“If Jane had any idea how much those pot plants would have benefitted this case against her, I’m sure she’d have come up with something else,” Pete said after finishing his summary.
“That’s not funny,” Sadie said. “You just told me the charges weren’t dismissed.”
“But they won’t be substantiated, and it pulled a federal task force into the situation. Shawn sent over that profile on Valerie, and there are cops in three states making contacts right now, gathering information that’s going to lead us right to her. I hope I get the chance to thank her for framing me.”
When he arrived at the dinner, he gave a shortened account to the group and assured everyone that he was not a drug dealer. He served himself some dinner and spent the next hour mingling with guests and acting as though everything that had happened was no big deal.
Sadie wanted to keep him to herself so they could discuss things, but she forced herself to be as optimistic and unruffled as he was in front of their families. It was getting dark before people started leaving for their homes or hotels; most of the out-of-town guests were staying at the Carmichael. The only other hotel in town was the Galactic, and Sadie never recommended it. The carpet had planets and spaceships on it that glowed in the dark, or at least it had when it was put in thirty years ago.
Sadie hugged and thanked and hugged some more, so grateful that everyone had come. To Pete’s kids she gushed over the amazing meal and all their efforts to bring everyone together. What would she have done without them? They were equally gracious and sweet and wonderful. It was almost possible to forget about all the horrible things that had happened today.
Almost.
Sadie was saying her good-byes when she felt Pete’s hand on her shoulder. She looked away from her cousin, Sandra, long enough to smile at Pete, but then saw the intent look on his face. “What?” she asked. He nodded toward her guests and she turned back.
“Thanks again for coming,” Sadie said, then hurried through a hug and waved as Sandra headed down Gayle’s front walk. Sadie turned back to Pete. “What is it?”
“They found her car.”
“What?” Heat flushed her chest and face before she replayed Pete’s comment in her mind. “Wait, just her car? Not her?”
Pete nodded. “The car’s been torched, but she left a note for you. Malloy wants us to meet him at the scene—a campground by Walker Springs. Let’s go.”
Chapter 24
Walker Springs was a campground located a couple of miles from Highway 14, on the edge of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. Sadie had never been there, though she’d passed the sign many times on her way to Denver. Pete explained that it was a small location—only four campsites and a single-seat outhouse. It had been built by the Civilian Conservation Corps back in the 1930s and 1940s but hadn’t been expanded and facilitated for long-term use. In the winter, it was popular with snowmobilers. In the summer, it tended to attract travelers who would stop for a night before moving on.
“Why would Jane go there and light her car on fire?” Sadie asked.
“Why does Jane do anything she does?” Pete said with a shake of his head. They were on Highway 14, several minutes away from the life and lights of Garrison. The landscape was dark outside their windows, but the lingering heat of the day hadn’t yet given way to the cooler temperatures of night. “The campground isn’t far from the road. I can’t help but wonder if she torched the car and then made it to the road where she caught a ride with someone passing by.”
“It seems risky,” Sadie said. “If someone from Garrison stopped, they might know who she is.”
“So maybe the car is a diversion.”
Sadie turned her head to look at him. “You think she planted it so she could lead the cops out of town and do something else?”
“Maybe,” Pete said. “But our security is still at Gayle’s, and it’s not as though the entire Garrison police force responded to the car fire. Maybe the diversion is just to make us think she’s gone.”
Sadie faced forward again and let out a breath. “She texted me at the dinner—Shawn too—a couple of hours ago. I told her I wasn’t going to talk to her anymore. Both Shawn and I blocked the number.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”
“It’s been a little busy,” Sadie defended even though she hated the idea that she’d done something wrong.
“We can trace the call and find out where she made them from.”
“Will that matter?” Sadie asked. “None of the other numbers have given us much to work with.”
“It’s still the only way we have of tracing her movements. Do you have the number? I’ll call it in to the station and get them working on it.”
Sadie got her phone from her purse and relayed the number to Pete once he had an officer on the phone with him. The road curved to the north, and red and blue flashing lights came into view. Pete slowed down and his headlights lit up the white lettering of the National Forest sign that read Walker Springs. He turned left onto the access road and rolled down his window to talk to the officer posted there. A few seconds later they were waved through.
Though the road was asphalt for several yards, it eventually turned into road base, necessitating that Pete slow down. They passed a day-use area with picnic tables, a restroom, and very clear signs indicating that overnight camping was not permitted. A mile past the day-use area, they saw the lights of the police vehicles that had responded. Pete pulled in next to a SUV from the Forest Service, and they opened their doors at the same time, equally eager to make their own assessment and get an update.
Sadie smelled burnt metal and rubber as soon as she stepped out of the car. Groups of officers stood around talking to each other, and an outdoor lighting system had been rigged up to illuminate something beyond Sadie’s view. They bypassed some of the people and the fire engine and saw the burnt-out shell of a car parked next to one of the campground sites.
Some of the silver paint was still visible around the front fender, but most of the chassis was charcoal-black. The tires had burned, the windows had broken, and some trees nearby were charred. Though the fire was out, the trees and the car were still smoking. The bright lights lit up the front seat, and though Sadie was anxious about seeing evidence of anything gruesome, she wondered how the police were so certain Jane hadn’t been inside the car. The thought made her shiver, and she looked at her feet instead of the car as she and Pete crossed the rest of the distance to Malloy, who was talking to a couple of Forest Service personnel.
“What do you know?” Pete asked as soon as they joined the other men.
Malloy updated them on what he had learned: the fire was reported around 9:00 by someone just arriving at the campground—there were no other campers. Forest Service was on the scene first with a water truck and worked to put out the car fire until they were joined by the Garrison fire department. There didn’t seem to be anyone in the vehicle. Accelerant was suspected to be gasoline, though there would be an official investigation to confirm that.
“We’ll be contacting all the gas stations in Garrison and Sterling for leads on anyone filling up gas cans tonight. The fire chief estimates it would take several gallons to burn this hot.”
“You said she’d left something for Sadie,” Pete said.
Malloy nodded and held up a Zip-loc bag, which Sadie knew meant they were trying to preserve the item for possible prints. “This was under a rock on the picnic table several feet from the car—out of danger of the fire.”
Sadie leaned forward as Pete took the bag. Inside was a piece of lined notebook paper. One of the rangers took a flashlight from his belt and shined it on the bag so Sadie and Pete could better read it. Creases indicated that the paper had been folded in fourths at some point, but it was open now. On one side “Sadie Hoffmiller” was written in a feminine hand, and Sadie realized she’d never actually seen Jane’s handwriting before.
Pete turned the bag over and adjusted it so the ranger’
s light made it possible to read without blinding them with the glare off the shiny plastic and white paper.
Sadie took a breath and read the words to herself.
You don’t know me! No matter who you talk to or what you do you won’t ever know me or what I’m capable of. I told you that you would never be free of me and I meant it! I’ll come back and I will make your life a living hell!!!!!!!!!! Just wait, Sadie. JUST WAIT!
“She’s insane,” Sadie said after she read the note and found herself surprisingly unmoved by it. The words weren’t those of a sane person—not that she had ever put Jane in that category.
“What do we do now?” Pete asked, looking at Malloy.
“We’ll investigate, of course,” Malloy said. “We got the profile Shawn worked up earlier.” He cast a quick glance at Sadie that she thought might almost have been complimentary. “And I’ve assigned a team to expand on it. I’ve already contacted The Denver Post in hopes of keeping her in the public eye. We’ll look for video footage from around town, we’ll contact past departments that have worked with her, and we’ll continue to work with the federal agencies. She’s left a threat behind. We’ll do everything we can to catch her before she can make good on it.”
Sadie’s attention returned to the car, lit up as though it were on a stage. She thought of the words of Jane’s letter and considered what it meant. Maybe she and Pete should move away, go somewhere new and keep a low profile. Surely with enough time and manpower, the police would catch up with Jane and put an end to this. Tomorrow was her wedding day. Could she trust that Jane meant what she’d said about having left? Could Sadie believe that the wedding could take place?
She really didn’t know—the day seemed to have sanded her emotional reaction to a smooth plane. Or maybe she had made the internal adjustments she needed to make to truly be free of Jane. Jack’s words at dinner had made an impression on her. He’d pointed out that she’d had no outline for the other cases she’d been involved in, so she didn’t need one now. Sadie herself had told Pete that she hadn’t stopped hiding because she felt safe. She couldn’t trust Jane’s note—there was no reason to think that Jane had really left, and yet if she stayed, maybe they could handle it. Maybe, like Pete had said, everything really would be okay.
Chapter 25
It was almost midnight before Pete and Sadie returned to Gayle’s house. The security company’s vehicle was still parked in the driveway, and although Sadie had expected they would leave after the dinner, she was glad to know they were still watching over her family.
Breanna, Liam, Shawn, Maggie, as well as Brooke and Jared were in the living room—their families, as well as Michelle and her family, had chosen to call it a night after Pete and Sadie left. Despite the intensity of the day, Sadie loved that her children and Pete’s children had been together for hours, talking and getting to know each other better amid missing furniture and the last of the sugar cookies.
They broke off their conversations when Pete and Sadie came in and then listened as Pete explained what had happened. Much of the same details Pete and Malloy had discussed were rehashed again. Hearing everything a second time didn’t help Sadie make any decisions.
“She totally didn’t leave,” Shawn said, shaking his head, an expression of intensity on his face. “She’s setting us up.”
“Maybe she did leave,” Brooke said. “She got blindsided pretty good today. She could have burned the car to make sure there wasn’t any evidence left behind that would help people find her.”
“Malloy would like to have a meeting at nine o’clock tomorrow morning,” Pete said. “The police will know more by then, and we’ll know if Jane tries anything during the night. Plus, he’d like to talk to our families about what to do tomorrow.”
“So the wedding might still happen?” Breanna asked.
“We don’t know,” Pete said with a shrug. “There’s so much we still don’t know.”
“But we’ll talk about it in the morning?” Brooke asked.
Pete nodded. He, Jared, and Brooke discussed sleeping arrangements for Brooke since her family had returned to Fort Collins—both Jared and Pete had rooms at the Carmichael, and Maggie volunteered an extra set of pajamas.
Sadie went into the kitchen in hopes of finding something to clean up only to find it spic-and-span. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see that Breanna had followed her, a look of concern on her face. “Are you okay, Mom?”
“I’m okay. I mean, I’ve been worse.” She gave a smile. In truth she didn’t really know how she felt, or how she should feel.
“Do you think she’s gone?” Breanna asked, coming further into the kitchen and leaning against the counter.
“I don’t even dare speculate,” Sadie said, shaking her head. “Where are Gayle and Dr. McKay?”
“They went to the Carmichael.”
Sadie frowned.
“We tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted. We got all the beds set up and everything so it’s going to work for the four of us to stay here. Liam arranged for two of the security guys to stay here, one outside and one in—just in case. Maggie’s staying at the hotel, though.” She smiled. “I knew you’d prefer she and Shawn not sleep under the same roof.”
Sadie smiled a bit sheepishly. “You’ll make a wonderful mother one day, Bre.”
“I learned from the best,” she said with a quick shrug. “I thought maybe Maggie could drive over with Pete, and he could make sure she got to her room okay.”
“Good idea,” Sadie said. She yawned and reviewed the day in the space of it. It didn’t seem possible that so much could take place in such a small period of time, and she resisted the urge to dwell on it in greater detail. “Sorry,” she said. “I guess it’s past my bedtime.”
“Yours and mine both,” Breanna said.
“Oh, I totally forgot about your jet lag. You must be dead on your feet.”
“I’ve been drinking Mountain Dew like it’s the fountain of youth, but, yeah, I could use some sleep.”
“Then let’s wrap things up and get everyone to bed,” Sadie said. “Who knows what tomorrow will bring.”
“There’s just one thing we need to do before we turn in.”
“What?”
Breanna grinned. “You need to choose a wedding dress.”
She led Sadie into Gayle’s room where six different dresses hung in the closet. Breanna called for Maggie and Brooke to join them and for the next twenty minutes, Sadie tried on the dresses Gayle had picked out. Three were either white or ivory, and she tried them first, liking the more traditional color. An ivory wrap-style dress stood out above the rest, and she set it aside before trying on the pale pink, ice blue, and sea-foam green options.
Though Sadie loved the fit of the blue one, and the girls agreed that it was best for her figure, her eyes kept going back to the ivory one she’d liked from the first set. She explained her dilemma to the girls and they all told her to try the dresses on again, back to back. She did so, finishing with the blue.
“They both look great,” Brooke said, shaking her head. “I can’t decide.”
“Me neither,” Breanna said. “They both work so well.”
“Maggie?” Sadie turned her attention to the only one who hadn’t expressed an opinion. “What do you think?”
“I’m not sure either, but I saw this trick on a TV show that might help.”
She got the ivory dress, still on the hanger, and had Sadie face the mirror and close her eyes. Sadie could tell that Maggie was holding the ivory dress in front of her, but waited until Maggie told her to open her eyes before she looked. The ivory dress covered every bit of the blue, allowing Sadie to see how the color looked against her skin and with her hair.
“So, this is the more traditional one,” Maggie said, then she took the hanger away, leaving Sadie looking at her reflection in the blue dress. “And this is the one with the fit we like.”
The contrast was surprising as Sadie stared at herself in the
mirror.
“Do it again,” she said as she closed her eyes. Maggie put the dress in place again, then told Sadie to open her eyes, paused a few seconds, and then moved the dress away a second time.
“Which one makes you feel more like a bride, Mom?” Breanna asked.
Sadie looked up into her daughter’s reflection over her shoulder, then moved her eyes to meet Brooke’s on the other side. Brooke gave her a soft smile, and Sadie knew that for all her support and enthusiasm this was still hard for Pete’s oldest daughter who missed her mother. Sadie looked back at her reflection in the blue dress.
“One more time,” she said and closed her eyes for a third time. When she opened them, she looked at the ivory dress and remembered Gayle’s words about the fact that Sadie and Pete would get married. If not tomorrow, another time. What did she want to be wearing when that happened?
“The ivory dress makes me feel like a bride,” she said, the decision suddenly obvious. The girls agreed, hugged her in turn, and Maggie put the dress back in the plastic covering while Sadie changed out of the blue one.
When they returned to the living room, Brooke suggested a family prayer before they all parted ways for the night. Everyone stood in a circle, holding hands. Since she’d suggested the idea, everyone insisted Brooke also offer the words.
Sadie bowed her head and listened to the kind and heartfelt words of Pete’s oldest daughter asking for the Lord’s blessing to be upon them tomorrow, that hearts would be softened, spirits would be lifted, and lives would be protected. Sadie let every word wash over her and felt lifted up by the love of these people and the potential ahead of them.
“Amen,” Brooke said when she finished.
A chorus of Amens answered her, and Sadie breathed in all the goodness of the moment and the hopes expressed in Brooke’s prayer. She needed to keep those feelings close to her. She needed to remain mindful of God’s eye upon all that may happen next.
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