Epilogue
Lucy stood in the bedroom and looked at herself in the mirror above the dresser.
She wore jeans, sneakers, and a University of North Dakota at Red Grove T-shirt.
The fabric skimmed her body and fit her perfectly.
She changed her gaze to look at Aiden, who sat on the bed.
“Are you sure this isn’t too much?” she asked.
“It’s your first day of class,” he said, rising from the mattress. He walked to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Nothing is too much.” He kissed her cheek. “It’s time for you to go, though. You don’t want to miss your bus.”
He was right, but still she teased, “Thanks, Dad.”
A cup of coffee in a travel mug sat on the table. Her newly purchased backpack was next to it. Aiden followed her to the door. “Have a great day,” he said.
Like a thousand butterflies had been let loose in her middle, a fluttering filled her belly.
What if she wasn’t smart enough for college?
What if nobody liked her? What if she didn’t like anyone, either?
After all, she was a twenty-six-year-old college freshman.
She wouldn’t have a thing in common with any of her classmates.
“What are you going to do with your day?” she asked, knowing full well that she was just buying herself another minute before walking out the door.
“Today is my first day back at work,” he said. “I’ll be leaving soon.”
She placed her lips on his. “Have a good day.”
“You, too.”
Then, there was nothing else for Lucy to do—other than catch the bus.
She drew in a deep breath, filling her lungs.
With an exhale, she walked down the stairs to the ground level.
Pushing open the door, she stepped onto the sidewalk.
Cold air crept along her bare arms and left goosebumps in its wake.
She paused at the curb and checked the street for traffic.
There was none. She jogged to the other sidewalk and walked the short distance to the bus stop.
Several students were already waiting. They looked up at Lucy but said nothing.
The fluttering in her middle turned frantic. She could turn around now. Go back to Aiden’s and give herself some time to figure out her life.
No. Lucy was going to stay. She knew what she wanted, and this was it. She sipped her coffee. Caffeine surged through her veins and the jolt gave her courage.
Another student, dressed in a sweatshirt and shorts, came out of an apartment building.
She tugged at the straps of her backpack as she walked to the bus stop.
Lucy recognized her from all the mornings she’d watched people catch the university transit.
The thing she hadn’t noticed from her window was that this woman was older than the rest.
Lucy smiled as she approached.
“Hey,” said the woman.
“Hey.”
“I haven’t seen you on this bus before.”
“First day of classes for me,” said Lucy.
“Good luck,” said the woman. “What’s your major?”
“Psychology,” said Lucy. “You?”
“I’m majoring in social work,” said the woman. “We’ll probably have a lot of classes together, at least for the first couple of years.”
“Is this your first year, too?” Lucy asked.
“Yeah,” said the woman. “I just got out of the army. After eight years of active duty, I was able to get the GI Bill.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lucy. Lucy Harris.” She held out her palm.
“Cassie Cox,” said the other woman, shaking her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”
The bus pulled up next to the corner and the doors opened.
Lucy and Cassie got into the line that formed.
Cassie continued, “I’ll be honest. Most of the students at Red Grove are straight out of high school.
They’re all nice, but it’s good to meet somebody who’s done more than just graduate from high school. ”
“Trust me,” Lucy said, “I’ve had plenty of life experiences.”
“Well,” said Cassie. “It’s nice to have a friend.”
Lucy stepped onto the bus and moved down the aisle. She slid into a seat. Cassie took the opposite seat. In that moment, she knew she’d made the right choice for her life. As the bus drove away from the stop, she said, “You’re right. It is nice to have a friend.”
Ted used his in-car phone feature and placed a call as he drove. “Hey,” he said, as soon as the call was answered. “Can you meet me at the ranch? There are a few things I want to go over with you.”
“Sure,” said the person on the other line. “Give me a few minutes to get to you.”
“No problem.” His office knew he wouldn’t be in until the afternoon. It gave him plenty of time to get things done. “I’ll see you there.”
He ended the call and looked out the window.
It had been an unseasonably cold night. A mist clung to the ground, but the sun hung in the sky.
On the hillside, trees were changing from summer’s green to fall’s yellow and orange.
With an exhale, he let his shoulders drop.
All his worries about the ranch had been for nothing.
He should have known that it would all work out in the end.
In the distance, he could see the entrance to the ranch. Letting his foot off the brake, he slowed the car. Ted turned onto the lane, the chassis rocking as the tires climbed up and over the berm. He followed the dirt track as it wound up a hillside, and then, the house came into view.
He stopped next to the front door and put the gearshift into Park. After turning off the ignition, he opened the door. The grass was covered with dew, and his shoes were damp by the time he reached the porch.
Over the past week, Lucy had been able to sell all the livestock.
He was glad that the animals were able to be placed somewhere that his grandmother would approve.
The house itself was a different matter.
The Harris family had lived in the residence for generations.
Cleaning it out would take weeks—maybe even months.
But he had agreed to let Lucy and her family take their time while sorting through their belongings.
He didn’t care about the homestead. It was the land he wanted.
The secluded pastures. The thick woods. The property that ran all the way up to the Canadian border.
Outside came the crunch of tires on gravel. He walked to the kitchen. A cast iron pan sat on the counter. He lifted it, testing its heft. The front door opened.
“Boss. Where are you?”
“Back here,” said Ted, setting the pan down and leaning against the counter. “In the kitchen.”
He turned at the sound of footsteps. Stu Whittier stopped on the threshold. “What gives? Aiden almost shot me.”
“I didn’t know he had a gun. If I did, I would’ve told him to leave it in the car.”
“Why bring him with you in the first place?”
Ted was getting tired of Stu. The man never did see the big picture. He let out a long breath. “The sheriff had your fingerprints, and you were about to get arrested. I got you a car and my credit cards so you could get away. Now the cops aren’t worried about you coming back.”
“Why not just give me your car and some cash?”
“Think.” Ted tapped the side of his head. “How would I explain any of that?”
“You could say that I stole your car. Took your money.”
“But what happened if Sheriff Colton got suspicious?” He paused to let Stu think it through. “In bringing Aiden, I have a witness. We both have the same story. Nobody questions anything.”
“Looks like everything worked out in the end,” he said, laughing nervously.
“I guess it did work out.” Ted didn’t think that Lucy would ever sell the Five Steers to him—or really, anyone. Turns out, he was wrong. “The only problem is you. The cops won’t stop looking until you’ve been found.” Nodding toward the table, he said, “Have a seat.”
Stu dropped into a chair. “I’m glad that you aren’t mad. To be honest, I was worried that you were upset.”
“I never get upset,” said Ted. “Emotions make you soft. They’re a distraction. We’re in business. What we need to do is move product from Canada and into the States. Now that I have this land, it’ll be easy.”
“I can still help you move fentanyl. I just need to stay off the grid.” Stu paused. “Maybe I can just stay here. I mean, without the Harris family, nobody will be around.”
“You know…” Ted reached for the frying pan and wrapped his hand around the grip. “I think it’s best if you stay here. It’s the easiest way to tie up all our loose ends.”
“Good,” said Stu, turning in his seat. “This house is pretty nice, you know.”
That’s when Ted struck. He swung the pan, aiming for the side of Stu’s head. Metal hit bone. Blood splattered across the wall. Stu turned, his eyes wide. Ted hit him again, this time in the face. And again. And again.
Stu slumped to the side and fell to the floor. A dark pool of blood spread around his head.
Ted set the pan back onto the counter. He turned on a burner for the gas stove.
A towel was looped into the handle of the fridge.
He touched a corner of the cloth to the flame.
Once the fabric started burning, Ted set the curtains alight.
He moved to the living room and dropped the burning towel onto the sofa.
Flames sprang up instantly. Hazy smoke filled the room.
Ted opened the front door and walked outside. He closed the door and went back to his car. He pulled away from the house and glanced once in the rearview mirror. Flames were already licking at the windows.
By the time anyone knew that the property was on fire, any evidence that Ted had been in the house would be gone. He was determined to become the biggest fentanyl dealer in the Upper Midwest. Buying the ranch was a huge step in making the goal a reality, and now nothing was going to stop him.
Not even the Coltons.
Aiden sat behind the steering wheel of his car. It was his first day back at work. And honestly, he was more than ready. As he drove, an alarm sounded from his phone. He took the cell from where it sat in his cup holder and glanced at the screen.
APB: unresponsive woman found on Enchanted Highway. Mile 15.
He tossed the device onto the passenger seat and dropped his foot onto the accelerator.
It took him only minutes to reach the mile marker.
The grasshopper sculpture, khaki metal twisted into an insect that was forty feet high, sat in a field.
There was only one vehicle in the parking lot.
It was a gray SUV with New York license plates.
A man with a white beard and a blue baseball cap stood next to the fender of the SUV.
Aiden pulled in next to the vehicle and pushed the ignition button, stilling the engine. He opened the door and stepped from his car.
“I’m Aiden Colton, with the Red Grove Fire Department,” he said to the man. “I got a call that a woman had been found.”
“She’s right over there,” said the man, walking toward the sculpture. “My wife and I noticed her as soon as we stopped. That’s when we called 9-1-1.”
A woman, middle-aged with short brown hair, stood next to a blanket that was set out on the ground. “She’s alive,” said the woman, presumably the man’s wife. “But we couldn’t rouse her. Her skin is cold, so I got her a blanket.”
Aiden knelt down. The woman on the ground was covered with a blanket, just like he’d been told. Her skin was pale. Her lips were blue. He found her hand and felt at her wrist for a pulse. It was there, but weak. Her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths.
He didn’t know how long she’d been at the statue and out in the elements. This far out of town, the temperature had likely dropped below freezing overnight. He had to guess that she had exposure.
But there was more to the woman’s story. He was certain.
“Ma’am,” he said, speaking loudly and holding the woman’s hand. “This is Aiden Colton. I’m with the Red Grove Fire Department. Squeeze my hand if you can hear me.”
Nothing.
He patted down her pockets, searching for an ID. She didn’t have one.
Aiden looked up at the couple from New York. “Did you notice a wallet? A purse? Any kind of identification?”
The woman shook her head. “It was just her.” And then, “Will she be alright?”
The wailing of several sirens cut through the quiet morning. Standing, Aiden shaded his eyes. Several emergency vehicles raced down the highway. The lights atop their vehicles strobed red and blue.
To the couple from New York, he said, “If you can wait by your vehicle, law enforcement will want a statement.”
The man nodded and wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulder. She leaned into him as they walked back to their SUV. Aiden needed to focus on his job. But he couldn’t help but wonder if he and Lucy would have the same kind of connection in thirty years.
The emergency vehicles pulled into the lot next to the statue. There was an ambulance, along with three sheriff’s cruisers. One of them belonged to Callum. Aiden moved aside as the EMTs approached the woman.
“Why am I not surprised to see you here?” Callum asked.
“I was on my way to work when the call came in. I just headed out here first.”
“What do you know about the woman?”
“My guess is that she’d been here all night. Her body temp is low and she’s unresponsive.”
“What about those two?” He hooked his thumb toward the vehicle from New York.
“I think they’re just a couple of Good Samaritans who noticed her when they stopped.”
“What about the woman?” Callum asked. “Do they know anything about her?”
He shook his head. “She doesn’t have any identification, either.”
“So, we have a Jane Doe on our hands.”
“It seems like it,” said Aiden. But there was more.
This woman wasn’t the first person found at one of the statues on the Enchanted Highway.
In July a body had been found next to the sculpture called Geese in Flight.
In fact, Jules, Callum’s girlfriend, had been the one to find the dead man.
“Don’t you think that it’s more than a coincidence?
A dead guy was found a few months ago and now this?
” He waved toward where the EMTs were working on the woman.
“Is this one of your non-coincidental coincidences?”
“I wasn’t wrong about Lucy and her granddad.”
“Well, I hope you’re wrong now and these cases aren’t connected,” said Callum.
Aiden hoped he was wrong, too. Because if he was right, it meant only one thing. “We have a serial killer in Red Grove.”