Midnight Hunter (Parker's Landing #3)

1. Lana

Lana

Why were people idiots?

Puffing out my cheeks, I exited my car and hurried toward my future sister-in-law’s coffee shop, The Cozy Cup. I needed a jolt of caffeine and a sounding board to figure out what to do with my wayward client.

The bell above the door jingled as I stepped inside.

With a quick glance, I scanned the interior.

At just after ten-thirty, the coffee shop wasn’t terribly busy.

A few solitary individuals occupied cushy, brown leather club chairs, laptops and books balanced on their knees.

There were also several small groups of tourists stationed at some of the larger tables, talking and laughing as they sipped their coffee and snacked on pastries. Thankfully, there was no line to order.

Spotting Mina behind the counter, I smiled in greeting and walked a little faster.

“Hey.” Mina smiled and stepped up to the register.

“Hi.” Stopping at the counter, I let my smile fade. “Do you have a few minutes? I need some advice.”

Mina’s dark eyebrows drew down over her blue eyes. “Sure. Do you want to go to the back?” She tipped her head to the doorway leading to her new, expanded kitchen space.

“No. We can talk here. It’s not a secret. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t too busy.” I drummed my nails on the counter, once.

“Yeah, it’s pretty slow right now, so we’re good. Do you want a coffee?”

“Yes. Just a cappuccino. But”—I held up a finger—“with sweet foam.”

Mina grinned. “Got it.” She spun around, taking a paper cup off the stack. “So, what’s up?”

“People.”

“Uh-oh. What happened?” Mina glanced over her shoulder as she packed ground espresso into a filter.

“So, you know the wedding I agreed to plan for Luke’s construction friend?”

“The one whose fiancée wanted to get married at the mansion before me and Luke?”

I rolled my eyes at the reminder. It had been a chore to convince Tina that it wasn’t possible. She hadn’t believed me when I said it wouldn’t be ready in time.

Probably because that was a lie. We planned to open a month before Luke and Mina’s wedding.

But I’d tried to tell her Luke wanted his wedding to be the first one there.

And since he was part owner, he had a right to make such a request. When that failed to persuade her, I lied and told her there was a problem with the renovations.

It had taken spreading the word around town that there was a problem before she finally conceded and agreed to book it elsewhere.

“That’s the one,” I said.

Mina chuckled. “You mean you haven’t found someone else to take her on?” She attached the filter to the espresso machine and pressed start.

I let out a soft snort. “I can’t. Not because there isn’t anyone, but because how would it look if I ditched my very first wedding client? We want the inn to be a success. If I can’t handle a troublesome bride now, well...” I let my voice trail off and shrugged.

“True.” Mina bent down, opening the small refrigerator below the counter and withdrew a carton of milk. “Okay, so what did she do?”

“It’s not her this time.”

“Oh?”

“It’s her fiancé. He decided to go hunting.”

Mina frowned. “Why is that a problem? We live in Alaska. People go hunting all the time.”

“Right. But he went alone and now she can’t reach him.”

Eyes widening, Mina stared. “Oh my. Has she called the authorities to go look for him?”

My eyebrows slammed down in an angry frown. “No.”

“What? Why not?” Uncapping the milk, she poured some into a small metal pitcher.

“Because he told her he’d be back on Thursday, three days from now. She’s only concerned because he said he’d call every day, which he did up until Sunday. She hasn’t heard from him since Saturday afternoon.”

“So, she should call the police.”

“That’s what I told her when she came to me this morning.”

Mina huffed a short laugh. Sticking the steamer wand in the pitcher, she turned it on. She let it run for several seconds before shutting it off. “Why did she come to you, then, anyway? I mean, what does she expect you to do?”

I held up a finger. “And this is why I’m here. She wants to know if I know anyone who could go looking for him.”

Mina let out another laugh, louder this time. “Yeah. You do. The police.”

I chuckled. “I’m tempted to call them, but I’m not sure they’ll take it seriously. He was in good spirits the last time she talked to him, cell service is spotty, and he still has three days left on his trip.”

“Isn’t their wedding Saturday?”

“Yep.”

Her eyes rounded. “Luke would be dead if he went hunting so close to our wedding. Especially if he wasn’t planning to come back until two days before.

You wouldn’t have to worry about our wedding, because there wouldn’t be one.

” Dumping the brewed espresso into the paper cup, she sent me an irate glance.

“Oh, I’d help you murder him and hide the body. He’s not the only one who learned some construction stuff growing up. I can work a digger with the best of them.”

Chuckling, Mina added the steamed milk to my drink, then made a quick batch of sweet foam. “So, what are you going to do about Tina’s problem?”

Pulling my mouth to one side, I glanced away. Was I really considering Tina’s request?

Opening my mouth to speak, I quickly shut it, frowned hard, then tried again. “Do you know of anyone who could maybe go out to where he supposedly is and look for him? On foot or by plane; it doesn’t matter which.”

Snapping a lid on the cap, Mina studied me for several moments. “You’re really not going to call the authorities?”

Mouth flattening, I shook my head. “No. Not yet. I just don’t think they’ll take it seriously. But if I have someone go out and take a cursory look for him where he’s supposed to be and they don’t find anything…” I turned a hand. “Well, then, maybe I’ll have better luck with them.”

Mina set the cap down with a soft sigh. “You’re probably right.”

I tipped my head back and groaned. “You weren’t supposed to agree with me.”

A quick laugh escaped Mina’s lips. “Sure. Okay.”

I blew out a sharp breath and accepted the cup she slid across the counter to me. “Fine. You agree with me. So, do you know anyone?”

Crossing her arms, she cocked out a hip and tipped her head, thinking, “Maybe. Have you ever seen that tall, dark-haired guy that comes in here sometimes?”

“Mina, there are several tall, dark-haired men who come in here, including your best friend’s husband and his brother.

You’ll need to be more specific.” I didn’t spend that much time at The Cozy Cup since I lived in Juneau and not Parker’s Landing, but I’d been here more frequently since my dad, brother, and I bought the Myers Mansion.

Usually, I just popped in for a quick pick-me-up and to chat with Mina.

I’d found as I spent more time around her that I quite liked my brother’s fiancée.

She was funny and smart. She was also a great listener, and she knew virtually everyone in town.

“This guy is super tall. Like, at least six-and-a-half feet.” She held a hand a good foot over her head. “Thick, wavy black hair, and dark brown eyes. Handsome as sin.”

Well, that made it easy. I would definitely remember someone like that. “I can’t say I’ve had the pleasure. Who is he?”

“His name is Toren McCrae. He’s a local hunting guide.”

The bell over the door jingled. I glanced back to see a couple of women walk in.

I turned back to Mina. “Where can I find this guy?”