Chapter 11 Blake
BLAKE
“This place looks like a whodunnit room,” Parker said as he walked into my new office.
I spun around in my chair that we’d purchased one week ago. It was the most comfortable thing I’d ever sat in, and while I loved Parker very much, I’d never let him sit in it. He would just screw up the comfiness of it with his large frame.
“I’m finally getting through all the interviews and matching them to the names and faces around town. Of course, everyone looks older than they did twenty-five years ago, and some people have moved away.”
“Any suspects yet?”
Sighing, I stared at the board, wishing I had some idea. “Not yet. I can see why they didn’t suspect foul play. From all the interviews, it really sounded like she just got caught in the snowstorm.”
Parker stared at the map, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the location.
“What are you thinking?” I asked, walking over to look at the map with him.
“Just that Murky Falls was either a really smart move on the killer’s part or very daring.”
“Why daring?”
“Well, they had to sneak across private property. If someone was seen on the land, they’d never get away with the murder. Then again, Murky Falls isn’t exactly a popular spot. Whoever it was knew that her body wouldn’t be found for a very long time.”
“And is there anyone in particular that comes to mind?”
“The whole damn town,” he sighed.
“What about other ranches in the area? Wouldn’t they have been just as likely to find her body on any of those?”
“They might not have found her quickly, but eventually, someone would have noticed.”
“Even in all the snow?” It seemed to me that with the vast openness in the area, anyone would get away with murder if they did it the right way.
“It’s hard to say. Twenty-five years ago…even our ranch isn’t the same.”
“Do you get out to the falls often?”
“Not unless it’s summer, and even then, it’s not a regular hangout.” He shook his head, pointing to a cluster of trees on the map. “Honestly, if it were me, I would have dumped her body here.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s always bear activity, so people stay away. Plus, the bears would have ripped her body to shreds, making it less likely anyone would find her or figure out how she died. Plus, this is part of the reservation.”
That was interesting. “So, maybe this wasn’t a planned attack. If it was, then why dump her at the falls where it was more likely they’d be caught? The question is, who would think to dump her body there?”
“Someone with easy access to the falls,” he suggested, eyeing me skeptically. “You don’t think my Pop has anything to do with this.”
“Of course not, but I’ll still need to discuss the case with him. What about the other ranch? The Callahans?”
“Austin is a psychotic motherfucker,” he muttered.
“He’s the one who attacked your brother,” I remembered. “Any chance he was that psychotic as a kid?”
He shook his head slowly. “He would have been too young.”
“There are plenty of child killers.”
“Yes, but this girl was kidnapped from her house. How would a kid as young as that kidnap a girl and take her out to the falls without anyone noticing?”
“Okay, then what about the father?”
“Could be, but I would probably say no. Back then, before his son was in the accident, John Callahan was a good guy.”
Accident? “Wait, what accident?”
Parker walked over to the other chair, taking a seat. “When we were growing up, Jeff and Clay hung out all the time. Clay is Austin’s younger brother.”
“Okay.”
“Austin always lived a little more on the wild side. He had an edge to him that just made you a little wary of him. Of course, at the time, Jeff defended him. He thought Austin was just misunderstood. But then one night, Austin dared Jeff to race up the mountain.”
God, this sounded like a tragedy in the making.
“Clay got in the car and took off before Austin could. He hit a tree head-on, and ever since then, he’s never been all there,” he said, tapping the side of his head.
“And the dad now has it out for your family,” I surmised.
“I haven’t been around for a long time, but from what I understand, the feud between the families is growing.
Pop tried to help him out with medical bills by buying land from him.
But then, after a reappraisal of the land, the lot Pop bought from him ended up being worth the most. John thinks Pop screwed him out of the land. ”
“That’s just ridiculous. How would he know the value of the land?”
“It didn’t matter to John. His son is essentially gone. He felt cheated, and since that accident, whatever friendship existed between the families is gone.”
“Wow,” I said, sitting back in the chair.
I had no idea any of this was going on, but now it made me rethink the case. If it wasn’t Austin, and the father didn’t start acting weird until after the accident, which would have been years later, then it had to be someone else.
“A murder like that…there would be signs. Unless you’re a true psychopath, you can’t hide the kind of guilt that would accompany a murder of that magnitude.”
“Well, I’m the wrong person to talk to about that. Like I said, it happened too long ago. I don’t remember anything from that time.”
“Then it looks like it’s time to start interviewing people. I can start with the family.”
“Just be careful,” he said, grabbing my hand as I started to stand. “This is a sensitive subject, and the family might not want to drag it up after all these years.”
“Not even to find a killer?”
“That’s the thing about a small town. No one wants to think that anyone they see every day could be a killer.”
It definitely was different. In a city, you wouldn’t know even half the people you saw on a daily basis, but here…Everyone knew everyone. I’d have to be careful how I proceeded. I didn’t want any gossip getting out in terms of where I was in the investigation. That would only spook the killer.
If he was still here.
“Hey, is there a list somewhere of people who have moved away?”
“I could talk to Bea at the station. She might know.”
“Thanks.”
“Anything to help my hot detective wife,” he grinned, tugging me onto his lap.
“Fiancée,” I corrected. “We’re not married yet.”
“No, but we should think about it. I’d like to be married before the baby comes. What do you think?”
My stomach churned at the idea. Not because I didn’t want to marry him, but because that meant calling my family, and that was something I wasn’t looking forward to.
“Uh…you know, we don’t have to rush.”
I pushed away from him, but he tugged me back. “What do you mean, we don’t have to rush? The baby won’t wait forever.”
“No, but I’m not old-fashioned. I don’t care if we’re married first.”
Wrong thing to say. His jaw hardened as he stared at me. “I do. I’d like the baby to come into the world with a mother and father.”
“The baby will have a mother and father,” I rolled my eyes. “What’s the difference?”
“The difference is that I want to set a good example for my kid.”
“Well, you probably shouldn’t have knocked me up first, then,” I teased.
“I’m serious, Blake. This is something I want. Why are you fighting me?”
Groaning, I slumped in my chair. “Because then I have to tell my brothers. And trust me, they won’t take it as well as your family.”
“Blake, you’re a grown woman. It’s not like they can throw you out of the house.”
“It’s not me I’m worried about!” I shouted, getting to my feet. “Do you know what they’ll do to you?”
He snorted at me because he had no fucking clue how bad it would get. My brothers were fiercely protective, and the fact that Parker had knocked me up would only piss them off.
Even if they did like him.
“Baby, I can handle your brothers. They love me!”
“Well, they’re not going to love you when they find out that I’m pregnant. They take this stuff seriously.”
“Baby, I know. Trust me, it’ll be fine.”
Sighing, I climbed back onto his lap and kissed him. “Fine, but when they strap you to the bed of the truck and drive you around in the cold completely naked, don’t come crying to me.”
He laughed. “I hardly think it’ll come to that.”
Leaning back, I shot him a knowing look.
“But…they love me,” he said uncertainly.
“They loved my high school boyfriend, too. Then they found him kissing me on the couch. Do you want me to tell you how long it took for the burns to heal?”
He swallowed hard, shaking his head slightly. “Maybe we’ll tell them in twenty years.”
“Do you honestly think they’d let it go then?”
“No, but maybe I’ll be too old for them to torture me.”
I rang the doorbell, equally excited and dreading the conversation I was about to have. The story led me down a road I hadn’t been in months, and a sense of rightness filled me. But having this conversation would not be easy.
An older woman answered the door, smiling gently at me. “Yes?”
“Mrs. Walker?”
“Yes, I’m Sydney.”
“My name is Blake Collins. I’m looking into your daughter’s case—”
“Yes,” she nodded, pushing the door open. “My daughter warned me you would be coming by. Please, come in.”
“Thank you.”
Stepping inside, it was like any other house I’d been in before. There were pictures on the mantel and pillows on the couch. The sweet smell of pie baking filled the air. You would never know, walking in here, that this household had been devastated by such a brutal murder.
“You have a lovely home.”
“Thank you,” she smiled, taking a seat on the couch, motioning for me to sit also. “My daughter tells me you’re new to town, and that you used to work for the FBI.”
I could feel the excitement coming off her in waves. How long had it been since anyone had looked into her daughter’s case?
“Yes, I’ve only been here a short time, but when I spoke with your daughter, I felt I needed to help if I could.”
“Well, I appreciate it very much.”
The woman stood suddenly, brushing her hair from her face as she headed for the kitchen. “Can I get you some coffee or water?”
“Coffee would be great.”