Bone Dust White (32 page)

Grace is left listening to a dial tone.

25

Macy takes Jared by the arm and pulls him back to the truck. “Come with me. I want to have a look in Dustin’s cabin.”

Jared studies the group of officers standing at the edge of the field for a moment longer. A wind kicks up and he shivers. He’s only just noticed he’s cold. He looks up and Macy gazes at him with an uncertain expression on her face. She puts her arms around her belly like she’s protecting it, covering the eyes and ears of her unborn child.

Olsen’s Landing is filled with patrol cars. Neither Jared nor Macy speaks as the car moves along the lanes. Jared points out his family’s cabin when they pass by it and Macy doesn’t bother to comment. They stop about fifty yards away from Dustin’s place and stare out the windshield. Dustin’s Jeep still sits outside, and inside the cabin the lights are on.

Jared puts the car in park before getting out to help Macy. He glances around the darkened woods. Flashlight beams flick through the trees. Voices call out. Radios crackle. Beyond the cabin he sees the flashing lights of the patrol cars stationed below the bridge. A helicopter circles overhead, its searchlight sweeping across the snowbound roofs.

The cabin’s door has been forced. It hangs open, inviting them in. Jared pushes it and the hinges creak. The lights are on and a fire burns in a woodstove in the corner of the living area. There are stacks of books lined up against one of the walls and music plays from hidden speakers. At first it seems so ordinary but then Jared starts to notice that things are out of place. The coffee table is overturned. A lamp has tumbled onto the sofa. Broken glass crackles underfoot. There’s a puddle of blood on the floor near the front door. Pink footprints fan out in all directions.

“Did the police do this?”

Macy’s eyes sweep across the room. “Apparently, it was like this when they arrived.”

Macy wanders back to the bedroom with Jared hovering close behind. A cold breeze blows through the unlatched window. The curtains are torn and hang lopsided from the rail.

“He must have climbed out this way,” she says.

Jared flicks on the wall switch and looks around. The bed is unmade and unopened packing boxes are stacked high up against one wall. The door to a small closet is open and inside a few items of clothing rest askew on hangers.

“He can’t have gotten very far.”

Macy picks up a yellow notepad and flips through the pages. “Do you remember what Brady Monroe said about Leanne taking off with a lot of money?”

“Yeah, seems to make sense that a lot of people would be after her.”

“There is another possibility.”

“What’s that?”

“The money never left Collier. It was hidden in the trailer and Grace went back to get it.”

“There was only a couple grand in the coffee tin.”

“Yes, but you weren’t with Grace when she started the fire. I wouldn’t put it past her. She’s proving to be rather resourceful. Sofia told me that Leanne claimed to have left a lot of money behind.” Macy starts opening the dresser drawers one by one.

“What are you looking for?”

“I’ll know it when I see it.”

A couple minutes later Macy finds something beneath the bed that looks like a notebook and starts turning the pages. She tucks it into her bag without showing it to Jared.

“We can go now,” she says, gesturing toward the door.

Jared leads the way. Helicopter blades drum just above the roof and searchlights trail across the windows and fill the cabin with light.

He turns and looks back at Macy. She’s framed in the bedroom doorway.

“I don’t think I can live in Collier any longer,” he says.

“Don’t kid yourself. You’ll live wherever Hayley lives.”

Jared puts his arm out behind him, holding Macy back. “Did you hear that? Was that the front door?”

Macy tries to move past him. “It’s probably Warren.”

“Wait here,” he says, grabbing her by the arm.

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“Just wait.”

Jared eases the front door open and steps out into the night. It’s much quieter than it was earlier. They’re searching cabins farther up the lane. “I don’t see anyone.”

Macy follows him out and switches on her flashlight. “When you stayed here as a child did you play hide-and-seek?”

“Of course. My brother and I were legendary. No one could ever find us.”

“Where did you hide?”

“The boat house was always a good place. We’d climb up into the rafters and stay there for hours.”

Macy points her flashlight toward the river. “After you.”

“No way. We need to get out of here. There are too many guys with guns wandering around Olsen’s Landing. It’s not safe.”

Macy lets him push her toward her car. “I’m trying to remember if you’ve always been this bossy.”

The helicopter thunders overhead, sweeping its searchlight through the woods to the west of them. Seconds later a figure breaks through the trees about fifty feet farther down the lane and staggers toward the river.

“Oh shit,” says Macy. “That’s Dustin.”

“I’ll watch him.”

Macy tries to grab hold of Jared’s arm as he moves away from her. “Stay right where you are.”

“It’s all right. I’ll hang back. Just call for help.”

It’s so dark under the trees that it’s almost impossible to see where they’re going. Jared can hear his heart beating inside his chest and the pounding of his feet sets off a low throbbing vibration in his ears. The road takes a hard right and ends at a parking lot. Out in the open the unblemished snow glows in the moonlight. Below them the bank drops sharply to the Flathead River. From above it looks as if the surface is frozen solid all the way across to the opposite shore.

Dustin stands at the top of the boat ramp clutching his side. The incline is steep and icy. He takes a tentative step and Jared reaches out to stop him. They both misjudge the surface. Their feet slip out from beneath them and together they tumble down the slope, building speed the closer they get to its base.

On his back, Jared spins flat like a starfish across the frozen river, coming to rest about twenty feet from the shoreline. He gets up on all fours. His head aches from where it struck hard against the ice. He looks around. Dustin is on his feet and walking unsteadily toward the opposite shore. Jared stands slowly but the ice shifts with the movements of the river. It’s like walking on water. Even in the pale light he can see icy pools bubbling up everywhere.

He tracks Dustin’s silhouette then all of a sudden it’s gone. Jared cries out at the space where Dustin was standing before he fell through the ice. For a few seconds Jared stands perfectly still, fearful he’ll do the same. Slowly he drops onto his belly and spreads his weight out evenly. Ahead of him Dustin’s dark head bobs in and out of the water. He’s clutching at the edge of the ice floe with his bare hands. The surface breaks off in chunks every time he tries to pull himself out.

Jared slides toward him on his stomach. The ice thins further and the river water rises upward and seeps into his clothing, adding to his weight. He blinks his eyes in the gray light and yells at Dustin to hold on. The shadow of Dustin’s hand waves up out of the black water but when Jared grabs at it more ice gives way. Jared scrambles backward on all fours and a crack follows him, ripping the surface like a split seam. Dark water bleeds over the sides of a cut that grows in inches and then in feet. Jared looks up and sees Dustin gripping on to its edge, his wet hair plastered to his head. In the moonlight his features are as grainy as an old photograph but his pale eyes glow like white neon. Dustin tries to pull himself up onto the ice again but there’s no strength left in his arms. He takes one last look at Jared and is swept away.

Jared puts his head to the side and gathers his strength. Farther off shore the black water swells and ice floes splinter and separate. He slides on his belly, backing away as quickly as he dares. The river pushes hard and he rocks up and down with the current. Behind him he can hear people shouting his name. Macy screams at someone to get a line out to him.

Jared twists his body around so he can see where he’s going. Headlights from vehicles parked above the boat ramp reflect off the ice and he’s blind for a few seconds. He puts his head down and scrambles forward to where a length of rope has been thrown. There’s a loop tied into it but his hands are so numb he can’t hold on. He struggles to put it over his neck and shoulders. His teeth chatter uncontrollably and he can’t stop shaking. He clenches his jaw and paws at the knot with his hands, trying hard to heave himself toward the thicker ice. From the shore someone gives the signal to pull and he’s dragged straight into a fracture in the surface.

The ice breaks beneath him just as the rope goes slack. Jared sinks fast in his heavy coat and clothes. He can’t breathe. He struggles to swim to the surface as the current drags him downstream toward the rapids south of town.

The rope digs hard into his shoulder blades and ribs as it’s pulled taut. Ahead of him he can see the surface lightening as he’s drawn closer. He struggles to put his arms up and catch hold of the edge. Hands reach for him and he’s pulled out of the water. He lands in a heap in someone’s arms and gasps for breath.

26

Lexxie has been in Jared’s house again. His dogs are in their pen. They’ve been fed. Their water bowls are full. From inside the garage he looks out at his driveway. He’s tired but he’s not missed anything. There are no other cars. It’s after midnight and he’s finally home. They’d wanted to keep him in the hospital overnight, but he had other ideas. He took the borrowed clothes, got dressed, and drove off in the ambulance he came in.

Jared sends his dogs into the house ahead of him. They pad about calmly. Nobody else is there but he can tell Lexxie has been everywhere. The place is once again wiped clean. In the dining room the table is set for two—two chairs, two plates, two wineglasses, and two candles that are burned down to the nub. There’s roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. There’s a bottle of wine and a bottle of water.

There’s a note.

Jared sits down in a chair and reads. The meal in front of him represented his last chance to make things right. Lexxie is leaving him and Collier for good. She does not wish him well.

Jared scoops up some mashed potatoes and green beans and pulls the platter holding the chicken toward him. He opens the wine and pours a large glass. He eats it all, shoveling the food into his mouth and not tasting a thing.

Outside of Lexxie’s house, there’s a box of Jared’s stuff sitting on the front step next to the morning paper, but she isn’t answering the door. He looks through the side window of her garage and sees her car is there. He rings the bell again and waits. He’s walking away when the door opens.

Her voice cracks when she speaks. “What have you got to say for yourself?”

Lexxie wears a flannel robe and her hair is pulled back into a loose knot. She looks as if she has a cold but Jared knows she’s been crying.

“I’m sorry. I should have listened to your messages. I should have talked to you.” He gestures to the ambulance he drove up in. “It’s been a bad week.”

Lexxie looks up at the sky. There’ve been news helicopters circling over Collier all night. “I’m moving to Helena. I’ve got a job offer at the hospital there. I was hoping you’d come with me. It would do you good to get out of Collier.”

Jared finds it hard to disagree with her logic. “I’m kind of stuck here for the time being.”

“You’ve always been stuck. I know that now. You’ve not changed one bit since the day I met you. You’re still waiting around for your life to start.”

Jared tries to defend himself but comes up short.

“What are you going to do, Jared? Trail around living off the scraps from Hayley’s life? She’s not going to leave Brian.” She starts to shut the door on him but stops and turns to say one last thing. “Sometimes I feel like someone should just put you out of your misery.”

*   *   *

At the sheriff’s office, Jared and Macy sit opposite each other with coffee bought from the vending machine.

Macy yawns into her fist. “You okay?”

“Just sore all over.” Jared closes his eyes. “I feel bad for Grace. People round here will never understand.”

Macy reaches over and looks through the blinds, pinching them open with her fingertips. All the desks are full. The Collier sheriff’s department will be doing paperwork forever. “I found one of her sketchbooks when we searched Dustin’s cabin.”

“Is that what you put in your bag?”

Macy blows out air like she’s been holding it in for a while. “Dustin told Grace he’d never been in her bedroom. I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

“Does it matter?”

“Not really.”

“What will you do with it?”

Macy leans back in her chair. “I’ll log it as evidence.”

“It could disappear. Nobody knows you have it.”

“Compared to the missing photos, I’d say the sketchbook is the least of Grace’s worries.”

Jared’s phone rings and he looks at the caller ID. It’s Hayley. Instead of answering, he glances up at Macy. “The evidence from the other abuse cases. It’s a definite match? Dustin murdered Molly Parks?”

“Yes, we have a match on fingerprints and one of the girls identified him from his DMV photo. We’re still waiting for DNA. Not that it matters much anymore. Dustin’s dead.”

Jared almost reaches for his phone. All he can think of is returning Hayley’s call.

Macy thumps her pen on the table like a tiny seesaw. “We’re arresting Brian Camberwell.”

His eyes snap up. “Are you serious?”

“Remember that number Grace wrote down in the column of that newspaper article? We couldn’t find a match because it was an old registration number for one of Arnold Lamm’s trailers. We found it in his files. Brian was the registered driver of the truck that transported the girls that died. Grace will have to testify, but if all goes according to plan, he’s looking at life in a federal prison.”

“Why didn’t you say something before?”

“I didn’t know until a few minutes ago.”

“I saw Brian’s truck out at Olsen’s Landing early yesterday evening. I was supposed to meet Hayley there and I thought Brian had come looking for us, but he must have been there to see Dustin.” He looks at his phone again. Hayley has left a message on his voicemail. Macy leans in when he plays it for her. Even from her side of the desk, she can hear Hayley pleading for her life. Hayley shouts her husband’s name more than once.