The two women clasped hands while Cole went on to help the others and to greet Hartman.
“I’ll stick with the horse, thank you,” Stella said, bending down to pet Robo, avoiding the staples on his shoulder. “What happened to your partner? He looks like the son of Frankenstein.”
“He tangled with a mountain lion last night.”
Astonishment crossed Stella’s face. “Good grief! You’re kidding me.”
“No, I’m not. He was very brave.”
“I’m sure he was,” Stella said, stroking the fur on Robo’s head. “When is he not?”
Robo waved his tail, trotted over to sniff the newcomers, and came back to Mattie’s side.
Mattie and Stella watched him. “He’s not limping very much,” Stella said.
“Cole said it didn’t get into the muscle. He’s got a four-inch gash in his skin, but he’s going to be okay.”
“Thank God.”
“Yeah.”
“How have you been, Mattie Cobb?”
“I’ve been better. It’s hard to believe we need you again so soon.” Mattie gestured toward the gravesite. “Before the lion attack, we did a grid search and found some evidence. Robo found a cigarette butt that looks fresh, and I found some tracks that I covered before the storm. The gravesite is covered and protected from the snow, too.”
“Good job, you two,” Stella said, bending down to pat Robo again. “Well, let’s get to it.”
Mattie led Stella and the crime scene techs to the grave, pointing out her evidence markers. One of the techs began snapping photos. Brody carried over supplies while Cole and Garrett stayed by the fire.
“We’ll open the grave first,” Stella said. “Deputy Brody, would you care to join the boys over there?”
“I’ll stay.”
“Suit yourself, but this might not be the best way to remember your friend, and there isn’t anything you can do for her now. Let us take care of her.” Stella gave Mattie a pointed look.
“Come on, Brody,” Mattie said, touching his arm.
Without protest, he turned away and followed her back to the fire. From that distance, Mattie watched Stella and the techs kneel at the gravesite and slowly strip away the layers of snow, plastic tarp, stones, and pine boughs that covered Brody’s sweetheart. In the back of her mind, she wondered if the fact that he truly did seem devastated was enough to give Timber Creek’s chief deputy a pass on being a suspect.
While exhausted from the relatively sleepless night, Mattie still kept up with the horseback riders on the way down. Robo stayed close, and Cole rode behind her. They’d debated trying to lift Robo up to ride in front of Cole, but an uneasy attempt showed them he wanted nothing to do with it. Mattie decided to let him go down on his own and try again if his limp became worse.
Garrett Hartman rode at the front of the line, leading the packhorse that carried the body. Footing was treacherous in some places with snow and ice on the trail, but about midway down the snowfall had ended, leaving the trail wet but clear. The forecast for snow at only higher elevations above nine thousand feet had been accurate; by the time they reached the trailhead, the ground at the lower elevation was bare. Timber Creek would be, too.
At the parking area, Mattie went with Cole to his pickup and trailer to get the antibiotics. “Thanks for coming up to help last night,” she said. “When do you want me to bring him in to get the staples out?”
He popped open the latch at the back of the trailer and swung the door wide. “In about ten days.”
“Should I restrict his movement or take him off work?”
“He’s moving around fine. He shouldn’t have any trouble with it. You can go about your business as usual.” Cole clicked his tongue, and Mountaineer stepped into the trailer. He followed him in to exchange his bridle for a halter and to tie him to the trailer’s side.
“I’ll make an appointment for ten days from now, then.” Mattie loaded Robo into her own vehicle, noticing that he was moving freely.
When they entered their home, it felt like she’d been gone for ages instead of one night. Even though she’d fed him that morning up on the mountain, Robo trotted into the kitchen to check out his food bowl. She could hear him slurping water while she stretched her sore calf and thigh muscles. She decided to give him an extra ration, and he gobbled it before joining her in her bedroom, circling on his dog bed, and plopping down with a sigh.
“I bet you’re exhausted.” Even prior to the lion attack, he’d covered twice the miles she had as he ran ahead and then back on the trail yesterday, and he’d been awake through most of the night. “Get some sleep while I clean up.”
Feeling refreshed from her shower, Mattie toweled her hair as she padded into the kitchen in sweats and stocking feet. Robo slept while she made and ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and scoured her pantry for anything that might give her some energy. Settling on an apple and a bag of trail mix to take with her, she drank some orange juice and then went to her bedroom to get dressed in her uniform. Although his brow and ears twitched, Robo didn’t open his eyes. She decided to leave him at home while she went to her meeting. She could pick him up later after she’d established her plan for the day.
At the station, the first person Mattie met was Rainbow, something she’d been dreading. Noticing the dispatcher’s swollen, reddened eyes, she felt somehow responsible. “Rainbow, I thought you had a day off today.”
“I had to know, so I traded a day with Sam,” she said, referring to Sam Corns, the other dispatcher.
In a gesture of sympathy, Mattie touched the back of her wrist, and Rainbow turned her hand up to grasp Mattie’s.
“I’m sorry, Rainbow.”
Tears welled, and one spilled over to roll down Rainbow’s cheek. “Me too. I really can’t believe it. She was such a great person, you know? She loved her new life here and everything about it.”
“Do you know anything about her from before she came to Timber Creek? We’re going to need to know everything.”
“Some. Nothing sinister. I can’t think of anything that will help.”
“Most of the time, it’s hard to know what might help or not. I’m going to mention to Stella that you knew her. She’s probably going to want to interview you.”
“Okay.” Rainbow sniffed and used a tissue to blot her eyes. “But I don’t think she likes me.”
Mattie knew that to be true, although she believed the detective had judged Rainbow for her flower child–like, ditzy appearance and not for any reason of substance. “That shouldn’t make a difference.”
She squeezed Rainbow’s hand and released it, making a mental note to sit in on that interview. “Are the others here yet?”
“In the briefing room.”
“I’d better get in there. We’ll talk more later.”
When Mattie entered the room, she found Stella, McCoy, and Brody at the front table engaged in discussion. All but Brody turned to see who’d entered. Sheriff McCoy gestured for her to come in and take a seat.
“I was just addressing the elephant in the room,” Stella said after Mattie sat.
Mattie swept her eyes across the faces of the others and then settled on Brody. Familiar with his rage, she could tell it was full blown: neck and cheeks crimson, face stony, lips tight.
“I’ve proposed that Deputy Brody excuse himself from this investigation,” Stella said.
I wondered about that myself. Grateful that Stella was the one who’d brought it up, she nodded. Brody locked eyes with Mattie.
Sheriff McCoy asked Brody what he thought about the suggestion. Without taking his eyes off Mattie he said, “I think it’s bullshit.” His voice was almost a growl.