Chapter Forty-Two
The moonlight helped as Josh and Elena followed the stream. They hadn’t said much, but Josh was impressed at how well Elena was doing considering how long she’d been out in the wilderness trying to survive. They made good time despite the amount of ground they had to cover.
Josh figured they were getting close to the property but probably still had about a mile to go. “Let’s stop and rest. You should drink some water.”
“Stop worrying about me,” Elena said.
“Okay, but seriously, you’ve been out here for a couple days now. Drink some water.”
Elena took her backpack off and pulled a bottle out, taking a sip. “You don’t seem like a cold-blooded killer, even though you shot that guy.”
“Oh?” Josh said. “I’m glad to hear that. But what made you come to that conclusion?”
“The fact that you seem more worried about me than the fact that there are people coming after us who want us both dead.”
“Well, you’ve been missing out here for a while. I doubt you’re used to the mountains,” Josh said.
“Why were you in the jail transport van? In prison clothes?”
“I was arrested for Amber’s murder, among other things.”
“That would do it,” Elena said.
“Yeah, I was framed for her murder and the guy whose throat you slit.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously,” Josh said.
“How did you get framed for his death?”
“Someone stole my knife and planted it at the scene. I think they rubbed the victim’s blood all over it.”
Elena shivered and put her water in her backpack. “Whoever is behind this is ruthless, and that’s terrifying. We need to stop them, but we don’t even know who it is we’re trying to stop.”
“I know. When we get to the camper, we’ll start comparing notes. There has to be something that will lead us to the right person.”
“I’m sorry you were framed for that. If we make it out of this alive, I’ll tell them the truth about what happened.”
“We’ll make it out. I have faith.”
“In God?” Elena asked.
“Yes, but also my girlfriend and her K-9. Whoever is doing this has met their match. Trust me.”
They continued in silence. There were so many questions Josh wanted to ask Elena, but first, he wanted to get to the camper where there was more food and sports drinks with electrolytes.
He had no doubt that at some point Maya would find the dead body.
He hoped that whoever the partner in crime was with the guy wouldn’t hurt Maya, but like he’d told Elena, he had faith in Juniper.
They came over a ridge and headed back down. An offshoot of the creek they’d been following came into sight. This stream ran behind where Maya’s cabin used to be before it was burned down. They followed it and finally, the property came into view.
“This is where we’re going,” Josh said, pointing ahead.
“Was there a cabin here?”
“Yeah, it burned to the ground. Long story for another time,” Josh said. “But that Airstream camper has supplies and we can turn on the heater and warm up. I don’t think anyone has followed us, so we can talk for a while and compare notes. Maybe we can figure out what’s going on.”
“Works for me,” Elena said. “I have all my case notes in my backpack.”
“Glad you still have it, then.”
“Me too.”
They made the rest of the trek in silence and Josh found the key for the camper under the mat. It was in the wrong spot.
He always put the key under the mat in the same corner. That way he’d know if someone had found the key and used it to get into the camper. He didn’t have gloves, but Elena did.
“I know this sounds weird, but do you mind picking up the key and opening the camper? I think someone used it to break in and steal the things they used to frame me. Maybe we’ll get lucky and there will be a fingerprint. I don’t want to smudge it.”
Elena did as he asked and then put the key back.
Josh was ready to get inside and sit down.
Knowing that someone had broken in and stolen things, he supposed that he shouldn’t even go in and use the camper, but rather preserve it as a crime scene.
But he really needed to rest and regroup.
He was in good shape, but that hike had been intense and morning would be coming soon.
They’d probably need to leave again shortly.
But Josh didn’t know what their next move should be. Hopefully Elena could help with that.
“There’s a couch over there,” Josh said, stepping into the camper and pointing to a small area near the window. “If you can call it that.”
“Thanks,” Elena said.
Josh pulled out bread and peanut butter. The carbs and protein would be good for them. Elena was sipping from her water bottle as Josh made sandwiches. He thought the peanut butter seemed lower than he remembered too.
There were other little things that were off.
The dish towel was on the counter rather than hanging up.
The trash seemed fuller. It was like someone had been staying here but had tried to clean up and keep things tidy so they wouldn’t be noticed.
He was certain the items used to frame him had been stolen from the camper, but now he was wondering if there was an additional person squatting.
More mysteries. At some point, he wanted answers rather than more questions.
“There’s some blankets in those cabinets there,” he said.
Elena stood and grabbed a few blankets out and then sat back down. Josh handed her the sandwich. They quickly ate in silence.
Taking their plates to the sink, Josh rinsed them off. Then he came over and sat back down. “Now, tell me everything. From the beginning.”
“Okay,” Elena said, pulling notes and pictures from her backpack.
She filled Josh in about the mother desperately wanting them to find the shooter from the drive-by and how that led to a witness stepping forward a few years later with pictures.
Josh listened as she explained about Ref not being able to be in two places at once and how that inspired Elena to ask to see the evidence.
“I took these pictures of evidence photos,” Elena said. “I know I wasn’t supposed to, but I wanted to take something home and study it. You see how there’s no footprints at Sydney’s crime scene? It’s like someone deliberately destroyed them.”
“Yes,” he said. “And I think I remember seeing footprints when I arrived, but I’d have to look at my notes and my own photos, because I don’t remember the details well.”
Josh stared at the pictures. Finding Sydney happened a long time ago, but the image of her lying in the cold, deceased, hadn’t left his mind. There was something about these photos that felt off.
“I’d seen your name on the statements, talked with Amber because she’d mentioned you before, and then figured it out. I wanted your photos and notes since you were the first on the scene. That’s when Amber called you and everything started,” Elena said.
“So we have proof that the scene was changed. That’s a start.
We just need to get all the evidence together.
You should know, though, that the night I was going to meet Sydney, I was messed up.
I’m not proud, but I have to be honest. I was using and Sydney was the person who sold the drugs to me.
That’s why I was meeting her. I’d lost my job.
A good lawyer will rip me apart as a witness. ”
“But a good lawyer can’t rip apart photos. Maybe your notes, that’s what I would go after, but if your photos are good, then it’ll back up what you remember, no matter how messed up you were,” Elena said. “Do you have the photos still?”
“No.”
“What?”
“Don’t worry, they’re in a safe spot,” Josh said.
“I don’t want to say too much, because the more you know the more danger you’re in.
But it had to be a cop who changed the scene.
I see from your notes that Ian Bachar was the first patrol officer on scene and Tony Lancaster was the detective. I didn’t remember that.”
“Is that significant?”
“Yes, Tony and Ian are now both the senator’s security detail,” Josh answered.
“They probably make a lot more money, and if they did help cover up the real killer’s identity, then they have a lot to lose.
More than just a good job. There’s nothing worse as a cop than thinking you might be locked up with the criminals you’ve arrested over the years.
You’ll either be killed or kept in solitary to keep you safe. ”
“Do you think they’re the guys after me? Do you think one of them killed Amber?”
Josh hesitated. “It’s hard to know for sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Did you get a good look at the person who shot Amber? Any details you can remember?”
“The sun was in my eyes, but I could tell he was a big person, about your size.”
“Tony and I are the same height and build,” Josh said. “Do you trust me enough to do something that might seem crazy?”
“Maybe. I mean, you don’t seem like a psycho killer trying to cover everything up. But what are you thinking?”
“We need to get your notes and photos to someone who can take the evidence and do something with it.”
“Like who?” Elena asked. “And how? It seems like every time I think I’m safe, these guys find me again.”
“My girlfriend, Maya. If we hide your backpack and leave something like one of your gloves, she can use her K-9, Juniper, to find the backpack. She will know what to do with your evidence, who to give it to and who to trust. If Maya has this, she could figure things out and go from there.”
“Okay,” Elena said. “At this point, I don’t think I have much to lose, and even though you’re an escaped jail detainee on the run, you haven’t done anything to make me think you’re lying.
Plus, I saw the shooters at the jail transport and it wasn’t you.
Let’s do this. Let’s hide the evidence for your girlfriend’s K-9 to find. ”
Josh went to the cabinet and found a large Ziploc plastic bag. “Here, take off your gloves and put them in here. I’ll give you some more gloves. Maya has some stashed in here.”
Elena followed directions and Josh sealed the bag up and put it on the small table in the camper.
He placed a note underneath, hoping that Maya and no one else would find this first. The gloves would give Juniper Elena’s scent.
That way, the dog wouldn’t be confused by his track, which would be all over the place.
Then Josh took Elena’s backpack. “Wait here, I’ll be back. This will only take a minute. I know exactly where to put this.”
Heading outside, Josh went to the one remaining part of Maya’s cabin—the stone chimney.
He was able to push the backpack up in the chimney until it wedged into place.
Not only would it not be an obvious spot, the scent would drop down and pool below by the time Juniper came.
Standing, Josh was ready to head back to the camper and see if Elena was rested enough to hike.
Something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. A movement. Then a man stepped out from behind the camper and said, “Hello.”