Stalking Ground (13 page)

The last envelope, long and rectangular, appeared to contain a letter, and it didn’t have a return address. It had been postmarked in Willow Springs, Colorado. She opened the envelope and removed the letter from inside, scanning it quickly.

And then she went back to the beginning to read it again.

Hair prickled at the base of her neck. It was another love letter, but this one wasn’t sappy like Brody’s. “Read this, Detective,” she said, putting the letter down on top of the chest of drawers.

Anya diverted her gaze while Stella read, pursing her lips in concentration, an expression familiar to Mattie. Stella shared a pointed look with Mattie before turning to Anya.

“Please read this, Anya, and tell me if you know who might have sent it.”

Mattie studied the chilling letter again while Anya read.

Anya’s fingers trembled as she moved them to her throat. She looked at Mattie with tear-brimmed eyes. “There was a boyfriend in Willow Springs, but I don’t know his name.”

“Was she running from him?”

“I didn’t have that impression. Adrienne said she had a relationship with someone in Willow Springs, but they broke up. That’s all I know.”

“Have you heard the name Kevin Conrad?” Stella asked. “He lives in California.”

“Yes, her old high school boyfriend. She speaks of him fondly. The last boyfriend . . . well, she doesn’t say much about him.”

With gloved fingers, Mattie picked up the letter and placed it in a plastic evidence sleeve to protect it. She put the envelope inside a different transparent sheet. It had been postmarked on May twenty-fifth, about a month after Adrienne moved to Timber Creek.

“If you remember anything at all that would help us trace this man, please call,” Stella said, handing Anya one of her cards.

Tears spilled and etched fluid tracks down her cheeks as Anya took the card with one hand and wiped her face with the other. “I will.”

“We need a list of Adrienne’s clients,” Mattie said.

A look of concern crossed Anya’s face.

“You can call them to get permission to release their names to us, or we can get a separate search warrant to go through your medical records,” Stella said. “Either way, we’re going to talk to these people. Your help will let us get to them sooner rather than later.”

“I’ve contacted everyone once to ask if they knew where she went,” Anya said. “I’ll call each one again and get back to you as soon as I can.”

Mattie and Stella finished up in Adrienne’s living quarters, and then followed Anya to the yurt where she worked. The peaceful space, set up for optimal client relaxation, clashed with the reason they were there: a homicide. Mattie tried to disturb the furnishings as little as possible while she searched through cabinets that held soft linens, massage oils, and a set of tuning forks of various sizes. It took only a few minutes for Stella and her to decide that the room held no information for them whatsoever.

After saying good-bye to Anya, they went back to Mattie’s SUV.

“I’m going to send that letter and envelope back to Byers County by courier to see if the crime scene techs can lift any prints,” Stella said as they climbed inside. “We need to track down who sent it. This photo album and Adrienne’s mother might be our best sources.”

Turning the key to start the engine, Mattie nodded.

“Let’s head over to Hightower to talk with her. Maybe she can tell us the names of some of these people. Especially the mystery man there at the end,” Stella said.

“Okay,” Mattie said. “I need to check in on Robo when we go through town, but we can get to Hightower in under an hour.”

They rode in silence for a few minutes, Mattie thinking about the letter. She hoped they could track down the writer; she suspected it would lead them to Adrienne’s killer.

Stella interrupted her thoughts. “Mattie? Did Hornsby actually say they select employees by having Anya read their auras?”

“That’s what he said,” Mattie replied.

“Well . . . I’ll be damned.”

Cole headed toward the stable call at Dark Horse with Angela in the passenger seat beside him and Sophie and Belle in back. Belle sat strapped into the seat beside Sophie with a large-dog seatbelt Angela had found on the Internet. Having the dog along as a passenger kept Sophie from squabbling with her older sister over who got to ride shotgun, making Cole consider the belt well worth the investment.

Talk about his night away in the mountains, the mountain lion, and Sophie’s camping stories dominated the conversation all the way up to the stable. Everyone avoided speaking about the reason for the night’s stay: guarding Adrienne’s corpse. Angela seemed quieter than usual, but maybe she just couldn’t get a word in edgewise around her chatty little sister.

“Sophie,” Cole said as they drove toward the red metal barn. “I need you to keep your mouth zipped while we’re inside, sweetheart. Too much talking spooks the horses.”

“Okay, Dad,” Sophie said, not appearing to mind. Being told to keep quiet was a common enough occurrence.

At the front of the barn, the Doberman lunged against a chain.

“Oh, yeah,” Cole said. “I forgot to tell you about the guard dog. I want you girls to keep your distance.”

Angela got out of the truck and started to help her sister out of the backseat while Cole retrieved supplies from the vet box in back.

Sophie had unfastened Belle’s seatbelt, and the dog jumped up to await her turn at the door. “Belle needs to stay here,” Cole warned the kids, not wanting to infuriate the guard dog even more.

Belle’s ears flattened and she hung her head.

“Poor Belle,” Sophie said. “I’ll come out and check on her later”

“Don’t come out here by yourself, Sophie,” Cole said. “I think that chain will hold the dog, but I don’t want to take any chances.”

“I won’t,” Sophie said, looking at the Doberman fascinated. When they passed by, she spoke to him using baby talk. “It’s okay, doggie. We’re not going to hurt you.”

The Doberman stopped barking and stood stock-still, staring hard at Sophie. Then he dropped into a “let’s play” position before rising up to bark again.

“I wonder if he was raised around a little girl,” Angela said.

Cole placed a hand on Sophie’s head and smiled. “Either that or this one’s a dog whisperer. I still don’t want you coming out here by yourself though, Sophie. You understand.”

“Okay,” she replied, looking disappointed.

Carmen met them inside the barn. She wore snug riding breeches and a sweater that accentuated her slender shape, and her long, black hair had been woven into a braid that trailed down her back. She leaned forward with a soft smile as Cole introduced his children. “I’m so happy to meet you girls,” she said. And then to Cole: “You have gorgeous daughters.”

Cole knew that to be true. “What do you say, girls?”

They both echoed “thank you” while Cole glowed in his proud moment.

“What’s your doggie’s name?” Sophie asked as she shook hands with the woman.

“Bruno. He’s very fierce, don’t you think?”

A serious expression consumed the girl’s face. “Maybe. But I think he might be nice, too.”

Carmen shook her head. “I don’t think so. I want you to be careful around him. Don’t go near.”

“That’s what Dad said.”

“Your father is right,” Carmen said, smiling at Cole. She extended her free hand toward Angela who took it. “And you’re a beautiful young woman. Do you resemble your mother?”

Frowning, Angela looked down at the ground. Cole could tell the comparison disturbed her. He jumped in before she could answer. “She does look like her mother, but she’s her own person, that’s for sure,” he said before changing the subject. “How is Diablo today?”

“I’ll let you see for yourself.” Carmen turned and led them to his box stall.

The kids stood at the half-door to watch while Cole and Carmen went inside. He was shocked by the horse’s condition. Diablo stood hunched in pain with tremors coursing through his muscles in waves. Sweat stained his black coat, and he looked gaunt, his eyes hollow and haunted. The stallion had lost ground since he’d last seen him.

He approached the horse, murmuring soothing sounds and running his hands over tight muscles, palpating around the spine and down the legs. He took his temperature while Carmen held him still.

“Is he eating anything?” Cole asked in a quiet tone.

“A little. Not much today.”

“I brought some insulin, and we’re going to get him started on that. I’ll draw another blood sample so we can see if we’re making any progress. I would have expected him to feel better than this by now.”

He drew the blood sample from the IV that was taped to the horse’s neck and injected the insulin. He’d finished discussing dosages for the other medications when his fatherly instinct made him notice that the kids were no longer watching at the doorway.

“Excuse me a minute,” he said, stepping to the door.

He saw that the two girls had made their way down the alleyway, evidently wanting to see other horses, and they were looking into a stall at the far end. The groom that Cole had spoken to during his previous visit was rushing toward them, making shooing gestures with his hands and saying, “Go.
Escapado
.”

Cole hurried down the alley. “What’s wrong?” he asked the man.

He answered with a string of Spanish that Cole couldn’t comprehend, but he could tell the man looked concerned. He must be telling the kids to leave.

“Come away from the stall, girls,” Cole told his daughters, turning his attention back to the man. His eyes were hooded and downcast. He wore jeans, a worn denim jacket, and cowboy boots; and here in the closeness of the barn, he smelled of stale cigarettes.

Carmen came up from behind. “Juan!” she said, following up the man’s name with a sentence in Spanish that sounded like a question.

“It’s okay, Carmen,” Cole said. “I think he was just warning the kids to stay away from the horse in the box stall.”

“This horse
is
dangerous.” She and the groom exchanged a few words before she dismissed him and turned back to Cole. “Yes, that’s what he says he was doing.”

“
Gracias
,” Cole said to the man’s retreating back. Juan hurried away, not acknowledging the expression of appreciation. It appeared that he couldn’t get away fast enough.

Sophie was looking worried, so Cole placed a hand on her shoulder and exchanged glances with Angela while they followed Carmen back to Diablo. Angela merely shrugged, apparently unconcerned.

Outside Diablo’s stall, Carmen stopped and studied each of his daughters, offering them a smile that softened her aristocratic features and crinkled the small lines at the corners of her eyes. Cole noticed her deep brown irises were edged with long, thick lashes. He couldn’t help but think that she was truly a beautiful woman.

“I hope Juan didn’t frighten you,” Carmen said, giving Sophie’s hand a squeeze.

“I’m okay,” Sophie said, looking up at the woman with an expression that resembled adoration.

Cole glanced at Angela, who was watching Carmen with narrowed eyes. When Angela caught him looking, she quickly adjusted her features into a neutral mask. He decided to finish up so they could get back in the truck and debrief. He’d like to know what his eldest was thinking.

“Carmen, I’ll call you with the results of this blood work as soon as it comes in, but I’ll need to come back to check Diablo tomorrow. Do you have any questions about what to do until then?”

“No, I understand his care.”

He gathered his supplies, and Carmen went with them out to the truck, past the barking Bruno. She shouted at the dog to
be quiet, but he paused for only a few seconds and then started up again. Belle had moved to the front seat and stood watching them eagerly out the windshield. Cole moved to the back of the truck to put away his things but could still hear Carmen conversing with his daughters.

“I see you have a lovely dog there.”

“She’s Belle,” Sophie piped up, grabbing Carmen’s hand to lead her close. “She’s friendly.”

Angela opened the truck door, telling Belle to get into the backseat.

“Let Miss Carmen pet her,” Sophie said in a plaintive tone.

“I can pet her in the backseat, Sophie,” Carmen said.

Cole appreciated a quick glance as the woman leaned forward into the back of the truck to pet the dog. A little embarrassed by his interest in the woman’s backside, he averted his eyes, finished up, and went to open his own door. From across the front seats, Carmen smiled at him as she helped Sophie climb into the truck and then stepped aside to let Angela get in.

“It’s been a pleasure to meet you, Sophie and Angela,” Carmen said. “I hope you’ll all come back and have dinner with me some evening.”

While Sophie expressed her delight, Cole said their good-byes and drove out of the barnyard. Sophie bounced around in the back seat to wave at Carmen, making Cole tell her to sit still and put on her seatbelt.

“She’s nice,” Sophie proclaimed.

When Cole glanced back to toss her a smile of agreement, he saw Angela roll her eyes.

“What?” he said.

“She’s a little too eager, Dad.”

No further need to debrief; those few words said it all. He decided not to get into it and remained silent while he steered the truck down the lane.

When they passed by the racetrack, Angela asked, “Are these high quality horses?”

“I’d say yes, based on the few I’ve seen so far,” he said.

“Did you see that one down on the end?”

“I’m not sure. I saw a bay and a big, red chestnut out on the racetrack last time I was here. The chestnut looked like a handful.”

“That one on the end is big, and he’s a chestnut,” Angie said. “He was sweating and pacing around in circles. I wondered if he was getting sick like Diablo.”

“Diablo’s illness isn’t contagious.”

“Well, this horse didn’t look right.”

Cole slipped her a teasing grin. “Maybe you’ll grow up to be a vet,” he said. “Follow in your dad’s footsteps.”

She ignored him and turned to Sophie. “Did that horse act dangerous to you? Did he try to bite at you or anything?”

“No, he just acted nervous.”

“Any horse can be dangerous,” Cole said. “I don’t want you guys walking away from where I’m working when you go on calls with me. I’ve told you this before, and I want you to listen this time. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“We hear you,” Angela said. “You can end the lecture.”

“I’m just saying, Angie. It’s not good to approach a strange animal by yourself.”

“That horse didn’t look mean. He looked sick.”

“He was probably overheated after his workout. Besides, you can’t tell if a horse is mean or not by looking at him, Angela. The one I saw the other day was trying to strike his handler. You never know. That’s why you have to be careful.”

Cole looked in the rearview mirror to check on Sophie who huddled in her seat, shoulders hitched, looking under siege. He’d noticed that she often zoned out when he and Angie bickered. He needed to try to put a stop to it and change the subject. “What did you think of Bruno, Sophie?”

“I think he’s nice.”

“We don’t know that, Sophie,” Cole said, almost going off about safety issues again but catching himself in time. “Carmen said she imported Bruno from Germany, but she’s disappointed in his obedience.”

“Maybe he talks German,” Sophie said.

Cole paused, realizing the child could be right. “That might be the problem, squirt. I think she’s been giving him commands in Spanish.”

“I wonder what dog commands sound like in German,” Angela said.

“I took German in high school,” Cole said. “Some of the words sound a lot like English. Like
sitz
.”

“That’s ‘sit’!” Sophie said, delighted with the new game.

Cole caught her eye in the rearview. “What do you think you’d say for down?”

Her brow gathered in concentration. “
Downz
?”

Cole grinned. “That’s close. It’s
platz
.”

Sophie giggled. “
Platz
down. Sounds like plops down.”

“You ought to take German, Angel,” Cole said. “I don’t remember much of it, but I do remember how to say ‘you are a dumbhead.’”

Sophie’s laughter pealed, filling the truck and Cole’s heart with joy.

“Tell us how to say it, Dad,” Angela said.

Finally—a topic they could all enjoy.