“That shouldn’t take more than five minutes,” said Nora. “Either he’s there or he’s not.”

“If Jessop knew Denny was murdered, he hid it really well,” said Ava.

The other detectives gave a chorus of agreement. “I thought the same thing,” said Nora. “And he doesn’t strike me as the type of guy who can lie effectively.” She shook her head slowly. “I don’t think Denny would have stepped out of his cabin to meet with any of that group on his own.”

“Maybe he went outside for a phone call,” suggested Ava. She looked at the OSP detectives. “Would it have been disruptive to the rest of the cabin if he was on the phone in his room?”

The men exchanged glances. “I don’t think it would have been disruptive, but I was in the bedroom directly above his. He probably thought I would hear,” said Duff Morales. “I know I step outside sometimes when I just want some additional privacy.”

“It’s the most logical reason for no evidence of a struggle,” added Ava. “It appears he willingly stepped out of the cabin, and I don’t think it was in response to someone inviting him outside. Who does that at one in the morning? No cop I know.”

“But it feels targeted,” said Mason. “If he wasn’t summoned outside, then it was a crime of chance. I can’t believe that just yet.”

“It’s too early to draw any conclusions,” Ava said. Her mind sped with questions.

Did someone draw Denny out?

Was he specifically targeted? Or would the killer have settled for Mason?

She fought to control the shiver that rocked through her body. Her morning phone call from her boss could have been much uglier.

Nora nodded at Zander and Ava. “If Sam Gates is at the diner, I want you two to talk to him with me, but the rest of you are witnesses and have no reason to be there.”

A mix of grumbles came from the four OSP detectives.

Ava felt bad for the four men whose friend had been murdered, but Nora was right. She exchanged a look with Zander. Technically the FBI was part of the investigation at the request of OSP. Under the circumstances, he could take over completely. But she suspected he preferred to sit back and watch. So far Nora hadn’t done anything they disagreed with.

“I’d like Detective Callahan to come along,” said Zander. “He was in the bar and the first to find the body. I’d like to hear his opinion of what Sam Gates has to say.”

Zander missed his calling as a diplomat. He’d made a polite request and hadn’t been an ass about it. He’d left the option in Nora’s hands to agree or disagree.

“Fine with me,” Nora said. “You three can follow me to the diner.”

6

Mason was happy to see Sam Gates glumly sitting in the back of the Lincoln County deputies’ car. His dark head hung low, but as their group approached, he turned his face to the window and anger shot from his gaze.

“Any problems getting him to cooperate?” Zander asked the deputies.

“Not at all,” said one. “We spotted him through the diner window as he was drinking his coffee. He barely looked at us when we went in. We walked over to his table and said we wanted to talk to him about a bar fight last night.”

“He gave us some shit,” said the other. “But he stepped outside. Seemed confident that he hadn’t been involved in any fight.”

“Know anything about him?” Zander asked.

Mason bit his lip as he stopped himself from simultaneously asking the same question. Taking a backseat wasn’t his usual role, but he would stay quiet so he wasn’t asked to leave. His presence had no purpose to the investigation.

But he was going to stick around as long as he could.

It was for Denny.

He thought back to his final conversation with his boss last night. It’d been uncomfortable. He’d never heard Denny ask for relationship advice, and relationships weren’t something they talked about at work. He was a bit surprised Denny had approached him instead of Ray. Ray was the one who easily discussed feelings and therapy and flowers. Froufrou crap.

But Ray had never been divorced.

Maybe talking about froufrou crap makes a marriage last longer.

Mason had tried to joke with Denny at first, cracking a few ex-wife jokes, but Denny had stayed serious, so Mason listened carefully. The man was having a crisis of the heart, and Mason had been with Ava long enough to learn that everyone needs to talk at some point in their life. It doesn’t kill a man to listen.

It was the first time he’d seen raw doubt in Denny’s eyes when he asked Mason if he’d done the right thing by turning down his ex-wife’s offer of reconciliation. It’d unnerved him. Why had he turned to Mason for advice?

“Geez, Denny,” he’d said. “How long have you been divorced?”

“Nearly fifteen years. She married again, but he died two years ago.”

“And she approached you? Have you guys been staying in touch that much?”

“We have two sons and three grandkids. We’ve always had some contact. She still lives in Portland.”

Mason was silent for a moment. “What do you want to do?” He didn’t know what else to say.

“I don’t fucking know. I told her it wasn’t a good idea, but now I’m having second thoughts.” His eyes pleaded with Mason to give him an answer.

“Well,” Mason said, trying to channel his inner Dr. Phil. “You haven’t lived together in fifteen years. I doubt she’s the same person she was fifteen years ago. I mean, are you the same?”