Mrs. Gibbs’s eyebrows shot up. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Walker. My goodness, you must be exhausted, driving down from Denver so late. Could I get you something to eat? A cup of coffee?”
Cole had never been so grateful for this woman’s stalwart nature. “Olivia, Mrs. Gibbs manages the house for us,” he said, relieved to have a buffer between them. There was way too much to be said boiling up, and now was not the time to attend to it.
He spoke to Mrs. Gibbs, informing Olivia of his intentions at the same time. “I’m going to take Angela and the dogs out to join the search. We’ll head to the sheriff’s station first and check in there. You can reach me on my cell phone.” Then he turned to Olivia. “I’m going to leave you and Jessie in charge of manning the phone here at the house. You can decide between the two of you how you want to handle it if a call comes in.”
“What if I don’t want to take orders from you, Cole?” Olivia said. She stood with her hands in her pockets, her shoulders hunched.
“Do what you want. I can count on Jessie to stay where she’s needed.”
Olivia winced.
“Thanks for your help, Mrs. Gibbs.” Cole met her gaze and tried to impart his gratitude for what he was about to do—dump this angry and frightened mother who could also wield a sharp tongue in her lap. “I’m going upstairs to get Angela and tell Jessie what we’re going to do.”
And with that, he headed out of the room, eager to leave his ex-wife behind.
Chapter 22
Sheriff McCoy assigned Cole, Angela, and their dogs to Sergeant Madsen, who set them on a grid to do cleanup behind him. First, he and Banjo would work an area, and then Cole would follow up, bringing Angela along with him. He wouldn’t allow her out of his sight, so the two stuck together—Cole leading Bruno, Angela leading Belle—letting their dogs range out front on retractable leashes, sniffing the area.
The dogs’ previous owners had trained them for tracking, and Cole and the kids had reinforced those lessons by playing hide and seek with them. Sophie had thought it great fun. As Cole kept pace with Bruno, he imagined that one of the dogs would find her, and she’d clap her hands and squeal with joy like she always did.
Belle’s limp slowed her down, so Bruno covered more territory. Cole felt grateful for the Bernese mountain dog’s slower pace, since it eased the pressure on Angela to keep up. Cole had strict orders to call Madsen on his cell phone before following a lead if one of their dogs got a hit. But they’d been at it for a couple hours and there’d been nothing.
Cole paused at the top of an alleyway to wait for Angela. Her face was drawn and pale, and he realized it was time to give both her and Belle a break. He checked the time on his cell phone. Almost midnight.
“You look exhausted, Angie. It’s time I take you home.”
“I don’t want to go home. I can’t go there.” Her voice sounded thick, and Cole knew she was fighting back tears.
“You need to go to bed.”
“No, I’ll stay with you.”
He didn’t want to go home either. “Let’s take a break and go back to the station.”
“All right.”
They walked to his vet truck, the dogs staying close. Cole texted Sergeant Madsen an update and told him where they were going. Madsen replied, saying he’d keep searching.
The station was lit, and several vehicles were parked out front, including Mattie’s. Cole was eager to see her. She would share news with him more readily than the sheriff. As they entered, the dispatcher named Rainbow arose from her desk and crossed the room to greet them. She reached out her hand to Angela, who took it.
“You’re tired,” Rainbow said, “and I bet you’re hungry. We’ve got a table full of all kinds of food that people have brought in for volunteers. Let me get you something to drink. Do you like soda? How about you, Dr. Walker? Can I get you something? Coffee?”
Angie looked at him, and he nodded as they allowed themselves to be led over to the food table that had been set up against the wall at the back of the lobby. It was laden with sandwiches wrapped in plastic bags, chips, granola bars, a vegetable tray, and a variety of sweets. Volunteers rarely went hungry in Timber Creek.
“I’ll take a cup of coffee,” Cole said, and Angie asked for a Pepsi.
Rainbow bustled around getting drinks while Cole stuffed a granola bar into his pocket for later. “Is Mattie here?” he asked.
“She’s in with the sheriff,” Rainbow said.
“Do they have any news?”
Rainbow handed him his coffee. “Let me tell them you’re here.”
Cole watched her go to an unmarked door, tap on it, and enter. He clutched the coffee and took a gulp, feeling it scald his throat all the way down. A few seconds later, Rainbow came back out, the sheriff behind her.
“Cole, come in,” McCoy said, holding the door open.
“Can I come too, Dad?” Angie asked, grasping his forearm.
“You’re welcome to join us, Angela,” McCoy said.
Detective LoSasso was turning a dry-erase board on wheels around, and she pushed it to the back of the room. Mattie came forward, extending her hand for Angie and ushering her toward a chair to sit.
Robo lay nearby, alert and watching the activity, his attention primarily riveted on Mattie, but he didn’t bother to get up. He must’ve been as tired as Belle and Bruno. Mattie looked exhausted too, her face pinched with worry.
Deputy Brody greeted him as he passed by on his way out of the room. Stubble darkened the deputy’s square jaw, and he seemed to be taking Cole’s measure as he passed.
LoSasso sat down on the other side of the table. She reached out, squeezed and released Angie’s hand in an awkward way before withdrawing hers to place both hands on the table. Fear fluttered his heart as Cole selected the chair beside Angie.
Do they have bad news?
“Have either of you thought of other people we should contact?”
Cole shook his head. “Do you have anything new?”
“I’ve extended the Amber Alert nationwide, Cole,” McCoy said. “We’ve had an agent from the FBI assigned to us and have access to their databases. We’re getting their input on both our cases, Sophie’s and Candace’s.”
That sounded reassuring and should pacify Olivia. But the idea of any connection between Sophie and Candace made his stomach churn. Sophie couldn’t end up like Candace. “Do you have any new leads?”
“We’re following up on everything as it comes in. Nothing has developed yet.”
“What’s the status on Gus Tilley? Is he still a suspect?”
LoSasso shrugged slightly. “Our suspect list isn’t exactly set in stone. People rotate on and off as more information comes in. We’ll stay in close contact with Mr. Tilley.”
The door behind him opened, and Deputy Brody spoke. “I need a word with you, Sheriff.”
LoSasso looked at Brody sharply and left the room with the sheriff. They all stood, but Mattie stayed, her dark eyes searching his face before looking at Angie and touching her arm. “You’re exhausted, Angie. Why don’t you go home and get some rest? Even if you can’t sleep, just lie down for a while.”
Angie’s eyes brimmed, and a tear trailed down her cheek. “I can’t. I can’t go home. Mom’s there.” She began to sob, her hands covering her face.
With a stricken look, Mattie took Angie into her arms and held her, burying her own face on the girl’s shoulder.
“Mattie . . . please . . . find Sophie,” Angela said between sobs.
Cole stood and wrapped the two in his arms, bending over them and fighting his own tears. He struggled to keep himself from begging Mattie too. He heard the door open and glanced up to see Deputy Brody peer in. The man withdrew, closing the door.
“I’ll do everything in my power to bring her home, Angie,” Mattie said, her voice thick and hoarse. “I promise you that.”
*
Cole knew Mattie was right—he needed to take Angela home to rest. It was ridiculous to stay away
because his ex-wife was there, and he needed to man up and take care of his daughter. After leaving the station, he led her to the passenger side of the truck and opened the door for her. “We’re going home now, Angela.”
She shrugged, looking resigned. “Okay, but I’m going to my room.”
“That’s fine. You need to get some rest, because if Sophie’s not home by morning, we’re going to go out again.” He planned to go back at it tonight, but she didn’t need to know that. She would insist on going with him.
She nodded.
“You’ll need to talk to your mom sometime, Angel, but it doesn’t have to be tonight.”
“I have nothing more to say to her.”
“Maybe not, but she might need to talk. Let’s just take this as it comes, okay?”
Again, the shrug. Cole closed the door gently and went around to climb into the driver’s seat. The one-mile drive home seemed to take forever, and Cole grew more and more tense as he neared the house. The crew who’d come to work the crime scene had come and gone, taking the yellow tape that had marked it with them. Everything looked back to normal.
But things were anything but normal. He hoped like crazy that Sophie was warm and asleep somewhere. She’d been sick at the end of the school day. How did she feel tonight? Was she awake and frightened? Awake and uncomfortable? In pain?
Oh, dear God, I hope not.
He pulled the truck into the garage so they could enter through the kitchen, where the lights were on. After unloading the dogs, he followed Angie into the house. Jessie came into the room, anxiety consuming her face, her movements stiff. She squeezed Angie’s arm as the girl passed her to head up the stairs, Belle trailing close behind. Bruno went to his food dish.
“Do you have any news?” Jessie asked.
Cole summarized the updates. While he was speaking, Olivia entered the room, her eyes bleary. She’d thrown the chocolate-colored fleece blanket from the den over her shoulders like a cape, her slender hands holding it tightly bunched at her chest.
“What about bringing in outside help?” Olivia asked.
“They’re coordinating now with the FBI. They’re going to be working the cases too.”
“Cases?” Olivia said. “What do you mean?”
He wished he’d phrased it differently. Now he needed to tell her what else was going on. “A girl was killed on the hill behind the high school earlier this week.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“Bruno, come with me,” Jessie said, leaving the room and heading upstairs. Bruno quickly dogged her tracks.
Cole leaned against the cabinet, needing support in the face of Olivia’s rage.
“Who was killed?” Olivia asked, her face blanched, lips tight.
“A girl named Candace Banks, from the junior high.”
She appeared to be searching her memory and then shook her head slightly as if coming up with nothing. “Do the kids know her?”
“They know who she is but weren’t close. She was between them in age.”
Cole could see her begin to shiver from across the room, and her fear struck a matching coldness inside him.
“I can’t believe you continue to live in this town, Cole. First Grace Hartman, and now another child. It’s too much.”
He didn’t know how to respond. “In light of school violence in the cities, Timber Creek seems like a safer option.”
“Our child is missing!” Her eyes filled with tears. Clutching the fleece throw to her chest, she bowed her head and sobbed.
He felt his throat swell, and the tears he’d kept at bay came on hard. The one thing he could relate to with his ex-wife was the fear and helplessness she was feeling right now. He took a step toward her but stopped short, unable to cross that gap between them. “We’ll find her, Liv,” he said, choking on the words. “We’ve got to believe it.”
She stifled her sobs, still holding a hand to her face. “How? How are we going to find her?”
“The Amber Alert has been expanded nationwide. People will be looking for her. We’ve got good people here working on it, and now they’re bringing in the FBI.”
She nodded, looking away to scan the countertops. Evidently spotting what she’d been searching for, she crossed over to the end of the counter and swiped a tissue from its box. Taking a second one, she handed it to Cole and then blew her nose daintily. Cole trumpeted into his tissue, balled it up, and threw it into the trash.
He touched her arm and she melted toward him. Before he knew it, she was in his arms, letting him hold her against him in that familiar way, his chin resting against her hair. He tried to take comfort in it, but there was none to be had.
When he’d been in vet school during the early years of their marriage, they were a team. It was the two of them plugging along through the system, and she’d worked a job in retail so he could be a full-time student while they planned their future. Her pregnancy with Angela had been a surprise, but they’d taken it in stride, rejoicing in the birth of their baby girl. Then Sophie came, planned seven years later, after he’d graduated and started his practice. One happy family—or so he’d believed.
Where had it all gone wrong? When had the feelings changed?
Perhaps feeling the same lack, Olivia pulled away and huddled inside her blanket, leaning against a countertop opposite Cole.
He couldn’t help himself. He had to ask. “Why have you disappeared from our lives, Olivia?”
“Do we have to talk about this now?”
He shrugged. “I suppose not, but I can’t help but want to know. I mean, I understand why you wanted to leave my sorry ass. You made that perfectly clear. But you’re a good mom, Olivia. Why have you turned your back on the kids?”
Her eyes filled again, and she turned to snatch another tissue from the box, using it to wipe her eyes and dab at her nose. He strained to hear when she spoke. “Sometimes I don’t understand it myself. I want to see the kids, I do.” Her eyes were earnest when they met his. “But then I just can’t seem to dredge up the energy for it.”
“Are you ill? I mean physically ill? I haven’t heard from you since last summer.”
She shook her head, eyes downcast. “I’m still working through the depression. It takes time, you know.”
She sounded defensive, and he didn’t want this attempt at conversation to dissolve into mutual frustration. He tried to remember techniques for communicating with the kids that he’d learned from their family counselor, but he was so stressed that he pretty much had to fall back on just being himself. “I’m not implying it doesn’t take time. I’m just trying to understand why you feel like you don’t have the energy for seeing your kids.”
“It saps your energy, trying to find the right medicine, the right dose, working in counseling.”
“It’s been a year.”
“I know that.” Anger flared, giving her voice some oomph. “For what it’s worth, I’ve been making progress. I was making plans to contact you to try to arrange a visit with them. And then this.”
And then this.
This was the unspeakable, the unthinkable—the police called it a stranger abduction. Their child, their Sophie. He couldn’t let his mind explore it, much less put it into words. He felt his own rage against Olivia build. She was the one person Sophie longed to see, to be with, to touch; and yet as a mother, she’d let the time slip away. Because she didn’t have the energy for it?
He fought to control his temper. “You’re right, we shouldn’t talk about this now.”
She studied his face.
He figured she knew him well enough to read his feelings, and he’d had enough. “I need to go out again and join the search.”
“Cole, what do you know about this Mrs. Gibbs? Could she have anything to do with Sophie’s disappearance?”
He stiffened. “Trust me. Mrs. Gibbs has nothing to do with it.”
He turned to head upstairs to check in with Jessie and Angela before he left.
“You’re l
eaving now?”
He paused and turned back to her. “I’ll be in town. You can reach me on my cell phone.”
“Oh, yes. Nothing ever changes.”
He turned and left her, not wanting to say something he’d regret.
Chapter 23
Friday Morning, 3:00 AM
When Mattie had left the briefing room, Brody told her that a volunteer had spotted the Heath Nissan Pathfinder near Reynolds Pass, on a jeep trail west of town, high up in the national forest.
She drove her Explorer while Brody rode shotgun, following the volunteer’s directions, counting miles and turnoffs after leaving the highway. The dirt roads climbed ever upward and finally, they’d reached the rough, two-track trail that should lead them to their destination.
Mattie slowed to a crawl, and her SUV jolted over stones and potholes. She focused on the precarious trail in the headlights, gripping the steering wheel as she angled between low-hanging pine boughs that scraped the sides of her car. Old snowdrifts, dirty and half melted from spring runoff, spattered the trail, creating slick spots.
She was amazed that anyone had located the Heath vehicle way back in here. It spoke to the dedication of the volunteers.
Brody had been an easy companion, quiet except to give navigational input and directions. Thank goodness for that—she was about tapped out and needed time to pull herself together so that she could focus on the task at hand. She didn’t know why the news that Cole’s ex-wife was in town had stunned her. It wasn’t like she’d planned a future with Cole and his family. Nothing like that. In fact, she’d worked hard to keep dreams like that out of her mind.
She thought what bothered her most was Angie’s aversion to going home because her mother was there. It shouldn’t be like that. Families should cling together and support each other in times like these.
Then she thought of the way she avoided her brother, Willie. But that was different. The Cobb family didn’t know the meaning of family support. She couldn’t dwell on that now, so she switched her thoughts to the road and how to keep from damaging a tire on the sharp edges of half-buried rocks.
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