Chapter Thirty-seven

 

 

 

 

“Ma’am, do you know the man who owns the cabin next door, Samuel Larson ?” asked Sheriff Harris Parker, an older man with kind blue eyes.

“No,” I said, sitting in the other cabin. The one owned by Annabelle Hunter. I’d told the police that I’d been renting it and didn’t know anyone in the area. “I’ve never met Mr. Larson. In fact, I don’t think he’s even been home this week.”

“Obviously, you heard the screaming or the shots from next door?”

“To be honest, I was watching a movie in the bedroom. I didn’t hear anything,” I lied, still wondering where Jordan had disappeared to. The police had found the bodies of Reaper, Stryker, and the other club members, some shot and two mauled by the Grizzly. Apparently, someone had been on the lake had heard all of the commotion, so they’d radioed it in. “Do you know who they were?”

“The victims?” he asked. “They appear to be bikers, belonging to some club called the Devil’s Rangers.”

I pretended to be surprised. “A motorcycle club? I had no idea there were any in this area.”

“So, you had no idea of what was going on next door?”

“No. Not at all.”

“Are you staying here alone?” he asked, looking around the cabin.

“Yes. I just broke up with my boyfriend and needed a place to think, you know?” I said, my eyes filling with tears.

His eyes softened. “Sorry to hear that. You’re from Iowa, huh?”

I’d showed him my driver’s license. I was pretty certain that if he checked up on me, he’d find out who my step-dad was. For now, however, I wasn’t about to give up that bit of information freely.

I nodded. “I’ll be going home soon. I don’t think I can stay here, after what happened next door.”

“I don’t blame you. There are a lot of bears in this area, too. In fact, two of the victims were attacked by a grizzly.”

I put a hand to my chest. “Oh my God, are you serious?”

He scratched his scraggily chin and shook his head. “It’s a scene out of a horror movie over there.”

“It sounds like it. I’m glad I didn’t see what happened, to tell you the truth.”

“You’d have nightmares, that’s for sure. Well, I know that you want to go back home, but I’m going to have to ask you to stick around for a few days. We might have some more questions for you.”

“Sure,” I replied. “I really didn’t see anything, though.”

He stood up. “Maybe not, but if you end up recalling anything unusual, about the last couple of days, be sure to give me a call.”

I had to stifle a laugh. Everything about the last few days had been unusual. “Yeah. Definitely.”

He tipped his hat and smiled. “Good night, Ms. Winters. Don’t forget to lock this after I leave. Obviously, it’s not safe around here for a young woman, all alone.”

Nowhere was safe these days, I thought.

 

***

 

 

After he was gone, I found Jordan’s other cell phone and called my mother. I’d tried calling Slammer, before the cops had arrived, but he hadn’t answered the phone.

“Thank God,” she said when I reached her. “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you.”

“I’m okay,” I said. “Jordan had to get rid of his other phone. I thought he would have told Slammer about it already.”

She began to cry.

I frowned. “Mom, what is it?”

“It’s… Slammer. He… He’s been murdered,” she sobbed.