by Sloan Parker
Along with his office and those of his deputies and the various support staff, the two-story brick building included a communications and dispatch center, a briefing room, the county’s 9-1-1 call center, and the local jail. With all that, I would’ve expected the place to be jumping. It wasn’t. It was strangely lacking in activity.
A lengthy hallway off the main room led to several other areas, but there were no signs on those doors marking what those rooms were used for. Overlapping faint voices could be heard in the distance. Nothing discernible in the dialogue. It all seemed eerily reticent and downright odd for an official county law enforcement building.
On our way to his office, we’d passed by several deputies, all standing stoically, quietly watching us follow the sheriff. I made eye contact with one of them. He had a stern face with sharp angles, and black hair that was slicked back with too much product. His judgmental glare made it seem like he knew why we were there and he wasn’t happy about it. Maybe the sheriff had clued him in before coming to greet us.
After Sheriff Emerson had chewed the gum into a manageable clump, he spoke again. “I thought we’d settled everything over the phone, Mr. Stewart.”
“I was hoping you’d reconsider and take a look at the map I mentioned. I figured you’d know better than anyone if it’s possible Alex was at one of these locations that day.”
He snorted, the wad of gum nearly slipping from his gaping mouth. “Like I said—”
“Just please take a look.”
He huffed out a long breath. There was something very attentive and driven about the expression on his face, and it reminded me of how Richard looked at me when he was trying to understand what I was—or wasn’t—saying.
“Listen,” Emerson started, “I liked Alex. I really did. Despite what some people thought of him, I knew he was a good guy.”
“He is.”
“That’s what I’m saying. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and did everything I could to try to find him. A lot of people in this county were pissed off at me for keeping the search going past the first couple of days, but I didn’t give in to that pressure. Until I had to.” Abruptly he stood and went to a file cabinet in the far corner of his office. He opened a drawer and retrieved a thick file folder. He dropped the file onto the desk with a loud slap. Tossing it open, he thumped into his seat, his loaded duty belt creaking.
He removed a map of the park similar to the one I’d brought. He unfolded it until the map filled the top of his desk, then jabbed a finger at the center of the park, nearly poking a hole through the paper. “My deputies and the park rangers did an in-depth search of this entire park. There was no sign of the doctor or his truck.”
The map before him was divided into sections, with notations sprawled diagonally across the paper, as well as large black Xs that had been drawn through each section.
“But,” I said, “maybe you could help us identify areas that weren’t searched as thoroughly as the others. Tomas said there are a lot of places his dad drove his truck off-road, isolated spots he loved to hike to.” I held out the map. “Please.”
He hesitated, staring at me so long I figured he was waiting for me to give up. Then he snatched the map from me. He opened it and examined the notations Tomas had made. His expression softened for a brief moment as he scanned the map. Then his face hardened again. “These are the same ones he told me about. After the kid came here, I asked the park rangers to have another look at these areas.”
“Then why didn’t you tell Tomas that?”
He snorted out a low sound. “I didn’t want to tell him we were searching again because I didn’t want to get his hopes up.”
“You didn’t find anything?”
“No. Which is what I expected. I’m certain the search dogs would’ve found the doc the first time if he were out there.”
Richard harrumphed. “Over that much land?” He didn’t wait for Emerson to respond. “The park rangers don’t work for you, right? They work for the state. Why didn’t you send your own people out to recheck those areas? Did you even send the dogs back out there for another search?”
Emerson held his arms out at his sides. “It’s not like a have a huge staff with nothing else to do. And the dogs came from the state police. I can’t just call them up on a hunch and ask them to throw more valuable resources my way.” He went for another piece of the gum as if that would help with his agitation.
After he had the new gum crammed into the glob already in his mouth, he said, “When Alex first went missing, I had loads of people out looking for him. Nearly every one of my deputies, the park rangers, and numerous state police officers. They found nothing. The search dogs couldn’t even pick up his scent. It was like he was never in that park.”
“But how’s that possible?” I asked. “He told me he went out there nearly every day. Wouldn’t they have found some sign of him from earlier, even if he drove out of town like you said?”
“A storm came through the area the night before. Lots of rain. It washed away his, and everyone else’s, scent from earlier in the week. Trust me. He was not in the park that day.”
Luke spoke for the first time since we’d sat down. “What makes you so sure he took off? Because of some money issues and a single fight with his wife?”
“No. One of my deputies said she’d seen the vet’s truck heading out of town that morning, in the opposite direction of the park. Add that to their money problems and the fight, and it all tells me that Dr. Vega was a man who was under a lot of stress, a man who just decided to walk away from his life.”
I shook my head. “He’s not that kind of man.”
“You knew him well, did you? I’ve known Alex for eight years, and I barely knew much about him. He was a quiet guy, kept to himself a lot. He’s only got one friend that I can think of. One of the park rangers. Gus Cleary. Before Alex went missing, they were working together on a landscaping project at Gus’s new house. Only thing I’ve ever heard of the doc doing that had nothing to do with the wildlife center or the park. I’d almost call Alex a recluse, except he had a family. Most people found him odd, different. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that he might not have come across accurately to you at a job interview.”
That had me feeling deflated. Had I been seeing something in Alex that wasn’t there? Had I been subconsciously comparing him to my father, concluding that Alex was a better man and coloring him in a far too positive light?
Sheriff Emerson scrutinized me. He had that intent look on his face again, and underneath that there was a kindness to him that was difficult to see at first glance. He seemed to genuinely want us to believe him. Or maybe he was desperate for it.
He cleared his throat. “Look, Mr. Stewart, I took this case seriously, very seriously, and everything possible was done to find the doctor.” He seemed like he might say more, but then the phone on his desk rang. He answered, listened, and then hung up. “I’ve got something to take care of, so if you don’t mind…” He stood, and I did the same.
Richard remained seated. “We’re not done here yet.”
Emerson gave him a challenging look, then sighed and headed for the door. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
After he walked off, I sank into my chair. “He’s not going to do anything.”
Richard patted my thigh. “Let’s give it one more try.”
“Yeah,” Luke said. “Maybe we’ll annoy him into it. Or we can threaten him, tell him we’ll go to the press.” When I didn’t respond, Luke asked, “What are you thinking?”
It used to be Richard who knew when I held back on something. Now Luke could read me nearly as well. I got up and perched on the edge of the sheriff’s desk to face them. “You guys wanna go camping?”
They just stared back at me.
“There’s a private campground north of the wildlife center, right outside the park. There are cabins for rent with a road nearby that leads into the park and to some of the hiking trails. We could stay at the campg
round a couple of nights while we check out the closest locations on Tomas’s map. Then we could backpack farther into the park and stay out there for a few more nights.” I smiled again. “Just the three of us. Might be kinda fun.”
“Fun?” Luke gaped at me. “You want to go look for a guy the cops couldn’t even find, a guy who might very well be dead, in a park as massive as Majestic Falls?”
I shook my head. “Alex isn’t dead. But even if he is, or if we can’t find him, we could try to locate his truck or the backpack he had with him that morning. That would prove he was in the park that day, prove that he didn’t leave town. Then Sheriff Emerson would have to reopen the case and search for him again.”
Luke exchanged a quick glance with Richard. “But the sheriff said they already went through the areas Tomas told him about. You think we can find something they didn’t?”
“I don’t know. But I have to try. I promised Tomas I’d do whatever I could.”
There was a flash of uncertainty in Richard’s eyes. “There’s a lot of rough, hilly trails out there, gorges and cliffs too. We’re not experienced hikers, Matthew.”
“I know. We’ll go slow, be careful.”
He seemed to be mentally going over our options.
I waited, but they both remained quiet. “Tomas and Natalie don’t know what happened to someone they love. That’s a horrible feeling.”
Luke glanced Richard’s way again, and I knew he could see what I did. That Richard was considering my plan. Luke pointed at me. “Tell him this is crazy.”
Richard said nothing to him, just kept his focus locked on my face. “All right. But let’s give it one more try with the sheriff. We’ll see if we can get him to change his mind first.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“We’ll take it from there if we have to.”
I wasn’t sure exactly what he meant by that, but the sheriff was headed back our way so I took a seat again.
Emerson rounded his desk and remained standing, hands propped on his duty belt beside his gun and flashlight. “I’d love to sit and chat some more about how shitty you think I’ve done my job, but I have to help citizens of this county who actually bothered to stick around—unlike Alex Vega.” He made a dismissive gesture. “So why don’t you head back to your fancy, comfy condos in the city and let me get back to my work?”
Richard opened his mouth to respond. I laid a hand on his knee to stop him. “One more question, Sheriff Emerson. If you believe Alex left town, then there’s no investigation for us to interfere with, right? There’s no harm in us taking a look ourselves?”
“In the park?”
“Yes.”
“The three of you?”
“Yes.”
Emerson snorted out a laugh.
Luke leaned into my side. “I’m really not liking this guy.”
I reached for his hand and held it on my thigh.
Emerson didn’t bat an eye. “You want to have a look around? Fine. But let me give you some friendly advice.” He pointed to the kid’s map on his desk. “Do not go to any of those locations beyond the basic trails. The landscape out there is rugged. Even if you avoid the steep cliffs and ravines, it’s dangerous. If you’re not experienced hikers, it can be grueling. Even the marked trails are not always easily passable for the average person.”
Richard stood. “Thanks for the concern, but we’ll be fine.”
Emerson continued to regard him with hostility. “To get to all the sections of the park that you want to check out, you’ll have to travel through forest areas that even the park rangers don’t spend much time in. Cell coverage is spotty at best, and if you don’t know what you’re doing—”
I stood and cut him off. “Like he said, we’ll be fine.”
“I don’t think you understand.” He jabbed a finger my way. “You need to stay out of those areas. I cannot afford to send more people out there to save your asses.”
Richard motioned for Luke to get up. “We’re done here.” We all turned to leave.
“Wait.” Emerson had a hand up. He held it still for a second more, then let it fall to his side as if in defeat. He returned to the file cabinet in the corner of his office and removed another folder. He opened it and took out a second map. “If you insist on going out there, take this. It includes several access roads that are not marked on any public map. The rangers use them. You can take those roads if you need to. If the rangers give you any trouble, have them call me.”
I took the map from him. “Thanks. What kind of truck are we looking for?”
“A 2005 white Chevy Colorado. It has decals on both sides with the logo and name of the wildlife center.” He picked up Tomas’s map, refolded it, and handed that to me as well. “I’m sorry about your job there. It’s a shame the place had to close.”
“It is.”
We started to head out again but stopped at the doorway when the sheriff spoke once more.
“If you do find that truck or anything else, you call me, and I’ll come out there myself.”
“All right.”
Once we were outside and almost to our car, Luke jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the sheriff’s building. “What a fucking asshole.”
“Yeah,” Richard agreed. “How the hell did that guy ever get elected to the office of sheriff?”
I stopped at the passenger-side door of Richard’s car. “He wasn’t that bad.”
Luke scoffed. “Did you hear how he talked to you?”
“He was just being defensive. I think he actually feels bad that he couldn’t find Alex.”
Luke shook his head in disbelief. “There you go again. Seeing the good in people. Even complete asshats.”
Was that what I was doing here? Or was I being naive? Did I just see what I wanted to see in people like Emerson? And what did that mean about my impressions of Alex?
“Well,” Richard said, “I’ll tell you one thing about our friendly neighborhood sheriff. I’m starting to wonder how well he and his people even looked for Alex.”
“Yeah,” Luke said. “That man is definitely hiding something.”
That surprised me. “You think he knows what happened to Alex?”
“Maybe. Or maybe he doesn’t want anyone to know how badly he fucked everything up.”
Which meant this was all up to us. No one else was going to spend any more time looking for Alex Vega.
I opened Tomas’s map and laid it on the hood of Richard’s car. The map showcased the miles and miles of intersecting trails that cut through the park, each trail drawn in a different color. There were also icons designating specific areas for activities such as camping, bicycling, and sledding. Most trails allowed for hiking except for the few that were used only for cross-country skiing or horseback riding.
Richard came to stand at my side. “Emerson was right about one thing, though.”
“Yeah?”
“This could be dangerous. Things happen to hikers all the time.”
“I know.” I gave him a pointed look. “But I have to do this.”
After a beat, he said, “I guess we could hire a guide who knows the park, have them take us to the locations on the map.”
“That sounds good. So you’ll go with me?”
His mouth turned up in a clear smile. “Of course.”
Luke gestured toward the sheriff’s office again. “I guess somebody’s got to do this asshole’s job for him.”
I couldn’t hold back my relief. I lunged for Luke and wrapped my arms around him. Then did the same with Richard. “We’ll be very careful. I promise. Can we get started right away?”
“I don’t see why not,” Richard said.
“What about your work? Do you have to be at the Harrison Center this week?”
“I’ll make some calls, get someone to cover for me. It’ll be fine. Besides, Dominic will keep everyone in line.”
“Okay. Luke?” Taking time off from his work was a lot to ask of him, considering how many extra hours he
’d been putting in at home just to keep up lately.
“I’m game. I’ve got a shit-ton of vacation days saved. It’s about time I use them up.”
“Thank you. I’ll call Kevin, ask if he and Walter can go pick up Trixie and keep her for a few days. We could see if there’s a sporting goods store here in town where we could get whatever supplies we’ll need.”
“Wait.” Luke held up a hand. “Supplies?”
“Yeah.” I ticked off items on my fingers. “We’ll need a tent and boots and backpacks and sleeping bags and food and—”
“Wait. Sleeping bags? A tent?”
“Sure.” I examined the map and pointed at one of the routes near Tomas’s notations. “I think we should follow this road along Windtree River first. There are trails close by that’ll take us right up to most of these initial sites.” I indicated another cluster of four marks on the map. “Then we’ll head east of the river after that, taking the tent with us.”
Richard nodded. “Sounds like a good plan.”
Luke still stared at me in that shocked way of his. “A tent? We’re going to sleep in a tent?”
I nodded, afraid he’d change his mind now that we were going over the specifics.
Before I could say anything, Richard asked him, “You ever sleep outside under the stars?”
“No. You?”
“Nope.” He stepped around me and moved in behind Luke. With his arms around Luke’s waist, he spoke against his ear. “Kind of nice for Matthew to take us to do something we’ve never done before, don’t you think? A new first for the three of us.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “You can’t play me that easily.”
Richard raised his brows my way, then whispered in Luke’s ear again. “Can you picture it? The three of us alone out there for an entire week? A few nights in a cabin and then a tent. Just think of all the ways we could entertain ourselves.”