her to betray her boss, even though he was dead.

“I already know,” Joy said in a low voice. “He was having an affair with Maggie. I saw them together once, kissing.”

Haley felt nothing. Her mother was such a distant figure, and she’d long ago toppled off the pedestal Haley had once put her on. “Did my father know?”

“I don’t know,” Joy said.

“He did,” Vonnie stated. “He and Dr. Wooten had a ferocious argument here in the office two days before the fire. Your father said he was filing a complaint with the medical board ethics committee.”

“Over the affair?”

“I’m not sure. I thought at first it might just be sexual misconduct. She was his patient. But somehow I thought it might be more than that. Dr. Wooten seemed enraged over it. I heard him tell Grady he’d better keep his mouth shut or he wouldn’t like the consequences. Two days later, Grady and Maggie were both dead.”

“Are you saying you think Dr. Wooten had something to do with my parents’ deaths?” Haley couldn’t hide her skepticism.

“Maybe. I considered going to Chet Gillespie, but I needed my job. It’s not pretty admitting I was such a coward. But it’s time the truth was known.”

Haley wasn’t sure she could take any more truth. A headache began to build behind her temples. What kind of woman had her mother been?

Twenty

T
ank’s steps were slow and heavy as he approached the shop where he was meeting Libby. Brooke skipped along ahead of him. He was in no mood to buy new sneakers for Brooke. Not after his boss informed him that he was to arrange for hunters to track and destroy the bear. He’d hoped to be able to transplant it.

The bear would die anyway if they moved it
, he told himself. It was too old to get food in the natural way. This was more humane, but it still felt wrong. He put his problems away and pasted a smile on his face as he stepped inside the shop and looked around.

Brooke ran to meet Libby. “Aunt Libby, we’re here!”

Libby’s pensive expression brightened, and she turned to show Brooke a pair of pink sneakers with flowers on them.

Libby’s loneliness bothered him, and he wished he could do something about it. A brother’s company was a poor substitute for the camaraderie she needed. Too bad Haley wasn’t staying around. The two had really hit it off. He joined the two women in his life and agreed the shoes were perfect. Ten minutes later and fifteen dollars poorer, the three of them were back outside on the sidewalk.

Libby guided them toward the hotel. “I hope you don’t mind, but I invited Haley along. She came back upset about something. I thought, between the two of us, we could worm it out of her.”

“Where is she?”

“She should be right down. She went up to drop Oscar in the room.” Libby tipped her head up to look at him. “I see that look in your eye. You can tell me how you feel about her, Tank.”

“I like her,” he said, avoiding her gaze. “That’s all.”

Libby sighed. “She avoids the subject, just like you. I think she’s the one.”

“Oh yeah? You ever seen a marriage that worked when the couple didn’t live together? She’d never live here, and I’d never live anywhere else. Solve that one, Sherlock.”

Libby sobered. “Okay, that’s a problem. But if you love each other, it can be fixed.”

“Who said anything about love? I like her, okay? That’s as far as it goes.”

“You could love her if you let yourself.”

“Maybe I could, but I’m not going to let myself. There’s no future in it, and plenty of other puzzles to solve right now. Besides, she has issues with God she needs to clear up, and I don’t want to get in the way.”

“Do you have to analyze everything? You’re always talking about trusting God. Don’t you ever want to step out on a limb without scientifically examining it first? There might be a pleasant surprise out there.”

“Yeah, a broken neck.” He grinned. “Drop it, sis. This isn’t going anywhere.”

“I’d like her for a sister-in-law.” Libby thrust out a stubborn chin. “It could be worked out.”

“Six months here and six months in Phoenix, right?” Tank couldn’t believe he was even discussing this with his sister. He couldn’t deny he cared about Haley, but he had no interest in pursuing her. It would be like picking up a bear cub with the sow in the same den.