Dead of Winter_Aspen Falls Novel

by Melissa Pearl

  Skipping back to the counter, she gave Rosie a swoony smile. “Isn’t Officer Hartford the hottest thing you’ve ever seen?”

  Rosie’s mouth went dry, and all she could do was shrug in response.

  “He comes in here a lot. Lulu’s is his favorite.”

  “So that’s why he sent me here,” Rosie murmured under her breath, staring after the two men as they sauntered back to the cruiser.

  Blaine glanced over his shoulder when he reached the vehicle, catching Rosie’s eye and smiling through Lulu’s window.

  Her head tipped to the side as she watched him drive away, and she couldn’t help but wonder for a moment if there’d been more than one reason he’d sent her sorry, freezing ass to Lulu’s that afternoon.

  He knew Louanne had been Rosie’s next-door neighbor.

  He knew.

  He knew who Rosie was, and he’d sent her into a pair of loving arms that would embrace her without question.

  He knew.

  And he hadn’t said anything.

  Why?

  Because he hadn’t wanted to embarrass her?

  Because he’d wanted her to remember him on her own?

  Whatever the reason, she didn’t actually care.

  Officer Blaine Hartford had looked after her the other day because he was a good guy. Deep down, he always had been.

  And he’d become a police officer just like she’d told him to.

  A smile tugged at her lips as she quietly hoped that he’d had the satisfaction of arresting some of those asshole bullies who had been set on making his high school days a living hell.

  “Well done, Blaine,” she whispered. “You made it.”

  9

  Six years earlier

  Friday, April 13th

  1:55pm

  Gym class sucked.

  Rosie had always hated it. That’s why she’d put off taking it for so long. But two years was the minimum requirement, and so she was forced to spend junior and senior year torturing herself three times a week.

  The worst session was Friday afternoons. It was the crappiest way to end the week.

  Flicking her ponytail over her shoulder, she watched the volleyball fly over the net and stepped back so someone else could deal with it. The aggressive guys on her team lunged forward, happy to play hero and stop the ball from hitting the court.

  Toby did a sweet dig up to Renee, who set the ball so Anton could spike it over the net.

  They scored a quick point, much to the disgust of Rosie’s boyfriend, Taylor.

  He, of course, blamed it all on Blaine. The skinny reject dipped his head, closing his eyes against the abuse being flung at him.

  Rosie’s heart constricted. The poor guy was still recovering from the beating Taylor’s best friend had given him the day before. His tormentors were relentless.

  Taylor caught Rosie’s eye and winked at her, but all she could do was scowl at him. For all his good looks and smooth charm, he could be a real asshole.

  “What?” Taylor mouthed, looking annoyed that she’d dared to glare at him.

  She shook her head and went to turn away but was stopped by Taylor’s smirk. His eyes flashed with malice.

  Oh shit. What was he up to?

  She didn’t have to wait long to find out.

  Jerking forward, he grabbed Blaine’s gym shorts and gave them a hard tug.

  Whether he meant to or not, he caught Blaine’s boxers at the same time, and the poor guy was soon fully exposed to the entire volleyball court.

  The gym exploded with laughter as Blaine grappled to pull his pants back up. His frantic panicking only hindered him and he ended up falling over, whimpering with embarrassment as he covered himself.

  Rosie wanted to cry as she watched him wrestle his clothes back on. People were still gawking and laughing as he leaped up from the gym floor and sprinted out the door.

  She spent the rest of the afternoon thinking about him. That look on his face when he first realized he was naked in front of everyone haunted her.

  Declining Taylor’s invite to hang out after school, she walked the long way home, veering away from the sidewalk and opting instead for the walking trail that wound its way through the woods and wetlands that bordered the north side of campus.

  She was sickened by Taylor’s behavior and wondered how the hell poor Blaine Hartford coped with the constant torment. Why did he put up with it?

  He never fought back. Never made a fuss. Just silently took the abuse like he somehow deserved it.

  Her sneakers crunched over the dry earth as she headed for the waterfall. It was only a small one, but she loved to sit and watch the water pouring into the river. Spring rains had made it full, and she could hear the rushing water before she reached it.

  Slowing her pace, she ambled between the trees, breathing in their rich scent, hoping to calm her nerves. This place was the only thing she would miss when she left Aspen Falls.

  It was a place of peace.

  A place of—

  Rosie jerked to a stop, her breath evaporating as she spotted Blaine standing on the edge of the falls.

  His long fingers were wrapped around a black pistol.

  It was loaded and ready to fire.

  She could sense it.

  Blaine was shaking. His skinny arms quivered as he raised the gun to his temple.

  “Don’t do it.” Rosie thought she’d whispered the words, but she must have shouted them, because he jerked and spun to face her.

  10

  Monday, February 19th

  8:25am

  Blaine tapped the wheel as they drove away from Lulu’s. Sipping his coffee, he almost had the urge to hum and couldn’t figure out why. Rosie’s smile flitted through his brain and he knew exactly why…but couldn’t admit it.

  “So what was up with you and the new girl?”

  Blaine glanced at his partner. “Huh?”

  “Oh come on, don’t play stupid.” Ollie gave him a fast smile. “You knew her.”

  Blaine shrugged, going for casual as he explained, “She used to live here. We went to high school together. I pulled her over a couple of days ago for speeding and then sent her to Lulu’s for a hot coffee. She was having a bad day.”

  Ollie’s expression remained skeptical throughout Blaine’s explanation.

  “What?” Blaine frowned at him as he turned toward the college. “It’s not a big deal.”

  “It looked like a big deal.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You were giving her the eyes.” Ollie’s look was pointed and hard to get away from.

  Blaine stared straight ahead at the road, glad he was driving so he didn’t have to look at his partner. Licking his lip, he mumbled, “The what?”

  “The eyes, man. The ‘I think you’re incredibly hot and I want to try and impress you’ eyes.”

  “I was not.” Blaine scoffed.

  “You have a girlfriend.”

  “Which is why I wasn’t giving her the eyes.” Guilt singed his stomach raw as he avoided Ollie’s baleful stare and tried not to think about Erin. He wasn’t a cheater. Nothing would ever happen with Rosie. He was just being friendly.

  “Look, man. If you want to give that chick the eyes, go for it. Just don’t do it while you’re serious with another girl.” Ollie paused. “You know, you’ve got to make up your mind about Erin. Either move in with her and commit, or break the hell up.”

  Blaine’s dark eyebrows pulled together as he pictured trying to break up with the strong redhead. He didn’t want to hurt her. She’d been good to him. They’d been together for a long time. Could he honestly break it off just because Rosie was back in town? That was a terrible reason to dump somebody.

  Commitment was hard. It wasn’t like he’d seen much of it in his own family. His mother bailed when he was twelve, packing up and taking Blaine’s half-brother, Silas, with her. It was a relief, as Silas had always intimidated him, but losing his mom sucked. Nate had just left for colleg
e, and his father had become a morose shell of a man. The house was so damn quiet it drove Blaine insane. It wasn’t exactly the ideal home to be raised in.

  Shit, he didn’t know what to do. Erin was a good woman. He just didn’t know if he was ready to move in with her…or if he ever would be.

  Clenching his jaw, he focused on the road ahead and tried to clear his mind to deal with questioning Riley’s friends. Hopefully one of them was freaked out enough by her overdose to tell them something—something that would open up the entire case.

  “All units, please be advised, we have a 10-72 at the west end of college campus, near the gymnasium. Crowd control is required immediately. Please respond.”

  “What did she just say?” Ollie frowned while reaching for the radio.

  “10-72,” Blaine whispered. “Dead person.”

  He flicked on the lights and siren, speeding toward campus while Ollie responded to the alert. Immediate tension filled the cruiser, both officers falling silent as they thought ahead to what they’d find on campus.

  When Blaine pulled the vehicle to a stop near the big gymnasium on the west end of campus, his heart lurched into his throat. Another cruiser was already there, and he could see Matt, the rookie, trying to bring a little order to the crowd. It wasn’t working, and Matt’s training officer was busy dealing with whatever lay in the center of the circle.

  As they got out of the car, Blaine pulled out his phone and found Nate’s number.

  “I’m already on my way.” That was all his brother said before he hung up again.

  Blaine rolled his eyes and followed Ollie across the green.

  The chatter of the crowd buzzed with fear and shock, and Blaine had a strong premonition of exactly what they’d find when they made it through the circle of people.

  A potential homicide investigation.

  It was a rare occurrence in Aspen Falls, but it happened every now and then. There was one case the year before, a bar fight that had gotten out of control, but from the grim look on Higgs’s face, it was so much worse than a brawl gone wrong.

  While Ollie jumped in to assist Matt, Blaine crouched beside the covered body and took a quick look. He wondered who’d covered the victim, but was glad someone did.

  His guts twisted into a tight ball as he took in the young woman’s pale face, her dead eyes staring blankly ahead.

  “Any ideas on what killed her? Wounds? Abrasions?”

  “I’m guessing an OD,” Higgs muttered.

  Blaine’s face puckered. “Another one?”

  “I called Nate as soon as I saw the body.”

  “You think it’s connected to last night’s case?”

  “I don’t know what else to think.” Higgs frowned, his lined face crumpling with distress. Blaine wondered if he was picturing his own teenage daughter in the same position.

  Blaine’s throat swelled and he blinked, not knowing what to say to comfort the guy.

  “I hope covering the body didn’t tamper with the scene too much, but what the hell else was I supposed to do? There are people everywhere.”

  Blaine patted the guy’s shoulder and stood tall, turning to help the others with crowd control. Nate wouldn’t be far away.

  Scanning the crowd of students, he headed over to an unmanned patch and started herding people back. He didn’t want to tell them to go away, as there could be potential witnesses among them, but he didn’t want them getting too close either.

  “Stand back!” Matt’s voice broke as he yelled at what looked to be a frat pack surging forward to get a better look.

  Blaine pressed his lips together and walked over to assist.

  The rookie was a short, fine-boned guy, and he’d only been on the job a few months. His bright blue eyes darted among the crowd and for a second, Blaine worried that he was going to reach for his weapon in order to control them.

  He was cocky in safety and reckless in danger.

  Not a great combo for a cop.

  Blaine snatched his arm with a friendly smile and turned to the guys trying to push forward.

  “Take it easy, fellas.” He held up his hands and tried to herd them back.

  “Come on, man. We just want to get a decent look,” one guy said. “We arrived late to the party.”

  Anger simmered but Blaine managed to keep it hidden, putting on a calm, deep voice the way he was taught. “You know, tampering with a crime scene is a felony. You get too close and you could do some unintentional damage.”

  One guy scoffed and rolled his eyes, like the police were a pathetic bunch of know-nothings.

  Blaine scowled at him. “Don’t want to see you guys in court, so you better take a step back.”

  “We just want to get a look,” the surly guy retorted.

  “Keep your distance. You step any closer to that body and I’m taking you in. Got it?” Blaine pointed at them, feeling like a schoolteacher.

  A few eye bulges, an eye roll and a scoffing snicker were their replies, but they stayed their ground, and Blaine sent Matt farther down the line to a group of girls who were trying to snap pictures on their phones.

  “Tell them we’ll be taking their phones for evidence if they’re not careful. No more pictures.”

  Matt nodded and headed away from Blaine, his fingers twitching nervously as he clenched and unclenched his fist.

  Blaine inwardly cringed. The rookie had a long way to go. He remembered being nervous when he first started, but Matt seemed to have a constant twitch, which didn’t help when what people really wanted from the police was cool, calm confidence.

  Rising to his tiptoes, he looked over the crowd, hoping to spot Nate. What he spotted instead was Jarrett, the nosy reporter from the Aspen Falls Daily. He groaned and rolled his eyes when Jarrett pushed forward and gave him a friendly smile.

  “What’ve we got?”

  “You’re not supposed to be here before the lead detective. What the hell, Jarrett?”

  The dark-haired reporter pushed up his glasses and laughed. He pulled out his phone and hit Record. “So, what’ve we got, Officer?”

  “You know I can’t tell you anything, so just hover around like you always do and try to figure it out while you wait for an official statement.” Blaine winked and moved away from the reporter before he could ask any more questions.

  A minute later Nate arrived, pushing through the crowd with Camila just behind him. The tall Latina woman gave Blaine a short smile of acknowledgment before crouching down and lifting the edge of the sheet.

  “Female, Caucasian, looks to be in her late teens-early twenties.” She spoke quietly over her shoulder while Nate jotted down the details. Pulling on a pair of gloves, Camila eased the sheet back and patted down the body. She managed to pull out a phone from the girl’s jacket pocket.

  “Battery’s dead.” She slipped it into the bag Nate held out for her, then kept checking out the victim. “No ID. We need to search the area for a purse or something. Get the rookie on it.”

  Blaine nodded but turned to Nate before leaving. “Higgs thinks it’s another overdose.”

  Camila glanced up, her large brown eyes assessing him without emotion. “We won’t know anything until after the coroner’s report.”

  “We can make a guess, though, Cam.” Nate clicked his pen. “And we both know it’s the most likely scenario. Two ODs so close together. We might have ourselves some bad drugs circulating.”

  With a heavy sigh, she covered the body back up before standing and scanning the crowd. She crossed her arms like she was trying to resist the urge to break something. “We don’t know if they’re linked. Who knows how long this girl has been lying in the snow. The temperatures we had over the weekend are going to make it harder to figure out time of death.”

  “My gut’s telling me they’re linked.” Nate’s blond eyebrows crinkled. “We need to find this fucking source, and we need to find it fast.”

  Camila nodded and glanced at Blaine. “Get busy questioning the crowd. We need a witness wh
o can give us something useful.”

  “Any idea who found the body?” Nate asked.

  Blaine shook his head. “Higgs was first on scene, but I can call dispatch and find out who placed the call.”

  Nate nodded. “Make that your priority, and I’ll get the others questioning anyone who’s standing around. We need to piece together a timeline and find out what the hell happened to the victim.”

  With a grim nod, Blaine turned to do his brother’s bidding, his insides roiling like a tsunami was forcing its way through him. Looked like questioning Riley’s friends would have to wait until later.

  Shit. Two overdose cases in the same weekend was unacceptable. The idea of bad drugs on the streets made his insides quake.

  The drug war was a freaking nightmare.

  New supply lines were popping up as old ones were shut down. And Blaine wasn’t sure if they were ever going to be able to stem the tide.

  11

  Monday, February 19th

  12:05pm

  Matt couldn’t find a purse or wallet nearby, but one of the bystanders thought he recognized the girl. Camila brought him over the line so he could check her face. He stared down at the white corpse with a desolate frown before muttering, “Yeah, she’s in my economics class. Her name’s Rebecca. I don’t know her last name.”

  “That’s really helpful. Thank you.” Camila directed the poor kid to Blaine, who took down his details and then headed off to administration to track down the girl’s information.

  Ollie joined him, and thirty minutes later they were driving to a large apartment complex on the east side of campus. It wasn’t officially student housing, but people thought of it that way because only students ever seemed to live there. The complex had been constructed five years earlier—an initiative funded by the Richmond family to provide affordable accommodation for students who went to the college but didn’t want to commute from home.

  The Richmonds owned half the real estate in Aspen Falls and were constantly funding new community ventures. People either loved them or thought they were rich pricks just trying to gain a better name for themselves. If their youngest daughter Sally was anything to go by, the Richmond family were nothing but awesome.