Free Her Darkest Nightmare by Brenda Novak Page A

hadn’t been able to use the roads, or he would’ve been able to wash up at home.
    Folks in these parts had to pull together sometimes. That wasn’t unusual.…
    The tension in Ian’s body eased. “Oh, of course he wouldn’t mind. I almost didn’t make it home myself. Where the hell were the plows, right?”
    â€œThat’s what I kept thinking.” Except he’d actually been glad that there didn’t seem to be anyone about.
    â€œIn a storm like that, a guy’s got to do what a guy’s got to do. But … I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before.…”
    â€œReally? I met you down at the Moosehead once—when Stan and I went in for a drink.” That was probably the most brazen lie he’d ever told, so he was shocked when it seemed to work. Ian’s expression cleared. There was even a hint of chagrin in his voice when he responded.
    â€œOh. Sorry ’bout that. I was probably too damn drunk to remember.”
    This was going better than he’d anticipated, but he kept a tight grip on the knife, just in case. “No worries. What else is there to do in the winter but have a few beers?”
    â€œYou said it.”
    He dipped his head to peer out past Ian, at the sky. “Well, now that the weather has cleared a bit, I’d better get going.…”
    â€œYou need a lift?”
    â€œNo, thanks. My truck’s not far.” He didn’t say exactly where. It was bad enough that Ian had seen him . No way did he want Stan’s neighbor to have a description of his vehicle, too. “It was easier to park and walk in that mess than to keep driving.”
    â€œOf course. But be on the lookout. It sounds as if we’ve got some trouble in town.”
    â€œWhat kind of trouble?”
    â€œShorty, down at the Moosehead, just called. Told me someone’s been murdered.”
    He rocked back a little, as if this came as the shock it was expected to be. “Who?”
    â€œSome woman who hasn’t been identified.”
    He’d done all he could to make identification difficult. “They catch the guy who did it?” He felt that was the next logical question; it might also shed some light on what he had to watch out for.
    â€œNo. But it’s got to be one of those ghouls from Hanover House.”
    â€œThe psychopaths ?”
    â€œOf course. One of ’em must’ve gotten out. Who else could it be?”
    He shook his head. “I have no idea.”
    *   *   *
    Forever conscious of the trooper at her elbow, Evelyn was careful not to slip on the melted snow others had traipsed in. As they passed through security and hurried down the hall to the elevator, she told herself to calm down, but she couldn’t help being apprehensive. She didn’t want to be responsible, even by extension, for any kind of violence, most especially such a grisly murder.
    No matter what Amarok thought, the chances that anyone at Hanover House was involved had to be very slim. She didn’t care what Hugo said. Security here was as tight as any other level 4 facility. And they were prepared for bad weather, had all kinds of backup systems. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t understood where they were building the institution.
    But almost immediately she learned that there were some problems. Despite the dorm rooms in the second wing that housed additional COs during the most difficult months, the staff was overtaxed. This was the biggest storm they’d faced since opening and most of them were new at corrections. The officers she and Amarok passed informed her that the added manpower hadn’t been enough. Some people had been working for eighteen hours. But, given the fact that their emergency systems had been untried until now, the situation could’ve been much worse. They’d fine-tune it.
    â€œThe roads aren’t easy to navigate, but they’ve been cleared.”