Just One Kiss (Whisper Lake #4) - Barbara Freethy Page 0,50

your sister. Mr. Miller's body was discovered Saturday morning, and it appeared that he had been dead for over forty-eight hours. It's believed that the stabbing occurred sometime on Wednesday evening."

"Did anyone see anything?" he asked.

"No. It's winter, and the campground was mostly empty. Only a few cabins had been rented. The attendant said that Russ, Kelly and Brett showed up on Monday night and paid in cash for a week."

"What do you think happened?" Hannah asked.

"Mr. Miller was stabbed in the back and then in the neck. The neck wound was fatal. My guess is he was taken by surprise, disabled by the first attack and unable to fight off the second."

Hannah paled at Adam's gruesome statement, and Jake couldn't help but put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She gave him a despairing look and then moved her gaze back to Adam. "Who do you think killed him?"

"I don't know."

Jake didn't know either, but he had a bad feeling, and he could see that Hannah was struggling with the same theory.

"If Russ was hurting Kelly, then maybe she?? As Hannah struggled to finish that sentence, he jumped in.

"It could have been self-defense," he said. "Kelly didn't want to be with Russ. She found a moment to take him by surprise. She stabbed him, and she took Brett and ran."

Adam met his gaze. "It could have gone down that way. If she was involved, self-defense or not, it would also explain why she didn't want anyone to go to the police."

"She could have been afraid she'd be arrested for her boyfriend's death," he added.

Hannah turned to him, grabbing onto his theory. "And Kelly didn't think anyone would believe it was self-defense." She looked back at Adam. "What happens now?"

"The investigation is continuing on multiple fronts. I'm working with the police in Colorado Springs and in Rocky Point where the campground is located. The rangers are also involved in collecting evidence in the park. We're, of course, still looking for your sister and following up with as many coworkers and friends of Kelly and Russ Miller as we can find."

"You got my message about Kelly being pregnant?"

"Yes. I have to tell you that no one mentioned it to me. The only photo we have of Kelly is from the ATM she used in Colorado Springs before she left town. In that grainy image, she doesn't look pregnant, but she was wearing a big coat over what looked like leggings and boots, so it was hard to tell. However, I will follow up and see what I can find out about that. I don't know that it changes anything, although it might play into some kind of motive."

"Should I feel relieved that Kelly isn't in danger from this man?" Hannah asked slowly.

"He definitely can't hurt her," Adam said, giving her a compassionate look. "How's her kid doing?"

"He's doing well. We went to the snow park with everyone today. I'm trying to distract him, but he keeps asking about his mother. I don't know what to tell him."

"As little as possible is probably good."

"I just wish I knew where Kelly is now," Hannah said, fear in her voice. "There's more snow coming in tomorrow. I hate to think of her out alone in the mountains somewhere."

"Your sister has been very resourceful so far," he interjected. "She's doing everything she can do to survive."

"I know, but she must be so scared."

Adam got to his feet. "Hopefully, we'll have more news soon, but I wanted to give you an update. I'll see myself out."

As Adam left the kitchen, Hannah let out a troubled, frustrated sigh. "I was not expecting to hear any of that."

"Nor was I," he admitted. "What do you think?"

"If Kelly killed a man, it had to be in self-defense. But I also wonder if she's ever coming back. Maybe she left Brett for me to raise. I know she'd never want to go to prison. She was incredibly claustrophobic. She once had a panic attack in a line at an amusement park when the space got small and dark. On the other hand, would she really run away and leave her son? And what about the baby she's carrying?"

"I think we're going to have to wait and see how this plays out."

"You need to go see Trevor. He could at least tell us if she is pregnant. He saw her and spoke to her. Did we ever tell Adam about Trevor?"

He frowned, as he got to his feet. "I don't think so.