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is.”
    Her gaze met his, but only for a second. She studied her hand as the silence returned.
    Becky had been the one person in the world he’d been able to talk to. She’d always known what questions to ask, and when to say nothing at all. He’d listened to her, too, and he’d known when to tease her and when to be serious. They’d lost that rhythm in doctors' offices and hospital rooms. There had never been the right words when Amy had been dying. But Mike remembered when Becky had been his best friend. He’d never found anyone to take her place.
    “How’s the bureau treating you these days?” Becky’s voice was light and only a little forced.
    “Same old, same old,” Mike said. “Too much paperwork, not enough time.”
    She nodded, but didn’t comment. She turned to look for the waitress.
    “Becky.”
    She turned quickly back to face him.
    “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
    “You didn’t.”
    But he had. Her smile didn’t fool him. “Look, we're going to be together for a while. It will be a lot easier if we can talk to each other.”
    Her smile faded and she glanced at Sam. He’d stopped playing with the loose sugar and was staring up at her. “Don’t play with the food, honey,” she said, then she looked back at Mike. “Can’t we discuss this later?”
    Mike shook his head. “I'm not saying anything that Sam doesn’t already know.”
    “I'm sure that’s true, but I’d still like to discuss it later.” Her green eyes flashed a warning, and her tight-lipped smile was anything but friendly.
    “Fine. We'll just sit here then.”
    “Why don’t we talk about school? Sam’s working on a big history project, aren’t you honey?”
    Mike took a slow, deep breath. He studied Becky as she turned her attention to their son. She asked him questions, laughed at a silly joke, stroked his hair. It was so clear that she loved him.
    It wasn’t right to be jealous of his own kid.
    * * *
    Moose Lake Summer Resort
    Mike read the sign and slowed down the car. This is where his new partner, Cliff, spent his summer vacation with his wife and kids. Their lakeside cabin would make a perfect refuge. The whole resort was closed for the winter, nearly impossible to get to, and the only person in the park was a caretaker named Witherspoon.
    It was almost two in the afternoon, and he felt as though they’d been on the road forever. After lunch, they’d found a market and stocked up on supplies. Then they’d made the dangerous ride up the mountain. The roads were all closed to the public, and he’d had to take it slow and easy. He’d worked out the route using maintenance roads so the snow never became impassible. But he still had to stop a dozen times to remove chains and roadblocks, then drive through and put them back up again. It had taken a lot longer than he figured to make it to the resort.
    Mike turned in the driveway and headed toward the lake. The sky was gray and the wind made the snow-laden trees tremble. He passed long, low public buildings and one- and two-story houses. He thought of hibernating bears, closed-eyed and silent for the winter. Their cabin was number fourteen.
    “Is this where we're going to stay?”
    Mike looked at Sam in the rearview mirror. “Yep.”
    “It’s empty.”
    “It’s a summer resort. No one’s here.”
    “So what are we going to do?”
    “I got the puzzles and the board games at the store,” Becky said. “Remember?”
    He didn’t say anything. He just stared out the window.
    The cabin was a two-story A-frame, like most of the others they’d passed, with a large deck that ran all around the structure. The windows were dark and draped; the white paint looked dull and chipped; it was singularly unwelcoming. But it was safe. That’s what mattered.
    He pulled the car around to the back and stilled the engine. Sam flung open his door and jumped out into the snow. Becky looked at Mike, her frustration at the situation, at him, quite clear. Then she climbed out,