Realization dawned. Oxygen flooded her lungs, calming her heart. She was the stranger in the reflection. She hadn’t recognized herself. Good. That was exactly what she was going for with her closely cropped bleached hair, spiked at the top, but not too much—the complete opposite of the thick brown mane she’d had her entire life. Sneakers instead of boots. A plain gray hoodie and faded jeans completed the costume.
Though she’d stood staring for far too long, others walked by or stopped to admire the western wear in the window, apparently unaware that Charlie had been staring at herself. She should be grateful the tourists had thinned out by this time of year. The way Grayback had been growing—adding art galleries, eateries, and all manner of gift shops—the town was modeling itself after Jackson.
Even so, she couldn’t linger too long or she would draw unwanted attention to herself. She forced her sneakered feet along the boardwalk, past the thirteen-foot-tall grizzly bear carved out of lodgepole pine, taking in the aroma of barbecue pulled pork and the sounds of boots clomping along the boardwalk and traffic on the square. Charlie wasn’t sure why she’d taken this detour today, but sometimes a girl had to window-shop. This reminded her of her sweet Momma and the day she bought her those particular boots. Momma loved shoes and lavished Charlie with more than she had a need for.
Charlie regretted coming. Wished she had someone else to share her secret with besides Mack.
No offense, Mack.
A cool mountain breeze drifting off the Teton Range wrapped around her, bringing the promise of a change, a shift in the atmosphere. A shudder ran over her. She hoped she hadn’t exposed herself today by coming here. She shouldn’t have taken the risk of walking beyond the stores where she bought much-needed supplies and groceries. Mack had assured her he would do it for her, but she couldn’t ask more of him. Holding her sack of groceries, she pulled her gray hoodie over her head until it hung forward like she was a devoted monk on the way to evening prayers. She wished she could lift her head high and let the sun warm her cheeks. Maybe someday soon, but not today.
A sheriff’s department vehicle eased down the street until it became stuck in traffic and came to a stop right next to Charlie.
Steady, now . . . act normal.
The hoodie hid her face, but it could also make her stand out as someone who didn’t want to be identified.
Her breathing spiked. Sweat beaded on her neck and dripped down her back. The world around her disappeared as her vision tunneled and her pulse roared in her ears.
Fall apart now and it’s all over.
One . . . foot . . . in front . . . of the other . . .
One foot . . . in front of the . . . other.
One foot in front of the other . . .
The world around her normalized. She breathed easier now. Heard soft conversations as couples and families passed by. Charlie would be okay. She had to make it back to freedom, if she could call hiding in a cabin freedom. She would make sure to kick herself for good measure when she got there. Not nearly soon enough she approached her indistinguishable junker truck she called Bronc and climbed in with her groceries.
After the panic attack, her purchases and going to town to be around others hardly seemed worth it.
If only the masked man hadn’t said he would kill her that night.
Right after he’d shot and killed her mother.
Chapter eighteen
WEDNESDAY, 2:39 P.M.
AUSTIN’S APARTMENT
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
The moment Dana had detonated the explosive news about the case’s connection to Wyoming, the sour had overpowered the sweet. He might never be able to enjoy Chinese food again, and he’d still have to teach the guy to shoot at the range.
He’d done his best to maintain his composure. Arms crossed, he propped his feet on the coffee table. Willow was on her cell, pacing his living room as she argued with the insurance company about the house fire. He kicked away the sandbags around his heart and allowed the angst and confusion to rush over him like floodwaters too long held back—those starving artist paintings staring back at him, mocking him.
At least he had an answer now. He hadn’t been sure it was a question until he’d heard the words Jackson, Wyoming. He thought JT had contacted him because of his work in the FBI, and then he thought it had to do with his experience working on the CARD team. But it was all so clear now—JT had contacted him because he must have known that Austin had grown up in Grayback, near Jackson. He might have merely wanted to question Austin about the area or ask him to travel with him.
He bolted from the sofa. He’d kick the coffee table if Willow wasn’t here. Austin had been out of the country and hadn’t immediately responded to JT, who’d been preparing to travel to Jackson.
Someone had gotten to him before he could get there.
Why?
Maybe the police would figure it out. Maybe they wouldn’t. But Austin was in the thick of it now, one way or another.
When he’d been honorably discharged from the air force, he’d gone to school for his degree so he could work with the FBI, his every intention to make a life as far away from Wyoming as possible. He’d landed in Seattle. But it could have been anywhere. Now his new freelance job allowed him to travel extensively, so he wasn’t home much. All he knew was that he didn’t want to go back to Wyoming. He’d tried to push it all out of his mind.
Nothing but bad memories were left for him there.
Even so, he’d felt the past pulling, sucking him back. He could never completely forget. A part of him had left reminders hanging on the wall to be sure he didn’t.
And now this thing with Willow was somehow connected to Wyoming? Austin was nothing more than a seed caught in the rush of an unseen wind and he couldn’t get out now.
Wouldn’t leave Willow to travel there alone. He’d thought she would be safe here in his apartment. He could stay somewhere else or protect her here. That’s what he got for making plans.
What are you doing, God? Are you forcing me back? Forcing me to face what I left behind?
And what would he find there? With everything happening with Willow, he hadn’t returned Heath’s call—he only had enough energy for one major crisis at a time. Willow had officially accepted his help, but even if she hadn’t, he would have unofficially protected her. He eased back onto the sofa and kept his hands in his pockets with his legs sprawled out, listening to her call finally start to come to an end.
Soon the moment he dreaded most would be on him. He had hoped they could work together on this without the reason they’d gone their separate ways roaring to life and burning them. He braced himself. The next few minutes would be telling.
She ended the call and stared at the phone like she wanted to throw it.
“Didn’t go well, huh?” Stupid. He’d heard enough of her side of the conversation to know.
“They aren’t going to pay anything until the investigation into the arson has been resolved. It isn’t bad enough that I’m utterly emotionally devastated. That I have no place to live. No clothes or furniture or my own space to decompress. My favorite sandals. I guess that isn’t entirely true. Dana bought me clothes. But I can’t stay with her. It isn’t safe for her family.” Her shoulders slumped. “I just talked JT into that fancy, ridiculously expensive refrigerator a few weeks ago. But no, they’ll have to conduct their own investigation once the local investigators are done. This could take weeks, Austin. Weeks of my life put on hold.”
She covered her face, then pushed her hands up, weaving her fingers through her hair—the picture of frustration.
“Think of it this way. Your life isn’t put on hold waiting for them. You’ll be busy searching for answers elsewhere.” In Wyoming.
If arson was suspected, they would try to blame Willow. Look into her background. Try to make the case that she was desperate for money. But he wouldn’t bring any of that up now and add to her troubles. It was all the more reason they had to follow through with JT’s pro
ject so they could learn who the arsonist was.
Except Austin wasn’t entirely sure Willow would want him to help her once he shared about his life in Grayback—something he’d never done before.
“I don’t have time for this. I don’t even want to think about it. You’re right though. It’s a good thing I’m going to Wyoming.” She stared down at her cell, ran her finger over the screen, then lifted her face.
Her hazel eyes studied him. Fear ghosted over him. Would she make him reveal himself completely before this was over? Lay it all out there—everything he’d kept inside and buried that had cost him a relationship with her?
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I hate seeing you like this. That’s all.” Liar. Seeing her like this was enough on its own, but there was more, much more, and Willow could read that. She’d always been good at sensing his consternation even when he’d gone to great lengths to hide it. And the fact that he wanted to hide anything from her had been the catalyst for their relationship’s implosion.
She sat on the edge of the sofa and removed her hoodie, revealing a turquoise T-shirt. “Are you going with me to Wyoming? I don’t want to presume that you’ll go with me everywhere.”
“So you’ve decided to follow in JT’s tracks no matter where they take you?” Dangerous tracks, those. But Austin agreed—it was their only real path.
“Do you have another suggestion?”
“No.”
“So you’re going with me?”
He toyed with the plaid couch pillow that had come with the sofa. “Do you even have to ask?”
Relief softened the worry lines in her face. He wanted to reach out and cup her cheek. Totally inappropriate.
He should tell her right here and right now. But that would only put those lines right back into her face, turning it from open and transparent to hard and unreadable. They would argue over the fact that the whole time they’d dated, he’d never once told her about his family or his life—his brothers or what happened to his mother and then his father. Or that he’d grown up in Grayback. No. Even Willow Anderson, with all her forensic genealogy investigative skills, hadn’t been able to pry that out of him. He’d always managed to evade her questions. Redirect the conversation. But she was a woman who made her living unearthing people’s ancestry, and Austin-in-the-present hadn’t been enough.
Why had it been so hard to share his past with her? Maybe he should see a therapist after all.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” She reached over and put her hand on his. His breath hitched. He hoped she didn’t notice his reaction.
“Sure. No need to worry about me. You’re the one in the line of fire.” How much did she know, anyway? Just because JT had known he was from Wyoming didn’t mean Willow knew—she hadn’t known much about the case JT had been working on. But Austin wouldn’t put it past her to look up his life on her own. Still, he doubted—no, make that prayed—the internet had revealed little of his life. His past. Even if his tragic life in Wyoming was plastered for all to read, she couldn’t understand the depth of his pain.
She’d believed Austin couldn’t open up to her. How could they have possibly deepened their relationship when he couldn’t share the most basic facts about his life—his family? Well, shoot, he was still trying to come to grips with his family history—even years after escaping home. Maybe he didn’t feel like sharing. Was that so wrong?
Would his telling her now, bringing it all up at this moment, put a strain on their relationship? But what relationship? They weren’t dating or romantically involved.
No.
Instead, right or wrong, Austin would simply keep his past to himself for now. He’d go with her to Jackson. Then while they were there, he’d tell her about his home and his brothers.
In fact, he’d go so far as to call Heath too.
Hey, bro, I was just in the neighborhood . . .
Willow might be furious with his timing. But then again, they would already be where JT had been headed before his untimely death and their focus would be on the case. There would be less chance of their past together sidetracking their mission in Wyoming.
They had a thread, and maybe it was linked to that elusive needle in a haystack.
Chapter nineteen
THURSDAY, 10:28 A.M.
JACKSON, WYOMING
The Boeing 737 took a deep dive for the short runway at the Jackson Hole Airport, set right in the middle of Grand Teton National Park and at the base of the Teton Range, no less. Willow chose to ignore the vibrating fuselage. Easy enough to do when she allowed the stunning mountains to absorb her full attention. Though she’d grown up in the shadow of Mount Rainier, the jagged peak of Grand Teton—the tallest peak in the range—took her breath away.
Austin’s hand bumped hers on the armrest and she shifted away from him, closer to the window. He’d seemed aloof for most of the flight. Distant. Willow suspected she knew why, but she would give him the time and space he needed. Deep down, she admitted this was as much a test as anything—would Austin tell her about his home and family? Or pretend he hadn’t grown up here? Staying silent on the subject took all her willpower. She wasn’t ready to tell Austin that she had looked into his background after he hadn’t been willing to share it with her.
On the flight, Willow had watched a video Dana had sent her. She’d interviewed Katelyn over video chat and asked her about her interests because Jamie could very well have those same interests. Every detail counted. Katelyn had grown up in a middle-class family in San Augustine, Texas. Her daddy had worked as a roughneck in the oil fields, and her mother had been a bank teller. They’d inherited land from her grandparents. Land that included full mineral rights.
Katelyn had always fancied herself owning a big spread with horses. A pipe dream, she’d thought. After her parents died, the property was divided between their two children—Katelyn and her brother, Shane. When Katelyn was in her midthirties, oil was discovered on the property. Both Katelyn and Shane became overnight millionaires. It was almost too much to grasp. Her dream came true when she bought a ranch with horses. Then she turned forty. She and her husband, Cliff, were finally able to conceive a baby. So many dreams came true all at once.
Then just as fast as heaven had rained down on them, tragedy struck and stole them all away. First, Cliff’s sister, Jennifer, died in a plane crash. Maybe the news was just too much for him, but Cliff died of a heart attack—much too young—and Katelyn learned she had leukemia while pregnant with Jamie. Everything had been taken from her, except for the money. But what did money matter when she’d lost her health and everyone she loved?
The worst of it was that Katelyn’s last hope, the one thing she could cling to, was ripped from her when the baby was stolen hours after she was born.
Willow’s shoulders hunched forward and she shook her head. So much tragedy for one person to endure.
“What’s the matter?” Austin asked.
“I was thinking about the video. What did you think?”
Austin had watched it on his own laptop. “She’s one strong lady, I’ll give her that. Determined, like someone else I know.” Brows lifted, he flashed her a wry grin. His attempt to cheer her up.
Leaning over her, he looked out the window, his broad shoulders much too close. Willow studied the mountain range so she wouldn’t think about Austin’s nearness. His musky scent messed with her focus on the stunning view. She took in the Snake River flowing around the range and the clearly demarcated treeless ski slopes that would soon turn white with the first snowfall. The amazing scenery couldn’t block her thoughts of Austin though. Part of her wished she hadn’t invited him along, but she’d had no real choice if she wanted to solve this case quickly and safely.
When Grand Teton slipped from view, she shifted away from the window, hoping he would put space between them instead of leaning over her.
“Do you want to review what we have so far?” she asked.
“I think JT is thorough, which
I would expect considering the success he’s had in solving the obscure. As thorough as the FBI and local police in Texas had been, I can see where they could have done more. But hindsight is twenty-twenty, they say.”
“I’m not sure that normal genealogical techniques are going to help much. It’s not like I’m trying to find the history of her ancestry or build her family tree. But then, that’s why Katelyn approached Anderson Consulting.”
His gunmetal-gray gaze held hers. “If JT thought he could do this, there must be a reason. Just trust your instincts, Willow. I can tell you have his gift. He wouldn’t have bothered pouring so much into you if he didn’t believe that.”
The compliment boosted her. “I guess we’ll find out.”
“Tell me how you typically handle a case. Let’s say Katelyn hired you to find an ancestor she couldn’t find.”
“Normally we would start with Katelyn’s full name, Katelyn Jacoby Mason. We’d take her name and start with birth, death, marriage, and military records, then tax documents, court deeds, and other legal records. Census records. Public directories, school records. Newspaper archives. That’s not an exhaustive list.” She grinned.
“Sounds like a lot of work.”
She nodded. “You find a lot of extraneous but interesting information too. JT found out who had murdered someone’s great-grandfather through the newspaper archives. So, in effect, he solved a very cold case.”
“Let’s call that a frozen case.”
Willow chuckled. “Nowadays, though, there’s so much information available online, much of which we would have had to do in person before. Still, even today, we might travel to Salt Lake City to look at the Family History Library. Add to all of that, now we can use DNA as a search tool. Katelyn already gave her DNA to JT for analysis, but that can take weeks. It’s worth a shot in case Jamie’s DNA shows up on a database somewhere—law enforcement or various genealogy databases. She might have suspected something about herself and taken a test.”
Detailing the process to Austin left her overwhelmed. Squeezing her eyes shut, she pressed her head against the seat back as the plane began to land.
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