“This is the number for the last incoming call on Wilson’s cell phone. It’s the last person he talked to before he dialed nine-one-one.” Stella tapped the end of her marker against the number on the whiteboard. “We need to find out who called him.”
Mattie checked the records in her notebook. “And that number doesn’t match either Ben Underwood’s or Zach Irving’s.”
“Right. But I got some help from CBI tech support. The number isn’t registered to anyone and belongs to a prepaid phone. They’re trying to trace where the phone was sold, so we can find out if we can get a receipt or even the store’s CCTV recording of the person who bought it,” Stella said, referring to closed-circuit television used by security.
“That’s good work,” McCoy said in a low tone.
“Maybe it was Kasey,” Mattie said. “She’s another link between Nate and Wilson.”
“True,” Stella said, adding Kasey back on the Persons of Interest list. “We have to take another look at her, especially in light of the fact that she’s got a strong motive for Nate.”
It took a few minutes for Stella to update Brody on the information Nate’s parents had shared, giving Mattie time to think about the money.
She tried to draw the triangle she’d come up with for the others. “Kasey said earlier that she and Nate had all their assets tied up in his business. Now we find out she’s also buried in credit card debt due to his gambling. The insurance money gives her motive to kill Nate. And maybe Wilson found out, and she had to get rid of him.”
Stella nodded, her lips pursed. “And the fishermen are just who they say they are—Nate’s clients on a Colorado vacation?”
“Maybe.” Mattie brought up the point that still bothered her. “But Robo did find trace cocaine in Nate’s van. He’s been driving from California to Nebraska, which suggests drug running, and these two are from California. Perhaps Nate decided to take on drug trafficking to solve his money problems, and they’re part of it.”
Stella eyed the sheriff. “I know we hate to lean on the widow too hard, but we need to bring Kasey in and talk to her again.”
“I have no problem with that,” McCoy said, frowning. “But I want to protect Nate’s parents. Find a way to keep their suspicions confidential.”
“I can do that.”
A knock sounded outside, followed by Rainbow poking her head though the door’s opening. “Cole Walker and Glenna Dalton are here to see you, Sheriff.”
“Send them in,” he said, rising to help Stella wheel the two whiteboards around to face the wall. “And could you help me round up coffee for them?”
“Already done,” Rainbow said, giving him her cheerful smile before leaving.
As they shuffled around to make room at the table for more chairs, the heat on Mattie’s cheeks began to rise. Business as usual, she reminded herself, lowering her face as she pushed an empty chair up next to hers.
She’d hoped to use the cover of darkness tonight for her first face-to-face meeting with Cole, but no such luck. She’d tried to prepare for seeing him again, but she could feel her body starting to betray her before he even stepped into the room.
She needed to get past these feelings of being exposed soon—with her colleagues and with Cole—because they all had serious work to do together. And two murder cases to solve.
TWENTY
Mattie let Robo trot over to greet Cole when he entered the room. Cole bent to pet him, but his eyes went straight to hers, checking in silently to see how she was doing. Concern and fatigue lined his face, and she nodded, hoping to send the message that she was okay. Maybe a little bruised around the heart, but basically all right.
Though McCoy was quick to introduce Glenna, Cole mentioned that they’d met in the lobby. Stella stepped forward to shake hands, introducing herself before gesturing toward the table in an invitation to sit.
Cole took the seat beside Mattie and they settled in—Mattie painfully aware of where his arm brushed hers—while Robo went back to his place on the floor at her other side. He circled, lay down, and heaved a sigh as he relaxed his head down on his paws, everything apparently right in his world. She leaned down to stroke his back, once again taking a lesson from her dog: relax and rest when you can.
Glenna had taken a seat across the table, and she began to set up an iPad she’d carried in with her. “Could I have your Wi-Fi password?” she asked McCoy.
He gave it to her before addressing the group. “We all know why we’re here. We have a problem with this cougar, and I hope we can determine what we’re going to do about it.”
“Well,” Stella said, “we now know that Wilson Nichol died from a gunshot wound. So this isn’t a man-killing lion we’re dealing with. It’s just a man-eating one.”
Glenna looked up from her computer screen to look at Cole. “I’ve been doing some research this afternoon. This morning, I talked to Sheriff McCoy and Deputy …” Her eyes went to Mattie’s name tag.
“Mattie,” she told Glenna.
Glenna nodded at her before looking back at Cole. “We talked about how the paw prints of this cat didn’t match up with what I know about cougar prints, and how the growl Mattie heard didn’t match the scream of the cougar she’d heard in the past. So I did some research. Let me play some animal sounds I found on You Tube. Mattie, I want to see if one matches what you heard in the forest.”
Glenna tapped her screen, waited a few seconds for it to load, and tapped it again. A bloodcurdling screech filled the room, followed by throaty growls, none with the deep timbre Mattie remembered from last night. Robo scrambled to his feet to stand by Mattie. He cocked his head, his eyes homing in on the tablet.
“That’s a cougar,” Mattie said, putting her hand on Robo to soothe him.
“Right,” Glenna said. “How about this?”
A couple taps initiated a loud roar, followed by some chuffing growls.
“Not the same,” Mattie said, “and not what I heard yesterday. African lion?”
Glenna nodded. “Right. Now try this one.”
A deep, throaty growl emanated from the tablet’s speaker, making the skin on the back of Mattie’s neck crawl. Robo’s hackles stood on end and he barked, his shoulders shuddering beneath her hand. The growl from the iPad escalated into a roar and then lingered in a deep prolonged rattle that shook Mattie to her core.
“That’s it,” she said softly, meeting Glenna’s gaze. She sensed Cole turn in his seat to look at her. “That’s what I heard.”
“Siberian tiger,” Glenna responded.
Mattie’s heart thudded in her ears. She had no idea how a tiger could be loose in the Colorado mountains, but she had no doubt that Glenna had played a recording of the same growl she’d heard last night. Though hard to believe, she and Robo had been within yards of a Siberian tiger, a fearsome predator no matter where it was found.
Cole shifted in his chair, clearly uneasy. “How can that be?”
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Glenna said. “I checked on all the tiger permits in the state for zoos and wildlife parks. All tigers are present and accounted for, no reports of an escape.”
“It’s illegal to transport a tiger into the state,” Brody said, “much less release one into the mountains.”
“But I think that’s what someone has done,” Glenna said. “We have a tiger on the loose, in unfamiliar habitat. Maybe it’s never lived in the wild before; maybe it doesn’t know how to hunt. It’s hungry. It follows a blood trail, finds dead prey, and it feeds on it.”
Stella looked incredulous. “So you’re saying this tiger isn’t to be blamed for eating a man?”
“I’m saying that any large cat is dangerous and will attack if it’s hungry or has its back to the wall.” Glenna focused on Cole, her face passionate. “But what I’m also saying is that this tiger is a victim, too. Someone has brought it here, released it, and left it to survive on its own. It deserves a chance to live. I hope we can give it that chance. Sedate it and capture it.”
“I can provide horses, and I’ve got a BAM kit in my office,” Cole said, referring to a sedative used on wildlife. “But I don’t have a dart projector.”
“I have one that we can use,” Glenna said.
“I don’t know how we’re going to find this tiger,” Cole said. “I doubt it stays in one place.”
“I have a dog trained to hunt cougar,” Glenna said. “I’m sure he can track it. All he’ll smell is cat.”
Mattie’s heart made a slow downward slide within her chest. Hearing the tiger’s growl had reminded her of what Wilson Nichol looked like after the tiger had been at him, and she didn’t want Cole anywhere near it. “This is too dangerous. I’m not a fan of tracking down this tiger and killing it, but that’s what has to be done.”
“Hold on a minute,” McCoy said, his mellow voice dampening the emotion in the room. “We need to look at the big picture here. Why would someone bring a tiger into our county?”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Glenna said. “I’m not sure I have the exact answer, but tigers have become the target of wildlife trafficking over the last few years. At first, poachers were killing them to sell their parts on the black market. But lately we’ve had reports of live tigers being involved. Just a few months ago, traffickers with three tiger cubs in duffel bags were busted in Arizona while transporting them from Mexico to Texas.”
Mattie thought of the large dog crate in the back of Nate’s van. Even in its burnt and torqued condition, she’d noted its strong, steel mesh, much heavier than that needed to hold an Old English sheepdog, the pet Kasey mentioned they’d lost recently. And Nate’s route seemed to be California to Nebraska. “Is wildlife trafficking often done through Mexico?” she asked Glenna.
“A large part of it. Easier to get into the U.S. from there.”
Narcotics still hadn’t been mentioned, and Mattie needed to know about that piece. “Is drug running associated with wildlife trafficking?”
“As a matter of fact, it is,” Glenna said. “These guys often make the most of their trips. Drugs, wildlife, guns. Makes a trip across country all the more profitable.”
The picture was becoming clearer now. Nate could have been running illegal goods from California to Nebraska on the interstate highway and then passing them on to someone who ran them farther east. It was a trafficking route well known to law enforcement. Nate might not have been an end user or a supplier, but he certainly could have been a link in the trafficking chain.
“Were drugs found in the van?” Glenna asked Mattie.
“My dog found a trace in the door panel.”
“Good boy,” Glenna said with a quick smile for Robo before sobering. “I’m still not certain why a tiger would be released into the wilderness area of Colorado. Unless someone intends to hunt it.”
Tyler Redman and the fishermen up in the mountains north of Timber Creek. Mattie would bet anything the party hadn’t taken fishing poles on their trip this morning but were instead armed with hunting rifles. Her energy surged as she made eye contact with Stella and determined that the detective had come to the same conclusion.
They both looked to Sheriff McCoy. The decision to share case details would be up to him. He’d leaned back in his chair and was staring at the backside of the whiteboards. Brody cleared his throat and shifted in his chair.
McCoy tapped one finger lightly on the table. “Let’s talk theoretically for a moment. Let’s say we have circumstantial evidence that such a hunting party exists.”
“I’d say that falls under my jurisdiction,” Glenna replied, looking the sheriff in the eye. “Any animal being hunted illegally in the state of Colorado is within my purview.”
“Right,” McCoy said.
Mattie thought of the men who were bound to have traveled well up into the high country by now: Tyler Redman, Flint Thornton, Ben Underwood, and Zach Irving. One or more of these men could be responsible for planning and carrying out a double homicide. Any one of them could be a murderer.
McCoy propped his elbows on the table as he leaned toward the game warden. “But let’s say members of that hunting party might include suspects in a murder investigation.”
Glenna’s eyebrows rose. “Then I’d say we’d better pool our resources and get together a hunting party of our own.”
TWENTY-ONE
Sheriff McCoy called Kasey Redman to tell her to come speak with them at the station, and she arrived around six in the evening with her friend Jasmine. Stella had suggested that both McCoy and Mattie participate with her in the interrogation as a subliminal way to ramp up the pressure on Kasey. But oddly enough, it put a strain on Mattie, too. She felt like she’d not had time to work through her feelings about the sheriff, and joining him in such close quarters seemed to crank up her sensitivity.
She worried her claustrophobia would interfere with her ability to concentrate. Bringing Robo in with her would help, but since the space was so small, she’d left him on his cushion in her office.
Kasey evidently wanted some support, too, and asked if Jasmine could come in to the interview with her, but McCoy stood firm and wouldn’t allow it. McCoy and Stella went to one side of the table while Mattie took the seat next to Kasey, angling her chair so that she could observe Kasey’s reactions and body language. They had decided beforehand that their main objectives would be to use this interrogation as an information-gathering session as well as to see if they could catch Kasey in a blatant lie or cover-up.
“Thank you for coming in, Kasey,” McCoy said, settling into a chair beside Stella. “As I said, we’ve found some additional information that we need to discuss with you.”
Kasey was nodding, her eyes red-rimmed and sorrowful as she watched the sheriff’s face. Mattie’s front-row seat afforded her a full view of Kasey’s facial expressions. She forced herself to focus on Kasey’s every word and movement and forget her own feelings. After all, she’d grown used to compartmentalizing, and now was the time to practice that strategy.
McCoy continued. “We’ll be recording this interview today, because we’re trying to clarify details in Nate’s investigation.”
Kasey looked startled. “Am I a suspect?”
Not an unusual response. Most people said that when told they were being recorded.
Stella replied with the usual assurances that this was merely routine. “First we want to discuss the information I received from your father-in-law when I spoke with him. Remember you told me to call him about the insurance?”
Mattie had to hand it to her, Stella had come up with a good opener—no lies, no misleading, but not specifically the truth either.
Kasey nodded. “I talked with Tom and Helen this afternoon, too. They’re in town now.”
“Mr. Fletcher said the benefit on Nate’s insurance policy is for half a million dollars,” Stella said.
Kasey sat slumped as if tired, cupped by one of the room’s hard plastic chairs, but she maintained eye contact with Stella. “I was surprised it was that much. Nate and I had talked about taking a loan out on the policy to pay some bills, but we hadn’t done it yet.”
“So when did you learn the exact amount of the death benefit?”
“Just today, when Tom came to the house. He said he’d handle the details for me as soon as the investigation is over.” Kasey looked at Sheriff McCoy. “Do you have any idea when that might be?”
“These things take time,” he said. “It’s hard to say.”
“It’s just that …” Kasey glanced down at the table. “Well, I need the money.”
Wow. Mattie hadn’t expected that admission right up front.
Stella’s face remained passive, but Mattie could feel heat from the gaze she’d locked onto Kasey. “Yes, you mentioned you had money tied up in Nate’s business. Any other debt that’s troubling you?”
Kasey pressed her hands to her face and leaned forward, elbows to the table. Mattie read embarrassment, distress, both? “I hate to say this, but we have a lot of credit card
debt. It’s been killing us.”
Strange word choice.
“Credit card debt?” Mattie prompted, jumping in where she could to keep the questions coming from all sides, another technique to ramp up the pressure.
“Yeah, I’m sorry to say this and I hope you’ll keep it confidential.” Kasey sighed, dropping her hands from her face but keeping her head bowed. “Nate had a problem, a gambling addiction.”
“It’s helpful for us to know these things for our investigation, Kasey,” McCoy said gently. “What else was going on with Nate?”
Mattie recognized that the sheriff was using a sympathy approach to keep Kasey talking. He was good at winning people over; she’d seen him use the technique many a time.
Kasey raised her eyes to meet McCoy’s. “He drove out to Vegas a lot. Told me he was going for supplies. I should’ve known better, but I believed him at first. Nate did the bookkeeping for his business, but a few months ago I found one of his credit card bills. There were more bills I discovered later.”
“That must have been difficult for you,” McCoy murmured.
“We went through a rough patch a few months ago, but we’d worked it out. We were in this together and we hoped to work through it.”
Kasey was saying all the right things, and they matched the time frame Nate’s parents had mentioned for when he’d told them he was having marital problems, but Mattie had to wonder why she was so forthcoming now when she’d avoided mentioning all this before. “Did Nate travel anywhere else in addition to Vegas?” she asked, wanting to see if Kasey would lie.
Kasey leaned back in her chair. “Yes, he would stop in Vegas to spend the night, but he usually went on to California. San Diego mostly, but sometimes Los Angeles.”
“I thought Nate got the bulk of his supplies in Nebraska. Why did he drive out to California?” Stella said.
Kasey glanced down at the table. “Oh, conferences, meetings with clients. He was working on some videos for advertising.”
Mattie noted Kasey’s break in eye contact and doubted these kinds of meetings were necessary for an outfitting business in Colorado. Clients would want to come here to see horses, the equipment, and the mountains for themselves, and people who were strapped for cash rarely attended conferences. If Kasey was innocent and really believed this about Nate’s whereabouts, Mattie had a wheat farm at the top of Pikes Peak she wanted to sell her. “Can you provide receipts from conferences and the video work for us?” she asked. “We need to pin down Nate’s travels and contacts prior to his death.”
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