Page 110 of The Burning

“Did they find Hofer?” I ask. “Clarence Raber?”

He nods. “Deputy found Raber trying to break into your rental vehicle at the rear of the property. Probably after your shotgun. Evidently, he was wounded. They made the arrest and they took him out on a stretcher.

“As far as Hofer … it’s not official, but one of the deputies I talked to said they found a body in the quarry. Male. Fully clothed. Dark hair. They got him out of the water. They’re working on getting him IDed now.”

“Any idea how he died?” Tomasetti asks.

“Deputy said it looked like he may have struck his head when he fell and died either from trauma or drowning.”

I think about the chaotic turn of events at the quarry—and the implications of Hofer’s death in terms of the case. “That leaves us with a lot of unanswered questions,” I say.

“Would have been nice to talk to him,” Tomasetti says. “Maybe punch him a couple of times.”

“Raber might be able to fill in some of the blanks.” I look at Glock. “Was there anyone else at the business?”

“Don’t know.” Glock’s brows draw together. “Cops on scene are being kind of tight-lipped about it.”

“Those BCI people are assholes,” Tomasetti mutters.

Glock laughs outright.

“Chief?” comes a familiar voice from outside the curtain. “Anyone home?”

Sheriff Mike Rasmussen peers in through the gap and looks at us. “Now there’s a sight to warm your heart.”

“Thought there was a limit on the number of riffraff they allow back here,” Tomasetti mutters.

“Shield got me in.” Looking genuinely pleased to see us, Rasmussen strides to the gurney and extends his hand to Tomasetti. “Heard you had a close encounter with a backhoe.”

“Tahoe got the short end of the stick.” Tomasetti gives another wonky smile.

“Literally and figuratively,” I add.

“Going to be fun explaining that one to the insurance company,” Glock puts in.

“At least the Explorer wasn’t involved,” Tomasetti puts in.

Sobering, Rasmussen extends his hand to me. “I’m glad neither of you were seriously hurt. The deputy I talked to said it was one hell of a scene.”

“Anything new?” I ask.

“BCI crime scene guys are processing the scene and will be for some time. Raber is being transported to the hospital. Needless to say, we’ve still got a lot to figure out.” He looks at me and sighs. “Kate, I’d like to be the first to offer you an apology. You were right about everything. We got it wrong, and we treated you like shit. I’m sorry.”

He offers his hand. I take it and we shake again. “Accepted,” I say simply.

“Not bad for a politician.” Tomasetti looks at me and raises his brows. “I especially liked the ‘we treated you like shit’ line.”

Glock clears his throat.

Rasmussen jabs a thumb at Tomasetti. “What the hell did they give him?”

Everyone laughs and some of the tension leaches from the room. All of us know that as bad as the situation was at the quarry, it could have been much worse and two of us in this room are lucky to be alive.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Glock raise his hand. “See you tomorrow, Chief.” Then to Tomasetti, “Good luck with that arm.”

“Keep me posted on any news,” I tell him.

“You got it.”