Chattering Blue Jay

by Paty Jager

  Ullman stopped taking photos. “The woman you lost?”

  “Yeah.”

  Ullman whistled. “Shits gonna hit the fan over that.”

  “Don’t I know it.” He had to find proof the woman had been at the shack. “You finish here. I’m going to look for tracks.”

  “Sure you’re up to it? You were deep in La-la land when I saw the smoke.” Ullman studied him.

  “No, I’m not sure, but I have to find her tracks and prove she was here.” Hawke grabbed a water bottle and his phone and started at the front door, looking for the track he knew as Tonya’s hiking boots.

  About five feet from the entrance that he and Ullman had compromised by running into the burning building, he found the tracks while defending himself from the heat of the out of control burning building. He found the tracks of her leaving the house headed east. She was going back to the country she knew.

  He was too tired to follow her, but he could let the Idaho authorities know she was headed their way. Hawke took photos of her tracks. A thought came to him. Where did she get a gun? He knew for a fact there hadn’t been one in her pack. But Sheridan had run off with the shotgun and handgun. He’d come back up here tomorrow and dig through the ashes and see if he could find both guns. If Ms. Cox didn’t leave it in the burning building, he might be able to find the gun and prove she killed Sheridan.

  What he really wanted to know was why? Was it because he’d killed White, who she’d fallen for and helped escape prison, or was it for some other reason? His head began to hurt. These were questions to ponder after a long sleep and a decent meal.

  He walked back to the truck and climbed in.

  “Forest Service is headed this way to keep an eye on it overnight,” Ullman said.

  “Tell them not to touch anything. I’m coming back tomorrow and sifting through the ashes. I want to know if both guns Sheridan had are in the house or if the killer took one with them.” Hawke leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes.

  «»«»«»

  “Hawke, you look like and smell like a homeless dog.” Herb Trembley’s voice roused Hawke.

  “You want me to help you get him to his apartment?” Ullman asked.

  Hawke pried his eyes open and saw they were at the Trembley Ranch. Where he lived. “I can make it to my place.”

  “But will you stay awake long enough to take a shower?” Herb asked.

  “I’m sure I can.”

  At the sound of his voice, nickering and braying started in the area of the paddock where he kept his horses and mule. He walked over to the stall gate. The animals snorted and stared at him. “Yeah, even you hay bags don’t like the sight and smell of me.”

  Herb had his pack.

  “Just dump that at the bottom of the stairs. I’ll deal with it tomorrow.” Hawke whistled for Dog who was in sniffing noses with Jack, the horse, his buddy.

  “Want me to bring you over some food?” Herb asked, standing at the foot of the stairs leading up to the apartment.

  “Yeah, a shower will wake me enough to eat. Thanks.” Hawke ascended the stairs, his tired legs feeling as if he were climbing Mt. Everest. He’d scaled ridge after ridge the last week and they hadn’t made his legs feel like mush.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The aroma of freshly brewed coffee woke Hawke. Funny, he didn’t remember setting his coffee pot last night. He inhaled, allowing the scent to pull him out from under the covers.

  A cold nose poked his thigh. He automatically patted Dog on the head. “I’m getting up.” Even though he said the words, his body had a mind of its own. It had been a long time since his limbs ignored messages to get moving.

  “We’re getting too old to hike like we’re on a mission,” he said, continuing to pet Dog and allowing his muscles to engage with his brain. Finally, after the pot had spewed its last blast of hot water through the coffee grounds, he sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

  “We’re taking Jack and Horse with us today. If we’re going to track, I’m riding.” Hawke filled a cup with coffee, sat down in the one chair at his small table, and sipped the dark, satisfying brew. He sighed. While he didn’t down coffee like a lot of other officers did, he had to admit, a good cup to start the day was something he didn’t like going without.

  His stomach grumbled at the same time neighing and the staccato bray of Horse started down in the paddock. “Guess we should say good morning to those three and feed them before we go to the Rusty Nail.” He finished off the coffee, pulled on clean jeans, T-shirt, long-sleeved snap shirt, socks, and boots.

  Dog bounded down the stairs ahead of him and straight to the room where the grain was kept. He loved catching rodents among the sacks of feed.

  Hawke walked to the paddock and patted his horses and mule on the foreheads. “Hey, boys, did you miss me?”

  “They did.” Darlene’s voice came from down the alleyway.

  Hawke watched his landlord approach, leading her favorite mare. “You going for a ride?”

  “I was thinking about it. Jezzy and I haven’t been on a trail ride for a while. We both could use the change of scenery.” Darlene stopped in front of Hawke. “Herb said you were so tired last night he hoped you didn’t fall asleep in the mashed potatoes I sent along with that meatloaf.”

  He smiled. “I don’t remember starting my coffee pot, but I do know I didn’t fall asleep in the mashed potatoes.”

  Darlene laughed. “Herb started your coffee pot. He said the shape you were in you’d need the caffeine this morning.”

  “Ahh, that explains why I couldn’t remember doing it. Tell him thanks. And thank you for the food. Soon as I get these three fed, I’m headed to the Rusty Nail for breakfast, then to the office.” He nodded toward the stall. “I’ll be taking Jack and Horse out when I get back. Probably be gone a few days again. Can you keep an eye on Boy?”

  “Not a problem.” Worry lines wrinkled her brow. “I heard the escaped convict was found killed. Why do you need to go back out?”

  “There’s been another homicide. And I believe I know who did it. I just have to find the person.” After a good night’s sleep, he was convinced Tonya Cox had killed Sheridan to get back at him for killing White. It made no other sense. He just had to prove she did it and find her.

  “Good luck.” Darlene led her mare away.

  Hawke grabbed the wheelbarrow leaning against the feed room and filled it with hay. He pushed it to the end of the horse run and tossed it into the feeder. Then he topped off the water tank that was clear and clean. He’d have to pay more rent this month for the good care Darlene took of his animals when he was away.

  After the animals were tended to, he left Dog with the horses and headed to Winslow and his favorite breakfast place, the Rusty Nail.

  «»«»«»

  At the café, Hawke took his usual seat at the counter. It was late enough that the breakfast crowd had gone, leaving only the mid-morning gossips having coffee.

  “Heard you didn’t make it to your conference,” Justine, his favorite waitress and friend, said, pouring him a cup of coffee.

  He studied her over the cup as he sipped. “Who told you that?”

  “The other half of the Hawke Fan Club.” She winked and tossed a dark braid over her shoulder. “Want your usual?”

  He nodded and wondered if it had been a good idea for Justine and Dani to have become friends. It was good for the two women. Dani was new to the area and didn’t really fit in given she was a retired Air Force officer and not from a county family, and Justine, while having grown up in the area, didn’t seem to have any friends. If not for him, the two would have never met. Yet now that they had, they seemed to have become good friends.

  His phone rang. Spruel.

  “Hawke.”

  “It’s Sergeant Spruel. Are you coming in today? I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t. Ullman said you were dead on your feet when he picked you up yesterday.”

  “I’m coming in. I want to
read that file you have on Cox and head out to Lord Flat and sift through the debris.”

  “Hawke, you need to take at least two days off. After the week you had, you should take the days you’d marked off for the conference as well.” Spruel was always on his butt about taking time off.

  “We’ll talk about it when I get there.” He ended the connection. For the first time in the last fifteen years that he’d been a Fish and Wildlife State Trooper in Wallowa County, he was thinking a month long vacation sounded good.

  “Here’s your food.” Justine set the platter-sized plate in front of him. Two eggs, three hotcakes, ham, and hash browns. His mouth watered as he shook salt and pepper on the eggs.

  “You should call Dani and let her know you made it back.” Justine’s quiet comment grabbed his attention.

  He stared into her hazel eyes. “Why?”

  His friend’s face scrunched into anger. “Because she is worried about you.” She studied him. “Are you that thick skinned you haven’t noticed she cares?”

  His throat tightened as he tried to swallow the pancake he’d been chewing. Could the woman who kept entering his thoughts at the all the wrong times actually feel something for him other than annoyance? He wasn’t getting his hopes up. Besides, he didn’t have a life that boded well for any kind of relationship. Like now. She’d worried about him, and he thought they were just friends.

  He swallowed the bite. “You care about me. Have you been worried?”

  Her cheeks darkened a bit. “Not until Dani called and asked if I’d seen you in the restaurant lately and said she’d hauled Dog and your pack to you to chase down an escaped killer.”

  Hawke cut the ham viciously with a knife and hissed for only her to hear, “See! That’s why it’s best for you and Dani to not care about me. It’s why I like being single. No one has to worry about me.”

  He dug into his breakfast, eating fast to get away from the narrowed gaze Justine sent him every time she stopped at the counter. The food wasn’t as tasty as he’d remembered. But he knew it was only because Justine had put thoughts into his head. Ones that were both interesting and worrisome.

  Tucking money for his meal and a tip under the edge of his plate, Hawke left the café. Work was what he did best. What had he been thinking, taking a month-long vacation? If he did that, his “Fan Club” would be wondering what happened to him. He huffed and drove to the building in Winslow that the Fish and Wildlife shared with the State Police.

  Spruel grabbed him as soon as he walked in the door. “Get me up to speed.”

  Hawke relayed his last week’s activities. “I won’t get it all typed up today. I want to get up to Lord Flat and sift through the debris.”

  “The incident crew is already up there. What are you looking for?” Spruel asked.

  “If a shotgun and a handgun are found. I know for a fact the Cox woman didn’t have a gun with her. I went through her pack. If she killed Sheridan, she had to have used one of his guns. I want to know if they were in the fire or if she took one with her. If she did, we might be able to prove she killed him.” Hawke studied his superior. The man was thinking awfully hard.

  “How do you plan to find her?”

  “Her tracks were headed back to Idaho. That’s area she knows. She admitted her uncle had taken her on many hikes in that area.”

  “I bet he had. Her uncle was Theodore Shoat, an Idaho Forest Service employee, and the man Felix White shot along with the Goodwin family.” Spruel studied him. “Are you sure Sheridan shot White?”

  Hawke shook his head. “No. That’s what Ms. Cox said. But why else would Sheridan have run if she’d killed White? And why would she kill Sheridan if she’d killed White? I mean, it sounds like she helped White escape to kill him.” He rubbed his temples. He was still running on too little sleep to think clearly.

  “Get someone to drive you to Idaho to pick up your vehicle. I don’t want you on duty today or tomorrow.” Spruel picked up a file. “Read this and get your report typed up before you go get the vehicle.”

  Hawke knew better than to argue with the sergeant when he used that tone. He took the file and wandered to his work station. It was part of a long counter with several other computers. Each trooper had their own station, though it was rare for more than one or two to be in the office at the same time. Only five troopers, three of which were also Fish and Wildlife, patrolled the over three thousand square acres of Wallowa County.

  He sat down at the computer and started typing the week’s activities as he’d told both Ullman and Sergeant Spruel. Two hours later, he rubbed his eyes, hit save on the report, and stared at the file the sergeant had given him. He wasn’t sure he could read this right now. Hawke grabbed the file and headed for the door. He’d go home, take a nap, and then figure out who to call to take him to Idaho. He was sure Herb would give him a lift, but he hated to always ask his landlord to drop everything and help him.

  His next thought was Dani. He wouldn’t mind spending several hours in a vehicle with her. Then he remembered his conversation with Justine that morning. Shit! He didn’t want to ask either woman after that conversation.

  His phone rang as he pulled up to the barn and arena at the Trembley’s.

  Dani.

  He hated that his body reacted to the sight of her name. “Hawke.”

  “About time you answered your phone. I had to call Justine to find out you were home.” The reprimand in her voice didn’t upset him like it would have from any other woman. From her, he knew it as her way of saying she cared.

  “I’ve been busy. Had to write a report, talk to my superior, make arrangements to get my truck.” Shit, he shouldn’t have said that.

  “Your truck’s still in Idaho?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m in town to pick up supplies. I could take a day and run you to Idaho.” The wistfulness in her voice was something he’d never heard from her before.

  Hawke opened his mouth and snapped it shut. He’d just told himself he wasn’t going to have either Dani or Justine take him to get his truck. But that would mean relying on Herb. Again.

  He sighed. “If you have the time, I could use a ride.”

  “What time tomorrow do you want to leave?” Her tone was all business, with a bit of a lilt he’d not heard before.

  “Might as well get this out of the way. You said you were in town. We can leave in an hour if you don’t mind driving over there. I’m pretty sure, I’ll fall asleep.” He hoped he did. That would keep him from staring at her or saying anything that might give Dani any ideas he was looking for a woman.

  “You know, leaving this time of day, we’ll have to spend the night.” There was the officer tone that had set his hackles up when he’d first met her.

  “I’m sure we can find rooms in Riggins or Whitebird. I’ll pay for your gas and your room. I’m asking you for a favor.” He wanted to make it clear they wouldn’t spend the night together and this was purely a friendship thing. Though... he wouldn’t mind spending the night with the uptight ex-officer. He was pretty sure she’d take control. And damn if that didn’t excite him.

  “Then I’ll check out of the Wagon Wheel and see you at your place in an hour.” The connection went silent.

  He shook his head. “What have I done?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  As Hawke had hoped, he’d slept nearly all the way to Riggins, a four-and-a-half-hour drive through Lewiston and down the Clearwater River. He woke up just before Whitebird. “Want to see if there’s a place to spend the night in Whitebird?” he asked, sitting up straight and scrubbing his face with his hands.

  “I checked motel vacancies before I picked you up. There aren’t any in Whitebird. But there were still some rooms at the Riverview Motel in Riggins.” She glanced over at him. “I secured two of them.”

  “Good thinking.” He hadn’t really paid attention to Riggins on his previous trip. He’d been focused on getting to the area and finding White.

  “Do you always
snore when you sleep?” Dani asked, catching him off guard.

  “I don’t know. Why?” He studied her in the light from the gauges in the dash.

  “I wondered if it was because you were so tired or if you do it all the time.”

  The wistfulness in her voice had his gut squirming. This was why he’d shied away from asking her to bring him here in the first place.

  “You’d have to ask Dog if I snore.” He changed the tone of the conversation by bringing his pet into the discussion.

  She laughed. “Yeah, I guess he knows pretty much everything about you.”

  “From the time I got him till now.” They crossed a bridge, putting the river on their left. Up ahead square lights from windows glowed. They were getting close to Riggins.

  They found the Riverview Motel on the left, after passing several rafting businesses. It was a two-story building with the hills on the other side of the river behind it. The office was located in a Quonset hut shaped building along the road.

  “Are the rooms under your name?” he asked, reaching for the door handle.

  “Yes. I’ll get the keys.” Dani slipped out of the car.

  He followed. No way was he letting her pay for the rooms. He’d asked her to bring him here. Hawke reached the door before her, held it open as she walked through, then pulled out his credit card as she asked about the rooms.

  “Will we be charging both rooms to the card on file?” the shaggy haired young man asked.

  “No. They both go on this card.” Hawke handed his card over and was glad Dani didn’t say a word.

  With the rooms paid for, instructions on where they were, and the keys in their hands, Hawke escorted Dani out of the office and over to the car. “I’ll walk over to the other building.” He needed more air and time to wake up.

  Crossing the parking lot, he wondered where Ms. Cox had headed. Would she go back to work and act as if nothing had happened? He doubted it. She was wanted for aiding a convict’s escape, being a witness to his murder, and a suspect in the murder of Sean Sheridan.