Nate decided to visit Vern alone. He felt a little bad leaving Jessica behind. But after a sleepless night, with thoughts of Sally and her new man pinging through his head along with images of what he’d encounter with Vern Schnyder, he’d ended up leaving Aspen Falls before dawn.

He’d pored over Google satellite images of the area and had circled three isolated cabins dotted around the lake. There were plenty more cabins than that, but he thought it best to start with the smallest, most remote ones first. If Vern was a hermit, then it was most likely a good starting point.

The trip was quiet and uneventful, much like the town of Ash Lake. Gray clouds hung low in the sky, threatening rain. So much for summer. It was taking its sweet time to arrive.

Sipping on his second cup of gas station coffee, Nate turned off Highway 53 and onto Jacobs Road. He spotted the motel almost immediately and pulled in to have a quick word with the owner. His boots crunched on the gravel as he approached the old building. It looked a few decades old, but was obviously well kept. It was painted brown with forest green trim, echoing the colors of nature that surrounded it, and no doubt looked quite charming on a bright summer’s day.

A bell above Nate’s head rang when he pulled open the office door, and a man who looked about his father’s age appeared from the back room.

“Hello there.” The man finished wiping his mouth with a paper napkin and put on a business smile.

“Morning.” Nate kept his tone easy and pulled out his ID. “Detective Hartford, Aspen Falls Police Department.”

The man’s graying eyebrows rose as he scrunched the napkin in his hand.

“A colleague of mine called here yesterday asking about a person of interest in a case we’re investigating.”

“Yeah, the old, weird guy.” The motel owner was a mumbler, and Nate had to strain to hear what he was saying. “Haven’t seen him in a while. Probably three weeks ago? Drove past in his old pickup.”

“You know the license plate?” Nate went to pull out his notebook but stopped when the man shook his head.

“It’s a fading yellow rust bucket. Think it’s a Ford. Maybe an F100? Something like that, anyway.” The man waved his wrinkled hand in the air.

Nate pulled up a mental image of Ford pickup trucks and nodded. “Do you know where he lives?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s the house at the very end of the road. There’s a fork and you take the left and head away from the lake. It’s the only place not on the water’s edge around here. Most people don’t bother venturing up the hill. The driveway is steep, loose gravel. It’s not an easy climb. And it’s got a small switchback about halfway up, so you don’t really know what you’re getting yourself into since you can’t see over the rise.”

“You ever been up there?”

“Maybe twenty years ago.” He chuckled. “There was just a small log cabin up there. Not much to look at.” He scratched his freshly shaven chin. “Bet it’s still not much to look at.”

Nate tipped his head. “Why do you say that?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” The man shrugged. “If I’m right and the man who lives up there is the one I’m thinking of…he doesn’t seem the type to take pride in his property. If his truck is anything to go by,” he ended with a mutter.

Nate noted this, adding a sharpness to the mental picture he was creating.

“So, what’s the case?” The man pressed his hands against the wooden countertop. “He being arrested for something?”

“Sorry. Can’t disclose that information.” Nate stood tall. “But I appreciate your help.”

“Good luck, Detective.”

Nate waved before heading out the door. He was glad he’d taken the time to stop by, and headed immediately to the end of the unsealed road, clouds of dust billowing up behind him. The car was going to be a different color by the time he got there, but maybe those rain clouds would open up and clean it off.

Nate drove fast and soon arrived at the fork. Taking the left, he slowed his pace and eased up the driveway. He could understand why people didn’t bother with it. The tree-lined road was narrow and windy. The trees were dark, menacing centurions. Nate’s skin prickled as he gripped the wheel and tried to deny the creepy vibe that he could feel but not explain.

Nate gritted his teeth as his back tire spun out but then found some grip. Two turns later and he was breaching the rise and staring at a small run-down cabin.

The yellow pickup truck was parked outside.

Nate parked next to it, then sat for a moment to study his surroundings.

It was quiet. There was no smoke coming out of the stone chimney—not that there would be at that time of year—but the curtains in the front room were drawn. Nate checked his watch. Seemed kind of late to not be up yet.

If it weren’t for the truck, Nate would assume the cabin was empty.

It well could be.

Easing his door open, he checked out the rusted tin roof. Patches of metal had been secured over the holes but they were crooked and badly placed. The hack-job repairs on the cabin screamed of how little love and pride had been put into it. Nate couldn’t help noticing a depressive gray cloud settling over him as he stepped onto the sagging porch. His mood was quickly matching the weather.

As if to prove his point, a light pattering of rain began to fall, pinging off the tin roof above him. He wrapped his knuckles on the edge of the screen door, noting the gaping hole in the mesh. The black fabric sagged over on itself, letting in any and all bugs.

Nate stepped back and lightly brushed his fingers over his holster while he waited. It was a force of habit, checking his equipment to make sure he was ready for any threats or surprises.

Not that Vern was either of those things, but there was an element of the unknown. This was a man who’d run from nasty rumors and hidden himself away for over a decade. A situation like that could make anyone a little crazy. Nate hoped he’d be sane enough to answer a few questions and help Nate find Mila’s elusive boyfriend.

It was taking a long time for anyone to come to the door. Nate was about to give up and check out the rest of the property when the front door clicked and then opened a fraction.

A tall man with weathered skin and sad brown eyes stared out at him.

“Vern Schnyder?” Nate reached for his ID. “I’m Detective Hartford from the Aspen Falls PD.” He didn’t even have a chance to finish his sentence before the man took off back into the house. He was stupid enough not to close the door behind him, so Nate bolted through it, chasing the guy down the narrow corridor and right out the back door.

“Hey! Stop!” Nate jumped down the back steps and pumped his arms, easily catching up to the lumbering man. He tackled him onto the wet grass and held him steady, blinking against the raindrops hitting his face.

The big guy was wheezing like a chain smoker, his arms slackening as Nate drew them behind his back. He couldn’t feel any fight in the guy so chose to hold off cuffing him.

“You know running makes you look guilty, right? You don’t even know what I’m here about.”

“I didn’t abuse my own daughter. She didn’t run away because of me!” Vern wailed.

“Okay.” Nate nodded and eased off a little.

“I’d never touch her that way. She was my baby girl. I love her. I respect her. I’d never…” The man’s chest heaved. “I lost her. I lost her.” He sounded broken and for a moment Nate thought the droplets streaking down his face might have been tears.

A sympathy Nate didn’t understand tore through him. There was something so damaged about the guy.

“I believe you,” he finally said. “Now, I want to be able to let you go and talk to you face-to-face. Are you going to let me do that?”

The man’s large head shuffled on the ground as he nodded and Nate got to his feet, still ready to pounce if he had to. The large man pulled himself up on shaking legs and turned to face him. Wiping the wet hair off his forehead, he blinked at Nate and murmured, “Why are you here? After all this time, why do the police want to question me now?”

Taking a moment to study his reaction, Nate slowly eased into the truth. “We’ve found your daughter’s remains.”

“Remains.” The man shuddered, his legs buckling. Nate reached forward to steady him, dreading what he had to say next.

“They were discovered on your old farm in Aspen Falls. Dental records have confirmed it’s her. And we have a few questions that need answering.”

“Mila,” he whispered, the man’s shoulders beginning to shake. Bending forward with a broken wail, he braced his hands on his knees.

Nate gave him a minute then gently asked, “Would you be willing to help us?”

Vern didn’t say anything. He just went still, sniffing occasionally before eventually swiping a finger under his nose. Nate was kind of surprised he wasn’t cursing the boyfriend and wailing accusations into the rain, but he simply stayed silent.

“Come on, let’s get out of this rain.” Nate gently took Vern’s arm and led him back toward the house. The man followed without a word, veering around to the front of the house when Nate tried to lead him to the back door.

“Hey.” Nate chased after him and skidded to a surprised stop when he watched Vern walk around to the back of Nate’s car. Opening the back door, he slipped inside and slammed it shut behind him.

Nate’s eyebrows dipped together in confusion.

Running over to the car, he opened the back door and shielded his face from the increasing rain. “What are you doing?”

“I’m assuming you need to take me in.” The man’s voice was soft and hollow. “If that’s my girl, I want to see her.”

“I don’t think you want to see her like this,” Nate murmured.

The man blinked. “Take me in.”

Nate frowned and glanced over his shoulder at the house. “Do you need any of your stuff?”

The man shook his head. “There’s nothing of value in there.”

Nate sighed, still confused by the man’s bizarre behavior. “If you prefer, I can follow your truck down.”

“That thing’s not going to make it to Aspen Falls,” the man scoffed. “Just drive. Just…drive.” His voice broke on the final word, and Nate got into the car without argument.

He’d never had someone run in fear and then willingly get into his car.

As he started the ignition, his body was on full alert. He didn’t know what the hell was going on with Vern Schnyder, but he wanted to be prepared for whatever the guy might come up with next.