Free Rock Harbor Series - 01 - Without a Trace by Colleen Coble Page A

party, carefully skirting the arguments Bree had overheard. Fay kept glancing at her watch and fidgeting. Finally, she stubbed out her fourth cigarette and rose. “I’d better get going. I hope you find something.”
    Fay’s diffidence made Bree second-guess whether she really did know something about Rob’s plane. Her usual mode was high drama, and this understated comment seemed out of character.
    Fay stepped into the aisle and right into Palmer’s path. He stopped abruptly. “Just who I was looking for. I have the papers ready for you to sign. Is it okay if I drop by tomorrow night?”
    Fay nodded. “I suppose so. We’ll be around.” Her voice seemed lackluster, and Bree wondered if it was just her morning sickness or if she wished she wasn’t selling the mine. Did Fay and Steve need the money?
    She moved past him. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a cliff calling my name.”
    Palmer winked at Bree then joined two men at the back table.
    “I’ll come with you,” Bree told Fay impulsively as she started to walk away. “We can talk while we hike.” Though climbing was out of the question for Bree, they could talk on the way.
    Fay shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I really need some alone time this morning.”
    Fay could be as immovable as a thirty-foot jack pine, and her obstinate expression warned Bree to let it go. The thought crossed Bree’s mind that Fay was adamant because she was meeting someone, maybe Eric.
    “Sorry to be a pest,” Bree said. “I’ll talk to you later.”
    Fay gave her a distracted smile before she hurried out the door.
    Molly appeared at Bree’s table. “Fay is upset, eh? She looked like she’d been crying when she came in.” Molly’s speech was typical of a Yooper. A blend of Finnish and Canadian cadence and an accent that Bree found charming.
    Bree picked up a menu. “You know Fay. No one understands her moods.”
    Molly sniffed and nodded. “What will you have, eh? The panukakkua just came out of the oven.”
    Panukakkua . The thought of the custard pancake dripping with hot raspberry sauce brought a Pavlovian response from Bree. The pulla would wait. “You know my weakness,” Bree said, nodding. “And more coffee.”
    “You got it.” Molly tucked the order pad in a pocket of her apron and went to the kitchen.
    Moments later Hilary rushed up to Bree’s table with Mason in tow. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “I knew I’d find you here. You’re as predictable as an atomic clock.” She dropped a newspaper onto the table. A picture of Bree and Samson stared back at Bree from the front page of the Kitchigami Journal . “Just the publicity my office can use!” she crowed. “It even mentions you’re the mayor’s sister-in-law.”
    Bree looked at the paper but didn’t pick it up. Newspaper articles were nothing new to her and Samson. Something of a nuisance, actually.
    Hilary and Mason sat down. “Where are you searching next?” Hilary asked.
    “I’m starting a new sector, west of the gorge.”
    Mason cleared his throat. “We need to attend to the debriefing for yesterday’s search as well. I thought you might come by yesterday. What can you tell me?”
    She’d meant to but had forgotten all about it. Glad to get Hilary off the search topic, Bree told Mason of the clues they’d followed, the areas they’d searched, and how they had found the children. Molly brought Bree’s breakfast and coffee. Mason took notes in backward looping letters simple enough for a grade-school kid to read.
    Ten minutes later Hilary tapped her fingernails on the table. “Are we about done? We’re going to be late for church if we don’t get going.” Gathering her purse, she slid from the seat and waited for her husband.
    Mason shrugged. “I reckon we are now. Call me if you think of anything else, Bree, eh?” He nodded to Bree and followed his wife out of the café.
    Bree lifted her cup and took a gulp. Hilary was happy with her now, but it wouldn’t last