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"Rachel, it’s Thomas. You okay?"
"Yeah."
"Got any leads?"
"Umm... some, I guess."
"Suspects?"
He was rattling off questions without hesitation, and she felt a slow sense of unease.
His voice rumbled like distant thunder over the line.
"Everything okay, boss?"
"I've been hearing things, Rachel," he said.
"Things?" Her fingers stalled above the keyboard, her eyes flicking to Ethan, who raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
"Who's Larry Nelson?"
She went still. Her mind darted back to the man chained in her aunt's basement. Technically, he was in Dawes' jurisdiction now. But she knew it wouldn't float if the layers were peeled back.
"I... sorry, Larry Nelson?"
"Yeah. You pulled his file."
"Are you keeping an eye over my shoulder now, sir?"
"Just tell me who he is."
She hesitated, mind spinning. Why was he asking? Did he know what she'd done? Was he suspicious?
So instead of lying to her old friend and mentor, she said, "We're following every lead, sir. Right now, we're on ATVs."
He let out a slow, leaking breath. For a moment, she thought he'd push it further. But then, he said, "ATVs?"
"A red ATV was spotted near the crime scene by a witness."
"I see... And this Nelson fellow? He was the driver?"
"No, sir. Unrelated."
For a moment, she thought he'd press more. But then, he said, "ATVs can go places cars can't. Useful for... off-road activities."
"Right." She was noncommittal, a wall of reticence built brick by brick from years of guarding secrets. Ethan watched her closely, his silent presence a steady anchor.
"Trouble is," Thomas pressed on, sensing her evasion, "they're also good for covering ground quickly. Discreetly. Could be nothing," he admitted. "But I remember, back when we were kids, we'd always say—the land tells the story."
She paused a moment longer and then realized the source of the call. "Sir, has... has Councilman Whitehorse been calling you?"
A sigh. "Yes."
"Does he know about his daughter?"
"I'm afraid so... Not that there was ever going to be a good time to tell him."
Rachel winced but nodded. "I'm very sorry, sir. You knew him personally, didn't you?"
