Free Safe Passage by Loreth Anne White Page A

move.
    She’d hide out at Henderson’s cabin in the mountains. It was totally isolated. He’d said she could use it anytime. And the alpine snow would have receded by now. No one would be going near that place until the summer. Henderson only used it for fishing during the warm months.
    She could make it up there with her bike.

    Scott followed the dun car as it pulled out behind Skye’s motorbike. He kept his distance well back, tailing the tail.
    Skye headed into Haven, pulled up in front of the general store. She wasn’t in the store long. She came out with a backpack, a bedroll and food supplies.
    Scott turned to the dog beside him. “Well, Honey, looks like the doctor is leaving town.”
    The brown sedan followed Skye back home, parked under a tree down the street. Scott cut down a side road, approaching his house from the opposite direction. He noted her tail was still there.
    This was getting real interesting.

    Skye lifted the blind slightly with the back of her hand. It was getting dark, but from her living room window, she could still see the sedan with the two men. Damn. How was she to get out without them seeing her?
    Anxiety swamped her. She took a deep breath.
    Calm yourself. You’ll screw up if you panic. Think this through.
    She forced herself to relax.
    She dropped the blind, lit a candle. She wanted to keep the interior dim. Then she double-checked her backpack, her supplies. She had enough to keep her going for a couple of weeks at Henderson’s place. She rolled her sleeping bag tight, punched it down into its sack, secured it to the bottom of her new backpack.
    She wanted to be gone before sunrise. It would take about six hours to reach the cabin. And if she could, she wanted to take one last look at her beetles before she left. She was still queasy about Marshall’s desire to rush the project.
    Once she checked on the control group, she’d leave a note for Charly, tell her she planned to be away for a couple of weeks. They’d understand. No one would look for her for a while. She was booked off for a two-week honeymoon anyway. Some honeymoon.
    But first she had to figure out how to shake her tail. She had an uneasy sense whoever was in that car might try to make some kind of move on her tonight. Once it got dark.
    She’d best be ready.
    Skye sank down onto her sofa, trying to think, to come up with a plan. But all she could see was the white cake on the table across the dimly lit room. Three layers with two little figures positioned on top.
    One a bride.
    The other a groom.
    Mocking her from the shadows.

    Scott’s sat phone rang the minute he opened his front door. He let Honey in, closed it behind him.
    It was Rex.
    “Scooter ran that plate for you.”
    “And?”
    “You ready for this?”
    “Surprise me.”
    “The vehicle belongs to the feds.”
    He gave a derisive snort. “Shoulda made them for cops. What do our Royal Canadian Mounted Police want with the doctor?”
    “I’ve set up a meeting with our RCMP contact for tomorrow afternoon. I’ll know more then. I suspect it’s got something to do with Danko. We might have to let them know we’re working an angle on this case, as well.”
    “Great.” A possible turf war. He needed that like a hole in the head. Scott flipped the phone shut and stared out the window at the car. So the doctor was in trouble with the feds. It was time to pay her another visit. His brain ticked over. He could actually use this to his advantage. A “good cop, bad cop” kind of routine.
    A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Yeah. He’d play this one for what it was worth.

    Scott and Honey climbed the two stairs to Skye’s porch. It was fully dark out now but no lights blazed from Skye’s home. Just a faint flickering glow. Candle, he assumed.
    He lifted his hand to knock, realized the door was slightly ajar. He edged it open, motioning Honey to be quiet.
    He peered into the dim light, catching sight of her in the living room. He bit back a