Cold Case Colorado

by Cassie Miles

  He didn’t want to have her exposed to a shooter while she tromped through the forest unprotected. “Your dad was only a kid when they buried the cat. How would he know about playing a guitar?”

  “In this story, time drifts in and out. He arranges the context to suit the message.”

  “How do you know about this stuff?”

  “Writing was something I shared with Dad.”

  He understood. Ty and his dad both enjoyed hunting and spent endless hours in the hills and forests of Montana, tracking and hiking. Some days, they went hours without speaking. Didn’t need to. And neither of them liked to end the hunt with a kill. When they bagged a deer or an elk, they used every part of the animal.

  He and his dad were alike in many ways. They were both practical, both nesters.

  Hurtado made an adjustment on the tracking screen. “I’m going into the forest to search and need to be careful. Otherwise, I’ll get hung up on a tree.”

  “Can you give us a wide shot?” Ty asked.

  “Higher than three hundred feet, and we’ll start to lose focus, but I can give you a bird’s eye angle.”

  The drone swept over the forest, hovering above spaces that were too difficult to explore. In a large rock formation that reminded him of the Hag Stone, they spotted the entrance to a cave. Coming back toward the creek, the drone zipped around groves and thickets. This part of the forest was relatively dense. “It doesn’t look like there’s been a fire around here in ages.”

  “Not this close to the Castle,” Vanessa said. “I heard there was a fire last night. From the lightning. A tree on the ridge burned.”

  “We’re lucky it didn’t spread.”

  After swooping and circling and hovering, Hurtado guided the drone back to where they’d stationed themselves so she could change the battery. Checking her GPS maps, she pointed out the area they’d covered. “We went right from here. Now we’ll try the other direction.”

  He watched Vanessa lean back against a rock and stretch her arms over her head in a yawn. She was flexible. Like a cat. He sat beside her, enjoying the quiet of the forest and wishing their search was over. He wanted to take her home with him and spend the night in her arms. When this investigation was over, he didn’t want to deliver her back to the Castle.

  “Have you thought about what you want to do when we wrap up Bethany’s murder?”

  “If we wrap it up,” she said. “What do you think, Agent Hurtado? Is Morris any closer to finding the killer?”

  “We still haven’t located Bethany’s lover,” she said. “But I think Yuri Kirov might be first in line for having an affair with her. Before he married Macy, he had a reputation for being a playboy. And it was his glove you found on the Hag Stone.”

  “I think the glove was planted,” Ty said.

  “Or maybe Yuri dropped it,” Hurtado said. “If not Yuri, I’m leaning toward the husband. He’s a shifty character, and I’m not just saying that because he’s a lawyer. There’s something about Bethany claiming that they were going to be millionaires that makes me want to take another look at him.”

  She finished replacing the battery and launched the drone again.

  He turned toward Vanessa who was gazing at him with a glimmer of curiosity in her dark brown eyes. “Why did you ask about my plans?”

  “I thought after all these situations, you might not want to stay at the Castle.”

  She nodded. “I’m committed to staying here and finishing the book for Simon. We signed a contract, and he’s paying me decent money.”

  “And you like being a ghost.”

  “True, I like being a ghost, but you’re right about the Castle. It’s uncomfortable...and dangerous.”

  This was the opening he’d hoped for. He could make the offer for her to stay with him until the book was done. His schedule meant he’d be gone most of the time. She’d have plenty of time and space. “This might be too soon to ask, but...”

  “Take a look,” Hurtado said. “I’m seeing an object that doesn’t belong in the forest. It’s bright yellow.”

  He bounced to his feet and squinted at the screen. “It’s the edge of the gravestone. Can you zoom in?”

  She adjusted the focus, and the burial place for Mr. Fluffball came into view. Vanessa did a victory dance and threw her good arm around him for a hug. “We did it!”

  They’d found the cat. Now, where was Dorothy?

  Ty gathered his little group together, and they set out to find the physical location of the yellow tombstone. Vanessa was so excited that she dragged them off course three times even though Hurtado indicated the path they should follow with GPS coordinates. Uphill from the creek, they crossed a field of rocks that Vanessa said looked like Stonehenge. Score another landmark point for her dad! From there, they went into a wooded glen. The burial ground for Mr. Fluffball wasn’t hidden but it wasn’t obvious. There weren’t many people who went hiking or had picnics on this land so close to the Castle, and he couldn’t think of another reason anyone would come here. This was private property with no hunting allowed. Not suitable for recreation. Too much forest for an ATV.

  Vanessa darted up to the grave marker with yellow painted edges and read the black inscription. Mr. Fluffball. Silly cat. Rest in peace. She dropped to her knees and reached out, touching the painted letters with her fingers. “I never knew this animal. He was long dead before I was born, but I feel that Fluffball is part of my heritage, a symbol of my weird family. Dad thought enough of the Fluffball funeral that he wrote a story about it.”

  “One problem,” Ty said. “We’re not looking for a cat. It’s Dorothy we need to find.”

  With a whoosh, she emptied her lungs of air and sank to the ground in front of the grave marker. “Maybe Dad was sending some kind of message.”

  “Like what? Too bad, suckers!”

  “It’s got to be buried around here. How big was the coffin?”

  He had a hard time thinking of a metal box as a coffin, but he’d play along with her. What other option did he have? “Roughly the size of a carry-on suitcase.”

  She paced around the perimeter of the clearing. “If Dad were here, what would he say?”

  “I’m not good at epitaphs,” Ty said, “and I never knew either of these people. If I had to guess, I’d say that—in spite of their squabbles—they loved each other. And that’s what you call ironic.”

  “So sad. So true. Their relationship was fraught with irony. Like an arrow that aims in a circle and never hits the mark.”

  Hurtado exchanged a glance with Randall. They both looked at Ty. In unison, the three of them shrugged.

  “Don’t you get it?” Vanessa said. “A heart and an arrow that goes around it in a circle. That’s the design on the locket.”

  Ty had known that the necklace—which was now locked away in his gun safe at home—had a connection. The locket was the first clue that pointed toward Aunt Dorothy. “What does it mean?”

  “When Dorothy assigned the task of staging her burial to Dad, he must have seen the irony. She turned to him. Even after their long estrangement, she loved her brother. The locket was a symbol of that irony.”

  Ty listened and nodded. “I’m going to need a little more help to figure this out.”

  “Everything is upside down and backward.” She walked in a circle to the back side of the gravestone. A scrawl on the back was an arrow that made a circle, then pointed straight down. “Dorothy is buried here, on the flip side of Mr. Fluffball.”

  Ty picked up the spade and sliced into the earth. In minutes, the spade hit metal. The grave wasn’t deep. He quickly and easily cleared the dirt from the box. Together, he and Randall lifted it from the hole.

  The silvery box looked something like a treasure chest with fancy scrollwork on the corners and an ornate lock on the front. “It’s locked,” he said.

  “You
have a spade. Crack it open.”

  “No mistakes,” he said. “We need to follow protocol and maintain the chain of evidence. I don’t want this case to fall apart because we weren’t patient enough to handle it properly.”

  “You’re right,” said Hurtado.

  Randall nodded his agreement.

  “I’m the only person who isn’t an active member of law enforcement,” Vanessa said. “What are we supposed to do?”

  Though his fingers were itching to rip apart the box, Ty wasn’t going to make a mistake. This whole story was already far-fetched. He didn’t need complications. “We turn the box over to Dr. Waters, the forensic pathologist. She can either use some kind of X-ray machine or open the box under supervision. She’ll contact us with her findings.”

  “That doesn’t sound so bad.” Vanessa gazed up at him. “There’s something I need to do. Can I have a moment?”

  He reached into her backpack, took out the urn and handed it to her. “This is the place you’ve been looking for, the place where you want to scatter your father’s ashes.”

  “He should be here with Aunt Dorothy and Fluffball.” She took two handfuls of ashes and allowed them to sift through her fingers. Her movements were slow and respectful with a sense of ceremony. She leaned forward and patted the wildly colorful tombstone.

  “It feels like I should say something.”

  “Up to you,” he said.

  She whispered, “Goodbye, silly cat.”

  * * *

  THEY RETURNED TO the Castle where Ty turned the box over to Agent Morris. He watched Vanessa go with Mona into the kitchen and hoped she’d snag something for their dinner.

  “Good work,” Morris said. “I don’t know if this will help us solve Bethany’s murder, but it says a lot about Dorothy’s disappearance and death.”

  “Our findings create more questions. Mainly, why did she kill herself?”

  “That’s the problem with cold cases. Witnesses come and go and don’t usually have clear memories. The evidence is spotty at best.” He studied the ornate silvery box. “Why the hell would they bury her in that thing? How come she wanted her brother to dispose of her remains instead of the beloved husband?”

  Ty had a feeling about Dorothy’s remains. There would be one more clue that put everything in perspective. “When do you want us here for the reenactment?”

  “One o’clock. Come a little earlier and have lunch.”

  He didn’t need to be invited twice. Ty was aware that he was treating the Castle like his own personal fast-food franchise, but he didn’t feel guilty. There was always activity in the kitchen, and they had the best pantry in the state.

  He and Vanessa didn’t bother discussing where she’d sleep tonight. No question. She came home with him, and they celebrated their success with sandwiches made from roast beef, fancy cheese, tomatoes and locally-sourced romaine lettuce. The beverage was a local craft beer that he kept on hand.

  He scarfed down the sandwich in record time. “I guess I was hungrier than I thought.”

  “It’s been a long day,” she said. “Make yourself another sandwich. And try these freshly made potato chips.”

  “If I lived at the Castle, I’d weigh seven hundred pounds.”

  “It’s not a good place to be on a diet.”

  He took a drink of the ice-cold beer and savored the full-bodied taste. “I’ve got to say congratulations to us, but if you weren’t part of this crazy family, we never would have been able to unravel all the twists and turns.”

  “Now all I have to do is figure out who murdered Bethany,” she said. “Do you think Agent Morris will be too upset if we outsmart him?”

  “If we refer to outsmarting him, he’s not going to be happy.” Ty was pleased with the professional relationship he’d developed with the CBI. “There aren’t many guys who like to be reminded when they aren’t the smartest in the room.”

  “How about you?”

  “I’ve got no problem admitting that you win the genius prize. Not that it’s a contest. I’m just happy to see things from your point of view. I like to learn.”

  He didn’t know why she beamed a smile at him but was glad she did. From the first time he met her, he liked the way they fit. Like matching pieces in a puzzle. They were comfortable together. While they ate, they talked about drones and how useful they were for search and rescue. And they spoke about the approaching ski season. And they shared long moments of silence when talking wasn’t necessary.

  After they cleaned up the dishes, she asked to see more of his DIY projects.

  “Matter of fact,” he said, “I’ve got something new I’ve been thinking about. You’re kind of the inspiration for it.”

  “Me?”

  “That’s right.” He led her out of the kitchen and down the hall behind the staircase to a smallish room with a window that looked out on the front porch. “I wanted this to be a gym but it’s not big enough. Then, I thought I’d turn it into a guest bedroom.”

  She went to the window and pulled the curtain aside so she could see out. “I’m guessing this is a great view in daylight.”

  “And it’s not bad at night.” If he hadn’t been concerned about her safety, he would have taken her for a moonlight stroll. “This is going to be an office. I can use lots of built-in cabinets for storage and equipment. And a computer desk over here.”

  “I’m not sure that’s a great idea.” She stepped into the center of the room and slowly turned around. “I think you could turn this into a great office, but you’ve got plenty of space at the courthouse. Do you really want to bring your work home with you?”

  He hadn’t been thinking about his work. Not at all. He wanted to build an office for her so that she could stay here while she was working on her book. Living at the Castle wouldn’t be necessary. He wanted to give her something she couldn’t get anywhere else. But it might be too soon to start making grand gestures. He needed to take his time and give his exotic bird a chance to spread her wings.

  Last night when they made love, he’d been insanely passionate, carried away by emotions that ran deeper and stronger than anything he’d felt before. Tonight was different. They undressed for bed slowly, taking time to appreciate the view. Her breasts were high and small but not too small. Just right. Moonlight spilled through the window and outlined her slender waist.

  He glided his hand along the flare of her hips and back to those beautiful breasts. When she snuggled against him, her long legs twined with his. Again, a perfect fit. Their breath was in synch. And their pulse. They finished at exactly the same time. Fulfilled.

  He lay beside her under the comforter. Not talking. There were a few things he wanted to say, but he held his silence.

  She ran her hand over his head. “I like the way your hair feels.”

  “Back at you.”

  “Would you like to join me in the shower?”

  “Yes, please.”

  He wanted to tell her that he loved her. Those words had been building inside him from the first time he heard her voice and saw her face. But he knew she wasn’t ready. Those words were pretty much the worst thing he could say.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Vanessa woke with a sense of tension and trouble. Something was wrong with their relationship. Was that what she should call this? A relationship? She hated to pin down the complex emotions she’d shared with Ty. One word didn’t suffice.

  Before she got out of bed, she put in a call to Dr. Waters’s office to find out if they’d opened the box or started the odd autopsy on a skull and a couple of old bones. The doctor’s assistant gave Vanessa a brief but condescending lecture on the equipment they’d use and promised to have Dr. Waters call back as soon as possible. Vanessa threw on a T-shirt and jeans and padded barefooted down the staircase.

  Ty had already made coffee and heated the morning pastry
unleashing delightful aromas of cinnamon and fresh brew. She plunked into a chair at the kitchen table. “I called Dr. Waters.”

  “Did she have any information?”

  “Not yet. Her assistant mentioned something irrelevant about fluorescent spectrometer magnification. I’m going to keep calling. If there’s one thing I learned from four years as Dad’s caretaker, it’s that squeaky wheels get the grease.”

  “Squeak on.” He filled her mug with thick black coffee, the way he liked it. When he kissed her cheek and nibbled her ear, she almost forgot about her relationship misgivings. Almost.

  “Do we have a plan for the day?” she asked.

  “Are you going to make a list?”

  “I always do.”

  “At one o’clock, we’re supposed to go to the Castle and participate in a reenactment of the hours before Bethany’s body was found.”

  “How precise is this supposed to be? I mean, should I wear the same clothes?”

  “I don’t think that’s necessary, but I wouldn’t mind seeing that soft blue blouse again.”

  “You remember what I was wearing?”

  “I’m an officer of the law, trained to observe and recall details,” he said. “We should get over to the Castle early so we can grab some lunch.”

  For a single guy like Ty, finding a constant supply of gourmet food must feel like a bonanza. “You really are a scavenger,” she said.

  “I ought to replenish my supplies. Maybe swing by the grocery store.”

  “That goes on the list,” she said.

  He rose from the table and grasped her hand. “Come this way and bring your coffee.”

  In the small room he might turn into an office, he’d done some renovating. There was a small desk, a swivel chair and a notebook. “Where did you find this stuff?”

  “Garage. I thought you might need list-making supplies, and I’ve got a bunch of odds and ends just lying around.”

  He pulled a cord, and the curtain swept open. The view was as spectacular as she thought it would be. Coffee mug on the table, she sat on the chair that had already been adjusted to her height. She flipped open the notebook and picked up the pen. Her morning ritual usually started this way.