Burning Ridge

by Margaret Mizushima

  “Well, we have the right people joining us to cover that. We’ll have them check it out. Try to get some sleep, Mattie. It’s going to be a huge day tomorrow.”

  “We’d better pack some extra clothes in case we stay up there tomorrow night.”

  “Good point.”

  They said their goodbyes as Mattie reached the edge of town. She turned toward home, noticing that Robo was sound asleep on the cushion she kept for him in his compartment. He must be exhausted. Typically, he spent several hours per day asleep at the station while Mattie did routine computer searches and paperwork.

  When she parked in front of her house, she spotted Riley on the front porch, once again tossing pebbles into Robo’s bowl, a game that seemed to be turning into a habit.

  “Hey, Mattie,” Riley called out, a smile lighting her face.

  Although Mattie wasn’t sure it was a good idea for Riley to hang out at her house, she couldn’t help but return the girl’s smile as she exited her car.

  “Hey! I just got your message a little bit ago. I was up where I didn’t have cell phone service most of the day.” Mattie went around to the back where Robo had awakened and was shoulders down in a long stretch, his mouth open in a huge yawn. The thought of her missed yoga lesson flitted through her mind as she viewed his version of downward dog.

  Riley came out to the car, and Robo jumped down from the back, greeting her with wagging tail. She bent to pat his sides. “I was hoping we could grab some dinner together. My treat.”

  “You don’t have to buy dinner for me, silly. When we go out, we’ll go Dutch. But I’m sorry, I’ve already made arrangements for dinner tonight.”

  Riley’s face fell before she tried to cover her disappointment. But then she sniffed, took a step back, and lifted her hand to her nose to smell it. “Yuk! What’s Robo been into?”

  Mattie realized she’d adapted to the odor of death and forgotten how much the two of them must stink. “Geez, Riley. I’m sorry. Come into the house and wash up in the kitchen while Robo and I take a shower.”

  Robo trotted ahead and Riley followed as Mattie went to the house, unlocked the door, and let them all into her small living room.

  She pointed toward the doorway that led to the kitchen. “You can wash up in there. I’ll be out in a few minutes. Go ahead and grab a soda from the fridge if you want.”

  Mattie took Robo into the bathroom with her and shut the door. He loved to watch her shower and get ready for work in the morning, but he wasn’t so fond of hopping into the tub himself. She took off his collar, and he knew what was coming. He tucked his tail and hung his head while she ran warm water into the tub.

  While the water ran, she took a moment to text Cole to see if it was okay to bring Riley to dinner, and then she put her cell phone up high on the medicine cabinet to protect it from splashes. When she turned off the water, Robo’s brow puckered with concern.

  “You need a bath, sweetie. Go ahead, jump in here.” He turned and faced the door, staring at the knob. She snapped her fingers. “Robo, come. Don’t be such a chicken.”

  He hugged the door with his whole body.

  Mattie bent, grasped him under the chest to pick up the front half of his body, and lugged his one hundred pounds over to the tub. “Get in there now,” she said as she placed his front feet into the water, and then reached to lift his hind half in, too. He started to pant, and she stroked his head. “That’s right. Now relax, big guy. This will all be over in a minute.”

  She made short work of the bath, lathering and rinsing his luxurious coat. Even though he looked like a whipped pup, he cooperated for the most part. He tried to shake a couple of times while still in the tub, so Mattie was pretty well drenched by the time she drained the water and toweled him off.

  “Now you wait in here with me so you don’t get the whole house wet.”

  She hurried to finish her own shower, wrapped a towel around her wet hair, and slipped on a terrycloth robe. Robo rushed out of the bathroom, shaking and grinning as he trotted over to greet Riley, who was sitting on the floor in front of a bookshelf. Mattie didn’t have a television, so the girl must have resorted to books for entertainment.

  Riley hugged Robo against her. “Ew, you’re wet,” she said, crinkling her nose and then burying it in his damp fur. “But you smell better.”

  Mattie left the two together while she dressed and combed out her hair. After tucking the wet strands behind her ears, she reached for her cell phone and saw that Cole had answered her text. “Bring Riley, too,” it said. “What was it Mama T used to say? Little piggies eat better when there are more at the trough.”

  He’d remembered Mama T’s words from when she’d told him weeks ago. Hard to believe he cared enough to recall such a trivial thing.

  When she went back into the living room, Riley had moved onto the sofa and was looking at one of Mattie’s old high school yearbooks. Robo wriggled gleefully on his back on his dog bed.

  “I see you were a jock,” Riley said, lifting up the book to show Mattie a picture of herself holding the state championship cross-country trophy she’d won her senior year.

  Mattie shrugged and then allowed herself a grin. “I could run … so I did.”

  “I saw your picture at school.”

  “Yeah?” She knew Riley was referring to one of the photos in the school trophy case, but decided that was enough talk about her. “You have an invitation to dinner now.”

  Riley’s face brightened. “You’re free?”

  “Sort of. Do you know Angela Walker?”

  “I met her in band. She’s a year older than me.”

  “We’re both invited to dinner at the Walkers’ house. You wanna come?”

  Riley snapped the yearbook shut and stood to put it back on the shelf. “Sure,” she said, looking like she was trying to control her eagerness.

  “Do you need to call to see if it’s okay with your dad?”

  “Nah, he left early this morning with the horses. Said he was going on a ride.” A shadow of sadness crossed the girl’s face. “I think he has a girlfriend. Anyway, he said he wouldn’t get home until late. I’ll text him to tell him where I am.”

  Mattie felt sorry for her. Her father certainly appeared to be inattentive and self-involved. “Then let’s go ahead and load up. Robo’s coming, too. We’ll load your bicycle into the back and he can sit up front with us. I’ll take you home after we eat.”

  Mattie flipped on the porch light as they left the house. Robo dashed ahead while Riley wheeled her bike out to the Explorer. It felt strange to act so normal after the day she’d had. Whenever she’d been faced with a homicide before, she’d focused on nothing but solving the case.

  She knew she needed to learn how to do this—compartmentalize her life—and perhaps she could develop that skill in time. But as she helped Riley load up her bike, the grim memory of a half burned corpse slipped into her mind to haunt her, its charred fists poised and ready to strike back.

  TEN

  When they arrived at the Walker home, Sophie and Angela hugged Mattie and welcomed Riley. Mattie hoped Riley would find a new friend in Angela, but knew better than to push.

  After Cole greeted Riley, he gestured toward the next room. “Let’s go into the kitchen, so you can meet Mrs. Gibbs. She cooked quite a dinner for us this evening.”

  The girls led the way while Cole pulled Mattie aside. “I rescheduled my day tomorrow so that I can ride up with you,” he said.

  She thought she could tackle her qualms about riding Mountaineer in the morning by herself, but she was relieved she wouldn’t have to. “We appreciate your help.”

  “I aim to please.” Cole gave her a look that tugged her heart, and she turned away to follow the kids.

  Mrs. Gibbs had set large bowls of salad and spaghetti on the table alongside a basket of freshly baked French bread, but when Mattie entered the room, the housekeeper turned away from her preparation to greet her with a hug. After they were seated, Sophie appeared deli
ghted to have Riley as a guest and dominated the conversation, sharing a multitude of details with the newcomer about her half grown chickens. The girls made plans to go see them after dinner.

  “Slow down, Sophie-bug,” Cole said, as he helped himself to more bread. “Let our guest get a word in edgewise.”

  Used to gentle reprimands about her chatter, Sophie pretended to lock her mouth shut.

  “Thank you,” he replied, with a quick smile. “So, Riley, where did you live before you moved here?”

  “In L.A. It’s so different from here in Timber Creek.”

  “I should say. How do you like living in the boonies of Colorado?”

  “It’s okay. Kinda hard to find things to do sometimes. I went to the opening of Happy Shack. That was kinda cool.”

  Cole’s brow wrinkled. “What’s Happy Shack?”

  Angela jumped into the conversation. “It’s a new place in town. They have ice cream, video games, and a pool table.”

  Riley nodded. “They have about ten flavors of ice cream, and the video games were free today. I hung out there all afternoon.”

  Mattie doubted that playing video games every day was a good habit for Riley to develop. “Who runs the place?”

  “She said to call her Violet.”

  “I’ll stop in and meet her when I can. Sounds like fun,” she added, trying to disguise her real motivation of wanting to check things out.

  “What’s your dad’s name, Riley?” Cole asked. “I don’t think I’ve met him yet.”

  “Bret. Bret Flynn.”

  “What does he do?” Cole asked.

  “He has a couple jobs now. He’s working with the county road crew, and he tends bar in Hightower at the Hornet’s Nest.”

  “Whoa, I bet that keeps him busy,” Cole said.

  “Yeah, he’s not home very often.” Riley looked down at her plate and used her fork to push around the last of her spaghetti. “He was around a lot more when we lived in L.A. Back then he stayed home to help my mom when she got sick. We both did.”

  “Gosh, I’m sorry your mom was sick,” Cole said. Both Sophie and Angela were watching her with wide, sympathetic eyes.

  Riley laid her fork on her plate. “Mom had cancer. She got treatment at first, but then … it just seemed like there was nothing more the doctors could do. She died in October.”

  Sophie made a quiet sound of sympathy while Angela narrowed her eyes against welling tears.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Cole murmured.

  “Our mom lives in Denver,” Sophie chimed in, as if that counted for something.

  Riley nodded at her, and Mattie realized that in the minds of kids, maybe it did.

  “After Mom died, Dad seemed in a hurry to move out here. I don’t know why he picked Timber Creek. It seemed like we had a lot more money back in L.A., and he didn’t have to work as much.”

  That statement tweaked Mattie’s attention. Whenever anyone mentioned a lot of money, her mind shot straight to the drug trade. Occupational hazard. “What did your dad do in L.A.?”

  Riley averted her eyes. “I don’t know really. Something to do with business. Like selling and trading on eBay, but not that. Just something like it.”

  Her answer didn’t satisfy Mattie’s curiosity, but she decided to let it go. “I’d better take you home soon, Riley. You girls have school tomorrow. Maybe we should help Mrs. Gibbs clean up and get ready to leave.”

  “Oh, come now. I can clean up the kitchen me own self.” The housekeeper’s Irish brogue colored her words. She glanced at Sophie whose face was etched with disappointment. “Why don’t you all go to the clinic to see the new coop and those chickens before you leave?”

  Sophie jumped from her chair, gathering Riley’s dishes with her own to carry to the sink. “There’s three of them. Chicken Little is the smallest one, and there’s Tootie and Buck. We thought Buck was a boy, but it looks like he’s a girl. Dad and I built their chicken house.” She looked at her sister. “You’ll come with us, won’t you, Angie?”

  “Sure.”

  His eyes twinkling, Cole sent Mattie a quick smile.

  “Thank you for dinner,” Riley told Mrs. Gibbs as she helped clear the table.

  “Why, sure. I hope you’ll come back and eat with us again some time.”

  “Let’s all go,” Cole said. “Those chickens are probably inside on their roosts, but we’ll take a couple of flashlights so Riley can see them.”

  Although the body up on the ridge had surfaced in her mind several times throughout the evening, it felt good to have something wholesome like caring for animals to focus on for a while. Mattie cleared her dishes and joined the others, reveling in the sense that she had become a solid part of this group—this family—that she loved.

  * * *

  Early Monday Morning

  Mattie startled awake. Drenched in sweat, she sat straight up in bed and her heart raced as she glanced toward the window. It was cracked open an inch, allowing a breeze to flow gently into the room, chilling her damp skin. Allowing escape.

  Robo raised his head, ears pricked, immediately awake and alert.

  “It’s okay, buddy. Just a nightmare. You can go back to sleep.”

  He continued to stare at her, vigilant. She had no doubt that he would protect her from this enemy if he could.

  A quick glance at the clock told her it was 4:16 AM. With a pang of regret, she remembered that she’d forgotten to return Willie’s girlfriend’s call. She couldn’t call Tamara in the middle of the night, so she switched on her nightstand lamp and reached for her dream journal.

  She’d been haunted with nightmares for months. Her counselor had prescribed using a dream journal to capture the details of the night terrors when they occurred, so that she could analyze them later during the light of day.

  After picking up journal and pen, she plumped pillows behind her back, opened the journal in her lap, and began to write.

  Familiar with this routine, Robo relaxed down on his cushion.

  This nightmare had been so vivid, it was easy to recall and record. She’d dreamed about that poor corpse they’d found on the ridge, but in her dream she’d watched the man burn, surrounded and consumed by flames.

  Police officers were often exposed to horrific sights, and this one was right up there at the top of the list. It might take a while before she could put these images away where they wouldn’t come out to haunt her.

  She recorded the details in her journal diligently, hoping that writing them down would help move them out of her head. She paused, her heart beating hard against the wall of her chest, her jaw clenched. Ever tuned-in to her emotions, Robo opened his eyes again and watched.

  She drew a deep breath and tried to relax on the exhalation like Rainbow had taught her.

  She thought for a few minutes, chewing on the end of her pen, but finally decided to give up. It was now a few minutes past five o’clock and time for her to get out of bed. She needed to pack supplies and make it to the station by six. She also needed to call Mama T to tell her that she might not be able to bring Riley over later, but she’d still try to make it on Tuesday to meet Doreen. Mama T would be awake by five thirty, so it wouldn’t be too early to call before work.

  Yet, even as she made plans and headed for the shower, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the nightmare about the burning corpse felt so real. It felt like she’d been there in the mountains, watching it happen.

  ELEVEN

  Monday

  On her way to work, Mattie’s cell phone rang, and caller ID told her it was another call from Willie’s girlfriend. She was glad to get this chance to connect before she headed into the mountains for the day, and she swiped to take the call. “This is Mattie.”

  “Mattie, hi.” The caller’s voice held a note of relief. “This is Tamara Bennett, your brother’s girlfriend?”

  “Yes, Tamara, hello. I got home too late last night to call you. I was out of cell phone range most of the day yesterday.”
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br />   “Oh … um … have you heard from Will lately?”

  That was a strange question. Perhaps Tamara didn’t know that she and Willie called each other about once a week. “I talked to him a little over a week ago I guess.”

  “Oh.” Disappointment colored the word. “I’m worried about him. I haven’t seen him since last Wednesday.”

  This wasn’t what she expected to hear. Mattie squinted her eyes as she pulled into the station parking lot, noticing she was the last one on the team to arrive. An unfamiliar van sat parked among the staff vehicles. “He lives with you, right?”

  “That’s right, but he didn’t come home Wednesday night and hasn’t come back since.”

  “Has he ever done this before?”

  “Never. I can always count on him to pick up my son, Elliott, at after-school care on Wednesdays, but he didn’t show.”

  “And you tried reaching him at work?”

  “They haven’t heard from him either.”

  Mattie didn’t know what to think. She wanted to give her brother the benefit of the doubt, but the fact remained that he was an addict, and once an addict, always etcetera. “Has he started using again?”

  Tamara released an audible breath. “That’s just it. Not that I know of, but he’s been acting strange lately. Secretive. And he’d been going out after dinner to meet an old friend, or at least that’s what he said.”

  Bingo. Old friends could spell danger to someone with a drug addiction. “I can see why you’re worried. I’m sorry, Tamara, but I have to say it sounds like he might have fallen off the wagon.”

  After a long pause, Tamara spoke again, this time sounding close to tears. “I thought he was more dedicated than that to staying clean. I didn’t see it coming. I filed a missing person report, but the police don’t seem to be taking it seriously. I guess because of his history.”

  The loved ones were sometimes the last to believe there was a problem. But still this was Willie they were talking about. She wanted to believe in him, too. Besides, Tamara sounded like a nice person, and she seemed to trust that he was on the right track. “How can I help, Tamara?”