"Is that really necessary?" Jake asked, his mind flashing back to his first swearing-in ceremony. He'd been so young and c.o.c.ky. Life had kicked that out of him-or at least a good portion of it.

"Gotta make it official." Landon proceeded with deputizing Jake as Kayden and her siblings watched.

When they wrapped up, Landon grabbed a gun and badge from his truck's glove box, handing them to Jake.

Jake c.o.c.ked his head. "Were you that confident I'd say yes?"

"I knew if I ever really needed your help, I could count on you." Landon clapped him on the back.

Jake prayed that was true, but Becca had believed she could count on him, too, and he'd let her down terribly.

4.

Jake held the door for Kayden as she stepped into Tariuk's Ranger Station Four. Having worked search and rescue for years, Kayden and all of her siblings were well acquainted with the various stations and the rangers who staffed them. Ryan Aikens stood at the communications station, relaying the incoming weather report to the rangers out in the field. "Weather service says a stronger front is moving in. High winds and heavy downpours."

"Roger that," the men replied, almost as one voice.

Ryan set the radio back on the clip and turned to face them. "Hey there."

"Hey, yourself," Kayden said.

"Landon said you found the downed climber?"

She nodded.

"Anderson's pretty upset, but I didn't tell him his friend is dead."

She nodded. "Probably for the best."

"Where is he?" Jake asked.

"Back in the break room. Wasn't the least bit happy about being told to stay put."

She sighed. "That should make this go a whole lot smoother."

"Landon coming?" Ryan looked past Jake.

"Nope. Just me and Deputy Jake," Kayden said with a smile.

Ryan crossed his arms with a grin. "So Landon finally talked you into signing up?"

"Just until this gets sorted out."

"Uh-huh." Ryan chuckled.

"You got anything warm to drink?" She asked, a chill nipping at her.

"Coffee's in the kitchen, and there's hot water if you wanna make tea or cocoa. Matt brought some of his herbal junk in yesterday."

She moved toward the kitchen. "Ignoring the insult in that. Herbal tea's a whole lot better for you than coffee."

"Knew that'd push a b.u.t.ton." Ryan chuckled to Jake, and she slowed her step to hear if he responded. If he did, it wasn't verbally, and his footsteps came quickly behind her.

"How do you want to approach this?" she asked, her gaze pinned on the break-room door.

"You start with the climbing questions. Approach him as you see best, and I'll jump in if necessary."

"All right." Never in a million years did she think she'd be paired with Jake on an inquiry.

She pushed open the door to find a man pacing. "Mr. Anderson?"

He looked up. "Finally." He rushed forward. "How's Conrad?"

"Mr. Anderson, I suggest you take a seat." She gestured to the round wooden table and the four mismatched chairs encircling it.

"No." He shook his head. "Not until I get answers. I've been waiting for hours."

Kayden looked at Jake, and he nodded. She exhaled. She hated this part. "Mr. Anderson, I'm very sorry to inform you that Conrad Humphries is dead."

"Dead?" His face paled. "I knew it was a hard fall, but . . ."

Kayden pulled out a chair. "Why don't you sit."

He looked at her, confused. "Who are you?"

She extended her hand. "Kayden McKenna."

He was older. Upper forties, perhaps early fifties. Tall, lean, slightly balding. He shook her hand, but instead of meeting her eyes, he stared straight past her at Jake. "And you're the sheriff?"

"No, I'm a deputy."

She'd witnessed a glimpse of Jake as investigator during the cruise ship case. He was highly enticing in his natural element, even more than usual. And now she had been given the pleasure of investigating with him. A tingle of antic.i.p.ation shot through her.

Stuart shook his head. "I can't believe . . ." He swallowed. "Vivienne. Have you told Vivienne yet?"

Kayden arched her brows. "Vivienne?"

"Conrad's wife. She's going to be devastated. I should go to her." He started for the door.

Jake intercepted his path. "I'm afraid we need to ask you some questions first."

Stuart stilled. "Questions? About what?"

Kayden moved to face him. "What happened on today's climb?"

"What about it? I already told the ranger and the sheriff over the phone."

"I'm going to need you to tell us," she insisted.

"You just told me my friend is dead, and you want me to answer questions?"

"I'm afraid it's necessary."

He once again looked past her at Jake. "Seriously?"

"It's important, Mr. Anderson," she said, holding her ground.

After a moment's hesitation, with a stiff exhale, he dropped into the chair Kayden had pulled out for him. "All right, but let's make it quick. I need to get to Vivienne."

"We'll go as quickly as we can. Now, would you please tell me how your day started?"

"Conrad and I went for a climb. Things were going fine. Conrad made it over the outcrop, and I lost visual. A minute or so later, I heard him scream and then . . ." Stuart's eyes flicked wide.

"And then?" she pressed.

Stuart squeezed his eyes shut. "A horrible thump."

She paused a moment, letting him absorb the trauma. "And after that?"

He looked up at her. "You really expect me to go back through that?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to need you to go through it step by step for me."

Stuart's eyes narrowed. "Who, exactly, are you?"

"Kayden Mc-"

He waved his hand. "I got that part. What I mean is why are you questioning me? Are you a deputy too?"

"No. I'm the one who found Conrad."

"Oh." Stuart swallowed. "Was he . . . ?"

Jake nodded. "I'm afraid your friend was already gone by the time Kayden reached him."

"Look . . ." Stuart clasped his hands together. "I need to get to Vivienne. I don't want her facing this alone."

"I understand, but we have a few more questions."

"Conrad had a tragic accident. What more do you need to know?"

"We need to be thorough, Mr. Anderson, and we'd appreciate your cooperation. It won't take long."

Rain pelted the gla.s.s on the front windows, the storm finally hitting its full fury.

"I'll give you five more minutes, and that's being generous under the circ.u.mstance," Stuart said.

"Take all the time you need," Jake whispered in Kayden's ear as he pulled out a chair for her.

The warmth of his breath on her neck sent shivers up her spine-the good kind-making it extremely difficult to focus on the task at hand. She scooted her chair in, the metal legs scuffing along the wooden planks, directing her attention on Stuart Anderson.

"How did you know Conrad?"

He gaped at Kayden. "You've got to be kidding."

Jake crossed his arms over his chest. "Just answer the lady's questions."

Stuart exhaled. "We went to college together. Been friends for twenty-nine years."

"Do you live on Imnek as well?" She didn't know everyone on the island, but she did know most of the climbers, at least by sight, and she'd never seen or heard of him.

"No. I'm up in Anchorage. What does any of this have to do with Conrad's accident?"

"I'm just trying to establish the events that led up to the climb, your relationship with the deceased, both of your climbing experience . . ."

"I had business in Spruce Harbor and figured I'd spend some time with Conrad while I was down here."

"When did you plan the climb?"

"We first talked about it a couple months back, when I learned I'd be in town."

"What kind of business are you in?"

"Real estate."

"So you were in town for business, and . . ."

"I stayed through the weekend so we could do some climbing."

"And the trip had been planned for two months?"

"More or less."

So there'd been plenty of time for someone to compromise or tamper with Conrad's chalk. "Who knew you two were planning the climb?"

"Well . . . Vivienne, and my wife, Gail."

Surely more people knew than that. Climbers liked to discuss their upcoming climbs, to get feedback and generate excitement-it pumped them up for the climb ahead. "How long have you and Conrad been climbing?"

A chill whisked through the break room, the wind gusts rattling the window frame.

Stuart looked at Kayden.