Val hid in his room for a while, but near time to leave he came out wearing clean jeans and a blue button-down that matched his eyes. He rolled back the cuffs, showing off the fine tone of his forearms.
Val smirked. “Hot stuff, huh?”
“Yes, Val.” I rolled my eyes. “Very hot.” I looked at my yoga ensemble and frowned. “Maybe I should go to Anchorage. Thorin’s store is nice, but…”
“You’ll be better dressed than most of the women in there,” he said. “Are you ready to go?”
I shrugged. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Skyla met me outside after Val accepted a challenge from another bar patron for a round of cricket on the dartboards.
“So, what’s up?” I asked. A breeze blew from the bay, and I shivered. I drew my hood over my hair.
“What do we know so far?” Skyla began by holding up one finger. “Adam Skoll has a nasty temper and a taste for blood, literally.” She raised a second finger. “He runs around with Harold Hati, who also has a notorious temper.” Finger number three. “They both went missing just before Mani’s murder.” Finger four. “Mani’s killer has a very similar modus operandi to the person who killed the guy in the parking lot of that bar.”
“Adam Skoll,” I said.
Skyla nodded. “Adam Skoll.” She flicked her thumb, holding out all five fingers. “We go around asking about him, and the next thing you know, Mani’s apartment gets trashed—looking for you? Warning or threat? Who knows? But this all leads me to a conclusion as to the likely whereabouts of Skoll and probably Hati, too.”
“Which is?” I asked.
“Not on a fishing trawler. I think they’re back in town.”
“That’s not a lot of help.”
“It’s better than wasting our time harassing commercial fishermen.”
“But, whoever broke into Mani’s apartment did it while I was with you at that bar. No way could word have traveled that quickly. Maybe it was a coincidence.”
“Uh-uh.” She shook her head. “Don’t go sticking your head in the sand, girl. If Skoll and Hati are working together, then that’s two sets of eyes in two places.”
I squeaked. “You think they’re watching us?”
Skyla jerked my arm. “Shhh! Keep your voice down.”
“Sorry,” I whispered. “But you’re giving me the willies.”
“Wouldn’t you be watching us if you were them?”
I played that through again to make sure I understood her meaning. “Maybe. I guess so.”
“Mundy, it makes sense.”
“What are we going to do about it?”
Skyla blew a breath between her lips so they sputtered together. “I don’t know. That’s why we need to talk. I’m booked for a trip the day after tomorrow. I’ll be gone three days, and you’ll be on your own.”
“On my own? I’ve got Val looking out for me whether I want it or not.”
“No,” she said. Her forehead wrinkled as her brows drew down. “Didn’t he tell you he was going backpacking for a week? We’re leaving on the same day.”
“What?” I spun on my heel, ready to go inside and confront Val about this important omission of facts. “That son of a—”
“Wait!” Skyla snatched my wrist and tugged me away from the entrance. “Let’s finish our business before you storm back in there in a snit.”
“Fine,” I said. “What’s your suggestion?”
Skyla tapped her lip, then she stopped, finger frozen in mid-tap. “You’re coming kayaking with me.”
“I am?” My stomach flipped over. I ran cross-country in high school, sometimes went hiking with Mani, and swam in the neighborhood pool in the summer, but I never much went in for the “granola” sports like climbing and paddling. When I had told her I always wanted to try kayaking, I was mostly being friendly.
“Sure. I’ll give you a quick lesson tomorrow, out here in the bay. A trip like this will be good for you. It will take you off the radar for a little while and give us a chance to figure out what to do next.”
“You sure we shouldn’t call the police?”
“You think you haven’t pissed Mani’s killer off enough already?”
But the police had guns, and bulletproof vests, and backup. “No, Skyla.” I sighed. “I’m probably just getting started.”
In the lights outside the bar, Skyla’s teeth gleamed when she smiled. “That’s my girl.”
Skyla and I went back into The Pits. She turned to the bar and ordered a beer, and I went to search for Val. I found him playing darts and winning. Trouncing. Val hit spot-on, but when he missed, he grinned like the Cheshire Cat, as if he missed on purpose. He was a shyster, but a charming one, and he knew it. Val caught my eye and winked. I sniffed and turned away.
“He makes me crazy,” I said, leaning on the bar beside Skyla.
“Guys do that. It’s why I tend to stay away from them.”
“But not Mani?”
“Mani drove me insane above all others. That’s how I knew I loved him.”
“I do not love Val Wotan.”
Skyla scoffed. “Well, he’s definitely got the hots for you.”
Val pushed his way through the crowd to my side, blatantly ignoring Skyla. “Solina, you ready to head home?”
“What, no jukebox dancing?” I said.
Val flicked a glance at the old record player. “Well, we could—”
I cut him off. “I was joking.”
Val tugged my hand and pulled me away from the bar. “You’re not happy with me—for what exact reason, I’m not sure—but if we can get out of here, I’d be glad for you to tell me all about it.”
I stepped closer and smiled my sweetest fake smile. “Oh, we’re getting out of here all right. I’m going on Skyla’s kayaking trip, and you’re going backpacking for a week, which you neglected to tell me when you were demanding I had to come stay with you.”
