Free Tundra Threat by Sarah Varland

cooperation.
    “Could you answer the question, please?” she asked firmly, hoping she’d mostly kept the irritation she could feel rising in her throat out of her tone of voice.
    “All the government has brought here are too many rules, too many regulations and too many men who care nothing for the land or the animals and use them for their own gain. We need to protect our land from the government and from his kind.” He jerked his head in the direction of the dead man. “Not the other way around.”
    So, that was a no, then—he wouldn’t be answering her question, or helping her in any way. “I guess you’re not up for questions.” She sighed and turned away, walking closer to where the paramedics were now loading the dead man into a medevac helicopter. Then she froze. His kind? What had George meant by that?
    She turned around to ask him, but he was gone. Either he’d lost himself in the cluster of emergency personnel—not likely since there were only three of them—or he’d wandered far enough away to not be illuminated by the lights.
    Something told her he knew more than he was saying. So the question was, could he be a valuable asset to helping her solve the murders?
    Or was he the one behind them?
    * * *
    Will was just leaving for work when he got an SOS text from McKenna telling him the coffeemaker at the trooper post was broken and asking if he could bring her some. He checked his watch. He’d planned to leave early just because he’d woken up early, but he didn’t need to be at work for over an hour. This would provide a good excuse to make sure she hadn’t had any more threats or close calls she hadn’t told him about, before he got to work and prepared for his afternoon hunt.
    He made the coffee and texted her back that he was coming, to which she’d replied Thanks. I’ve been up almost all night.
    That had made him pick up the pace even more. Had there been a new lead on the case? He’d barely put his truck in Park before he got out and ran to pound on the door of McKenna’s office.
    “Hi! I found out some information on the man who was shot on the beach.” McKenna’s eyes glittered with excitement. “Are you ready?”
    “Whoa.” He held the coffee mug and carafe away from her. “You sound like you’re caffeinated enough.”
    “Not a drop yet today, mister. Give me that coffee and nobody gets hurt.”
    He handed it to her and she poured herself a mug, took a long sip and smiled. “Ah. I can think better now. Okay. Ready?”
    “First, what man on the beach?”
    “I forgot, you didn’t know.” She took a deep breath and filled him in on the previous night’s events. He could picture her, silhouetted by the glow of the lights the investigators and paramedics would have been using, while a killer was out there and after her. It wasn’t a picture he liked, but if it had produced a lead, maybe he should try not to think about it. “Should I be sitting down for this?” he asked.
    She seemed to consider it. “Nah. It’s exciting, but not game changing.”
    “Okay. Go ahead.”
    “His name is Seth Davison.”
    “Never heard of him.”
    “Exactly. That’s because he wasn’t a local. We talked to his family and found out he was here on a hunting trip.”
    Will shook his head. “I don’t see how that’s a lead. Just about everyone who comes here is here to hunt.”
    “You’re probably right. But it’s still something to look into. Especially since the other two victims were here to hunt, too. There has to be a connection.”
    “So where will you start?”
    “Investigating the hunting-guide companies around here. Starting today with your competition. Tomorrow I’ll be at Truman.”
    Rick was going to love that. Much as Will wanted her to do whatever it took to solve the case, even if it made people uncomfortable, he knew her inquiry into Rick’s business wasn’t going to make his boss easy to handle.
    “My boss is not going to like that.”
    McKenna laughed. “Of