Chapter 14

14

"You mean the Permafrost Paparazzi," Saila, the store owner, said with a grin when Fenn asked about Rog.

She winked at Kate.

"Exactly." He leaned against the counter, his dark eyes scanning the store. "Someone's giving Kate a hard time," he told Saila. "We got a tip it might be this Rog character, but we don't know anything about him."

Saila shrugged, her expression perplexed. "I don't know much about him either. He's a true recluse."

Just then, the door swung open, and a rough-looking character walked in. The conversation in the store stopped abruptly, the air thick with tension.

Fenn's eyes narrowed as he took in the man's appearance. He was dressed for the arctic weather, wearing a parka from a high-end brand, but it had clearly seen better days. The man's expensive gear suggested he had money, but the worn condition indicated he had been out here for a long time. The fabric was worn and frayed at the edges, and the once-vibrant color had faded to a dull gray.

His weathered face and rough demeanor spoke of a life lived in isolation, away from the comforts of society. His expression was like granite. Deep lines etched his forehead and the corners of his eyes, a testament to the years he had spent in the unforgiving Arctic. His skin had a leathery texture, and his beard was a tangled mess of gray and white.

Fenn noticed Saila's slight alarm at the man's entrance, but she quickly composed herself and greeted him with a nod.

The man sauntered toward the counter, his stance threatening. He moved with a deliberate slowness, each step measured and purposeful.

Fenn slipped his hand into the pocket of his parka, wrapping his fingers around the grip of his gun. He glanced at Kate, who did the same, her eyes locked on the stranger.

As the newcomer approached, Fenn's muscles tensed, ready to spring into action if needed. He exchanged a quick glance with Kate, a silent communication passing between them. They were both on high alert, their training and instincts guiding their actions.

The man stopped at the counter, his piercing blue eyes scanning the store before settling on Fenn and Kate. Fenn met his gaze unflinchingly. The air crackled with unspoken tension.

"Something I can help you with, Rog?" Saila asked, her voice steady.

"Nope." The man stared at Fenn and Kate, ignoring Saila. "I hear you're looking for me."

Fenn struggled to hide his surprise. They had just started their search an hour ago.

Kate looked equally shocked, but Saila grinned. "Permafrost Paparazzi," she mouthed the words.

Rog widened his stance and shoved back the hood of his parka, revealing sparse wisps of graying hair. He wiped his nose with the back of his gloved hand. "I'm here. What do you want?"

Saila made an excuse and headed to the storeroom, leaving the three of them alone. Fenn studied Rog, noting the man's gruff and rough demeanor. But his eyes didn't have the dead look of a psychopath. More like a feral soul who wasn't used to people or conversation.

Fenn cleared his throat. "We've had some trouble recently."

"I heard about that." Rog scratched his head, his expression contemplative. "Coulda just been bad luck. Lots of guys leave the Frostbite too liquored up to handle their Ski-Doos."

Fenn's eyebrows shot up. The recluse knew more about the town's happenings than people realized. "Could be," he agreed. "But we've also received a threat, and we're trying to get to the bottom of it."

Rog shrugged. "Doesn't that come with the territory, you being black ops folks and all?"

Fenn's gut told him that this guy had a complicated backstory, too. Takes one to know one.

"What were you doing at the hotel two days ago?" Fenn asked, his tone casual.

Rog's expression hardened. "None of your business."

Fenn noticed the man's irritation, but didn't detect any defensiveness. Interesting. He pushed further. "We're trying to track down the person who left the threat."

"Not a bad reason." Rog sighed, his shoulders sagging slightly. "I was there seeing a woman. And that's all I'm gonna say about that."

"You mean as in dating?" Fenn couldn't stop the words from tumbling out of his mouth.

Rog's lips twitched into a semblance of a smile. "Some women are smart enough to see past the outer wrappings."

Fenn wondered what was inside. The man couldn't even maintain eye contact, and social niceties were clearly not his forte. And then it hit him. Maybe the guy could do those things when he wanted to.

"I'm guessing you've already looked into the other hotel guests," Rog said, his tone matter-of-fact.

Fenn and Kate nodded in agreement.

"And I'm guessing you'll be wanting to talk your way onto the military installation next." Rog chuckled. "Good luck with that. Place is shut down tighter than the CIA." He jerked a mittened thumb at the narrow windows above the bread display. "Besides, it's a day's ride out. At least. There's more weather coming. The squints at the weather bureau say it's 48 hours out, but who knows? Nature does what nature wants. In any case, you'll never beat the next storm out and back. I'd wait on that mission if I were you. You don't want to get stuck out at the base. Food stinks and the company's worse."

Fenn's mind raced with possibilities. When the team was there following the lead on Jason, they had scoured the area thirty miles out. With the exception of the military installation, there was nothing but polar bears and tundra.

"But maybe you won't have to," Rog continued. "There are lots of places in the area for people to hide out if they want to."

Fenn and Kate exchanged a glance, intrigued.

Rog scratched his chin. "There's a long-abandoned communications camp. Early radar and high frequency radio stuff. World War II era. It's buried under ten feet of ice now. Dang fools built it at the base of a hill. Avalanche buried it thirty years ago. But there's an ice tunnel. Strays hang out there from time to time. I haven't been out there in years, but could be your person is there. Or was." Rog glanced between them and sniffed. "You two make a nice couple."

Fenn and Kate both spluttered, their protests overlapping.

"We're not?—"

"Absolutely not?—"

"No way?—"

Rog shook his head, muttering under his breath as he left the store. "Fools, the both of you."

They stood in the empty store. Fenn catalogued the potato chip display while Kate seemed to take an outsized interest in the year-old magazines by the register.

"Well, we're definitely not fools," Kate said, her tone firm.

"No way." Not both of them.

He was, but there was no need to confirm that fact.

But back to the matter at hand. Fenn didn't think so, but it was certainly possible Rog was lying about his date. About the abandoned station. About being the one who left that note.

"I don't think it's him." Kate voiced his thoughts.

"Why not?" He had his reasons, but he wanted to know if she was picking up on the same signs.

"Did you see his face when he talked about his date?" A wistful expression transformed her face. "Whatever else he may or may not have done, that date was the real deal."

Exactly what Fenn believed. The man might be former special ops. Probably was. But even trained personnel had their tells. Besides, they could easily confirm his story with the female scientist.

And going on a date didn't mean the man wasn't also their mystery writer. But it didn't feel right. For now, until they exhausted all other avenues, he'd go with his gut.

He pulled a package of beef jerky out of the jar on the counter. "Copy that."

His mind raced as he considered their next move. The abandoned communications camp Rog mentioned could be a lead worth pursuing. If it wasn't a Rog-generated trap.

He turned to Kate, his eyes sparkling with a mix of determination and mischief.

"I say we check out this abandoned station," he suggested, his voice low and conspiratorial. "Could be our mystery person is holed up there."

Kate nodded, her eyes narrowing in thought. "We should head out in the morning, get a fresh start."

"Really?" He gestured towards the window, where the perpetual darkness of the Arctic winter loomed. "Why wait? It's not like it's going to get any lighter out here. Besides, as Rog said, there's another storm coming. We don't want to get caught in that."

Kate blew out a breath. "You're right. We should provision up, rent a couple of snowmobiles, and go now."

Fenn peeled open the package, snapped off a bite and chewed hard, savoring the salty, smoky flavor. "Sounds like a plan," he said around the mouthful of jerky.

A super bad one, for sure, but for now, it was the only one they had.