Page 80 of Mountain Man’s Mystic Touch

I think of Loralee inside the lodge with blood covering her hands. My blood. The image did not come from my memory, but it feels stuck there now.

“Move all final bidding into the conference room,” I tell the coordinator. “Limit access to one entrance. A deputy and one of my employees remain inside until the items are transferred to the safe.”

“What do I tell the bidders?”

“That we improved the checkout process.”

“This is going to cause questions.”

“Questions are better than panic.”

McCall agrees. The coordinator stops objecting. Wade calls from the opposite side of the room.

“I have the woman.”

“Current location?”

“She left twenty-six minutes ago through the east pedestrian exit.”

“Alone?”

“Yes. Camera three picked her up crossing the overflow lot.”

“Vehicle?”

“Still looking.”

“And the man?”

“No current image after he left the lodge.”

He may have left before her. He may have changed his coat or cap, or still be standing among the crowd while we search for the appearance he used yesterday.

“Track backward from the first time he appeared at the lodge,” I say. “Find out whether he entered through a gate or came from a vendor area.”

Wade returns to the footage.

I step outside and scan the festival from the command-cabin porch. The stage performance has ended. Visitors spread into the vendor lanes and food area, increasing congestion as the final shopping hour begins.

Music continues through the speakers. Laughter rises near the firepits. A child races past carrying a light-up toy that streaks red through the darkness.

Every ordinary sound contains the possibility of becoming something else. My phone vibrates in my pocket.

Loralee has sent one word.

Normal?

I type my answer.

So far.

I put the phone away and begin walking the grounds.

The changes made near the lodge have improved the flow of visitors. Without the display case narrowing the entrance, families move through the doors without stopping. An employee stands inside while another patrols the lawn. Neither appears focused on a single location.

At booth 37, the panels remain secured. Loralee’s neighboring vendors are open, and the employee covering the intersection reports no unusual activity. Two customers have asked when her booth will reopen. No one has attempted to approach from the rear.

The security measures are working. That does not mean no one is testing them.