No Coming Back by Keith Houghton Read Free Book Online Page B

the snow weight got too much for it and brought the whole thing down.”
    “Is this Hangman’s Tree?”
    “Yeah.”
    He picks up his coffee and slurps, loudly.
    There’s a tremor in his hand. Coffee-stain liver spots jiggling on loose skin. “Are they positive it’s her: Jenna?”
    “How many other women do you know who have gone missing in Harper?”
    He shrugs. “Hard to say for sure, son. A lot of holidaymakers, explorers, and general outdoorsy people come through here. No one keeps tabs on anyone. Who’s to say it isn’t some lone hunter on the wrong side of a bear?”
    “Stuffed under a tree?”
    “I’m just saying. It’s not impossible. Wolves take their prey back to their dens all the time. What we’re looking at here could just be the result of some unlucky hillwalker failing to measure up to the great outdoors.”
    Lars’s points make sense, but something about his quick- to-dism iss reaction feels off somehow and I can’t quite put my finger on it.
    I watch him take another long look at the picture, as if memorizing every detail, every brittle bone fragment. He’s definitely shaken, and I’m surprised by it. Lars has seen his fair share of skeletons over the years, most of which he’s skinned himself, but this one has him itching to run a mile.
    “You take any more photos like this, any high-definition close-up s?”
    “You’re lucky I got this.”
    He nods. “I’ll get you fixed up with a real camera. So what did the sheriff’s men say?”
    “That they’re treating it as a recovery operation. Once they ship the remains back to Duluth, they’ll run the DNA to confirm the identity. Aside from that, like I say, there’s no story here, Lars. The people had their conviction for Jenna’s murder a long time ago. As far as the state’s concerned, the case is closed.”
    But Lars doesn’t look convinced. “Well, like I keep saying, there’s always a story, son. You just have to read between the lines.” He points at the phone. “If you’re right about this being Jenna, then it’s the biggest story to hit Harper in recent history. People need to read it and we have a responsibility to publish it.” He leans forward, over his pancakes, suddenly wearing the face of a man on death row. “Make no bones about this, Jake. There are opposing forces at play in this town. A clear divide between the truth and the lies. You’ve experienced it for yourself; it’s robbed you of half your life. Those same people have perpetrated a cover-up for years. As purveyors of the truth, it’s our duty to expose them for what they are.” He pushes the envelope across the table. “So you need to decide which side you’re on and where you’re prepared to make your stand.”

Chapter Six
    A yellowish glow blanches the eastern cloud cover as I hunch into my coat and head away from the diner. The sidewalk is salted, but patches of ice lie in wait underfoot. It’s quite a trek back to the house on Prescott. I haven’t slept in over a day, and only intermittently before that. Caffeine is giving me a welcome burst of energy, but I know it’ll be short-lived.
    Lars has told me to call into the office Monday morning, to sign contracts. But I’m not sure I’ll take him up on his offer. Then again, I’m not sure I’ll decline it either. Certain situations have taught me the benefits of mutual backscratching. One thing is clear: if I am to go about my business in Harper unhindered, then having Lars Grossinger’s weight behind me will help open doors and loosen lips. Even at a personal price, I’d be a fool to ignore that kind of leverage.
    A car creeps past, taking it easy on the slushy surface.
    Jenna fills my mind as I head home.
    I think about her a lot—more so in the first few years following her disappearance, and recently, very recently, following my homecoming. She never fully leaves me, never has. I feel her presence when I close my eyes, smell her scent on other people, all of it provoking