Chapter 10
Savvy
“Are you out of your fucking mind? What the hell were you thinking?”
From the stubborn set of his chin, I can tell he either does not feel any remorse, or is hiding it well.
“I was thinking the guy is the only new arrival in town.”
I try to get a handle on my outrage. Screaming like a banshee—even though it feels really fucking good to let my anger fly—is not an appropriate representation of the office I hold.
I was surprised when Brenda patched through an urgent call and I heard Tatum Gaines’s timid voice on the other end. She said there was a cop in a blue uniform at the door, and he and her dad were yelling.
The description of the State Patrol’s blue uniform was a dead giveaway. I immediately got on the radio and told Auden to get his ass into my office ASAP.
“Seriously, Auden? New in town? We have tons of campers and vacationers filing through the county every week, what about all them? You singled out Nathan?”
“They don’t all have a rap sheet, Savvy,” he persists.
This is so ridiculous; I bark out a harsh laugh.
“That’s not a rap sheet, that’s a juvie record for relatively minor stuff that should’ve been sealed years ago, and you know it.”
He avoids looking at me, and I see a crack in his stubborn armor.
“You know I’m right,” I hammer home.
A brief silence falls over my office as I watch his demeanor change. The squared shoulders relax and the stubborn set to his chin softens. Then he flashes me a dimple.
“I’m just looking out for you.”
“What?”
I’m not sure what he’s getting at.
“I saw you talking to him in the Brew House parking lot the other night, Savvy. The man did a number on you when he left, or have you forgotten? You walked around like a shadow of yourself until I introduced you to Matt.” He takes a step closer and spreads his hands apologetically.
“I’m your friend, I’m just worried this guy is gonna hurt you again. ”
“So you thought you’d go to his house, and put the heat on him for something he’s not even remotely on the radar for, and in front of his daughter?”
All efforts to contain my anger have officially flown out the window as my voice rises to a shrill level. Even for Auden, who has a bit of a protective streak—even more so since Matt’s death—this is beyond the pale.
“You say he’s not on the radar, but did you know the Vegas PD currently has an open case very similar to this one? A badly mutilated body found floating in Lake Mead early this year. And did you know Gaines lived in Vegas before he moved here?”
I laugh mockingly.
“Oh my God, Auden. Do you know how often bodies are pulled from Lake Mead? Just a few years ago when the waters were low, they found six skeletons and who knows how many are still lurking under the surface. Aside from being a suspected mob dumping ground, you’re talking about a recreational area with some of the country’s highest deadly incidents.
You want to attribute all of that to Nathan as well? Because he has a juvie record?”
He throws up his hands.
“Fine. It was a stretch. But it can’t hurt to have him on notice.”
“Except it does hurt,” I correct him sharply.
“His daughter, who was scared enough by your confrontation with her dad she felt the need to call me. She’s scared and traumatized.
And don’t even get me started on Nate, who already has plenty of reason to distrust law enforcement—believe me on that—and all you’ve done is justify his misgivings.
“It’s a slippery slope when you use professional leverage for personal interests. Especially when you’re law enforcement. I just had to let a man go who routinely crossed those lines. Don’t go down that road, Auden.”
His head is hanging by the time I finish my speech. I’m sure he’d convinced himself he was doing the right thing when he decided to knock on Nate’s door, but I hope he sees the error of his ways now.
“Shit,” he mutters.
“Yeah,” I confirm.
“Should I go apologize?”
I roll my eyes. Normally, I’d say absolutely, but in this case I think I should probably do a little damage control myself.
“I’ll handle it. Go home, Auden. I need you to get your head clear before I see you back here tomorrow.”
“Sure you still want my help?”
“I have a killer to catch and I am desperately shorthanded. Beggars can’t be choosers.”
He winces. “Ouch.” Then he throws me a wry smile. “Guess I’ll see you in the morning.”
When he’s gone, I shut down my computer, shove my phone in my pocket, and fit my ball cap on my head.
“Everything okay?” Brenda asks when I pass her office on my way out. “It got pretty loud.”
“I know.”
“Anything I can do?”
I flash her a tired smile. “Yeah, find me a couple of new deputies. We’re in desperate need of new blood in here.”
“We only have budget for one,” she reminds me.
“Well, I need at least two. I’ll put in a request with the county commission.”
Maybe I can get my dad’s help with that. He still has a bit of clout.
I’ll stop by there first.
“Two?”
“At least, Dad. Even if it is one additional full time and one part-time deputy. The mayor called this afternoon, getting on my case to solve this murder because he’s afraid it’s going to hurt the fall tourist industry with a killer on the loose.”
The man had been overly dramatic, which tends to be his MO, but he’s not entirely wrong. This will have an impact on some of our small businesses that rely on the additional income tourism brings in.
Edwards County is known for its phenomenal fall colors and it brings out the tourists in droves.
Anything from outdoor enthusiasts to day-trippers from the bigger cities start flocking in once the colors change.
This is why the campgrounds and rentals are generally booked up for the end of September, early October.
The mayor’s point only enforces why I need the extra hands on deck.
“Do you want some coffee and dessert?” Phil pokes her head out the kitchen door.
“Not tonight, I still have got something I need to take care of, but thanks.”
“Okay, but it’s been a while since you stopped in for dinner, and you need to eat anyway. It would be good to see you.”
“As soon as I get a breather, I’ll call. I promise.”
I return my stepmother’s smile and thumbs-up, and watch her disappear back inside.
“So, what’s happening with the investigation?” Dad asks, returning to the subject of my visit.
“The one promising lead we had has not panned out so far. I heard from the detective in Coeur d’Alene last night. The guy we thought was our victim’s secret lover turned out to be a bust. He’s been in Taiwan the past couple of weeks on business, and that has been confirmed.”
It was a blow when Althof dropped that bit of news, because it meant we’re back to square one.
“Not a total bust,” Dad offers. “It’s likely he used that condom with someone.
That’s still a lead to pursue, even if there isn’t an obvious love interest for you to focus on.
Since the wrapper was in the victim’s cabin, it’s safe to presume his lover came to visit him there.
Talk to the neighbors again. Talk to Milt Sterling and get a look at any renters whose time at the cabins overlapped with your victim’s time there.
Follow up. Boots on the ground, sweetheart. ”
I shake my head and smile at my dad’s pep talk.
“Right, but I need more boots to do that,” I point out.
He chuckles and claps me on the shoulder.
“I hear you. Guess I have my work cut out with the county commission.”
Nate
To say I’m angry is an understatement.
I’m fuming and it’s not healthy for me.
I remember spending a lot of my youth angry and that got me in trouble in the first place.
The cold beer I grabbed from the fridge and took back out on the deck helps a little, as does the calming view of the mountains.
But my blood still boils remembering the sight of my tearful daughter when I came back inside after blasting Maynard out on the front step.
I guess my outburst could’ve gotten me in some hot water, but he got a radio call and ended up taking off without another word.
Tate went up to her room after I managed to reassure her I wasn’t in trouble, and I’ve been out here stewing ever since.
I’d been too mad to answer his question about my whereabouts Friday night a week ago, but I thought of it after.
Friday was when I’d spent the longest hour of my life looking for my daughter who was missing from school, and my first encounter with Savannah Colter since returning to Silence.
Not a day I’d forget lightly, in part because later in the afternoon she stopped at my house with a bruise on her face to explain why Tate had taken off.
I’m not sure what brought Auden Maynard out here tonight, but I’m pretty sure Savvy didn’t know about it. There’s not a question in my mind she would’ve remembered my whereabouts last Friday as well.
I’m surprised when I hear the doorbell, and my first thought is the bastard came back. Stepping inside, I see Tate already at the door. My “Wait,” falls on deaf ears as she opens it.
“Hey, Tatum. Thanks for calling,” Savvy, who is standing on my doorstep, tells my daughter.
Wait. Tate called her? When?
I reach the door and the confusion must show on my face, because my daughter scrambles to explain.
“You were yelling outside and I couldn’t see what was happening and got worried, so I called the sheriff’s office. I didn’t know what else to do.”
Before I have a chance to react, Savvy steps inside and puts a hand on Tate’s shoulder.
“You did the right thing calling, honey. I’m afraid Trooper Maynard knocked on your door by mistake.
It was a misunderstanding.” Then she flashes a quick apologetic smile at me before turning back to Tate.
“Do you think I could chat with your dad for a bit?”
I slide my hand around the back of Tate’s neck and press a kiss to the top of her head.
“We’ll be out on the deck, all right, kiddo?”
Savvy follows me to the kitchen where I grab a couple of cold ones from the fridge on the way out the door. I don’t drink every day and rarely more than one or two, but today is definitely a three-beer day.
“I’m so sorry,” she starts when I slide the door shut, cutting Tate off from hearing us. “I had no idea Auden was coming here.”
“I came to that conclusion already,” I volunteer, catching the relief on her face. “Although, I’m not sure how I got on his radar in the first place.”
Unless it has something to do with her. Maybe the first impression I had when I saw him crowding her in the parking lot of the sheriff’s station wasn’t too far off the truth after all.
Her eyes slide beyond me to the mountains.
“It’s complicated.”
“Try me. Is he more than a colleague?”
Because that might explain why he ended up here. It’s possible he saw us talking outside the Brew House, saw me as competition, and decided to flex his muscle.
“No,” Savvy responds immediately before correcting it to, “Yes.”
“Helpful,” I grumble, taking a swig of my beer.
“What I mean is, he’s a friend. I went to school with him. He was Matt’s best friend and, after Matt died, was there when things were tough. He’s like a big brother. Protective like one too,” she explains.
“I see. So, this was a warning for me? To stay away from you?”
She shrugs. “I’m not sure what exactly he was thinking, and I’m not saying this to excuse him, but he remembers what a mess I was when you left.”
Immediately the old guilt rises its head and I react defensively.
“So we’re right back there again.”
She takes a step closer and puts her hand on my arm.
“No, you and I aren’t, but he doesn’t know what really happened yet, because I didn’t tell him. I’ve barely had a chance to process that information myself.”
She drops her hand and turns her back to me, bracing herself against the railing of the deck as she looks out at the view.
“I’m overwhelmed, Nathan. I have had the biggest case in my career land on my doorstep, I’ve got pressure from the mayor’s office to get it solved but I’m shorthanded on deputies, I haven’t had much sleep in a week, and, to top it off, your return to Silence has stirred up a lot of confusing feelings I’m not quite sure what to do with. ”
She turns and leans back against the railing, a hint of vulnerability in those pretty brown eyes when she fixes them on me.
“I had no idea he was coming here or I would’ve stopped him. I’m sorry you have to defend yourself against a reputation you didn’t deserve in the first place. I want to set the record straight, not just with Auden, but the whole town. Let them know we failed—”
I don’t let her finish and cut off her words when pure instinct has me lean in and cover her mouth with mine.
There was no thought involved in the kiss, just an overwhelming need to taste her lips, feel her body against me, to see if we still fit as smoothly as we did a decade and a half ago.
Her arms slip around my neck as she presses her front against mine, and my hands automatically settle in the small of her back, one hand up, and one sliding down to the curve of her round ass.
Yes.
This is what I remembered in unguarded moments when my resistance to dwell in the past was at its lowest. This is what I have been imagining for the past few weeks since I first looked her in the eye again.
This is what I sacrificed years ago, because I was made to believe leaving was my only choice.
I was wrong. As I taste her and feel her breath brush my skin, I know it down to my soul; I should’ve stayed and fought for her.
For myself.