North Country(122)

“I said that Logan listens to me and he’s easy to talk to. And that I’ve never seen you this happy, which makes me happy.”

Dillon’s words earlier—and that cute smile of hers just now—are making sense. I collect her ponytail in my grasp, smoothing my hand over it. “That’s sweet.”

We pass by the garage and head for the main house.

“I also told him that I know he cheated on you with Donna.” She charges ahead while my feet slow a beat.





Brooks opens the front door, welcoming us into the chaotic warmth of the Landry household, where Holt’s and Jon’s voices carry from the kitchen as they argue about the new bull, and Egan bangs his drum, all while a playoff hockey game fills the TV screen in the corner.

Sarah is stretched out on the couch, propped up by multiple pillows.

Logan and Thomas sit across from each other at the table, a chessboard in between them. Macy is perched on Logan’s lap, her thumb stuck in her mouth.

“What do you think our next move should be?” Logan asks her.

She collects a pawn from its position and places it on a square on the other side of the board.

“You can’t do that!” Thomas throws his hands in the air with frustration.

Logan moves the piece back to an appropriate position. “Macy’s a rebel. She doesn’t like playing by the rules.”

“Pie’s warm!” Annie announces from the kitchen a split second before she appears with a plate, carrying it to Sarah. “Oh, good! You two made it just in time.” But her face is pinched with worry as she appeals silently to me.

My chest aches. I wish there was a way I could help.

“How’re you hanging in there?” I ask Sarah.

“By a very thin thread.” She accepts the plate with a thanks.

“Don’t worry, these little nuggets will be here before you know it.” Annie pats her daughter’s belly.

“Hey, Isla, grab a slice and then take over here for me? We just started.” Logan sets Macy on the floor. “You heard Grammy. Go get your dessert. ”

The little girl skitters off to the kitchen.

Logan jerks his head toward the door, his mood suddenly somber.

I nod and follow him out quietly.

We leave the porch around the house, heading toward the quarantine pasture where the new bull grazes. Whatever he has to say, he doesn’t want ears around to hear it.

“You okay?” I finally dare ask.

“Last night, did you know they were going for this warrant?” Golden-hazel eyes search mine.

“No.” I shake my head to emphasize it. “I told you, there is a silo around this case, and I am standing outside it. I would never lie to you. You know that, right?”

His lips purse, but finally he nods. “How worried should we be?”

“I mean, I don’t know. What I do know is Jack left that night at 12:45 a.m. He told them he went straight home and that the company that tracks his vehicle for him ever since his last truck was stolen could confirm that. We didn’t pursue it because there was no compelling reason to suspect him of anything. From the time he left the bar that night to his vehicle pulling out was maybe four or five minutes. Could something have happened between him and Holly in that time frame?” I shrug. “We didn’t think so, but …”

Logan leans against the fence post, his brow furrowing deeper. “Jack was supposed to get me in the morning, but Jameson showed up instead. He made some comment about Jack dealing with ex-wife bullshit. He didn’t elaborate, and I didn’t ask. But what could his ex-wife want at seven o’clock on a Saturday morning?”

“It seems odd,” I agree. “But Rebecca is a real piece of work.” She used to demand access to his phone and accuse him of cheating if he changed his password. She stopped taking birth control without telling him, and quit her job the moment she got pregnant, insisting she was high risk, even though there was no medical reason to support that. Jack moved back with his parents not because he wanted to but because that’s all he could afford. The truck is technically owned by the Barrows’ farming business.

“Yeah, I’ve heard some of the stories.”

“Did you tell the detectives this? ”

He shakes his head. “I didn’t remember until today.”

I hesitate. “Do you think it was a lie?”

“I don’t know?” He rubs the back of his neck. “I talked to Jack after they interviewed him and he said that dickhead detective kept circling back, over and over again, asking the smallest, dumbest questions, until Jack finally told him he was done.”

Because Terry was trying to rattle him, catch him in a lie.

“All this because we went fishing that morning? This is nuts! There is no fucking way Jack had anything to do with Holly.”

And yet it’s sounding like Jack is ticking all the boxes. “Whatever he said to the detectives was enough to earn a warrant.”

“Fuck. My family can’t go through anything like this again.” Logan’s voice turns gruff with emotion. “This will break them.”

“Hey, it’s okay.” I move in close to lean against his rigid arm, the tension radiating off him. “They haven’t arrested him.” Yet.

“No, he’s just a person of interest. Yesterday, he was a witness. What’s he gonna be tomorrow, huh?”