Murder at Granite Falls by Roxanne Rustand Page A

dangerous, and she’d heard there were plenty of both in the area.

    “Come on, Murphy. Go find Logan.” She snapped her fingers and opened the door, and the dog shot down the stairs, his tail wagging. At least with Murphy at his side, Logan would have some warning. And until she saw both of them return to the boathouse, she wasn’t going to move away from the window.
     
    Logan and his dog had been out patrolling the property until nearly one o’clock last night. Carrie had stayed at her window, tense and breathless, murmuring a litany of prayers for his safety, until she’d seen both of them trudge back to the boathouse. At the doorway he’d looked up at her window, given her a thumbs-up signal, then the two of them had disappeared inside.
    She had no doubt that the boathouse had offered little in the way of comfort and that he was far more tired than she, but when she got in her car to head for school in the morning, he was already out on the riverbank, talking to two tourists who apparently wanted to go down the river.
    When she returned after teaching school, he’d just pulled in from another raft trip. As soon as he saw her, he walked over and gave her shoulders a quick hug. “Everything okay?”
    She felt her heart warm at his concern. “Good. But you’re the one who was outside so late. You must be exhausted.”
    Luckily, the final two float trips of the day both ended at five o’clock, and the last of the passengers were out of the parking lot a half hour later. As soon as the equipment was stowed away, Tina waved goodbye and headed for her pickup, and Logan took off for some supplies in Billings.
    “Thanks for helping out, Carrie.” Penny looked at her watch. “We’re actually done a little early today, and the theater in town changes its shows on Tuesdays. Want to grab some dinner in town and catch a movie afterward?”
    “Sounds like fun.”

    “We could meet at my aunt’s place in town at six or so, then go to Northern Lights Steak House—a little pricier but fabulous—or Lindy’s, good food, woodsy atmosphere. You choose.”
    “My heart says Northern Lights. But…”
    “Lindy’s it is.” Penny grinned. “I don’t know when I last had a night out like this. I’ll send Logan a text message. If he gets back in time, maybe he’ll want to join us.”
    Dinner, a movie. Harmless good times with friends and nothing more. “Um…that sounds fine.”
    Penny eyed her closely. “Are you sure?”
    “Of course. Sort of a coworker night out, right?”
    “Exactly.” Penny paused at the door of her truck and looked back. “We can leave Murphy with Aunt Betty for the evening, then you can pick him up on your way home so you don’t need to come back here alone.”
    Carrie glanced around, remembering just how quiet this place was when everyone was gone. Even if she’d been longing for an early night, it would be nice not to spend it by herself. “Good idea.”
    Carrie waved as Penny drove away, then leaned down to give Murphy’s shaggy neck a hug. “You need a bath, buddy, if you’re visiting Aunt Betty, and then I need a shower. I guess we’d better get moving.”
     
    Dinner at the rustic little restaurant overlooking a rushing mountain stream—a crispy Caesar salad, perfectly grilled rib eye and a fluffy baked sweet potato slathered in cinnamon butter—was perfect.
    Now they walked out of the small family-run theater with its uneven wood floors and movie memorabilia on the walls from its early days back in the thirties, and slowed to a halt in front as several dozen other patrons drifted away.
    “I guess I forgot to mention that they run mostly vintage andsecond-run family movies here,” Penny said. “And the titles on the marquee don’t always match what’s running inside. Gramps Anderson doesn’t like climbing the ladder much anymore, and all his grandkids have moved away. The locals don’t think about it.”
    Carrie grinned. “I’ve always liked Maureen O’Hara and John