Chapter Ten
The next day, Maya was up early and went out to play with Juniper and Finn.
The sun was shining on the snow-covered peaks, creating a pinkish glow to the morning.
The temperature had dropped the previous night, but daytime was supposed to warm up and be nice.
So far this morning, it wasn’t too bad outside as she threw the Kong for Juniper.
Finn had decided to go lie in the snow and chew on his toy.
Not only did she want to get both dogs’ energy out, but she also wanted to get her own nerves calmed down—Josh’s family was arriving today.
They were all going to meet for breakfast at the Black Bear, and Maya wasn’t certain how this was going to go.
But Josh’s dad, Spencer, was going to represent Pops in his trial so she kept telling herself that it would be okay.
Pops would get a fair trial and Spencer would do a great job representing him.
It was Josh’s mom, Natalia, that she wasn’t too certain about.
Josh had said he’d talked with her, but Maya knew Natalia wasn’t a big fan of their relationship.
“Morning. I have some coffee inside if you want to come out of the cold,” Josh said, poking his head out the back door.
“I’ll be right there,” Maya said.
Both dogs seemed happy, so she left them in the yard to chew on their toys.
Josh handed her a cup of coffee and they curled up on the couch together, watching out the window.
Juniper often needed supervision. Finn too, but Juniper was more likely to dig a hole in the backyard or try to tear a branch off a tree.
“Any word from Amber?” Maya asked.
“No, she hasn’t called and neither has the other person whose phone she used.”
Maya shrugged. “That’s good, I guess.”
“Yeah, my mom said they ran into some friends at the airport. They were also coming to Pinecone Junction for a vacation. I guess my parents invited them to join us…”
“Again?” Maya asked thinking that the last time Josh’s mom brought a “friend,” it was Amber.
“Yes, but I made her swear it wasn’t Amber or anyone in her family. She promised.”
“Did she say who?”
“No.” Josh shook his head. “I was trying to get off the phone, so I figured I’d let it go. We’ll both be working this week anyway, and I think it’s good for her to have someone to be with.”
“What about Bianca?”
“She’ll be flying in later this week to spend time with us and celebrate Pops being acquitted.”
“I like your optimism. I don’t know what I’d do without him,” Maya said, snuggling closer. “Or without you.”
“Let’s get the dogs in and get ready to go.”
She sighed. What she wouldn’t give to spend a little longer drinking coffee and relaxing with Josh. But she had to face the coming week no matter how hard it was. Time didn’t stop.
* * *
About an hour later, they arrived at the Black Bear Café.
Maya did her usual pat on the nose of the wooden bear outside the restaurant.
She had put on one of her better sweaters and makeup and left her hair down—usually when she worked, she had it pulled back into a ponytail or bun.
She was enjoying being out of uniform and having a day off.
There was a time when she wouldn’t have been able to relax.
Or she would have relaxed by drinking too much.
She was proud of the changes she’d made in her life.
“You look beautiful,” Josh whispered in her ear as they entered.
“Thanks,” Maya said, smiling. “You telling me that never gets old.”
The hostess told them that their table was in the back room that could accommodate larger parties. They wound their way to the back room, holding hands. Maya didn’t care what Natalia thought of her—she was in love with Josh and that’s all that mattered.
Strolling into the room, Josh suddenly stopped.
His face flushed. Maya saw his parents, Pops and three other people she didn’t know—a man, a woman who she assumed was the man’s wife and a younger man—all sitting around the large table.
The man was sipping coffee and staring at his phone.
The woman and Natalia were next to each other, chatting like old friends.
The young man stared off into space and seemed to be daydreaming.
Maybe he was the couple’s adult son? These had to be the acquaintances Josh was talking about, and Maya was relieved to see Amber wasn’t there. But Josh’s expression had her worried.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
Josh shook his head and quietly said, “I’ll tell you later.”
Pops stood and gave Maya a hug and shook Josh’s hand. Josh’s parents came over and greeted him. Spencer turned to Maya, gave her a hug, and said, “It’s good to see you again.”
“Thanks,” Maya said. “Good to see you too.”
To Maya’s surprise, Josh’s mom also gave her a hug, although it was awkward for both.
“Maya,” Spencer said, “I want to introduce you to some family friends—the Bradfords. Dale is a senator now, but he and I worked together long ago when I was in the prosecutor’s office.”
“Yes,” Dale said, standing and shaking Maya’s hand. “Before Spencer went rogue and started defending criminals.”
Spencer laughed and then introduced Dale’s wife, Laura, and their son, Miles.
Maya took a seat in between Josh and Pops and then it hit her.
Senator. The case Josh was talking about regarding Amber.
If Maya remembered right, the victim was the daughter of a senator.
Was it possible that this was the victim’s family?
Based on how tight Josh’s face appeared, she thought she was probably correct.
If so, why were they here? Especially after Amber had contacted Josh.
Did they hear about the evidence and want to know more about their daughter’s case and the possibility that the wrong person had been convicted?
“Good to see you all again,” Josh finally said to the Bradfords in a strained voice.
“Yes, good to see you,” Dale answered. “We were so glad to run into your parents at the airport and discover we were all headed to Pinecone Junction. I needed a break, and the mountains are the perfect getaway. Now these two ladies can shop while I relax.”
Dale smiled at Laura and Natalia. They both nodded in agreement. Then Natalia added, “I warned Laura that there wasn’t much shopping around here.”
“Maybe you can take a day and drive to Steamboat Springs or go the other way and go to Vail,” Maya said, inwardly thinking that both drives were long and would keep them busy. “You might enjoy spending the night in one of those towns too.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Laura said. “I look forward to exploring around here, although a day trip might be nice.”
Josh had picked up the breakfast menu and was staring at it. Maya knew he didn’t need to read the menu. The Black Bear had typical breakfast options, and they didn’t change. She hoped they could get through this and get home so they could talk in private.
“Did you bring your security detail?” Josh asked, putting down the menu and breaking his silence.
“We did,” Dale answered. “I gave them last night and this morning off, though. I figure there’s no mastermind criminal after us here.”
“It’s not like someone has to be a mastermind to be dangerous,” Josh said. “Who’s doing security for you these days?”
“Tony Lancaster and Ian Bachar. Do you know them? They both worked for Chicago PD, but I don’t know if you were in the same districts.”
Josh grunted in response and then said, “Yeah. I knew them.”
Maya stared at him. Yes, they needed to talk. The waitress came, and before they could order, Josh, Maya, and Pops’ phones all went off at the same time. That’s not good. Although maybe we will be saved by a call. I don’t wish anyone ill will, but this breakfast has become more than awkward.
Maya, Josh, and Pops all stood up and excused themselves. Heading outside, Maya picked up her phone. The caller ID said Todd Davis. Todd was her patrol captain.
“Hello,” Maya said.
“Hey there, Thompson, sorry to bug you on a Sunday and your day off, but we have a situation and it’s in your area.”
“No problem, sir,” Maya said. “What’s going on and what do you need from me?”
“A forest service wildland firefighter was out snowshoeing this morning. He saw smoke and thought that was odd and he was concerned, since even this time of year with snow on the ground, fires can get going. He discovered that someone had lit a slash pile, but there were no burns scheduled today.”
“Okay,” Maya said, thinking that this was going to be an arson investigation.
Slash piles were made up of dead trees and branches.
The fire crews would create a large pile and then burn the dead trees and branches when the snow was deep and fire danger was low.
“I can get out there and help make sure the fire is out and help with an arson investigation.”
“Murder and arson.”
“What?”
“It’s a murder and arson,” Todd said. “The firefighter called in some other crew members, and they were able to get the fire out. Thank goodness it was in an area where there was lots of snow. But after they suppressed the fire, they realized there was a body in the slash pile. They haven’t disturbed the scene, but they think they see a gunshot wound on the remains. ”
“Crap,” Maya said.
“Yeah, I have other words. Can you get up there and see if they need help with the investigation? I know the sheriff and undersheriff have been called by dispatch, but you probably know that.”
“I do. We were all having breakfast together.”
“Sorry again that it’s a Sunday and your day off.”
“No, it’s okay,” Maya said. “I’ll get home, get changed and load Juniper in case we need to track or find evidence.”
“Great. And, Thompson?”
“Yes?”
“Try to stay out of trouble,” Todd said before hanging up.
Maya ended the call. Thanks to several murders in the national forest over the past few months, her boss had started ending each call that way. Somehow, though, it never seemed to work. Staying out of trouble wasn’t Maya’s specialty.