The gray pallor from her fatigue took on a pink hue. “Oh! Come now. You make more of it than it is.”
“What did she have to say about her treatment with the doctors?”
When she raised her eyes to meet his, there was a certain set to her jaw that told him she considered what she’d been told confidential. “She didn’t tell me much more than I already knew from you and the girls. She’s been very depressed, but she’s feeling better now. She did say she’s trying her best. And that she hopes to reestablish a relationship with her children.”
A flicker of anger at the delay in Olivia coming to that conclusion made him not want to hear anything more. He paused to measure his words before responding. “I’d like that. I hope she’s able to.”
He meant what he said. He hoped both of her children would be here soon for her to reconnect with, and he hoped she was capable of establishing that connection. Right now, those two hopes seemed to be pinned on nothing but thin air. He felt deflated, drained of emotion and energy.
Mrs. Gibbs stood and went back to her stove. “I’m going to make you a hot breakfast, and then you should go stretch out on your bed for a wee bit. I’ll make sure you know if the phone rings or if we hear from the sheriff.”
“Thank you,” he murmured, staring out the kitchen window into the middle distance, unable to focus on anything. He supposed she was right. He should take a break. His cell phone battery needed to be recharged.
And he did too.
With a hollow emptiness in her chest, Mattie sat at her desk trying to finish her report, though she was so tired, her brain could barely function. She’d fed Robo and he’d fallen asleep on his bed.
Robo had found no trace of Sophie’s scent inside the Pathfinder. After they transported the Heath foursome to the station in the cage at the back of Mattie’s vehicle—Brody driving and Robo and Mattie wedged together in the passenger seat—Stella grilled the men separately for a couple hours. To no avail. Even Ted Robbins, the one with no record and deemed most likely to break, continued to profess the group’s innocence.
After sorting through what they each had to say and considering the hard evidence Robo found, Stella decided to call in a US Forest Service law enforcement officer to ticket Jace Gardner for possession of marijuana on federal land. Afterward, Merton Heath demanded they be taken back to their campsite, and Stella could find no reason to hold them. Using the sheriff’s Jeep, Brody had left to drive the group back into the high country.
Once done with the interviews, Stella had left for the social services office, hoping to consult a caseworker about Gus Tilley. Mattie was worried it meant that Stella was writing him off as a suspect. Though she rarely found herself at odds with Stella’s opinions, she didn’t agree with this one. Sophie’s scent in Tilley’s truck still haunted her.
Mattie pounded out the last of her report, put the printed copy in the paperwork out tray, and then went to clock out. Sheriff McCoy had ordered the team to take at least a few hours off to sleep as soon as they wrapped up their duties.
After clocking out, she noticed the massage therapist, Anya Yamamoto, sitting next to Rainbow at the dispatcher’s desk.
Rainbow waved her over. “Anya’s helping coordinate volunteers. Now that we’ve found the Heath party, we’ve changed the search focus to out beyond the perimeter of Timber Creek, on the county roads leading up into the foothills.”
A wave of gratitude almost bowled her over. She reached her hand out to the therapist. “Thank you for your help. Our volunteers make all the difference in this type of case.”
Anya held her hand with a delicate grasp, her fingers gentle. “I hope so. I’m praying we find Dr. Walker’s little girl alive and well.” She held Mattie’s gaze. “You’re exhausted. Could I give you a neck and shoulder massage for a few minutes?”
“No, thanks.” Mattie pulled her fingers free. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ve got to finish up and go home.”
“Let me know if you change your mind.”
Mattie nodded and headed toward the staff office. Her therapist’s assignment to find a local massage therapist—could that discussion have been only a few days ago?—came back to her as she walked through the lobby.
Maybe Anya after all.
But such plans seemed inappropriate now, so she dismissed the thought. Beside her desk, Robo had curled up in the middle of his cushion, his tail draped over his feet like a feathery throw. She couldn’t bear to disturb him to go back out again.
Growing sleepier by the minute, she eased herself down on his bed and wrapped herself around him. He opened one eye for a second and then sighed before going back to sleep. Her mind drifted, entering places she usually kept off limits. Dark places. A small bedroom in the tumbledown shack she’d lived in as a child. Trapped there by a father she feared, the walls closing in on her. She blinked open her eyes and looked around the office.
You’re safe. Get some rest.
She dozed, the murmur of voices and activity from the outer office like white noise lulling her to sleep. This place was probably the most comfortable spot for her on earth, one where she felt completely safe. She needed to rest for only a few minutes and then she would drive up to search around the Tilley place on her own time.
Her cell phone woke her. She didn’t know how long it had been ringing; she’d been sleeping hard, and it took an additional moment to orient to her surroundings. Rising up on one elbow, she scrambled to fish her phone out of her pocket. Robo lifted his head and leaned back against her to stare at her upside down.
Caller ID told her it was Cole’s office number, and she answered the call. “This is Mattie.”
“Mattie. This is Tess with Dr. Walker’s office.”
“How are things there, Tess?”
“Weird. I just took another call from Gus Tilley, this one even stranger than some of the others. I don’t feel like I can bother Cole with it, but I can’t ignore it either.”
The cobwebs swept from her brain. “What is it?”
“He called and said terrorists are in the woods, and the deer are screaming.” Tess paused while the cryptic words made the fine hair at the back of Mattie’s neck tingle. “He said the deer need the doctor’s help, and he wants him to come out right away. This is different from his usual call. Typically, he’s calling about his own animals, and he has a specific concern.”
“You did the right thing to call me, Tess. I’ll follow up.”
“Mattie, do you think Gus Tilley could have Sophie, and this is his way of turning her back over to us? Or am I just reaching for a bone here? Maybe my imagination’s getting the best of me.”
“I don’t know. But it’s worth checking out.” Mattie stood, feeling a tremendous urge to get out there as soon as possible. Robo looked up at her and opened his mouth in a wide, toothy yawn, a squeak coming from the back of his throat. In a hurry to get started, Mattie patted her thigh. He scrambled to his feet and came close where she could hug him against her leg. “I’ll get back to you, Tess. And thanks for calling.”
With Robo at heel, she strode through the lobby to the sheriff’s office and tapped on the door.
“Come in.”
When Mattie opened the door, she saw Stella sitting in one of the two chairs in front of McCoy’s desk while he was finishing up a phone call. Stella pushed the other chair, slanting it a few inches as if inviting her to sit.
McCoy waved her in as he hung up the phone. “Have a seat, Deputy. I’ve just arranged media coverage with all of the major networks. We’ll be able to broadcast a story about Sophie that should get the general public in the entire region looking for her.”