The number did not match the last one called to Wilson’s cell phone prior to his death.
“Sheriff?” Stella said, turning to him. “Anything else?”
“That will do for now, Kasey,” he said, pushing back his chair to stand. “Please give my regards to your parents.”
McCoy escorted Kasey to the lobby, while Mattie and Stella sat looking at each other.
“She looked like she was lying when we asked her about Nate’s trips to California,” Mattie said.
“Oh, yeah. She knows more about this trafficking thing than she’s saying.”
Mattie paused a moment to think. “But what about the murders? So far the evidence just doesn’t support her as the shooter.”
Sheriff McCoy entered the room as Mattie spoke. “All our evidence points to a male shooter, but I wouldn’t cross Kasey off the list for conspiracy yet.”
“I’ll look for connections tomorrow when I search Wilson’s office and home,” Stella said. “Maybe his receptionist can give me information about who’s been to his office and who might have stolen his revolver. We have to keep digging for some hard evidence before we can make any arrests.”
“We’ll keep at it.” McCoy looked at Mattie. “Now go home and get some sleep. You and Deputy Brody have an early start in the morning to go track down a tiger. You might even lead us to solving this thing.”
Mattie was going on thirty-six hours with very little sleep, and she figured Sheriff McCoy could see it. But before she went to bed tonight, she needed to talk things over with Cole. Much as she hated conflict and intimate conversation, her peace of mind—and a good night’s sleep—depended on going through with it.
Her duty as a law enforcement officer required it.
TWENTY-TWO
Out on the back patio, Cole opened the grill to flip burgers and glanced at Sophie, sitting at the picnic table with her sketch pad and crayons. She seemed much happier than she’d been yesterday, settled back into home life and no longer tearful. The resilience of childhood.
After closing the grill, he went to peer over her shoulder. “What are you drawing, Sophie-bug?”
“Flowers.” She showed him a picture of a florist’s bouquet she’d pulled up on her tablet, which she was trying to duplicate on her sketch pad—sort of a technological still life. “I’m making a picture for Mom. I hope she’ll like it.”
Okay then, so she hadn’t moved on quite yet. “I’m sure she will. You’re doing a great job.”
He went back into the kitchen to finish the salad he’d started, enjoying the solitude after such a hectic day. Angela was up in her room and Jessie had decided to eat supper with their parents so he could have time alone with his kids. Tomorrow Jessie planned to take the girls out to the ranch to visit their grandparents in the afternoon and then spend the night. It would work out great, since he planned to leave home before sunrise to try to track down that tiger.
A tiger … it was still hard to wrap his head around. And to think, Mattie had been in the forest within yards of it while it was protecting its meal. The thought made him shudder.
Someone needed to capture this animal, and despite misgivings about leaving his kids alone for the whole day, he knew he was the person to help do it. His kids would be with family and well taken care of. Jessie and his parents would be a great distraction for them, and his dad planned to take them all horseback riding. Angela and Sophie always loved that.
His cell phone was on its charger on the kitchen counter, and he glanced at it to see if he’d missed a call or a text from Mattie. Before he’d left the station earlier, she’d promised to call when she got off work, and he couldn’t spend another sleepless night without talking things over with her. But no message had come in while he’d been outside.
Cole washed and chopped a stalk of celery, thinking how confusing relationships could be. He felt like he’d contributed to his ex-wife’s depression and ultimately driven her away because he’d spent so much time at work and lost touch with her. And yet he feared he’d said too much to Mattie last night. Too much, or he’d chosen the wrong moment.
Sometimes he couldn’t win for losing.
He remembered the days—not quite twenty years ago—when things got serious with Olivia. He’d been a young buck then, driven by hormones, but falling in love was different this time around. Sure, he wanted a physical relationship with Mattie, but that type of intimacy was something he would never push on her. In fact, knowing what he did about her childhood, the thought of it made him kind of nervous. And it made him worry—could he give her the happiness in life that she deserved?
Angie drifted into the kitchen, saving him from his thoughts. “Hey, Dad,” she said, going to the cutting board to snag a baby carrot. “Do you need some help with dinner?”
“I do. You’d be an Angel if you finished this salad.” He grinned, extending the knife handle toward her with a flourish.
Angie grimaced as she took it. “Sometimes you’re so ridiculous.”
“That hurts,” he said, tapping his chest over his heart. “I’ll go check those burgers and be right back.”
He grabbed a plate on his way out the door, checked the burgers to find them fully cooked, and moved them off the grill. “Dinner’s ready, Sophie. We’ll eat out here on the picnic table, but come inside to fix your plate.”
Sophie banged the storm door behind her as she followed him into the kitchen, smeared ketchup on her burger, grabbed salad and chips, and hurried back outside, evidently eager to get back to her drawing. Cole and Angie filled their plates at a more sedate pace.
After turning the assembly of burger, bun, and toppings into a delicate art form, Angie lifted her plate and headed for the door. “You coming, Dad?”
“I’m right behind you.” He went to the counter to take his phone with him, but it rang just as he got there. He checked caller ID. “This is Aunt Jessie,” he said to Angie. “Just a minute, I’ll be right out.”
“City zoo,” he said, connecting the call.
“Ha-ha, that’s so funny I forgot to laugh. Some things never change,” she said, a smile in her voice. “I’m just calling to tell you I’m going for drinks with Ginger and won’t be home until late.”
Ginger was one of Jessie’s high school friends who still lived in town. “Did you already have supper?”
“Sure did. Mom had it on the table by six sharp. You?”
“Just about to eat.”
“Ah … it’s getting late,” Jessie said. “I should’ve made you guys something before I left.”
“Not at all. The kids and I made burgers. Have a good time.”
“I will.” Jessie paused. “Cole, I need to ask you something.”
Oh boy, now what? “Okay.”
“Are you in love with Mattie?”
He wasn’t expecting that. He looked over his shoulder to see if either of the girls had come back inside, but he was still alone. “That’s kind of a personal question, don’t you think?”
“Yes, but it’s necessary. The consensus out on the ranch is that you are.”
“What? You’ve been talking about me with Mom and Dad?”
“There’s not much else we have to talk about.”
“You could talk about your work, the kids, your own love life.”
Jessie scoffed. “Yeah, like that even exists. Oh never mind, I already know the answer. Just so you know, Dad’s all for it, but Mom doesn’t like the idea of you getting married to a cop.”