Her Darkest Nightmare by Brenda Novak

the back of Shorty’s SUV. He agreed to deliver it to the State Medical Examiner in Anchorage for me. But I radioed him. He’s coming back to meet us.”
    She tapped her fingers on the armrest attached to the door. “So we’ll meet him somewhere?”
    â€œAt my trooper post.”
    Silence.
    â€œWe’ll just take a quick peek out in front.” He didn’t want her to think they’d be carrying the body bag into the office. Peering into Shorty’s SUV would be gruesome enough.
    Again, she made no comment.
    He lowered his visor to keep the sun from reflecting off the snow. The storm had moved on almost as quickly as it had hit, but the weather could worsen at any time, obliterating any evidence the killer might’ve left behind and making it impossible to find the rest of the victim—if they had any chance of doing that in the first place.
    When they passed The Dinky Diner, Amarok’s stomach rumbled. He hadn’t eaten. But he couldn’t take the time to stop. “How well do you know the woman who runs the kitchen at Hanover House?”
    â€œI let her stay with me for a couple of weeks in October when she and her husband were splitting up. She was”—her voice broke, but she gained control—“sort of like a second mother to me.”
    â€œShe’s not the one you were thinking of staying with last night.…”
    â€œYes.” The word, when she uttered it, was barely audible.
    â€œAnd Danielle?”
    â€œI don’t know her as well. She moved to Alaska a few months ago to pursue a relationship that began online, but … it didn’t work out. I don’t think she’s planning on staying long-term. If only for the money, she’d leave right away.”
    â€œYou hired her knowing she was a short-timer?” He hoped a bit of small talk might put Evelyn at ease, but it seemed to have no effect.
    â€œHer job didn’t require much training. Lorraine talked the warden into it. She was like that, always took in strays.”
    Edging to the far right of the road, he slowed to allow a car coming from the opposite direction to squeeze past. “Danielle’s been missing since yesterday?”
    â€œI don’t know that she’s missing . She didn’t come to work. Lorraine was going to check on her. That’s all I can tell you.”
    â€œWhat does Danielle look like?”
    â€œLong dark hair. Dark eyes. Young. Pretty.”
    A girl fitting that description had been drinking at the Moosehead last weekend. He remembered because she’d hit on him several times. “And Lorraine?”
    â€œShort hair, dyed a reddish brown.”
    He bit back a curse. “Was she middle-aged?”
    When Evelyn winced but nodded, he turned down the radio. “Listen.…”
    The hollow misery in her eyes gave him a front row seat to her suffering. “What?”
    He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Damn it, this … shit, this violent shit, was what he’d hoped to avoid when he’d tried to rally the citizens of Hilltop to fight the construction of a maximum-security prison so close to their homes and families. If not for the silver-tongued mayor, Amarok wouldn’t have backed down. Then this never would’ve happened. He felt certain of it. Not here.
    Evelyn wouldn’t have come to town, either. But that was good, like he’d said last night. Then he wouldn’t have started fantasizing about a woman who would only leave him, even if he managed to develop a relationship with her.
    â€œIt’s not Danielle,” he said as gently as he could.
    Tears slipped down her cheeks, but he supposed she was still holding out hope, because she didn’t succumb to her grief until they reached his post.
    When Shorty opened the hatch of his SUV and unzipped the plastic covering what rested inside, she whispered, “Lorraine.” She would’ve sunk to the ground