Stalking Ground (3 page)

Shortly before seven, Mattie drove past the lane that led to Cole’s clinic. The new Ford Explorer the county had purchased for the K-9 unit had eaten up the miles between Denver and Timber Creek, so she’d made excellent time. She glanced down the lane but could see nothing, shrubs and trees blocking her view of both the house and the vet clinic. The property felt familiar. Since meeting Cole Walker and his daughters last August, they’d become friends.

She started to call Cole to tell him she was back in town but decided that would be silly. Although they shared dinner once in a while and spent occasional evenings sitting on his front porch with his kids—watching Robo and the Walkers’ dog, Belle, play and talking about everything from dogs to stars and constellations—it wasn’t like they were a couple or anything. Nothing like that. They were friends; that was all.

Mattie wished she’d been able to at least catch a glimpse of him.

Within minutes, she pulled up in front of the Timber Creek County Sheriff’s Department, parked her SUV, and unloaded Robo from the back. He’d slept most of the way, and now he trotted beside her at heel, waving his tail, fresh and sassy. She, on the other hand, felt like it had been a very long, hot
day. She wished she had time to go home and shower, but it couldn’t be helped. She’d promised Brody seven o’clock, and now she would deliver.

She was surprised to see Rainbow sitting at the dispatcher’s desk. Her shift should have ended hours ago. Relief crossed the dispatcher’s face when Mattie and Robo came through the front door.

“Oh, Mattie,” Rainbow said, quick tears welling, her voice almost breathless. She brushed a strand of blonde hair back away from her face. “Thank goodness you’re here. I know you were supposed to have the weekend off, but we need you. Adrienne disappeared, and I think something bad has happened to her. You know how you get that feeling in your gut sometimes, that feeling of dread? Well, I’ve had it all day. You know what I mean, don’t you?” Rainbow paused for a breath, searching Mattie’s face with reddened eyes.

Rainbow had made friends with the hot springs crowd early last summer, and evidently she’d become close friends with Adrienne Howard.

“I know what you mean,” Mattie said. “But why do you feel that way? Maybe she’s just decided to leave town for the weekend, to take a break.”

Rainbow shook her head. “No, Adrienne would never do that. She would never go away without telling someone—she knows we’d worry. Besides, she loves her life. She was unhappy before she came here, but she loves what she’s doing.” Rainbow glanced at Brody’s office, and Mattie followed her gaze. His door was closed. Rainbow continued in a near whisper. “She loves Deputy Brody, too. She would never leave him. He’s about to go crazy with worry, you know.”

“What do you think happened to her?”

“We don’t know.” Rainbow’s voice caught. “I think she went on a hike yesterday afternoon and something happened. Maybe she fell or twisted her ankle.”

Brody’s door opened and he came through it. “Cobb. How long have you been here?”

Mattie couldn’t believe how bad Brody looked. Shadow darkened his unshaven jaw, and his icy blue eyes appeared bloodshot and tired. She guessed he’d not slept since Adrienne failed to show up last evening. “I just got in.”

Brody started toward the briefing room. “Come with me. Rainbow, notify the sheriff that I’m starting to brief Deputy Cobb.”

“I will,” Rainbow said, reaching for the phone. “Do you want him to come back to the station?”

“That’s his decision. He told me to let him know when Cobb arrived.”

“Got it.”

“He went home for dinner,” Brody said to Mattie as she followed him into the briefing room, Robo at heel. Her dog seemed to love that heeling position, the lesson they’d reinforced during the training exercise today, and he chose to stick by her side without being told.

The dry-erase board had been wheeled to the front of the room, an eight-by-ten blow-up of what looked like Adrienne’s driver’s license photo posted at the top. Mattie recognized her: pretty face, blonde shoulder-length hair, gray eyes, and a happy smile. She also recognized Brody’s handwriting on the board. He’d summarized the investigation to date. Evidently, he didn’t share her suspicion that Adrienne left town of her own free will, and it was obvious that Rainbow didn’t either. And both of them knew the woman much better than she did.

“Sit,” Brody said, gesturing to a chair.

Robo sat at Mattie’s heel.

She glanced down at him and suppressed a smile. He was panting slightly, his deep brown eyes meeting hers as if anticipating her next wish. He was being such an obedient guy today.

“I’ll stand. I’ve been sitting for hours. What do you have so far?” she asked.

Brody pointed to the top of the board where yesterday’s date was written. “Missing since Wednesday afternoon. Worked at Valley Vista hot springs yesterday morning, took the afternoon off. Presumably went for a hike. Took her car. Left her purse, money, credit cards at home.”

That last detail influenced Mattie’s opinion: no one ran away without money and credit cards, unless they’d established a secret bank account somewhere and wanted to disappear without a trace. Could Adrienne have done that kind of planning? And if so, why?

“Deputy Johnson and I have driven over half the county last night and today, checking places I know she likes to hike. Covered Ute Canyon, Butterfly Pass, Old Flowers Trail, and the others listed here.” Brody waved a hand down a long list of hiking trails near Timber Creek. “Her car isn’t parked at any of the trail heads.”

“Have you issued a BOLO on the car?” Mattie asked.

“Yes. This afternoon.”

The door behind her opened. Mattie turned to see Sheriff McCoy enter the room. A large African American man, Abraham McCoy exuded quiet confidence. His serene expression countered Brody’s anxious one, and she appreciated the calming presence the sheriff carried with him.

“Welcome home, Deputy Cobb,” he said. “Thank you for coming back early.”

“Not a problem. I hope I can help.”

“We anticipate needing Robo to search as soon as we locate Miss Howard’s car.” McCoy took a seat at a table. “Go ahead, Chief Deputy,” he said to Brody.

Mattie turned her attention back to the board. Brody indicated the next point:
Mother—Velda Howard
.

“Velda Howard is Adrienne’s mother, but they’re estranged. I contacted her this morning to see if she knows anything. She lives in Hightower.” Hightower was only about thirty miles from Timber Creek. “She hasn’t talked to Adrienne for six years. Had no idea that she moved here. She says Adrienne left home for California six years ago with her high school sweetheart, Kevin Conrad. She hasn’t heard from her since.”

“Why are they estranged?” Mattie asked.

“Mother didn’t approve of her choice of boyfriends.”

Mattie nodded and looked at the next point:
Kevin Conrad
.

“I found the old boyfriend today. He’s still living in California. Spoke with him on the phone. He and Adrienne split up five years ago. Said he didn’t know where she moved, didn’t talk with her after she left.”

Brody had literally covered a lot of territory; no wonder he looked so exhausted.

“Was the split amicable?” She was wondering if foul play from an ex could be involved.

“Yes, according to him. He’s married now and has a kid.”

“And were you able to confirm that he’s actually in California, both today and yesterday? He hasn’t been here in Timber Creek?”

“Yes. He gave me the name of his employer. I confirmed the phone number from a public source. He was at work both days. It’s legit.”

Brody’s hand moved to the next point:
Residence/Employment—Valley Vista Hot Springs
. “Dean Hornsby—what a piece of work that guy is—won’t give permission to search the yurt where she lives or the one where she does massage. And Judge Taylor won’t issue a search warrant until Adrienne’s been missing forty-eight hours.”

Hornsby, the owner of the hot springs resort, had been a suspect in the Grace Hartman case. Detective Stella LoSasso, who’d helped with the case, had dubbed the ineffective and soft-looking man “the tampon king of Arizona.” He’d sold an inherited personal-products business prior to moving to Timber Creek and investing the proceeds into Valley Vista hot springs, hoping to turn it into a popular, yet rustic, health spa. No, the man wouldn’t be willing to assume the risk and responsibility for permitting an unwarranted search. But maybe Anya, the other massage therapist, could provide information.

“Have you talked with Anya Yamamoto yet?” Mattie asked.

“Yes. She confirmed Miss Howard was missing this morning,” McCoy said. “She believes that Adrienne went hiking yesterday afternoon, which is also Deputy Brody’s opinion.”

Rainbow’s too
, Mattie thought.

Brody pointed to the next item:
Massage Therapy Clients—Cole Walker
. This point surprised Mattie. She didn’t know Cole was involved at the hot springs.

“Adrienne has been working with Walker at his clinic, doing massage on horses,” Brody said. “She was scheduled to be there at three o’clock this afternoon, and he called in after she didn’t show. We don’t know for sure yet, but this means she might’ve gone on a stable or farm call yesterday afternoon instead of a hike. Adrienne keeps her own horse client schedule, and no one else seems to be privy to it. Walker is putting
together a list of clients for us to contact. We’ll follow up to see if she had an appointment with any of them or if she mentioned where she might be yesterday afternoon to anyone.”

“When will we have that list?” Mattie asked.

“Any time now. He planned to call each one to skirt around confidentiality issues.”

Mattie nodded. “Maybe we can get someone at the hot springs to do the same. We should interview all of Adrienne’s clients. Who knows what they discuss during a session? Maybe one of them will have a lead.”

“I’ll call Anya Yamamoto and suggest it,” McCoy said.

Brody added
Massage Therapy Clients—Hot Springs
to the board.

Mattie thought of something else. “What about her cell phone, Brody?”

“I’m not sure where it is. She always keeps it with her.”

“I’ll see if Ms. Yamamoto can find it at the hot springs,” McCoy said. “Any other ideas for next steps?”

“I have a few more trailheads to check for her car,” Brody said.

“Have you alerted the forest rangers on that BOLO? Sandy Benson and her crew were the ones who found Grace Hartman’s car for us,” Mattie said.

“Yes, I spoke with Ranger Benson,” McCoy said. “They’re on it.”

Mattie looked at Brody, taking in his haggard appearance. “With all due respect, it’s important for you to get some sleep tonight, Brody. Tell Benson where you want the rangers to search and then go home. Once we find that car, we’re going to need you on the ground. Not everyone can take on those hiking trails, you know. You and Johnson are the only ones who can keep up with Robo and me.”

Brody straightened and stared at her hard. She stared right back at him.

“Deputy Cobb’s right,” McCoy said. “We need to employ all the help we’ve got, and the rangers can take over searching the trailheads into the wilderness area. Now, is there anything else we should discuss?”

The thought crossed Mattie’s mind that there was still a possibility that the woman had decided to rabbit on her own, but she kept it to herself. It appeared she was the only one in the room who had doubts. Sheriff McCoy took the utilization of resources seriously, and his commitment appeared to be 100 percent. She remained silent.

“Deputy Cobb, call Dr. Walker and see if he has some people you can interview,” McCoy said. “Let’s get started on that list.”

“I’ll call Benson,” Brody said.

“You need to go home, Deputy Brody,” McCoy said. “We’ll notify you if we get a serious lead.”

Brody didn’t respond. Instead, he turned to write
Cell Phone
on the dry-erase board.

“Tomorrow I’m going to establish a tip line and run it through the front desk. The weekly paper will run the ad in the morning,” McCoy said.

Mattie nodded and prepared to leave, looking down at her partner. During the discussion, Robo had lain near her feet and followed their conversation with pricked ears.

“You ready to roll, Robo?” she asked.

He scrambled to his feet and followed her out to the lobby where Rainbow still sat at the dispatcher’s desk, her reddened eyes dark with fatigue.

“Why are you working the night shift?” Mattie asked her.

“Sam Corns couldn’t come in tonight.”

“You can turn it over to the answering service, can’t you?”

Rainbow shook her head. “I can’t take that chance. Someone might call in about Adrienne. Unless it’s an emergency, we wouldn’t get the message until morning.”

Mattie paused and took a long look at her friend. Usually perky and dressed in flowing garments, today she wore a T-shirt and khakis, her blonde hair scraped back in a ponytail with wispy strands falling down. Rainbow had brought Mattie soups and casseroles while she was recuperating from an injury she’d sustained when making a dangerous arrest last August. If there was any woman in this town she could call a friend, Rainbow would be the one.

Until recently, Mattie had believed friendships were like baggage, and she’d preferred to travel light through life. Lately, though, she’d allowed a few people to breach the walls she’d put up around herself. She cared about Rainbow and hated to see her so distressed.

“Notify the answering service to call me if anything comes in,” Mattie said. “Then go home and get some sleep. We need you on the day shift. Sheriff McCoy says a tip line will be advertised in tomorrow’s paper.”

A tear slipped down Rainbow’s cheek. She blotted it with a tissue she held ready and looked away. “I just can’t keep myself from imagining her out there in the forest somewhere, hurt and suffering. I’m so afraid for her.”

Mattie reached out and put her hand on Rainbow’s arm. “Worrying like that isn’t going to help. Being here to answer the phone tomorrow will.”

Rainbow dabbed her eyes, looking down at her lap. “You’re right. I’ll make sure the answering service knows to call you on your cell phone.”