Alaskan Disappearance
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Karen Whiddon
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17
Chapter 1
When the shaggy-haired, muscular man with the intricate bicep tattoo showed up on her doorstep, Holly Davis thought he might be a ghost. Naturally, logic prevailed, but not until she’d taken a step back in surprise and gasped out loud. This man, whoever he was, looked like a younger and rougher and much more handsome version of her missing ex-fiancé, Russell Elliot. But eyeing him again, maybe not. This guy was a lot taller, at least six feet two to Russell’s five feet ten. And definitely sexier, for sure.
Even Thor, her giant Tibetan mastiff who’d barely tolerated Russell, didn’t bark. Instead, he stayed by Holly’s side, seemingly happy to meet this man, wagging his feathery tail.
The stranger glanced at the dog. His steely expression briefly softened before he returned his intense gaze to Holly.
“Can I help you?” she managed to ask, her mouth suddenly dry.
“I’m looking for Russell,” he replied, his piercing brown eyes cutting straight to her soul. “Russell Elliot.”
Momentarily flabbergasted, she wasn’t sure how to respond. He must be an outsider. Everyone around here knew Russell had been missing for over eighteen months. “And you are?” she asked.
“I’m Jeremy. Jeremy Elliot, Russell’s younger brother.”
Blinking, it took a few seconds for her to digest his words. Now she understood why this man looked so familiar. Russell had mentioned his younger brother, of course, but only to say Jeremy had chosen the wrong path and was serving time in prison.
Clearly that was no longer the case.
Weighing the potential for danger had become something she’d unfortunately gotten used to doing. This man, who she believed spoke the truth, didn’t appear to be a threat. At least, not yet. And since she was about to deliver bad news, she figured he’d be okay. At least until he got over the shock.
“I think you should come in,” she said, stepping aside and motioning him to go past her. “We have a lot we need to discuss.”
He followed her inside without commenting. She left the door open, just in case. While she felt confident her giant dog would protect her, it didn’t hurt to have an easy route to escape.
As she led the way to her small living room, the sheer size of him seemed overly intimidating. If not for her equally massive dog, she might have been worried. When she gestured toward a chair, he dropped into it. Crossing his massive arms in front of him, he stared, apparently waiting for her to explain.
Again, the possibility that she might be in danger crossed her mind. She’d certainly faced enough rancor and threats from the townspeople of Blake, Alaska. For whatever reason, without any actual evidence, a lot of them seemed convinced she’d done something to Russell. No doubt his younger brother would think the same. After all, she was the outsider around here.
Trying to decide if she should text her boss, Kip, she took a deep breath and retrieved her phone from the coffee table. Without commenting, she fired off a quick message, simply stating that a man claiming to be Russell’s younger brother had arrived and that she was home alone. Kip managed the general store in downtown Blake and had been the only one to offer her a job once Russell left her high and dry. He’d also told her to let him know if she felt in danger. So far, she hadn’t had to. Until today. Better to be safe than sorry.
Hoping that her face revealed none of her thoughts, she sat on the couch across from him. Their gazes met, and she swallowed, trying to figure out what to say, where to begin. Finally, she decided to simply tell him the truth outright. “Russell is missing,” she said, her voice slightly unsteady. “He hasn’t been seen around here for well over eighteen months.”
To his credit, Jeremy digested her words without outwardly reacting. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected. Denial, maybe? Definitely accusations. Those were sure to come. After all, she’d been dealing with them off and on for the last year and a half.
“And you are?” he asked, his tone remaining cordial. “After all, this is my brother’s house, correct? If he’s missing, why are you staying in his home?”
Again, she felt a slight shiver. Awareness, danger, she really couldn’t tell which. At least the knowledge that Kip would be rushing over brought her a small measure of comfort.
“I’m Holly Davis. This house is half mine. And I’m Russell’s ex-fiancée,” she explained. “We’ve been living together, up until shortly before he took off without even saying goodbye.” She left out the rest, all the reasons everyone in town believed she’d had motive to do away with Russell.
Some of her turmoil must have shown in her face, because his hard expression softened. “I didn’t even know he was engaged,” he said. “Obviously. But the two of us haven’t spoken in a lot of years.” He tilted his great shaggy head and studied her. The directness of his gaze had her feeling like he could see all of her secrets. Yet she couldn’t seem to make herself look away.
“Tell me what happened,” he said. “Do you have any idea where he went? Or why he took off like that?”
The gentleness in his husky voice almost did her in. He had no idea what she’d endured, both at his brother’s hands and then in the months after his disappearance.
But she knew better than to say any of that to him. Though maybe she should. He’d find out anyway.
“Russell began acting different a few months before he left,” she said, wondering how many details to share. “It almost felt like once he’d finally talked me into moving up here, he no longer had to pretend to be someone he wasn’t.”
His gaze never left her face. “Different how? Can you elaborate?”
Oh, she could. But she barely knew this man. No doubt he wouldn’t like hearing what a monster his older brother had become.
Luckily, the sound of tires on the gravel driveway saved her from answering.
“One of my friends is here to check on me,” she said, not bothering to hide her relief. She hurried to the door, peering out just as Kip Roberts came up on the front porch.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his concerned gaze searching her face.
“Yes, thank you. I wasn’t sure what to think when this man showed up. I’m grateful you were able to leave the store.”
Kip dipped his bald head in a gruff nod. “Is he still here?”
“Yes,” she started to say. Before she could step aside to show Kip in, she felt the large stranger move up behind her.
“Kip?” he asked. “Is that really you? It’s been a long time, man.”
“Jeremy! I almost didn’t believe it when Holly said Russell’s brother showed up.” Kip grinned.
Holly barely managed to move out of the way before the two men shook hands and did that guy hug thing. “Come on inside,” she said. Once they had, she closed the door and returned to her seat on the couch. She listened as Jeremy told her boss that he’d recently been released from prison.
“When’d you get out?” Kip asked Jeremy.
“Just a couple days ago.” Looking down, Jeremy shook his head. “I couldn’t go back to my old life, and Russell is my only family. Despite everything, I came here hoping he’d give me a second chance. I wanted to show him how I’ve turned my life around.”
Kip nodded, then looked past Jeremy to Holly. “Maybe we should all sit down and talk. A lot has happened since you left town.”
But before he could move to a chair, his phone rang. Glancing at it, he frowned. “Sorry, I need to take this.”
After answering, Kip listened for a moment. “I’m on my way,” he said and ended the call. “I hate to do this, but I’ve got to head back to the store.” He glanced at Holly. “You’ll have to catch Jeremy up. Go ahead and tell him everything. I’ve known him since he was knee-high. He’s a good guy. Yeah, he’s made some mistakes, but haven’t we all?”
Sticking out his hand, the two men shook again. “I’m sure I’ll see you around,” Kip said. “Stop by the store and we can head over to Mikki’s and grab a beer.”
“I’ll do that, except it’ll have to be nonalcoholic since I no longer drink.” Jeremy followed him to the door, leaving Holly to trail behind. “It was good to see you. Thank you for vouching for me.”
“No problem.” Kip waved and climbed into his truck. Once he drove off, Jeremy closed the door himself and turned to face Holly.
Again she felt that shiver of awareness. To hide it, she tried to summon up a smile, but she failed miserably. “Come on and sit down,” she said, resigned. “I’ve got a lot of ground to cover, and sadly, most of it isn’t good.”
Though his mouth tightened at her words, he simply nodded and made his way to the living room.
She waited until he’d once again gotten settled in the chair before asking him if he wanted something to drink. “I still have some coffee left,” she said.
“Water’s just fine.”
Keeping her back straight, she brought them both a glass of water. His fingers brushed against hers as he accepted it, and she had to forcibly keep herself from jerking away.
Jumpy? Certainly. But then she’d earned the right to be.
With slow, deliberate movements, she lowered herself into the couch opposite him, placing her glass of water on the flamingo coaster she kept on her end table.
Thor, panting happily, jumped up next to her, turned a circle and laid down. He placed his big head on his large paws and watched Jeremy intently.
She tangled her fingers in the dog’s long and luxurious fur, glad for his presence. In the eighteen months she’d lived with him, she’d learned to trust his judgment implicitly. If Thor didn’t like someone, it always turned out that he had good reason. Right now, the huge black mastiff didn’t seem to have any issues with this man. Which definitely wouldn’t be because Jeremy reminded him of Russell. Thor had barely tolerated her former fiancé. Either way, for now she’d consider it a good sign.
When she looked up, she realized Jeremy and Thor had locked gazes. She braced herself, aware that Thor might not like this. Instead, the dog began wagging his huge, feathery tail.
“What’s his name?” Jeremy asked. “He’s sure a good-looking dog.”
This made her smile. She’d learned Thor’s breed appeared to be an acquired taste. “Thor,” she replied. “Russell gifted him to me as a puppy right after I moved here.”
Slowly, he nodded. “Tibetan mastiffs are stubborn, but once you learn to work with that, they’re great dogs.”
Unsure how to reply, she simply smiled. “He’s my best friend,” she said, not caring if he thought her weird.
An awkward kind of silence fell. Two total strangers and a massive dog, all eyeing each other awkwardly.
“Tell me about my brother,” Jeremy finally said. “He stopped communicating with me years ago. I wrote him several times when I was in prison, but he never responded.”
Unsure where to start, she sighed. “I might as well go back to the beginning. Russell and I met when he purchased one of my paintings a couple of years ago.”
Pointing toward the piece, which hung in a place of honor over the fireplace, even now she could still smile at the memory. “I usually ship them to the buyers, but Russell insisted on flying down to Texas to get it personally instead.”
“You’re an artist,” Jeremy said, his flat voice not revealing his thoughts. “Very nice.”
“I am and thank you.” She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. “Long story short, we went out to dinner. Russell was funny and charming. After he got back to Alaska, he continued contacting me, and we began a long-distance relationship.”
It had been a friendship at first, though she didn’t feel the need to share that information. “Over several months, we got to know each other very well. He flew down a couple more times for the weekend, things like that.”
“And then he proposed?” Jeremy asked, frowning. “That seems sudden.”
“A whirlwind,” she agreed. “But no, he didn’t propose at first. Instead, he invited me to move up to Alaska to live with him. Now, I don’t know about you, but I wasn’t keen on the idea of leaving everything and everyone I cared about and traveling to the wilderness of Alaska with a man I’d only known a few months.”
“Yet you did,” he said, his gaze steady. “Why?”
Now it was her turn to frown. “I’m not sure how to explain it. He said he loved me, couldn’t live without me. When I still resisted, he showed up on my doorstep with an engagement ring.” Which she’d long ago stopped wearing, instead storing it at the bottom of her underwear drawer.
“So, you came here.”
“Yes.” She nodded. “A little over eighteen months ago. I sold my furniture, had all my unsold art shipped, along with my clothes, and traveled to Blake, Alaska, to live out what I thought was a fairy-tale love story. He talked me into buying this house, and I used my inheritance to pay for my half.”
Too late, she heard the bitterness in her voice. Realizing she’d need to take a break if she wanted to attempt to tell the rest, she excused herself and headed to the bathroom. Thor jumped off the couch and padded after her.
Once there, she closed the door and stood, staring at herself in the mirror. Her flushed face and wide eyes testified to her tumultuous emotions. Thor leaned against her leg, offering comfort the only way he knew how.
Thankful for her dog, she bent down and kissed his head. Then she washed her hands and began applying lotion. A simple act that she always found calming. She’d take a few minutes to regain her composure before going out and facing Russell’s brother once again.
After Holly and her dog left the room, Jeremy tried to digest what he’d learned so far. Cute story, but something wasn’t right, though he didn’t have enough information yet to put his finger on exactly what. He had to admit that he found Russell’s fiancée strikingly beautiful. With her huge blue eyes, shock of wild platinum hair and petite yet curvy figure, he could see why Russell had been drawn to her. Hell, any man would be.
But he sensed something was off. Her nervousness bordered on evasion. Which was weird. Unlike Jeremy, Russell had been a model citizen. He’d always walked the straight and narrow path of respectability, taking care to treat everyone fairly. Everyone except his younger brother, that is. Maybe because their father had died when Russell had been sixteen and Jeremy twelve, the burden of raising them falling on the older boy’s shoulders. He’d done the best he could, and done a damn fine job of it.
Jeremy had always looked up to him. Which is why when he’d done some rebelling in his teenage years and Russell had thrown him out and refused to take his calls, the abandonment had cut like a serrated knife thrust into his heart and twisted.
He’d never understood how his brother could decide to simply cease being family. For Jeremy, he couldn’t believe Russell no longer loved him.
Which was part of the reason the instant a reformed Jeremy had done his time, he’d hightailed it back home, ready to make amends. That and the fact he had nowhere else to go. He hadn’t known what he’d do if Russell refused to see him or allow him to stay.
He’d gone over this scenario in his mind a hundred times, rehearsing, preparing himself for any response. Except there’d been no way to anticipate this. Russell had gone missing. And not even recently. Well over a year ago. While a beautiful woman claiming to be his fiancée lived in Russell’s house.
The very same house Jeremy had intended to stay in.
Finally, the bathroom door opened and Holly emerged. Once again, her beauty knocked the breath from his lungs. Her giant dog padded after her, sticking close to her side.
When her bright blue eyes met his, he leaned forward. “Are you okay?” he asked, noting the pulse beating wildly at the base of her throat.
“There’s a lot I need to tell you,” she said, dropping into her chair. “All I ask is that you let me speak without interrupting. I promise to answer questions when I’m done, but this is going to be hard enough to get through as it is.”
Slowly, he nodded.
She moistened her lips, drawing his gaze to her mouth. “At first, things were amazing. Once I got all my stuff unpacked, he showed me how he’d fixed up one of the storage closets for me to use as my studio.” Her slow smile barely touched her eyes, but he saw a fleeting glimmer of the happiness she’d clearly once felt.
“Anyway, fast-forward a couple of months. Russell changed. Not all at once. He started pulling away from me, acting secretive. He’d go to town to have a drink at Mikki’s, but when he finally showed up five hours later, he’d be drunk and angry, ready to pick a fight.”
Though Jeremy had agreed not to interrupt, he nearly did then. Russell didn’t drink. He’d always held his abstinence up like a shining trophy, brandishing it every time Jeremy had messed up. Which had been pretty damn often back in the day.
Swallowing back his words, Jeremy managed to nod.
“It got worse,” she continued, her voice breaking. “Russell changed. I’ll spare you the details.” Her one shoulder shrug somehow made her seem more fragile. “I’m sure you’ll hear all about it in town.”
Because he wasn’t sure if she’d finished or not, he waited, pretending a patience he didn’t feel.
“Anyway, to make a long story short, one night Russell went to town and never came home. No one knew anything. He’d gone to Mikki’s to drink, left right after last call, and I never saw him again.” She sighed. “They found his phone where he’d left it on the bar.”
“His truck?” he asked, unable to help himself. “Did he take it?”
“Yes.” Her lips tightened. “And apparently since Alaska is so big and so wild, there are tons of places someone who doesn’t want to be found can hide.”
“Is that what you think? That Russell is hiding out somewhere?”
“He has to be.” Lifting her chin, she met and held his gaze. “Because it’s better than the alternative.”
Jeremy could barely bring himself to put that into words. But he had to, before she did. “He’s not dead,” he said. “I’m certain of that.”
“Are you? Maybe you could do me a huge favor and convince the townspeople of that.” The bitterness in her voice seemed at odds with her steady gaze.
“What are you saying?” he asked. “I’m not sure I understand.”
“Rumor has it that Russell was murdered. And that I was the one who killed him.”
For a second her words didn’t register. He stared at her, trying to decide if she meant it.
“Did you?” he finally managed to ask.
“No. I didn’t.”
Oddly enough, he believed her. During the time he’d spent incarcerated, Jeremy had become an expert judge of character. Most of the men he’d met were accomplished liars; it came with the territory. Somehow, he’d developed what he liked to think of as a sixth sense. Time and time again, he’d been proven right.
Listening to Holly Davis right now, he felt certain she was telling the truth.
“Okay,” he replied. “Then we can work together to find my brother.”
Astonishment flashed across her face, before she caught herself and steadied her expression. “I’ve tried. The state police claim they performed an exhaustive investigation. They found no evidence of foul play. It would seem that Russell has disappeared without a trace.”
“We’ll see about that.” He took a deep breath, bracing himself for her reaction. “One other thing. Since this is my brother’s house, I’m going to have to ask you to let me stay here.” He didn’t tell her he had nowhere else to go.
She blanched. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Everyone around here already thinks I’m a horrible person. It wouldn’t look good for me to live with my missing ex-fiancé’s brother.”
“I understand,” he replied. “In that case, since I am going to stay here, I hope you have somewhere else you can go.”
Momentarily, her mouth fell open as she stared at him. “You can’t be serious,” she finally said. “You expect me to leave my own home?”
“I expect nothing. I’ll leave that decision completely up to you. I’m staying here until Russell turns up and says otherwise.” Which he would if he were here, though Jeremy kept that to himself.
Though she narrowed her gaze, she didn’t protest.
“I’d like a spare key if you have one,” he continued.
Instead, she turned on her heel and marched toward the hallway. “Follow me,” she ordered. “I’ll show you to your room.”
Slightly surprised that she’d given in so quickly, he hurried after her. When they reached the middle bedroom, she stopped. “You can stay here,” she said, pointing.
To his dismay, his throat closed up. She’d given him his childhood room, the one he’d slept in until Russell had thrown him out.
Stepping inside, he realized only the furniture remained from those days. Everything else, any hint that Jeremy Elliot had ever existed, had been purged from the room. Likely years ago, after his older brother had cut off all contact.
“This is the guest room,” Holly said from the doorway. “Since we rarely have guests, it’s never used. I’ll bring you some clean sheets to put on the bed.”
“Thanks.” The word came out strangled, the rust in his voice a testament to his tangled emotions. His brother had not only stopped communicating with him, but he’d also apparently done his best to erase all reminders of Jeremy’s existence.
Learning this hurt far more than it should have.
Holly must have gone after the sheets, because the next thing he knew she’d returned and thrust them at him. “Here you go,” she said, her grim tone matching her expression. “And since you’re determined to stay here, I think we need to establish some ground rules.”
Accepting the linens, he simply nodded.
“First up, I need you to respect my boundaries. Do you understand what that means?”
“Yes,” he answered immediately. “And I can assure you that I have zero intention of behaving in any way inappropriately.”
“Good. Because I won’t stand for it.” She took a deep breath, her gaze direct. “The second thing I need to ask is that if anyone in Blake implies our situation is anything but platonic, you promise to set them straight. I’m already an outcast around here. I don’t need you to make things worse.”
Slowly, he nodded. “I can do that. But I doubt anyone is going to make something out of nothing. You’re my brother’s fiancée. They’d be insulting me if they insinuated something was going on between us.”
“Former,” she corrected. “Former fiancée. That’s why I said he’s my ex. Russell and I broke things off shortly before he disappeared.”
This caught him completely off guard. Yet, he realized she’d actually tried to tell him this. Hearing only what he wanted to hear, he hadn’t truly been listening.
“Why?” he asked, surprising himself. “Why’d you break it off?”
“That’s personal.”
“You’re right,” he replied, accepting her statement. “But can you tell me this? Who broke up with who?”
For the space of a few heartbeats, she simply stared at him. When she finally spoke, she lifted her chin and squared her shoulders. “I no longer wear his ring,” she said. “Here. A spare house key.” She placed it on the dresser. Then, before he could ask any more questions, she left the room.
Something wasn’t right here. But Jeremy knew better than to pursue any other answers now. The truth would come out with time. It always did.
For now, he’d unpack his meager belongings and try to get situated. Luckily, he had a substantial amount of money in the bank from his wrongful imprisonment settlement. This would have to tide him over until he could figure out what he could do for work. He still wanted to explore the possibility of starting his own business. In prison, he’d taken part in a dog training program and learned, to his surprise, that he had a knack for it. He’d done so well in fact that he’d been promoted to being in charge of the other inmates. And eventually, the warden had allowed him to participate in more specialized training. He’d worked with three drug and weapon detection canines and one cadaver dog before his release had come through.
As if thinking about dogs had summoned him, the huge black Tibetan mastiff ambled over and shoved his nose at Jeremy’s hand. Jeremy obliged by crouching down on his haunches and using his fingers to massage the massive dog’s fur. Thor groaned, low in his throat, and rolled his eyes.
At least this part of the situation was going to work out fine, Jeremy thought, grinning. Dogs always made things better.
