“I was so afraid when he left me alone in there,” Sophie said, gripping the dog with one hand and Mattie’s hand with the other. “He left that light on, you know the one? Did you see it?”
“The one that looks like a little lantern, but it runs on a battery?”
“Yeah. But after I tried to run away, the battery ran out. I was in the dark, and I got so scared. I stared at the light around the door, and I guess I fell asleep. You and Robo woke me up.”
“Hooray!” Mattie lifted Sophie’s hand aloft in celebration, trying to restore some normalcy to the girl’s life. “Robo to the rescue.”
Sophie’s grin flashed before she sobered. “He could’ve taken me away forever.”
“But he didn’t. And we’re going to catch him. Can you think of anything else about him that you should tell us?”
Her eyes taking on a faraway look, Sophie shook her head, and she slumped back against her mother.
Mattie squeezed her hand one last time before she released it and turned to Stella. “Anything else, Detective?”
“Just one last thing,” Stella said. “Sophie, have you ever been inside Gus Tilley’s brown truck?”
Sophie put her thumb in her mouth for a second before taking it out and glancing at her dad. “No, ma’am. I’ve never been inside it.”
Stella leaned forward and squeezed Sophie’s hand. “Thank you, Sophie. You’ve done a great job, and I hope you feel better soon. We might need to talk to you again later, after you’ve had some rest, okay? And if you remember anything else you think we should know, tell your parents, and they can call. Will you do that for us?”
Stella was learning, and Mattie appreciated how she moderated her typical brash manner. Sophie nodded agreement.
They said their good-byes, and Cole escorted them to the front door. After they stepped outside onto the porch, he caught Mattie’s hand, gripping it in both of his. She felt a tug inside her chest as she turned to face him.
His tired eyes filled. “I just want to say . . . you and Robo . . . well, words can’t express my gratitude.” He pulled her into a hug.
Emotions churned inside her—joy for finding Sophie, the melancholy of fatigue, and a tremendous sorrow for, well, she didn’t know what exactly. She placed her hands lightly against his sides in an awkward attempt to break the hug, but instead she found herself closing her eyes and leaning against him for a long moment.
Tears filled her eyes as she stepped back, fighting for control. She nodded acknowledgment. She didn’t want to dismiss Robo’s feat of finding Sophie as “just doing their job,” so she didn’t say the words. They’d worked hard to make this miracle happen, especially her dog.
“I’ll be in touch,” she managed to say as she followed Stella out the door and into the yard.
After climbing into her SUV, Mattie turned to Robo, who’d been sleeping in the back but had risen to greet her. She grasped the ruff at his neck and gave it a shake, taking comfort, and then she turned to put her key in the ignition.
Stella was leaning against the passenger side door, watching her with pursed lips. “Your vet has feelings for you.”
Mattie shook her head, fighting to keep a surge of melancholy at bay. “He’s grateful that we found his child,” she said, starting the engine. “Let’s go to the station and see what we can do with the information we have.”
“Sounds like plan. And by the way, Mattie, did I ever tell you how much I respect you?”
She shook her head and forced a smile. “If I remember right, last time we talked, you were lecturing me on how to do my job.”
Stella snorted.
“Besides, turns out you were most likely right about Gus Tilley, and I was wrong.”
“We’ll get back to that later. But you need to know that I think you’re one hell of an officer, and I couldn’t be more proud to serve as a part of your team.” Stella’s smile faded. “Let’s get back to the station and figure out how we’re going to track down this child killer.”
Chapter 27
Stella had written up notes from the interview and shared them with the team. They touched base in the briefing room, each of them standing because no one seemed calm enough to sit. Despite her exhaustion, Mattie could feel their energy from finding Sophie build as their focus on finding a killer narrowed.
“How certain can we be that a child Sophie’s age is accurate with reporting eye color?” Sheriff McCoy asked.
“That could be a concern,” Stella said. “What do you think, Mattie?”
“She compared them to her dad’s eye color, and she seemed definite. I think we should take her word for it.”
Stella looked at the list of suspects written on the board. “That leaves us Waverly, Banks, Heath, and Gardner. And Hank Wolford, but he’s a long shot. With him, there’s no motive.”
“What time this morning did you leave Heath and Gardner up by their vehicle, Brody?” Mattie asked.
“About eight o’clock. I pulled off in some trees down below and watched for about an hour to see if they drove out of there. They didn’t.”
Mattie pulled her cell phone from her pocket and checked the call log. “Tilley heard Sophie screaming at around eleven AM. Even if Heath left his campsite after nine, I think it’s possible for him to get to the root cellar by then.”
“What about Brooks Waverly?” Stella said.
“I called Jack, and he thinks his son was in school this morning,” McCoy said. “But the secretary at the school said Brooks didn’t arrive until eleven thirty.”
“Time to bring him in again,” Stella said.
Mattie had been wondering if her partner might be able to find evidence that humans could overlook. “I think I should take Robo up to the site and do a thorough search in that root cellar.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” McCoy said. “Deputy Brody, you go too. I’ll call Jack Waverly and have him bring Brooks into the station, Detective. We’ll interrogate him together.”
As they left the briefing room, Brody said, “I’ll be ready in ten minutes,” and headed toward his office.
Mattie went to her own office to awaken Robo and check supplies in her utility belt. On the way, she remembered an important call she needed to make. Using her cell phone, she touched the number on her call list.
Sounding guarded, Sergeant Madsen answered immediately. “Deputy Cobb? What’s up?”
“Robo found her. Alive.”
Madsen whooped, making her grin.
“I’ll tell you about it when we have time,” she said. “But now we’ve got a crime scene to go search.”
“You can tell me over a beer next time you come for training. Did you catch the scumbag that took her?”
“Not yet. The guy wore a ski mask. All we have so far is a description of his eye color.”
“Don’t be discouraged, Mattie. You got your girl back. That’s something you can be proud of.”
“You’re right. Nothing beats the feeling of finding a child and bringing her home.”
“I want to put you and Robo on a list for state search and rescue consultants.”
“That’s not my call. Our county bought Robo for narcotics detection, so I’d have to talk it over with the sheriff.”
“That dog shows a great talent for finding people, and I hate to waste it when we have a missing person. After you wrap up this case, I’ll give the sheriff a call. You can think it over in the meantime.”
Hoping they could wrap up the case, she said good-bye and focused on preparing to go back out to search with Brody. The adrenaline from finding Sophie had started to subside, and fatigue made the muscles in her shoulders and neck ache. But there was no time to worry about it.
Time to get back to work and catch this killer.
*
Sophie had slept most of the day, clutching that infernal toy some monster had given her. Somehow, Cole was going to have to lose that thing.
Olivia stayed with Sophie much of the time, reading her stories, watchin
g her sleep. His parents came by the house and peeked in on the child, and to his relief, his mother was civil to his ex-wife. Jessie had decided to move to their parents’ house for the night, leaving before dinner.
Angie drifted around the house like a ghost—not wanting to be in the same room with Olivia, but not wanting to be away from Sophie either—until he asked her to go with him to the clinic to feed Mountaineer and take care of the chickens. While they changed the newspaper in the bottom of the box and gave the chicks clean water and food, he tried to engage her in conversation, but she resisted. He opted not to pressure her; she’d talk to him when she felt like it.
Deciding to keep the clinic closed until after the weekend, he called Tess and told her to go ahead and schedule the routine stuff for next week but to call him if an emergency came in. She seemed more than happy to continue to handle incoming calls. Right now, he felt too exhausted to talk to anyone about anything.
They ate dinner in shifts, a delicious chicken soup with homemade noodles made by Mrs. Gibbs. Sophie, Olivia, and Mrs. Gibbs ate early, and he and Angela later when they got back from the clinic. Her fever broken, Sophie soaked in a warm tub before dressing in clean pajamas and settling into bed for the night, with Angela taking a turn at story time.
Cole grabbed a minute to shower, and then he dressed in a light pair of sweats. Padding down the stairway in bare feet to the kitchen, he realized Mrs. Gibbs had shut things down early for the night, leaving a dim night-light glowing above the countertop, as was her habit. He found the chocolate cake he meant to eat, left over from her day of cooking. Finding the semidarkness soothing, he decided against turning on the overheads and served himself a big chunk of cake and a large glass of milk before taking it to the table.
Olivia came into the room, heading for the refrigerator but startling when she caught sight of him. “Oh! I didn’t know you were in here, sitting in the dark.”
“You can turn on a light if you want. It’s just so peaceful here without it.”
“Yes, we need that. I’ll leave it off.” She glanced at what he was eating. “That looks good. I think I’ll have some too.”
“It’s time for a little sweetness.”
Olivia served herself cake and milk and brought it to the table. “Mind if I join you?”
“Of course not. You’re welcome here, Liv.”
“I wish Angie felt the same way.”
“You have some fence-mending to do with her.”
“And you didn’t have anything to do with her being so angry with me?”
Cole shook his head. “You should know that I didn’t. I’ve always considered you a great mother to the girls.”
Olivia watched him over the top of her milk glass as she took a sip. When she lowered her glass, she had a slender milk mustache, and he smiled while he raised his napkin to wipe it off. She smiled back at him.
“You’ve found a wonderful cook and helper in Mrs. Gibbs,” she said. “I’m sorry I suspected her at first. I was such a mess.”
“We’re lucky to have her. It was pretty grim around here before she came.”
She looked downward, guilt crossing her face.
“I didn’t say that to make you feel bad. It’s just a statement of fact, but we managed all right. Both the girls helped out, and it didn’t hurt them to take on more chores.”
“I suppose not, but I do regret the way I left, Cole. I wasn’t really thinking straight, and, well, you’ve always been able to manage taking care of anything you set your mind to. I believed you would take care of your children, and you did.”
Cole resisted the twinge of anger her words triggered. She had no idea how much turmoil she’d caused, how she’d hurt her children. Hell—how she’d hurt him too. But it was water under the bridge, and he held his tongue.
“I lost myself in it all, Cole. Working to get you through vet school while taking care of a toddler. And then staying home to cook and clean and raise kids while you worked all day and into the night. This little town, there’s nothing here for me. I want theaters, museums, and nice restaurants. I didn’t even have any friends here.”
“We have friends here.”
“You have friends here. I’ve always felt like an outsider.”
He found her words confusing; from his perspective, she’d been welcomed with open arms by everyone. Well, by everyone but his mother. He couldn’t argue with her other complaints, and he paused while he chewed his cake and thought. “I guess we don’t need to rehash where we’ve come from and what went wrong. What’s important is how we move forward from here. And how are you feeling now? How much have you recovered from your depression?”
She gave him a thin smile, and in the dim light, he thought he could see sadness in her eyes. “I’ve spent a lot of gray days in bed with the shades pulled, but I’m getting back on track, getting some energy for something more than just pushing myself out of bed and getting dressed. Being with Marci has helped. She’s a good friend and easy to talk to.”
Cole fought to remain silent. Expressing his dislike for Marci wouldn’t help, and he knew that the last time he and Olivia talked heart-to-heart had been years ago, long before she decided to leave. And that was his fault.
“I want to be in the girls’ lives.” Her breath caught, and she blinked back tears. “I hope I haven’t ruined it with Angie.”
“I think she’ll come around. She loves you, you know, but she’s hurt. You’ll have to talk to her, tell her how you feel. We have a counselor we work with in Hightower. She can talk to her about it too.”
Surprise touched her face.
He answered her unasked question. “The girls and I had some hard adjustments to make after you left.”
She shook her head and examined the crumbs in her plate, using her fork to push them around. “I’m sorry I made it so hard on you all.”
Cole felt his resistance crumble. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
She looked up at him. “I still love you, Cole. I guess I always will. When I left here, I thought I didn’t, but now . . . sometimes I wish we could give it another try.”
His surprise must have registered on his face, because she flashed him a quick smile before sobering.
“But I could never move back here,” she said. After a pause and looking down at the table, she added, “Would you consider moving to Denver?”
He gave her his kneejerk reaction. “I don’t think so. This is my home, and it’s where I built my practice.”
She looked away. “If you loved me, those things wouldn’t matter.”
He thought for a long moment, giving careful consideration to his words. “I believe you when you say you still love me, because I feel the same way. A part of me will always love you, Olivia. But loving me wasn’t enough to make you happy here in Timber Creek. I would hate living in Denver, and I know I wouldn’t last very long there. Can you see it’s the same thing?”
“Maybe we could try living somewhere else. Someplace that would give us both what we want.”
Again, he weighed her words. He sifted through the changes he’d made since she left, small things she wouldn’t approve of like dogs in the house, the girls working at the clinic, giving the kids more freedom and responsibility. Mattie came to mind along with feelings he didn’t have time to sort, so he set them aside to save for a time when he did.
“It’s something we both should consider,” he said. “But right now, we’re tired and probably more than a little euphoric from getting Sophie back. Not to mention the cake.” It did his heart good to make her smile. “I think we should relax and get a good night’s sleep. I can sack out on the couch if you want to sleep in my room.”
“Sophie wants me to sleep with her.”
“I’ll go up and say good-night to the girls, and then I need to go to bed.” He squeezed her hand as he arose from the table to carry his dishes to the sink. She remained sitting, possibly disappointed in him, but now was not the time for making decisions about renewing
commitments.
*
Cole couldn’t sleep, so he lay on top of the covers, his room lit by the silent television, which he continuously surfed using the remote, keeping the sound off so he could listen to the sounds of the house.
His child’s kidnapper was still out there. For whatever reason, this monster wanted Sophie badly enough to steal her. Was he out there watching their house, waiting to break in after they’d all gone to bed? He’d left the downstairs lights on with Bruno on guard. That should deter an intruder. But still, Cole felt he couldn’t relax until the man was behind bars.
He didn’t want to revisit his conversation with Liv, but of course, he couldn’t help but go back over it. After mulling it over, he continuously arrived at the same conclusion: he liked the life he and the kids were piecing together, and he was ready to move on. It wouldn’t be easy, but he’d have to find a gentle way to tell Olivia, and he still planned to help her find a way to establish a new relationship with the girls.
And as for Mattie? He’d never met a woman he admired more. Not only had she saved his life, but she’d saved his daughter too. And, well, he needed to make sure his feelings for her weren’t hero worship, because he thought he was falling in love.
A quiet tap sent his attention to his partially closed door, where Sophie peeked in. “Are you watching TV?”
“Kind of. Do you want to join me?”
“Yeah.” She went to the other side of the bed and climbed on, still clutching that dratted toy dog. Belle and Bruno followed her into the room, gazing longingly at the bed. “Can these guys come, too? Belle’s sad that she has to sleep downstairs.”
He pulled the covers back on her side and then tucked her in. Unable to resist Bruno’s begging eyes, he decided to give him a chance to be with Sophie before taking him back downstairs to his guard post.
Patting the blanket, he invited both dogs onto the foot of the king-size bed, where they plopped down near Sophie. “I guess it won’t hurt to let them up here with you. How are you feeling, sweetheart?”
Hunting Hour Page 26