Page 33 of Engaging the Deputy

CHAPTER TWELVE

As Jaden drove toward the hospital, the sun rose high over the snowcapped mountain peaks, casting a glow over the Montana landscape. He hardly noticed. His mind had been on little else but this case since it had begun. The case and Olivia.

He couldn’t quit thinking about the story Emery had told Olivia. He kept asking himself why Emery hadn’t come to him with it. Why tell Olivia? Something felt off and had since the beginning.

He’d been as ready as Emery to blame Rusk for what had happened out there Halloween night. But after seeing the man again, he knew that whoever Emery might have seen, it hadn’t been Elden Rusk.

Jaden had attempted to tell the man about what had been unearthed. Along with the clothing found with the bones, he let him know that there was no doubt that they belonged to Evangeline.

“He can’t understand you,” the nurse had said when she’d found Jaden in Rusk’s room. “Advanced dementia.”

“I thought that, when he first saw me, he might have recognized me.”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry. Are you a relative?”

“No, we haven’t seen each other for years. I had some news for him.” But when he’d tried to tell Rusk about Evangeline, the man had looked blankly at him. When Jaden had tried again, Rusk had become agitated, tried to say something, spittle on his lips as he’d begun to moan loudly.

The nurse suggested Jaden take a walk around the facility and try again. “You might have better luck later.”

He questioned whether or not Rusk had understood about his daughter’s remains being found. But one thing was clear. Elden Rusk hadn’t been out at Starling on Halloween night. If Emery was telling the truth, though, someone had wanted him to believe Rusk was alive and out for blood. It would have been easy enough to dress in all black, head covered with a big, floppy black hat, and try to frighten the group partying in the abandoned community. Given the storm and the confusion, it would have made revenge easier. Someone had taken advantage. Someone was lying.

Maybe they were all lying.

* * *

Olivia was surprisedto get a text from Cody later that afternoon. Her mother was watching one of her favorite old black-and-white movies in the other room.

I need to talk to you. It’s important. Meet me?

She glanced into the living room. Her mother was laughing and motioning for Olivia to join her. “You really should watch this.”

“I’ve seen it. Not as many times as you have, but enough,” she said as she walked into the room. “I might run into town and get some things from the grocery store.”

“We have ice cream. What else do we need?”

She smiled at her mother. She loved seeing her this content. Was it from giving up on men, on love? Olivia suspected it just might be. She hesitated, not sure that meeting Cody was a good idea. Worse, not telling her mother the truth about where she was going might also be a mistake.

But she wasn’t up to an argument, especially when her mother was in such a good mood. “I won’t be long,” she said and headed for the door.

“We could always use more ice cream,” her mother called. “Chocolate!”

The door closed behind her. As she walked to her car, Olivia still hesitated to text him back. She felt as if she and Cody had said everything they’d needed to.

When he texted back to meet him at the park down by the river after he got off work, she was glad she’d hesitated. Apparently, he was back at the hardware store. She couldn’t imagine why he wanted to see her after what they’d said to each other Halloween night—let alone at the hardware store before.

Then she recalled that he had little to no memory of Halloween.

She figured she could kill some time in town before she met him.

* * *

Jaden had takenthe nurse’s advice. He’d walked around, circling back to Elden Rusk’s room after he’d had his lunch.

Elden looked up the moment the deputy walked into the room. This time, Jaden was sure the old man recognized him. He pulled up a chair in front of the wheelchair.

“I’m Deputy Jaden Montgomery,” he said. “We believe your daughter Evangeline’s remains have been found in a root cellar in Starling.” He was unsure of what kind of response he would get—if any.

“Too pretty,” the man rasped. “Tried to warn her mother. Evangeline—” His voice broke. “My sweet Evangeline.” Eyes narrowing, he said, his voice gruff, “Tried to protect her. They came like bees to honey.” His eyes filled with tears.

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