Chapter 25 Roan
ROAN
“This is bad,” Nash muttered as he stared at the poor, mangled bobcat that lay across the trail.
“This was rage,” Lawson said, a muscle fluttering beneath his eye.
I turned away from the fallen animal, unable to take the carnage anymore. Nothing could be gleaned from the body. Not until Dr. Miller arrived and we had test results back from the techs currently scouring the crime scene.
I started back down the trail, knowing my brothers would follow. Their footfalls sounded behind me, confirming as much.
It took less than a minute to reach the trailhead. Even bolder than the last scene.
“Can we get in someone’s car? I’m freezing my balls off,” Nash muttered.
Lawson beeped the locks on his SUV. I climbed into the front passenger seat while Nash got in the back, and Lawson hopped into the driver’s seat.
“I swear it gets colder every year,” Nash said, rubbing his hands together.
Lawson turned over the engine. “Or you’re going soft.”
Nash glared at him. “Just because I don’t want to lose my swimmers doesn’t make me soft.”
Lawson chuckled, but the sound died as he glanced back at the trail. “I don’t see how we still have nothing.”
We had less than nothing. None of the hikers ever saw someone hanging around the deceased animals. None of the Fish and Wildlife or Forest Service officers patrolling the area had seen anything suspicious. And there was no evidence except some hairs from previous animal kills on the blade.
“We know they’re linked,” I said.
“That’s not enough to point us in a direction,” Lawson argued.
Nash scrubbed a hand over his stubbled jaw. “Maybe we need to approach this from a behavioral standpoint instead of an evidence-based one.”
Lawson turned in his seat to look at Nash. “Say more.”
“We need to figure out what the crime scenes tell us about the perpetrator. Can you call that profiler friend of yours?” Nash asked.
Lawson winced. “Ex-profiler. He doesn’t work for the bureau anymore.”
“So?” Nash pushed. “It’s not like he lost all his knowledge when he left. He might be able to provide some insight.”
“I can try, but Anson wanted to leave that life far behind.”
My brows pulled together. “Why?”
Lawson had mentioned how good Anson was at his job on more than one occasion in the past. Had said no one understood the criminal mind better. They used to discuss cases all the time.
Lawson squeezed the back of his neck. “He had a case go bad. Really bad. It marked him.”
Nash winced. “That’s rough.”
Lawson jerked his head in a nod. “I’ll make the call. If he refuses, I won’t push.”
“All you can do is ask,” Nash agreed.
“In the meantime, I’m going to ask Rob to increase the officer presence and see if he can make a request with the Forest Service, too,” I said. Maybe we could catch this prick in the act. But the state and national forests around Cedar Ridge were vast, and it would take a hell of a lot of officers.
Lawson tapped his thumb on the console. “It’s worth a try.”
“Somebody must have seen something,” Nash said. “Kills like these…the person would be covered in blood.”
I grunted. “Not everyone wants to get involved.”
Nash shook his head. “If you saw someone coming down the trail looking like Carrie after the prom, you wouldn’t call the cops?”
“Of course, I would. But not everyone thinks that way. Some people want to avoid contact with the police at all costs,” I pointed out.
Lawson continued his drum beat on the console. “We might need to consider a reward for information.”
Nash groaned. “Everyone and their brother will come out of the woodwork then. The last time we did a reward, I had to listen to a woman talk for almost an hour about how aliens had landed in Cedar Ridge and were body snatching people.”
My lips twitched. “The truth is out there.”
Nash glared at me. “Just keep the damn probes away from my butthole.”
I choked on a laugh.
Lawson just shook his head. “I’ll make sure you have phone duty when the reward goes up.”
“Rude,” Nash shot back.
I glanced at my watch. “Crap. I gotta go.”
“Where?” Nash asked.
“Gotta take Cady to dance and stare down some tiny bitches.”
The SUV went silent around me.
Nash blinked at me a few times. “What did you say?”
“Some girls are being mean to Cady. She’s a good kid and doesn’t deserve to be picked on.”
Lawson groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Please don’t do anything that means I get called to the ballet studio.”
I shrugged. “I’m just going to let it be known that I’m watching. That’s all.”
“What you mean is that you’re gonna give them that serial-killer smile, right?” Nash asked.
“Maybe.”
Lawson groaned again. “At least take Charlie with you. Maybe he can keep you in line.”
It actually wasn’t a bad idea. Not that my nephew would stop me from doing what I needed to do, but I could have a conversation with him about looking out for Cady, too. “Sure.”
I opened the door and slid out.
“Roan,” Lawson called.
I grunted.
“Don’t give the girls nightmares for the rest of their lives, okay?”
“Only if they deserve it.”
I grabbed Charlie’s booster seat and headed for my truck. It didn’t take me long to get from the trailhead to the elementary school. When I pulled to a stop and hopped out, Cady flew at me.
“Mr. Grizz!”
I hauled her up and onto my hip. “How was your day?”
“Pretty good.”
A throat cleared, and an older teacher gave me a wary look. “Can I see your identification, please?”
“This is Mr. Grizz. He’s me and Mama’s bestie, and he’s taking me to dance today,” Cady informed her.
The woman’s mouth thinned as she waited for me.
I set Cady on the ground and pulled out my badge, handing it to her.
She took her sweet time examining it as if it might be a fake. Finally, she handed it back. “All right.”
“I’m picking up my nephew, as well. Charlie Hartley.”
Charlie bounded up. “You are?”
I clapped him on the shoulder. “You’re coming to ballet with Tiny Dancer and me.”
His face scrunched. “I don’t gotta wear a tutu, do I?”
“Only if you want to, bud,” I said.
The teacher huffed. “We got a call about that.” She acted as if she was annoyed she couldn’t have me arrested.
“Thanks for all your help,” I said with a mock smile, and she scurried off.
“She doesn’t check when Miss Maddie comes to get me,” Cady said thoughtfully.
I bet she didn’t. Because Maddie was all sunshine and rainbows. I was…not.
“Where’s your booster seat, Tiny Dancer?” I asked.
She pointed to a stone wall. I grabbed it and got it installed in my truck. Helping the kids up, I checked that they were securely fastened in their seats. “Ready to hit the road?”
Cady nibbled on her lip. “We don’t have to go to dance. Maybe we could get ice cream instead.”
Anger burned brightly in my gut. Those mean girls had made Cady not want to do her favorite thing. That stopped today.
“How about this? We go to dance and then get ice cream.”
She still looked unsure.
I squeezed her shoulder. “We can’t let the meanies win. Because if we do, they’ll just keep doing it. Not only to you but to other people, too.”
Cady nodded slowly. “I don’t want them to be mean to other kids.”
Such a pure heart.
I held up my hand. “Let’s do this.”
Cady slapped me a high-five. “Let’s do this.”
I shut the door and rounded my truck, grabbing a bag from the back. In a matter of seconds, we were heading for the dance studio on the edge of town. I pulled into an empty spot and helped Cady and Charlie out.
Cady grabbed her bag and ran toward the building. “I gotta change.”
“Hold up, Tiny Dancer. I got you something.” I handed her the shopping bag from the local sporting goods store.
She peeked inside and gasped. “For me?”
I nodded. “The woman at the store said they should be your size.”
Cady pulled out a sparkly pink leotard and gaped. “These are the fancy ones.”
My chest ached for her. Cady deserved the best, and if it was within my power, I’d make sure she had it. “I thought you’d like the sparkles.”
She beamed and threw herself at me. “You’re my favoritest ever!”
I chuckled, patting her back. “You’d better hurry and change.”
Cady released me and ran into the locker room.
Charlie watched her go and then looked up at me. “Sparkles are her favorite.”
“I’ve figured that one out.”
He was quiet for a moment and then looked at the studio. “Heather and her friends are being mean to Cady again, aren’t they?”
I nodded. “Do they do stuff at school, too?”
“Sometimes. But not when I’m around.”
I let out a huff. Of course, not. One of them probably had a crush on my nephew and knew he would have Cady’s back.
“I need you to do me a favor,” I said.
Charlie nodded.
“I want you to stick close to Cady for a while. I’m gonna try to make sure those girls don’t mess with her anymore.”
“You got it, Uncle Roan. We’re together like all the time because she’s my bestest friend.”
I chuckled. “Glad to hear it.”
By the time we stepped inside the dance studio, Cady was emerging from the locker room in her new leotard and a glittery tutu. She grinned at me and handed me her bag.
“Knock ‘em dead, Tiny Dancer.”
Her smile widened, and she bobbed her head in a nod.
The small sea of women along the wall stared at me, mouth agape as I approached. I ignored all of them except for Katelyn Beasley. I flashed her a glare that should’ve sent her into the ice age.
She snapped her mouth closed and averted her gaze.
“That’s meanie number one’s mom,” Charlie whispered.
“Thanks, bud.”
I leaned against the wall, crossing my arms over my chest and scanning the kids in the class. It was mostly girls, but there were also a couple of little boys. “Which one is Heather?” I whispered to Charlie.
Charlie’s nose scrunched up, and he motioned to a little blonde in the corner, talking to two other girls. She full-on sneered at Cady as Cady found her place among the dancers.
Anger surged, and I cleared my throat. The dancers looked my way. But my gaze was locked on meanie number one. The moment she saw my focus on her, she blanched. Her gaze flicked to Charlie.
I cast a quick look in his direction and saw that he was mirroring my exact pose and glaring at her. Heather’s face heated, and she quickly averted her eyes, turning back to her friends. They kept right on talking, but this time, the glances were cast at Charlie and me.
The class began, and I kept a close eye on the mean-girl trio. Every single time I saw a sneer or caught a whispered comment, I’d clear my throat and pin them with a stare. Halfway through, it stopped altogether.
I saw Cady visibly relax. But it was more than that. She came alive. It was clear she absolutely loved to dance. The sheer joy on her face was a sucker punch to the solar plexus.
Cady spun and twirled, leapt and twisted. I wanted to give the girl her own damned studio by the time she was done. It all made her so happy.
“She’s so good,” Charlie whispered.
I wasn’t sure that any of the kids in this class could be classified as good. They were way too young. But Cady had that light in her that made her shine.
I clapped him on the back. “The best.”
Cady ran over and launched herself at me.
I caught her with a chuckle. “Tiny Dancer, you are incredible.”
She beamed. “Really? You think so?”
“You’re the best one,” Charlie said.
She turned that smile on him, and I worried we might be in trouble in ten years.
“Thanks, Charlie.” Cady moved her focus back to me. “Can you come to every class?”
My brows lifted.
She leaned in close. “They weren’t nearly as mean today.”
My back teeth ground together. “I’ll come anytime you want.”
“You’re the best, Mr. Grizz.”
“Roan,” a voice cooed. “I didn’t know you knew Cady.”
I stiffened as I turned to take in Katelyn Beasley. She was made up to the nines, and there was no denying she was beautiful, but there was an emptiness beneath the beauty that made me cringe.
Cady twisted in my arms to look at Katelyn. “Mr. Grizz is my best friend after Charlie, and he doesn’t like meanies.”
Katelyn’s jaw dropped, but she quickly closed it. “Well, no one should like mean people.”
“She means he doesn’t like you,” Charlie said. “I see you be mean to Miss Barlow all the time, and Heather made Cady cry. We don’t want anything to do with you.”
Katelyn forced a laugh, but it was beyond strained. “Kids, right?”
I stared her down. “I’m going with what they said.”
I bent, keeping Cady in my arms, and grabbed her bag. “You ready to go, Tiny Dancer?”
She grinned down at me as Katelyn spluttered in the background. “This is the best dance class I ever had.”