Chapter 28
Theo
The scent of vanilla and sugar swirled around me as I walked into Angel Cakes Bakery.
My sister-in-law Harper ran it, and her treats were off the charts.
Just a few days after we’d retrieved Pen’s stuff from the jerk’s house, she’d mentioned cinnamon rolls sounded good.
It had been on my mind to get her some ever since.
Just being a good roommate.
“I’ll be right with you,” Harper called from the back.
“Take your time. It’s just me.”
The exposed brick wall was painted white, and a pink scalloped border ran around the perimeter of the room near the ceiling. A shelf next to the door had bread and bagged cookies, and the pastry case was filled with temptation—cookies, cupcakes, brownies, and, luckily for me, cinnamon rolls.
Score one for Theo.
Harper came out from the kitchen dressed in a white Angel Cakes apron. Her blond hair was tied back in a low ponytail, and she wore a pink floral headband.
“Hey, Theo,” she said. “Great game last night. Congrats on another win.”
“Thanks.” I couldn’t help but smile. We’d won the night before. “Owen sure played a great game.”
A proud grin stole across her face. She was married to Garrett, Owen’s dad, and had a close relationship with her stepson. “Football is officially my favorite sport. I love watching him play.”
“Yeah, same.”
“Anyway, what can I get you?”
“Two cinnamon rolls, please.” “Coming right up.”
She put the confections in a pink to-go box and rang up the total. I paid and thanked her, telling her I’d see her soon.
Outside, I squinted at the brightness and slipped my sunglasses on. It was chilly, but the sun was out, and the blue sky stretched over the mountain peaks, already tipped with white.
A squirrel darted up the sidewalk right in front of me, and I almost tripped.
I hesitated in case there were more. Sure enough, three others bounded along, their bushy gray tails bouncing.
Their cheeks bulged, stuffed with something.
Nuts, most likely. I wondered if they’d just raided enemy squirrel territory.
Word on the street was a new feud had been brewing in Tilikum—a battle between squirrel factions, each side stealing the other’s winter stashes.
“Careful out there,” I said to the passing squirrels.
I got in my truck and put the box on the passenger seat. The scent of cinnamon filled the cab and I couldn’t wait to get home and dig into one.
And see the smile on Pen’s face when I showed her my sugary surprise.
I was walking on thin ice with her. Being roommates was great. I had no regrets about that. But things were different, and I wasn’t sure how to handle it.
It wasn’t just that she was single now, although the lack of a shitty boyfriend had taken down a very big barrier that had kept her friend-zoned. And while I couldn’t get that night out of my head, no matter how hard I tried, it wasn’t that we’d given in to temptation and slept together.
It was more than that. Living with her meant she wasn’t just my work friend anymore.
I saw her every morning, sleepy-eyed and adorable.
We hung out during our off-hours. Ate meals together.
Ran errands and watched TV. Every night, I watched her go to her room, and a part of me wished she was heading to my bed, not hers.
I was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. And knowing she was sleeping one room away was turning into a special type of torture. Especially because I’d already had a taste.
When I got home, I brought the cinnamon rolls inside and found her at the dining table with her laptop.
She swam in my too-big-for-her hoodie and her hair was up in a ponytail.
My mouth turned up in a grin. I probably shouldn’t have enjoyed seeing her in my hoodie as much as I did. But I kind of loved it.
“Penriffic.” I closed the door with my foot and held up the box. “I have a surprise.”
She sat up straighter and peeked over the top of her laptop screen. “Are those what I think they are?”
“If you’re thinking cinnamon rolls, then yes.”
“You’re kidding. I’ve been craving cinnamon rolls.”
“I know.” I set the box on the table. “You said something at lunch the other day.”
Her lips parted and she gazed at me.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing.” She shook her head a little. “This is really nice. Thank you.”
“No problem. They sounded good to me, too.”
I grabbed a couple plates from the kitchen and poured myself another cup of coffee, then brought everything to the table. Pen clasped her hands beneath her chin and scrunched her shoulders while I lifted each cinnamon roll onto a plate. They were huge—almost as big as her face.
“Oh my gosh, they smell so good,” she said.
I sat down next to her, hesitating while she peeled off a chunk and took the first bite.
Her eyes rolled back, fluttering closed, and she moaned. “Oh, yes.”
Maybe cinnamon rolls had been a bad idea.
My blood ran hot as I watched her, and I was gripped by the desire to lick the cinnamon-laced frosting off the corner of her mouth.
“Have you tried yours yet?” she asked. “This is the best cinnamon roll I’ve ever had.”
I tore my eyes away and shoved a big bite in my mouth. “Mm-hmm. Really good.”
“I’m glad you’re home. And not just because of these.” She paused and took a deep breath. “I think I found the creek.”
“The creek? As in the one in the painting?”
She nodded with excitement and shifted her laptop so I could see the screen. “First, I found this. It’s from a hiking website. Don’t you think that picture looks like the place?”
Tilting my head, I scrutinized the photo. She was right. It did look like the place Morris had painted, from the curve of the creek bed to the big rock formation looming above.
“Here’s another one from a different angle.” She clicked to another tab. “This one is from a hiking blog.”
There was no doubt. It had to be the location in Morris’s painting. The rock formation was especially distinctive.
“Where is it?”
“Not far outside town. According to the blog post, it’s a pretty flat out-and-back hike.”
The corner of my mouth lifted in a grin. “Do you have anything going on today?”
“I do,” she said decisively.
“You do?” I twisted toward her. “What?”
She pointed at the screen. “Hiking out there to see if we can find anything.”
“Let’s do it, Penlicious.” Damn it, I’d basically just called her delicious. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice, her focus remaining on the laptop. “We should get a dog.”
That did get her attention. She knitted her eyebrows together. “We should what?”
“For the day,” I said. “Not like, get a dog together. I mean borrow one. You know, for the nose.”
“Oh. That makes much more sense. But how does one borrow a dog for the day?”
“Easy, when your brother and sister-in-law have two. I’m sure Josiah and Audrey won’t mind if we take Max and Maggie for a hike.”
“Great idea.” She pulled off another piece of cinnamon roll and popped it into her mouth.
I broke off a chunk of cinnamon roll and got up. Although I wanted to stay close to her, I was feeling too many things. I needed to keep my distance. “I’ll go call Josiah. Let me know when you’re ready. No rush.”
“Sure. Let me just finish this. Or maybe half of it. If I eat the whole thing, I’ll be in a carb coma in an hour.”
“No kidding.”
Forcing myself to leave the temptation of Pen as she tantalizingly licked cinnamon off her fingers, I went to my room to call my brother.
The early November air was cold, but at least it was dry. I was wearing one of my THS hoodies and a pair of joggers with my hiking boots. Pen had put on my hoodie again, along with black leggings and hiking boots.
Josiah and Audrey were happy to let us borrow their dogs for a while. Max and Maggie were mixed-breed rescues and both had the excited, happy energy of dogs who get to go on an unexpected adventure.
We parked at the trailhead and got out. The dogs zigzagged around Penelope, getting her legs tangled in their leashes. Once we figured out how to make them sit, we were able to unravel her.
We set out on the trail, letting the dogs sniff as they went.
They seemed to understand the concept of hiking and kept their noses to the ground but moved forward at a good clip.
We’d come equipped with treats from Audrey and strict instructions not to let them off leash.
If Max found something stinky, he’d roll in it.
Our conversation as we hiked centered around the cabin painting, particularly where it might be. There were literally hundreds of lakes in the Cascades. Although we’d narrowed it down somewhat—many were too remote for a cabin—we hadn’t run across anything that matched the painting.
But maybe we wouldn’t need to. If there was evidence at the creek, it might not matter.
“You know the woman who was found in Raven Falls?” Pen asked. “Did the news ever report how her body was discovered?”
“Good question.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and Pen took Max’s leash so I could do a quick search.
We kept walking while I scanned the article I found. “Here it is. It says hikers discovered the remains when they were digging a latrine hole. They notified local law enforcement.”
“That makes sense. If someone wanted to hide a body, they’d do it in a spot that’s hidden or secluded.”
“Which is also where you’d dig a latrine hole.” I clicked to go back to my search results. “There’s an updated article, too. Looks like the victim was identified—a woman from Spokane who went missing twenty years ago.”
“Twenty years? That’s a long time.”
“Makes you wonder if she was the first.”
“That’s what I was thinking. If Morris really did it, do you think his wife knows?”
I slipped my phone back in my pocket and took Max’s leash while Pen kept Maggie’s.
“I don’t know. Twenty years is a long time to keep a secret like that. Especially if there was more than one. I guess he could have threatened to kill her if she ever told anyone.”