He held back a sigh. “I know it’s hard. You can do this.”
She drew in a breath and stood taller, then gave him a look that said he needed to dial the reassurances and platitudes down. “I know I can do it, Ryan.”
Her way of telling him she didn’t need his encouragement. Or rather, she didn’t want it. He wanted to argue that everyone needed encouragement, especially under circumstances like these, but he doubted Tori would be willing to listen. She prided herself too much on her ability to stand on her own two feet.
She didn’t stay in Sarah’s room long. He followed her through the house as she gave everything a once-over and then they ended up in the attic. Sarah had filled it with a few old boxes—memorabilia from school—but that was all.
Finally Tori finished her search in the kitchen. She shrugged. “I didn’t see anything missing, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t.”
Her staying in this house didn’t sit well with him. “Look, are you sure you want to stay?”
She nodded. “If there’s something to be discovered here, I’ll find it by staying.”
He wouldn’t convince her otherwise. “Before I leave, I’ll board up the broken window until you can get the glass replaced.”
“Thanks, Ryan, but Dad is coming over this afternoon to do that now that you’ve released the scene.”
“Oh, right. Okay.” He squeezed the keys in his pocket—Sarah’s house keys that he should give back to Tori. But he held on to them for now. “At least give your parents’ suggestion a thought. Go back to your job. Years ago, you couldn’t wait to get out of here. Remember? Go back and let your parents come and visit with you for a while, and then see what happens. If they move, they move. There’s nothing you can do about that. But you’ll all be safer there.” And if she left, then she wouldn’t be staying in this house. She wouldn’t be here in northern California to be targeted again.
“Are you kidding me? My job there keeps me busy around the clock.” She shook her head. “I wouldn’t have time for them.”
“Maybe it would be a good idea to be back at work so you can get your mind on other matters.” And let him solve this. But he was hoping for too much.
“That’s not going to happen. I can’t stop thinking about finding who killed Sarah.” She opened the fridge. “You want a soda or something?”
He let his gaze roam through the kitchen, dining and living area again. He knew this whole house well by now, after spending last night searching for a clue in the quaint home.
Ryan suddenly realized Tori was staring at him, Coke in hand. He took it, though he wasn’t really thirsty. “I know I can’t stop you from doing your own investigation. But remember, you’re not even a licensed private investigator. This isn’t an FBI investigation.”
“Get real.”
“Exactly. I’m under no illusion that you’re going to stop. I’m only going to ask you to be careful. You could ruin my investigation. Mess with evidence. Keep me from putting this person away.”
She came across to plop on the sofa with her Coke. “Don’t worry, you and I will be investigating on very different paths.”
He fisted his hands. “Still think you’re going to find this killer on your own while I’m off on a wild-goose chase?”
Opening her laptop, she popped the Coke top, and fizz nearly overflowed to her computer.
“Careful!” He quickly snatched a towel from her kitchen and tossed it her way.
“Thanks.” She cleaned up the mess, drank the Coke and eyed him. “You’ve got it all wrong.”
“My investigation is not even good enough to be on your radar, is that it?” Could he just shut up? Why did she seem to push all the wrong buttons? Or right buttons, depending on one’s perspective.
“It’s not a question of your skills or abilities. I just have insight into Sarah that you can’t match. I’m going to walk in her steps in a way you and your team could never do. That’s all.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Fine. Make sure you share with me when you find something.”
“You’ve already told me that I’m not on your team.”
He sighed and softened his next words. “Let’s put aside our...competition, for lack of a better word... And find Sarah’s killer before he can get away.”
To his surprise, Tori set her Coke on the coffee table, the other end from her laptop, and moved to stand next to him.
He could tell by the haunted look in her eyes that sadness still clung to her heart, but determination remained there, too. Good. He wouldn’t expect to see anything less in her gaze. Those dark green irises could still hold him captive. Tori stood close and he caught another whiff of her coconut shampoo. Her face was clean and free of makeup. She was beautiful just like this.
“Thank you, Ryan. For being here for me. For being there for Sarah. I started reading through her emails and she mentioned how you helped a few times when her car broke down. Or she needed to borrow something. You made her feel safe.”
He shrugged, grief strangling him. “Just doing my duty.”
“It was more than that, and you know it. You were kind of like a big brother to her.” He’d treated Sarah like a little sister when he and Tori had been together before. And he hadn’t stopped just because Tori had broken his heart.
It hit him that Tori was all alone now. Where he had three siblings, she’d lost the only sibling she had.
He wasn’t sure how it happened, but Tori was suddenly wrapped in his arms. It felt right and good for all the reasons it shouldn’t. He knew better than to think anything lasting could come of this. Still, they’d shared a bond once, and now that bond had moved to one of deep loss. He wished he could hold her for as long as it took for the pain to leave them both. Wished he could convince her to go to the safety of South Carolina, or that she’d become willing to believe that he could solve this—that he wouldn’t let her down. But that was all fantasy.
And Ryan lived in the real world.
She stepped away from his embrace and stood taller as she wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to be.” Tenderness coursed through him. He wanted to pull her back in his arms. He wished they could turn back time and have another go at a life together. Maybe Sarah could still be here with them, too, if he was going to wish for impossible things.
“We both have work to do, Ryan.” She opened the door and effectively dismissed him.
FIVE
He almost looked hurt. “Be sure to set the alarm.”
“I will.” Tori couldn’t exactly slam the door in his face, so she waited for him to walk away.
He held her gaze for a moment longer, then turned and walked down the sidewalk. She watched him until he got into his vehicle and then, finally, he drove away.
Tori closed the door, locked it and dutifully set the alarm. Then she remembered the window. She headed to the room where she’d slept while here and saw that the techs had at least put plastic over the window. The frame was still in place—funny the alarm was armed but she had a gaping hole in her house, for all practical purposes.
She grabbed her cell and texted her father to ask when he would be over to board it up. She could do it herself, except her shoulder still hurt. Plus, she knew her father and he would be hurt if she didn’t allow him this one small gesture of help.
Dad texted back that he was at the hardware store and would be by the house later in the day. She loved her parents so much and was glad that she could be close to them at this difficult time—just not too close. They each needed space to grieve in their own way. And her way of grieving was working to find Sarah’s murderer. She needed to help Ryan. She settled on the sofa and set her weapon on the side table, glad to have it back.
Finally she could focus—at least until Dad got here. She concentrated on reading through Sarah’s emails to her over the last several
years.
It seemed like a long shot, but it was a good start. Some of them, she’d forgotten completely. She snacked on Doritos and chocolate and guzzled more sodas—almost as if she and Sarah were hanging out. Laughing and crying together.
Her cell buzzed. Mom. She texted her back that she’d be over for pot roast this evening but couldn’t come over early since she was busy at the moment and also was waiting on Dad to fix the window.
Her phone buzzed again. Only this time it was a call from Ryan. She pursed her lips. She didn’t trust her voice to sound steady just now. She texted him that she was all right, on the off chance he was calling to check up on her.
He wasn’t much better than her parents when it came to the smothering, and that thought sent odd and yet familiar sensations through her.
I have work to do. She pushed thoughts of Ryan away to focus on the emails.
One email sent only two months ago made mention of an issue regarding land pollution. Sarah had said she was heading to Sacramento, California’s capital, to protest. Tori sat up. With this email, she might be getting somewhere. Sarah had always been about social justice issues as well as environmental causes. Following this small clue could lead her nowhere, but Tori had to start somewhere. Though there were more emails to read, she could get back to those after a little digging on this.
After researching online, she finally found the name of a guy who had organized a protest in Sacramento over an agricultural pesticide used on commercial farms. The event had taken place around the same time as Sarah’s email. Tori decided to go with it.
The guy’s name was Dee James and he headed up an organization called A Better World.
It wouldn’t hurt to call him to ask if he knew Sarah. Tori searched through online databases until she found the person she believed was the right man, though she couldn’t be sure. There were a few listings under that name. She would try them all if that was what it took.
And in fact, she was able to narrow it down to three different Dee Jameses.
She left a voice mail for each of them.
If one of these numbers was his, he probably wasn’t picking up because he didn’t recognize her number. She gave him a few minutes to call her back or at least listen to the voice mail. If one of the men knew Sarah, maybe they would call back. Tori was counting on it. She needed to find something. She needed a win.
Someone knocked on the door. Tori grabbed her weapon and peeked through the peephole to see her father. She let him in just as her cell rang.
“I need to take this, Dad. Go ahead and work on the window.” She smiled and then looked at the phone. Her heart jumped. Maybe it was him. “Hello? Dee James?”
An intake of breath. “Yes. I’m returning your call.”
“Thanks. As I mentioned in my voice mail, I’m Tori Peterson. I’m Sarah’s sister.”
A few breaths of quiet, then he said, “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Of course, he already knew about the death.
“Yes, well, thank you.” Tori cleared her throat. “I was hoping you could help me.”
Again, he was silent for a few heartbeats. This man was wary.
“I don’t know how,” he finally said.
“Can you meet me to talk? I’ll buy you a cup of coffee.” If she could get him in person she could read his expression. Plus, he might be willing to share information—that is, if he had any.
“I don’t know anything about what happened to Sarah. I’m sorry, but you’re wasting your time if you think I can help.”
“But you were in an environmental group with her, right?”
“Yeah, so? She was in lots of groups with lots of people.”
Ah. Now. So she was getting somewhere. He knew enough about Sarah to know that. Still, she had the feeling he wasn’t going to agree to meet her. So she had to press her point and see how he reacted. “I read some information about suspicious activities such as...um...ecoterrorism. The FBI was checking into that. I... I just want to find out if Sarah was involved with the group, that’s all.”
“You already know she was involved in A Better World, and as I mentioned, many more groups besides.”
Tori was going to lose him and soon. She was surprised he’d stayed on the line this long. Maybe he feared if he didn’t satisfy her that she wouldn’t go away. “Yes, well, I mean, was Sarah involved in any suspicious or violent activities? I’m not trying to build a case. I just want to know why someone would try to kill her.”
Dad’s hammering echoed through the house and she tried to concentrate on Dee’s words. “I don’t know anything about any suspicious activities. I’m sorry for what happened to Sarah, but I don’t know anything to help.” He ended the call.
Tori stared at the cell. Her mouth went dry. The call had the kind of tension that let her know she was on to something here. Dee James probably regretted returning her call. He’d probably thought he could brush her off and make her go away. Now he would be worried and maybe even try to flee—that is, if he had something to hide.
The unnatural tension in his voice told her that he did.
Dad emerged from the hallway. “All done.”
“What? That was fast.”
“The window should be restored tomorrow afternoon.”
“Thanks, Dad.” She smiled.
“I can see you’re busy. Will your mother and I see you later?”
Tori didn’t want to lose her momentum after that conversation with Dee. “I’ll be at dinner. We can talk more then.” She got up, moved to her father and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll see you tonight, okay?”
“Okay.” She knew him well enough to see he had more to say, but she was grateful when he kept it to himself and bade her goodbye. He let himself out. She reset the alarm and got back to work.
Thunder rumbled through the house. She made notes of her conversation and then read through more emails, carefully now. If she’d been reading too fast, she would have missed the mention of the environmental protest, though she should have known to look into that to begin with. There had to be a ton of environmental groups in the area. She would make a list of the groups and the major participants, but she was pretty sure Dee James was someone to question further and she would make sure to do that soon.
The sound of torrential rain soon followed.
Then, the power went out. Of course! After what had happened here, staying alone in the darkened bungalow was too creepy, and since she couldn’t continue her internet search, Tori decided to head out.
She wrote down an address she’d found for this Dee James and then she shut down her laptop. She might as well make use of the downtime.
After grabbing a light jacket and an umbrella, she ran to the car but was drenched even though she’d used her umbrella. The issue came when she tried to close her umbrella and tuck it inside the vehicle. Tori wiped the water from her face and smoothed her hair. Maybe she should have waited until the rain stopped but that was a moot point now. She turned on the vehicle and activated the windshield wipers.
Though she probably shouldn’t head out in the storm, sitting in Sarah’s house without power wasn’t a safe option, either. She thought of Ryan and his investigation.
See, I told you, we wouldn’t even cross paths.
No way was he following this particular lead. He needed Tori on this and didn’t even know it.
She thought back to the moment when he held her. Of them holding each other. They had been grieving together over Sarah, but there had been something more between them. Tender emotions that had nothing to do with Sarah’s death. A knot lodged in her throat. She pushed those unbidden thoughts away.
It was much too late for them, and she couldn’t think about that.
She had to think about her sister.
Sarah, what did you get yourself into?
* * *
Ryan trudged down the hallway in the Maynor County Sheriff’s Office, feeling the effects of a long day in which he’d learned nothing new.
“Any news, Bradley?” Sheriff Rollins asked, calling to him from his office at the far end of the hallway. Ryan’s direct boss was Captain Moran, who was in charge of the investigations division. Above Captain Moran was Chief Deputy Carmichael, who oversaw the patrol, court and investigations divisions. But the sheriff, who headed up the entire department, took a special interest in this case. The multiple homicide had drawn much attention and he wanted the case solved expeditiously. Ryan wanted a promotion, and he knew he’d better handle and solve this case or he could kiss any chance of that goodbye.
Sheriff Rollins headed toward him, change jingling in his pocket. Ryan scraped a hand down his face. He hadn’t yet shared with his boss, Captain Moran, that he was leaning toward Sarah being the primary target. Sheriff Rollins still believed the Mason kid’s years-old drug involvement had spurred the homicides. Ryan had spent the day trying to close up those loose ends before he could present his theory to Moran in a way that couldn’t be doubted or ignored. He didn’t like disclosing this to the sheriff without Moran weighing in. After measuring his response, he opened his mouth to speak—
“Ryan?” Hope Rollins was the office receptionist and the sheriff’s niece.
He turned to see Hope approaching him. “Sarah Peterson’s father, David, is here. He wants to speak to you.”
The sheriff’s cell buzzed. He gave Ryan a harried look. “Go ahead. You can add this conversation with Mr. Peterson into your reports. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Ryan hoped he hid his relief and turned to the receptionist. “I’ll get him. Is the conference room available?”
“I’ll check. If not, I’ll find you another room.”
What could the man want besides answers Ryan didn’t have? He buzzed through the door into the lobby. “Mr. Peterson, come on back.”
Target on the Mountain Page 6