Dark Horse (Aspen Falls Novel)

by Melissa Pearl

  However, this situation wasn’t about them. It was about a set of bones that deserved as much investigation as any other mystery.

  “It’s Alaina, right?” Nate pointed at the petite woman.

  “Yes.” The blonde nodded. “The guys I hired to help with some demo work found the body about an hour ago. We called it in right away.” She pointed to a group of men who were hovering against the side of the house, looking on edge and uncomfortable.

  Jessica had just arrived on scene and instantly looked to Nate for direction. He nodded toward the men and she walked across to them immediately, pulling out her notepad for questioning. He had every confidence that she’d get what he needed.

  “I’ve already spoken to the guys,” Lucas chipped in. “They found the skeleton under the floorboards in the workshop behind the garage.”

  “Have you seen it?” Nate’s voice took on a tight edge.

  “Yes, I looked from the doorway, but haven’t disturbed the scene.” Lucas’s pointed look shut Nate up. “Are forensics on their way?”

  “You know they are.” Nate looked to Alaina. “How long you been working on this place?”

  “The sale went through last week. We just started tearing down the outbuildings that are too far gone to save. Haven’t started on renovating the main house yet.”

  “Your project will have to be put on hold during the investigation.”

  Her face pinched with annoyance but she nodded. “I’m aware of that.”

  “Can you show me the remains, please?”

  Alaina and Lucas led him around to the back of the garage where a separate workshop had been attached. The shed-like structure had cracked windows and a rickety wooden door with a rusted handle. Nate took mental pictures as he hovered in the frame. Flicking on his flashlight, he stared down at the busted floorboards. Four had been pulled up entirely, neatly stacked as the workers systematically took apart the shed. In the gap that remained was a shallow trench with a blanket-wrapped skeleton inside. The workers must’ve gotten the fright of their lives when they pulled open the blanket and found the dusty remains.

  Nate watched his step as he gingerly entered the shed. Crouching down beside the skeleton, he stared into the empty eye sockets and quietly murmured, “What’s your story?”

  “Chuck said he didn’t know what was in the blanket and that’s why it’s open. He thought it was just trash,” Alaina said.

  Nate nodded.

  “As soon as he saw the bones, he left the building and called me over. I told the guys not to go near the scene again.”

  “Good move. Thank you.” Nate stood tall and checked his watch, wondering how far away Kelly was. The poor crime tech was in for a long shift. As far as Nate could remember, she’d never had to deal with remains like this before. She’d no doubt have to call in outside help.

  Alaina shifted from foot to foot in the doorway, obviously agitated. He glanced up in time to see her sharing a look with Lucas. He gave her a reassuring smile and squeezed the back of her neck before tipping his chin at Nate.

  Alaina caught his eyes and sighed. “I guess it would be too much to ask that we try to keep this as quiet as possible?”

  Nate gave her an inquisitive look.

  “The murder. In the house I’m going to be selling.”

  Nate held up a pointed finger. “One, we don’t know if it was a murder.” He held up his thumb. “And two, if it was, we don’t know that it happened here.”

  Alaina rolled her eyes. “You know what I’m saying. There’s a body buried under the floorboards. That’s no accident. Someone was trying to cover it up. And trying to sell a house where a crime was committed might be near impossible in this town.”

  “Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Nate murmured. “We don’t know that it’s a crime yet.”

  “But we do know that the dead body is here,” she said. “On this property. That I will be selling at some point.” She took a deep breath. “So it would be great if we could keep it on the down-low.”

  “I’m not sure how to help with that. As soon as you called it in, it became public knowledge.”

  Alaina huffed and closed her eyes like she was only just realizing this.

  Lucas winced and kneaded her neck, muttering under his breath, “Jarrett will no doubt be here soon.”

  Nate’s right eyebrow peaked as he gave the guy a stiff nod. “Look, Alaina, I appreciate where you’re coming from, and I’ll do my best to make sure that the bare minimum is reported in the news. I can’t disclose details of an open investigation anyway, so Jarrett’s hands will be tied to some degree…especially if we can convince him not to do any snooping of his own.”

  Lucas scoffed. “That’ll be a hard sell. Jarrett’s a fucking bulldog.”

  “Well, so am I.” Alaina straightened, a determined look on her face. “I’ll have a word with him when he gets here.”

  “Yeah, good luck with that.” Nate hid his grin by scrubbing a hand over his mouth. “Look, as soon as Jess finishes getting statements, we can send your guys home. The less people hanging around here, the better. Do you have a list of their contact information in case we need to follow up on anything?”

  “Yes, I can get that for you.”

  “Good. I’m also going to need to look at all the records you have on the property. Sales and purchase agreements. That type of thing.”

  “I’ll compile that for you when I get home tonight.”

  Nate nodded. “Okay, well, you guys can head off when you’re ready, then. I’ll give you a call if I need anything.”

  “I’d rather stay,” Alaina said.

  Nate huffed.

  “It’s her property. She has every right to stay.” Lucas squared his shoulders and glared at him.

  Unable to argue with the guy, Nate gave them a tight smile before turning back to look into the workshop.

  Tipping his head, he stared down at the blanket with the bones wrapped inside. It looked as though the victim had been rolled up and put to bed.

  Had the person been buried alive? Tucked away unconscious? Or already dead?

  Was he or she lovingly buried by a family that couldn’t afford a funeral? Or was there something more sinister going on?

  Nate felt his blood simmer with the questions. The mystery was calling to him, and the fact that it was probably years old only motivated him more. He’d do anything to catch the person who killed his mother. He’d never had that closure, and that’s why he fought so hard on every case, but particularly homicides. The two he’d worked had consumed him like nothing else.

  Families deserved closure.

  He knew firsthand that this was true, because he’d been looking for his own for years.

  Nate sensed he wouldn’t be able to rest until this case was closed. His mind thrummed with a steadily growing list of things to do.

  It was going to be a long night.

  7

  Friday, April 27th

  8:45pm

  Sally tapped her finger on her elbow as she paced the wooden floor.

  Nate had texted while she was in the shower. His message had been annoying, but not surprising. She hadn’t bothered responding, irritation making her throw the phone on the bed and walk out of the room.

  It was her birthday. The one day everyone was supposed to treat her like a queen. And her boyfriend couldn’t even be on time.

  His lateness didn’t use to bother her. Nothing about him did. But as the months ticked by and Sally’s faith wavered, the little things had started to annoy her.

  Closing her eyes, she fought the sting of tears. Nate was already an hour later than his text had said. She’d worked her way through the standard set of emotions.

  Irritation.

  Worry that something may have happened to him.

  Calm after calling the station and finding out he was working a case. It explained why her call and two text messages had gone unanswered.

  She was back to irritation, which was quickly blooming into a
desperate rage.

  She loved Nate.

  In that moment, she wished she didn’t.

  How much was too much?

  How many more years could she go on being pushed aside for his work?

  She could’ve been enjoying a party with friends and family who loved her. It wouldn’t have mattered if Nate had had to bail, because she still would’ve been around people who cared and thought she was important enough to make a priority for one night.

  Instead she was pacing her house and fighting off tears.

  Her cell phone rang and she walked into her bedroom, Rusty on her heels. She checked the screen before answering. If it’d been Nate, she was going to ignore it. She wasn’t in the frame of mind to accept another excuse.

  But it was Annabelle.

  “Hey, sis.” Sally tried to sound upbeat.

  “Happy birthday, bee-atch!”

  Sally giggled in spite of her wounded spirit.

  “Hey, I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to call you today. I was going to stop by after work, but just as I was leaving this poor girl walked in, desperate.”

  “What happened?” Sally perched on the edge of the bed and Rusty immediately rested his chin on her knees. She nearly stood up so he didn’t get her dress furry, but what did it matter? Even if Nate showed up in the next five minutes, she didn’t feel like going out anymore.

  “She’d tried to bleach her own hair and did the worst job imaginable. Poor kid was only fifteen. I couldn’t refuse her.”

  Sally grinned. Annabelle had set up her own salon right after her twenty-fifth birthday. With her inheritance, she’d purchased the property and turned it from a run-down barber shop into a full-blown beauty parlor. Her specialty was weddings, but she also loved the regular haircutting, dyeing and styling. The year before, she’d purchased the shop next door and expanded into nails, facials, waxing and massage. That’s when the brides-to-be had come calling. She’d done incredible marketing, providing wedding day packages that the ladies lapped up. Her business had exploded in a matter of months.

  “You’re sweet to help her out,” Sally said.

  “Yeah, well she can now walk out in public without a beanie to hide the big patches of dark brown hair she’d missed.” Annabelle cracked up laughing. “Anyway, I know you’re out with Nate, so I won’t keep you. I just hated the idea of not hearing your voice on your birthday. I needed you to know how much I love you.”

  That was it.

  Tears popped onto Sally’s lashes before she could stop them. Her lips began to tremble, and she couldn’t hold back a pitiful sniff and whimper.

  “Sally? What’s the matter, babe?”

  “I’m not with Nate.”

  “What?”

  “He’s not here,” Sally wailed.

  “Wait, what? Has something bad happened to him?”

  “No, of course not!”

  Annabelle went silent for a minute. When she spoke next, her voice had dropped low and was practically vibrating with anger. “Are you telling me he’s at fucking work? On your birthday!”

  Sally sniffed and slashed a tear off her cheek. This was the point where she’d usually stand up for him.

  It’s an important case.

  You know how dedicated he is.

  I’m proud he’s got such a great work ethic.

  He’s the best detective in Aspen Falls for a reason.

  But she couldn’t bring herself to say any of it.

  “Okay, you know what?” Annabelle spat. “That’s enough, Sally. You can’t keep putting up with this shit! He promised you a special night. You forfeited all of Mom’s amazing plans for a party in order to be with him, and he’s not fucking there!”

  Sally winced.

  “I am so pissed off right now, I could kill him!”

  “Don’t talk that way, Bells.”

  “How much longer are you going to put up with this crap? You are a good person. You deserve someone who cares about you.”

  “Nate does care, he just gets caught up—”

  “Don’t start making excuses for him,” Annabelle growled. “We all know the story. We’ve been listening to it for the last three years. Mom warned you about getting involved with him.”

  “Don’t.” Sally shook her head.

  “No. I’m not shutting up this time. Nate has an obsessive nature. We all see it. You deserve better than this. You have to end this, Sally. You’ve wasted nearly three years of your life with this guy. Do you honestly think he’s going to change?”

  “He has his reasons for being the way he is,” Sally murmured, Nate’s husky voice infiltrating her mind. The way it shook slightly as he opened up about his nightmare and watching his mother die. His handsome face on the pillow, his tender fingers combing the hair back from her face.

  Her insides squeezed with longing. “He’s a good man.”

  “Yes, he’s a good, brave detective. No one can ever criticize him on that score. But he’s a shit boyfriend. You deserve to be someone’s top priority, sis, and I know you don’t want to hear this, but it’s obvious you’re never going to be his. The longer you leave it, the worse it’s going to get. You’re still young. You have your whole life ahead of you. Get out now, or you’ll lose another three years without even realizing it.”

  Annabelle’s sharp words were like gunfire. Sally’s chest caved, her voice growing weak. “But I love him.”

  “I know you do.” Her sister’s voice suddenly softened, a soothing edge leaking into her words. “I know it hurts. But you have the biggest heart of anyone I know, and one day you’ll fall in love with someone who puts you first. That’s what you want, right? A family man. Someone you can have kids with and know he’s going to be around to help you raise them.”

  Sally sucked in a breath that made her entire body shudder.

  “I know you, sis. I know that’s what you want. And you need to ask yourself, are you going to get that with Nate?”

  Licking a tear off the edge of her mouth, Sally sniffed again.

  “Breaking up with him will hurt like a sledgehammer, I’m not denying that, but you won’t get what you want by staying with him, and once the pain heals, you can move on and be happy. I just want you to be happy, babe.”

  “I know,” she squeaked. “Thanks.”

  “Do you need me to come over?”

  Sally shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I’ve got Rusty.”

  She ran her fingers through the dog’s sandy-colored fur. He looked up at her with his adoring brown eyes, and her heart squeezed in her chest.

  “A dog’s not going to cut it. You need wine and a fierce hug right now.”

  “I’m okay, Bells. Really.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah.” Sally cleared her throat.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Think. I’m gonna think about what you said, and then I’m going to make a decision.”

  “I can be there in ten minutes.”

  “No, really. I… please, just let me do this on my own.”

  Annabelle sighed. “Okay. Just promise me you won’t bend as soon as his sexy ass walks through that door. You have to be strong to get the things you need, Sal. Can you be strong?”

  Sally clenched her jaw, seriously doubting it, until Annabelle’s deafening words echoed through her mind: “Are you going to get that with Nate?”

  The family. The husband who put work aside to be there for his wife and children.

  Would she get that with Nate?

  No.

  Because he couldn’t let go.

  He couldn’t turn his back on injustice.

  He couldn’t let someone else do the job.

  Sally closed her eyes and set new tears free. They trickled down her face, and this time she didn’t bother brushing them away.

  She hated that her sister was right.

  Hated what it meant.

  Life without Nate sounded hideous. She was his, and he was hers.

  But she wa
sn’t.

  Not really.

  He hadn’t proposed, even though she’d been hinting for months.

  They were making no steps forward, and if she didn’t do something to break the grind, she would lose another three years without even realizing it.

  “I love you, sis,” Annabelle said.

  “Love you too,” Sally whispered before hanging up the phone and sobbing into her hand.

  8

  Friday, April 27th

  8:45pm

  Kelly had arrived with her forensic gear just after Jarrett. Alaina snagged the reporter as soon as he stepped onto her property, which gave Kelly room to check out the scene un-badgered. She took one look at the skeleton, gulped, and immediately called the pathologist, Chad, who no doubt gulped as well and said he’d hunt down a forensic anthropologist. She then got to work—methodically, meticulously…slowly. She never wanted to miss a thing, and Nate appreciated that about her. She wouldn’t even touch the remains until she’d photographed the scene from every angle possible, hunting for clues as she went. Time was working against her. They had no idea how long the body had been there, and any fresh evidence had no doubt been lost years ago…maybe even decades.

  “So, how’s it going?”

  Nate turned at the sound of Jarrett’s voice and gave the guy he usually considered a friend a tight smile. “Hey, Jarrett.”

  The reporter from Aspen Falls’ paper strained up to his tiptoes, trying to look past Nate and get an eye on what Kelly was doing.

  “Back off.” Nate flicked his finger at the door and started walking until Jarrett was forced to retreat into the backyard.

  Lucas and Alaina were huddled together on the lawn, talking quietly while Alaina shot daggers at the back of Jarrett’s head.