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Ford Fairmont. The active Amber Alert taped alongside Kelsey’s picture showed two little boys, Tommy and Jackie, ages two and four respectively. Their last known location was listed as their apartment in Lakewood, Washington. No description of what she or her boys were wearing was included.
    “Yeah,” the talkative clerk continued, “Channel Five had a press conference a couple days ago for the poor fellow. He was all tore up and crying. It’s a shame is what it is. A guy thinks he’s marrying the girl of his dreams, and he ends up with some lunatic, you know what I mean?”
    Alex hesitated. His gut told him different. There was more to her than the flyer disclosed. His plan to contact the authorities didn’t feel like the right thing to do anymore. Instead, he talked the clerk into opening the store for a couple items— antiseptic ointment, sterile gauze, a travel-sized bottle of baby shampoo, a hairbrush, and a small ladies T-shirt. He topped off his pack with a pound of bacon, a dozen eggs, and a loaf of bread.
    “Looks like your lady friend musta forgot to bring her beauty supplies,” the nosy clerk commented at the cash register.
    “Dan Fletcher still own this place?” Alex changed the subject. Nobody needed to know he had that missing woman safe and sound in his cabin.
    The clerk’s eyes brightened. “You know Dan? Sure, he still owns this place. I reckon he’ll be in later to see how much damage the storm did.”
    “Tell him Alex stopped by, will you?”
    “That your truck out there?”
    Alex nodded.
    “Well, I’ll be. Dan’s always talking ‘bout you. Sure glad I got the chance to meet one of the guys he served with.” He extended a hand for Alex to shake. “I’m Pete Sanders by the way.”
    “Nice to meet you, Pete.” Alex returned the handshake. “Tell Dan thanks letting me park here for a couple days.”
    “Sure. No problem. Lots of guys leave their rigs here.”
    “Keep the change.” Alex handed over several twenties. “Something extra for opening the store for me. I appreciate it.”
    Pete waved the money off. “Sorry, but your money ain’t no good around here. Dan wouldn’t take it, and neither will I.”
    “He still as hard-headed as he used to be?” Alex chuckled as he stuffed the bills back into his pocket.
    “He’s a good man.” Pete nodded. “You take care.”
    “You, too.” Alex nodded as he placed his purchases inside his backpack, the eggs on top, and headed back to the cabin. He checked the bars on his cell phone. Fortunately, the cell tower must have survived the storm unscathed. That was a welcome break, but instead of contacting the local authorities like he planned, Alex called his right-hand man. The forest made for a good office.
    “You miss us already?” Murphy was his usual cheerful self.
    “Need you to run a background check, Murph.”
    “What? You working a case out there in the Cascades, are you?”
    Alex ignored the friendly banter. “I’m sending a couple pictures. See what you can find on a missing woman in the Tacoma and Seattle area. Name is Kelsey Durrant.”
    Murphy stowed the chitchat. “Send me what you got.”
    Alex sent the pictures he had taken while Kelsey slept. If nothing else, he wanted to know exactly who she was before he handed her over to the locals. He owed her that much for being a jerk.
    The forest smelled extra good this morning after the nighttime rain. It was alive with the rowdy chatter of birds, squirrels, and chipmunks. A Western Jay fluttered away in a flurry of deep indigo, squawking like the murderer it was, the pink kernel of another bird’s baby hanging from its beak. Alex watched the parent birds attack the fleeing predator, while it dodged branches to escape. As beautiful as life was, it was still cruel.
    His phone rang on his hip holster. “Stewart.”
    “Exactly how’d you run into this gal?” It was Murphy again, concern heavy behind his question. “You’ve only been gone four days, and three of