Chapter 24 Blake #2
“Well, I can’t exactly leave you just yet. And since you don’t want me to tell Michael about this, it puts me in an awkward situation. So, what are we gonna do?”
“I was going to do some investigating,” I started, but the look he shot me stopped me in my tracks. Sighing, I rolled my eyes. “Food. I could get some food.”
“Now, that sounds more like it,” he grinned, satisfied with how he trapped me on that one. “And since I can’t exactly let you drive off on your own, we’ll take my car.”
“But—”
“Car trouble, of course. I came across you on the side of the road and your ranch vehicle wouldn’t start.”
“That’s just ridiculous. When Michael comes out here and it starts, he’ll know something is wrong.”
“Will he?” Maverick asked, narrowing his eyes at me. “Why don’t you let me handle this.”
I wasn’t sure I trusted him to handle anything, frankly, but since he had me cornered, I grabbed my things and got in his car, knowing arguing was pointless.
Grinning at me, he slid into his seat and started the car. “Now, isn’t this cozy? I think I should call Remi to join us.”
“And why would you do that?”
“Well, it wouldn’t be right for the two of us to have breakfast together alone. People around might talk.”
“People around town already talk,” I pointed out.
“Yes, but if we call Remi in, it’ll look different.”
“Yes,” I snapped. “It’ll look like I’m cheating on my husband with two men!”
His finger tapped the folder in my hands. “I think we can squash those rumors, don’t you?”
My eyes widened as I realized what he was offering. “You want to help me?”
“Darlin’, where exactly do you think you are? This is Montana. We’re the friendly state.”
“Isn’t that Minnesota?”
“They’re Minnesota friendly. Frankly, I think it’s a scam.”
“Their friendliness is a scam?” I asked, a little confused.
“Have you ever been there? Everyone’s passive-aggressive, and honestly, they’re all a bunch of Scandinavians.”
“And that’s a bad thing?”
He shook his head slowly. “Never trust a Scandinavian.”
“Because…”
“Well, the way I figure it, the Vikings were from Scandinavia.”
Glancing at him curiously, I tried to put it all together. “And you think the Scandinavians here will pillage and destroy your villages?”
“Crazier things have happened, darlin’. Crazier things.”
He shifted into drive and pulled back on the road, leaving my truck behind. I mourned the loss of my freedom for only as long as it took me to start peppering him with questions about the town. By the time we reached the diner, he was already regretting inviting me out to eat.
I could see it in his eyes.
“What about that old lady who wanders around town with a cane?”
He rolled his eyes as we got out of the car and headed toward the diner. “Mrs. Butterworth?”
“Yeah. Her. What’s her deal?”
“You mean, other than the fact that she’s our town’s oldest living resident?”
“Oldest for a reason,” I grinned, as if there was some hidden story.
“Are you gonna pepper me with useless questions the whole time?”
“I don’t see it that way. I’m simply trying to discern who’s who around town.”
“And how they might fit into your investigation,” he said, holding the diner door open.
“Well, you have to admit, if anyone’s going to know anything, it’s those who have been around the longest.”
“Well, I can’t argue with you there,” he said, holding up three fingers to the waitress.
“Sheriff, it’s awfully early for you to be in.”
“Just grabbing some breakfast with Blake,” he said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and tugging me closer. “Remi’s gonna join us.”
The woman…Cora, I was pretty sure her name was, watched us carefully before giving a quick smile. “Right this way. I have just the booth for you.”
I leaned over and whispered, “Does that mean she’s got the perfect booth to eavesdrop?”
“Nope. That means she’s putting us away from prying ears.” His eyes shifted to mine. “Not everything is a conspiracy, Blake.”
That hadn’t been my luck so far, but I was willing to take a risk and believe it for the time being.
I slid into the booth and shucked off my coat, shivering at the lingering effects from the cold.
I wasn’t sure I would ever get used to the weather up here, but at least it was a change of pace from my last location.
“So, this case…what do you have so far?”
Dropping the file on the table, I flipped it open and pulled out a photo of the town. “This house right here. It wasn’t there when Dakota was kidnapped.”
Frowning, he studied the picture. “Okay.”
“I think she was taken through the trees across the street—” I pulled out an aerial photo that showed the town as a whole. “—and I think she was taken to a service road back here,” I said, tapping to the road that led toward the ranches on the west side of town.
“And what makes you think that?”
Here’s where I was going to lose him. “Because Jim Callahan owned that property, and he had access to Murky Falls Ranch.”
His eyes shot up to mine, narrowing dangerously. “That’s a pretty serious accusation.”
“I’m just following where my gut is telling me to look. And it’s not usually wrong.”
“Jim died years ago,” he pointed out.
“That doesn’t change the facts. If he is the one who took Dakota, her family deserves closure.”
Sighing, his fingers scraped along his beard as he considered what I was saying. “How much digging into the case have you done?”
“I’ve gone over the files many times, and I’m telling you, this is the one location no one bothered to consider.”
“They would have checked the woods.”
“Yes, but there was a snowstorm that day. Any footprints would have been covered up. If the woods were searched, they wouldn’t have found a thing. And if Jim Callahan parked on that service road, those tire tracks would have been long gone by the time they looked.”
“Still, it’s a stretch.”
I leaned forward, knowing he needed more to convince him.
“That road leads up into the mountains just before it cuts off toward Jim’s property.
From what I’ve been told, no one goes up there because of the terrain.
And if no one goes up there, that road would have been easily discounted by the police back then.
They wouldn’t have taken the road all the way to the ranch, which means more than likely, the property was never searched. It was probably never even considered.”
He thought about it a moment, but I knew I still didn’t have him fully on my side. “How would you even prove it?”
That was the part he wasn’t going to like. “I need access to the property. According to recent aerial photos, Jim’s house is still there.”
“Yeah, his brother bought the property, but the house is basically in ruins. He hasn’t done a damn thing with the place.”
“Exactly,” I grinned. “Which means if he kept any souvenirs, they could still be there.”
“And you want me to get you a warrant to search the property,” he sighed.
“Well, you would have to be on the property with me.”
He shook his head, and I already knew it was coming. “I can’t do it. Blake, there’s literally no evidence pointing to the Callahans, and I can’t go to a judge with a gut instinct.”
I figured he was going to say that, which was why I kept my mouth shut. I would do my own investigation, with or without his help.
“Yeah, I figured it was a long shot.”
But Maverick was not a stupid man. Not even close, which was why I was grateful Remi showed up in time before Maverick could ask me any more questions. Putting the folder away, I smiled as he walked up, but that smile dropped when Parker stepped out from behind him, a scowl on his face.
“You wanna tell me what the fuck happened?”