Page 91 of Only One More Lie

“To keep things simple, it can stop the heart.”

“So you think Emmett was murdered?” Andi whispered, keeping her voice low as a family with a young child walked by.

“That’s my guess. I think Emmett knew something about the killer, so the perpetrator ended Emmett’s life before he could share anything.”

Duke raised his eyebrows as he let that theory settle in his mind.

A second later, he asked, “Did anyone see anyone suspicious come to visit him?”

“Tim stayed with Emmett a while when he was first admitted. Then Emmett had other relatives come. But they weren’t here atthe time he passed. With the snowstorm coming, they decided to hunker down in their hotel instead.”

“So where does that leave you?” Andi asked.

Gibson hesitated before saying, “There was one other person who came to see Emmett. We spotted this guy on the security footage, but we’re still trying to identify him.”

“You have that security footage handy?” Duke asked. “Maybe we can help.”

Gibson pulled out his phone and tapped the screen. Then he turned the device toward them as a video started to play.

Duke and Andi leaned in as they watched.

As soon as Duke saw the man’s face, he knew exactly who he was.

“That’s Jared,” Duke told Gibson. “Tim’s son.”

Maybe the man wasn’t as innocent as they’d thought. Maybe he’d made that snowman after all—maybe as a practice run for his big night.

The thought was chilling, but something worth exploring.

CHAPTER 48

Gibson went to question Jared. He hadn’t let Andi and Duke go with him—not that Andi had expected him to.

While he did that, she and Duke had decided to grab a quick bite to eat before heading back. She knew cell phone service at the camp would be sketchy, and she desperately wanted an update from Gibson before they left Fairbanks.

What if Jared was behind this? If he’d killed Emmett? Maybe he was even working with his father.

Andi had to wonder if they were next in line to inherit the camp. That might be motive enough for murder. Although . . . if they wanted the place to turn a profit, they probably shouldn’t want too many dead bodies to turn up.

Tim did have money problems, according to what people had said.

There were so many possibilities right now.

She and Duke went to an old boathouse restaurant located on the Tanana River. The rustic place had fantastic salmon chowder, which sounded good on a cold day like today. The savory scent of the fish and the stew filled the air and made Andi’s stomach rumble.

They were seated by the window overlooking the snowy, white river. She had no doubt the water was frozen over by now. This whole area was a frozen wonderland.

As soon as the waitress had taken their orders, the sound of a TV blaring overhead caught Andi’s ear. The weather report was talking about the onslaught of snow coming their way.

She shivered.

They really didn’t have much time to get back to the camp. And even then, once they got there, they’d probably be stuck for a while. But they need to be there to keep investigating.

The killer would strike again soon if they didn’t stop him.

Then the news story changed. As soon as Andi heard the name Victor Goodman, she tensed.

She hadn’t listened to the news in a couple of days. It had been a nice break, truthfully. She tended to listen to news whenever she could, which didn’t always leave her in a great state of mind.