Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
“Grampy, come color with me.” Tanya slips her tiny hand in mine and tugs me away from the crowded kitchen. I let her because grandkids are the dessert in life, and mine are the sweetest.
We duck under Curren and Zach playing catch between the sunken living room and dining area and continue to the small table Sofie has set up in the corner with art supplies and what looks like an unfinished snack of grapes and goldfish crackers.
Because the chairs are sized for littles, lowering that far to the ground makes my sore quads burn and warning spikes to fire through my hip, but it ebbs as I settle in.
“What are we drawing?” I slip a fresh piece of paper from a stack and rifle through the box of crayons and colored pencils. Sofie had to hide the markers because Tanya snuck them into the bathroom and painted her tongue, then graffitied one of the cabinet doors.
Tanya scrunches up her little face. “A kitty.”
I pluck a pencil and start sketching. “What color is this kitty?”
“Blue.” She’s already at work on a blob of yellow.
Sofie wanders over and plops down into the other chair, her back against the wall and her legs crossed at the ankles, a bottle of beer cradled in her lap. A burst of laughter rings out from the kitchen where the rest of our family and their significant others are gathered.
“Mommy,” Tanya coos.
Sofie reaches over and brushes her daughter’s hair from her forehead. “Love you, buttercup.”
Tanya switches colors and starts humming as she draws.
The simple exchange tugs at my heartstrings.
Watching my children turn into loving, capable parents has been the biggest reward of my life.
That they’ve done so without influence from their mother makes it downright awe-inspiring.
To think Eliza’s missing out on all of this—all for what, a mansion with servants and some palm trees? To hobnob with L.A.’s elite?
“I thought the boys weren’t going to play catch in the house anymore?” I tease Sofie.
She huffs a laugh. “Lamps are cheaper than marriage counseling.”
I give her a look to make sure she’s kidding, and she winks.
“Plus, Zach’s right. Think of all the extra practice Curren’s getting.” She sips her beer. “How was skiing yesterday?”
I resist the urge to rub my sore calves and complain about my hip. Only old people complain about their health issues, and I’m not planning on getting old. Ever. “We had a great time. Even had a few sun breaks.”
“I’ll bet Linn tired you out.”
I chuckle. “I don’t think she broke a sweat.
” Months of winter fieldwork has made her strong.
But how’s her tender heart? Not for the first time, I curse that asshole Nathan.
At first he was great. Supportive, kind, patient.
At the time, I was relieved. Linnie finally had someone who understood her and cared for her.
God, what a disaster that turned out to be, and though I know it’s not all my fault, it’s hard not to hold onto the simple truth that if I’d been paying better attention, I could have saved her.
She’s been free of him for two years, but recovering from something like that takes time. Time I absolutely want her to have.
So why didn’t I consider that before bringing CJ over the other night?
Because of course he’d show an interest. Not only because Linnea is a beautiful young woman, but the two of them have several obvious common interests based on their careers.
I want to trust my daughter to make decisions about her life, but I don’t have that same faith in a wild card like CJ Parks.
And maybe I’m hovering too close, but my failure to recognize Nathan’s twisted take on love meant my daughter ended up trapped in a toxic relationship.
I know my influence is limited, but I’m keeping a careful eye on who gets close to her.
Not forever, but definitely for the time being.
“Has she opened up to you at all about her new job?” Sofie’s tone is even, but I detect a hint of worry.
I switch my pencil for a turquoise one and start shading. “Opened up how?”
Sofie gazes at the party going on behind me in the kitchen. “I got the sense she’s not excited about it.”
I glance to the group, but at that moment, Linnie is playing a hand-clapping game with Skye, the smacking of their palms punctuated by their laughter.
Beyond her, William stands behind Charlotte with his arms around her, both of them arguing with something Morgan and Jesse are saying, their smiles easy and full.
For one moment, I try to capture it all in my mind, seal it inside my chest for safekeeping.
My entire world is safe and happy inside these walls, and I never want to take that for granted.
“We haven’t really talked about it all that much,” I reply. Not even yesterday while skiing. Instead, Linnie told me stories about her wolverine project in the Selkirks and about the scientists she learned from there, and life at the field station.
“I’m probably overthinking it.” After another sip of beer, Sofie pokes my knee with her toe. “You never answered my text about—” After a quick glance at Tanya to make sure she’s still engrossed in drawing, she adds, “Kirilee and I met this woman, and we both think she’s perfect for you.”
I work on shading the tail. “Uh, pass.” Especially if Sofie’s roping her besties into this project. Though I respect Kirilee’s judge of character almost as much as I do Sofie’s.
Sofie sighs. “Come on, Pop. Meet her for coffee. She’s super interesting. And funny too. I really think you’d like her. Plus…” She flashes me a knowing smirk “I believe you two might have already met.”
“Huh?”
“Due to privacy laws, I’m, er, a bit limited, but…” She slides an envelope from her back pocket and sets it on my lap. “This might help.”
Still baffled, I open the envelope. Inside is a hand-written note, scrawled in tight cursive that indents the paper.
Dear Miss Keo and Mr. Rowdy,
Thank you for the clothes. The people here are nice. I miss being outside.
Colton
Relief softens in my chest that Colton’s settling in, but I’m still not seeing the connection to my daughter’s ridiculous matchmaking. “You’ve still lost me.”
She sips her beer. “Keo has been volunteering at the community art center.”
Gritting my teeth, I tuck the note away. Just what I need, my daughter getting wind of an established connection with a woman she already thinks is a perfect match.
“Zach shared that you met with Colton,” I say to shut down any further inquiry into my personal life. “How’s he doing?”
“Getting more accustomed to his new situation a little more every day, but cult deprogramming is no joke, I’ll just say that.”
I’m sure she’s right. “What happens next?”
Her expression turns thoughtful. “He’ll stay in the group home while they look for placement with a foster family. But it’s tough to find one willing to take on a boy his age.”
“Why?”
She looks up from helping Tanya sharpen a colored pencil.
“Even though Colton’s history is, well, different, many families just aren’t willing to risk it.
His caseworker is Benjamin Lohoff. Super solid guy.
Overworked, but that’s no surprise. He’s cool with visits, but he’ll want to be present.
He’s kind of a German Shepard when it comes to protecting these kids.
” She hands off the colored pencil and whips out her phone. “I’ll send you his contact.”
Seconds later, I have it. “Thanks, I’ll share both the note and Benjamin’s contact with Keo.”
Saying her name makes that heat at the base of my spine start to pulse again. Now I know it’s not some rash. It’s a craving. Desire.
Sofie quirks a brow like she’s reading my thoughts, but thankfully, Tanya leans on my arm, her tiny fingers sticky, almost hot. “Grampy!” She cackles. “That’s not a kitty.”
I lean back from my drawing of a cougar and plant a kiss on the top of her head. “It’s the only kind I know how to draw, precious.”
After dinner while the grandkids and some of the grown-ups play a game of hide and seek, Zach and I tackle the dishes and finish cleaning up.
“Promise not to make a habit of talking shop at a family dinner,” Zach says as he hands me a rinsed dinner plate. “But I just got a text from Everett.”
I tuck the plate into the rack and reach for the next one. “Sounds important.”
It’s just us in the kitchen now, but he glances over his shoulder, as if to make sure, then meets my gaze. “We got an ID on the girl from the lake.”
I arch an eyebrow. “That was quick.”
He uses the sponge to get at a blob of dried barbecue sauce. “We lucked out with dental records.” He lowers his tone even further. “It’s that nurse we’ve been looking for. Samantha Bowen.”
I exhale a slow breath, but it doesn’t erase the images flashing through my brain.
I’ve seen a few dead bodies in my line of work, and plenty of gruesome injuries, but never something as horrific as what CJ and I experienced frozen into a chunk of Cascade Lake ice.
The cold water had slowed decomposition, but not so much that her face would be recognizable.
Only after the recovery team had her loaded up did the possibility of her being our missing nurse enter my mind.
The timing fit. So did her long dark hair.
“She’s been in that lake two years?” I load another rinsed plate.
“The ME thinks her body had been weighted down but then broke loose and ended up stuck in the ice.”
Weighted down? By what? And if that was the case, it means someone put her in that lake. “Cause of death?”
“The ME is calling it a drowning, but she had defensive wounds.”
If that’s true, her drowning wasn’t accidental. “How about evidence?”
“They’ll be thorough, but the lake water and aquatic life didn’t help us there.”
He’s right. The possibility they’ll find evidence linking whoever may have been connected to her death is extremely thin. But what if they do find something? And what if it leads to arresting someone inside Sons of Eden for murder?
After the party breaks up and we’ve hugged and said our farewells, Linnea and I walk down the pebbled walkway to my truck, the clear night studded with twinkling stars.
“First day tomorrow,” I say to Linnea once we’re inside the cab. “You feeling ready?”
She smiles, her raindrop silver earrings shining in the dash lights. “I’m, um, nervous.”
“About?”
“Fitting in,” she replies easily.
I reach for her hand, and she gives mine a squeeze back. “At least you know some of your coworkers already.”
“True. Plus I got to meet the wildlife vet via video conference during my interview.”
I want to reassure her that she’ll find her people, but it would sound hollow and if I’ve learned anything as a parent, it’s to resist such platitudes. “What projects are on tap after you overhaul the emergency feed plan?”
“A watershed restoration in Little Elk Creek.”
I blink at the snowy road illuminated by my headlights. “I thought that got postponed.”
“The grant I helped write during my internship got funded.”
Little Elk Creek feeds into the Elk River and is not far from the Sons of Eden compound. “You’re part of a team, right?”
“Yeah, once things get underway. Before that, I’ll need to collect some data. Stream flow, pool depth, some ecology baselines.”
As a field biologist, Linnea’s used to working alone in the backcountry. She’s capable, skilled, and experienced, and she prefers the solitude to the often conflict-ridden teamwork aspect of the job—something I absolutely relate to.
But the idea of her working solo in Sons of Eden’s backyard makes me uneasy. They aren’t just unpredictable, they’re dangerous.