“No, I’m sorry I don’t. I know very little about her beyond her massage skills for horses. I don’t know anything about her personal life.”
Mattie felt a vague sense of relief but stayed focused on her own business. “Deputy Brody has searched several trailheads for her car. We also have the rangers looking.”
“Good.”
She paused, deciding to venture into territory that he’d already shared. “How are things going with Mrs. Gibbs?”
“Well, the jury’s still out. So far the verdict seems split.”
She smiled, thinking he might be speaking in code, since he was working at the clinic with Angela. “Let me guess. Sophie for, Angie against.”
“You’ve got that right.” His voice reflected the smile that Mattie could picture, soft with a little sideways quirk. She heard a lighter voice murmur in the background. “Angie says to tell you she knows we’re talking about Mrs. Gibbs.”
Angela was a hard one to slip past. Mattie’s smile widened. “Oh.”
“She wants to talk to you.”
“Sure. Pass me over to her.”
Angela’s voice came into the receiver. “Mattie?”
“Hey.”
“Hey.” The teen’s voice sounded tight and stressed when she continued. “I’m worried about Adrienne.”
“We’re on it, Angie. We’re doing what we can to find her.”
“Do you think someone shot her and buried her in the mountains like Grace?”
Mattie’s breath caught. The poor girl. No teenager’s mind should have to conjure that image as her number-one fear. “We have no evidence whatsoever that would point to that, Angie.”
“I’ve just been thinking, you know.”
“I know what you mean. Sometimes we can’t help but think of the worst. Especially when such a bad thing happened so recently. But nothing indicates that Adrienne could be a victim of foul play.” She tried to soothe the girl. “We hope she’s out in the high country, took a wrong turn or something, and she’ll either show up soon or we’ll find her. Once we find her car, we’ll know where to look. And the rangers are helping us with that.”
“Okay, that sounds good. Can we help you search if you find her car?”
“Maybe, but the last thing we want is for people to get lost. We have a list of volunteers we can turn to who are familiar with the wilderness area around here if we need them.”
“I want to help.”
“I’ll write you in at the top of my list to call if the right job turns up.”
“Thanks, Mattie.” Again there was a voice in the background, this time much deeper. “Dad wants to talk to you again.”
“Okay.” Mattie and Angela exchanged good-byes.
“So you’ll let us know if there’s anything more we can do?” Cole asked.
“Yes. I’ll stay in touch.”
“Thanks.” He paused, and she wondered what else he wanted to say. “Be careful, Mattie.”
“Always. Good luck on the other thing—Mrs. Gibbs.”
She could hear his smile in his words. “Thanks, I’ll need it.”
As she said good-bye, she realized how even the sound of Cole’s voice seemed to relax her.
Setting her personal life aside, she refocused and picked up her phone. It was eight o’clock, and she had a lot of calls to make before it grew too late. She hoped someone would know something that could turn up a lead.
Chapter 4
Friday
Mattie startled awake, rose onto one elbow, and blinked at the clock. Shutting off the alarm, she shivered in the cold bedroom and then felt a puff of warm breath against her shoulder. Robo stood beside the bed, chin resting on the mattress, staring at her. In response to her eye contact, he huffed and circled in excitement, nails clicking against the hardwood floor.
She put her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes, pulling the quilt that her foster mother had made for her up over her chin. The room went silent. She knew that Robo had returned to his post beside the bed and would be using his eyes to will her to stay awake with all the intensity he could muster. And if there was one thing her dog could muster, it was intensity.
She peeked at him again. His mouth broadened into a grin.
“Okay, I’ll get up.”
While Robo did his happy dance, Mattie rolled from the bed and hurried to the window to close it. She’d slept with her bedroom window open for as long as she could remember, winter and summer alike. The autumn chill lingered in the room while she quickly dressed in gray sweatpants and a T-shirt that had “Timber Creek Sheriff Dept.” stenciled across the front in solid, black letters. She donned socks and running shoes, grabbed a hoodie, and headed toward the front door of her house. Robo darted ahead, tail waving.
Out on the porch, she could feel a breeze that intensified the chilly air, blowing from the northwest—the direction from which Timber Creek received most of its cold fronts. She sniffed. Snow? Checking the sky, she thought of Adrienne Howard. If Adrienne was lost somewhere in the wilderness, an incoming storm didn’t bode well.
After stretching, Mattie struck a path for T-hill, her typical run. Vigorous morning exercise made Robo a much better partner at the office, and it was a crucial part of their routine. With him keeping pace beside her at heel, she headed up the steep, rocky pathway. Near the top of the hill sat a letter T built with rocks, kept whitewashed by each year’s high school freshman class. She jogged straight upward, running toward it.
On the way down, her cell phone rang. Mattie pulled it from her pocket and checked the display. Her foster mother.
“Good morning, Mama.”
“Good morning, mijita.”
Being called “my little daughter” always warmed Mattie’s spirit. “You’re up early.”
“Ha! You always say that.”
She smiled. “You’d think I’d be used to you getting up before the sun by now.”
“Si. Come over for breakfast.”
“I don’t have much time.”
“It’s ready for you.”
“I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”
Putting her cell phone back into her pocket, Mattie sprinted for home, Robo matching her stride. After feeding him, she hurried to shower and dressed in record time. Then she loaded Robo into the SUV and drove the few blocks to Mama’s house, the foster home where she’d spent her last few years in the system.
She told Robo to wait in the car and headed across the yard, passing Mama’s collection of plaster of paris yard ornaments: small chipmunks, squirrels, and rabbits frozen in midscurry. Skirting around the side of the white stucco house, she entered through the kitchen door, stepping into a different world filled with lovely aromas. Mama T never sent anyone away hungry, and she cooked up love in every bite. Mattie’s mouth watered.
“What have you fixed for me today?” she said as she entered the kitchen.
Mama T put down her long-handled spoon and turned from the wood-burning stove for a hug. Mattie placed her cheek against the woman’s silvery streaked black hair, which was pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck. She held onto the small comfort for a moment until Mama let her go. Stepping back, they grinned at each other, Mama T’s smile showing a gap or two where teeth were missing.
“This morning we have huevos rancheros with green chili and tortilla.”
“Mmm . . .” One of Mama’s old standbys. Grabbing up a hot pad, Mattie went to the stove to lift the black porcelain coffee pot with the white speckles. “Can I pour you a cup of coffee?” she asked.
“Si, gracias. Then sit.” Mama placed two plates heaped with food on the table.