Page 38 of Engaging the Deputy

“He’d promised to take her with him when he left,” Emery said, getting an evil-eye glare from Krystal.

“But once you saw his loaded pickup, you knew different,” Jaden said. He felt for her but wondered what that kind of humiliation could stir up in her. He recalled her chasing Livie out of town. Would she have run her off the road if she hadn’t gone in the ditch?

“You were hiding in the back of the van when Rob and Emery picked up those underage girls Halloween night,” Jaden said as he tried to work it out. “That had to make you angry. Angry enough that when you saw your chance, you took it?” But was she strong enough to push a concrete wall over on Rob? Only if Emery had helped her.

“Why would I care about Rob?” Krystal said. “I was with Cody. I never really believed Rob was serious.”

“Only, Cody was with his old girlfriend down in a root cellar,” Jaden said, trying to imagine how yet another betrayal that night could have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. “You saw Olivia climb out and leave him to go for help. Save him or… You had to be furious by then. No one could blame you for picking up a rock and hurling it down at him. You just wanted him to hurt like he had made you. You didn’t mean to almost kill him.”

A tear escaped and ran down her cheek. She lifted her gaze to meet his. “I couldn’t hurt Cody. I love him and he loves me,” she said, making Emery look over at her in surprise. “It wasn’t me. When you found him, wasn’t Olivia the one standing over him? Maybe you should ask her what happened.”

“Did you see anyone else?” the deputy asked, tending to believe at least part of her story. She shook her head. He thought she could have wanted to scare Cody, but he doubted she’d intended to put him in the hospital, let alone kill him. That was, if she had been the one to injure him.

Rising from the table, Jaden thought back to the argument he’d overheard before coming into the apartment. “Any idea why Rob had insisted you all stay until midnight?”

“I didn’t know then, but I do now,” Emery said and swore. “He was killing time with us, using his old friends to shield him from the scary people he owed money to. Then, after midnight, he was skipping town.”

“You know that for a fact?” Jaden asked, even though it certainly appeared that way.

Emery shook his head. But if right, Rob was leaving in the dead of night, running from debts and deceits, maybe even running for his life.

“Who are these scary people?” he asked Krystal.

“I heard him on the phone with them once,” she said after exchanging a look with Emery. “It sounded like they would be crossing the border the next day. From what I could tell, they were threatening him. After he hung up, he went in the bathroom and threw up. I didn’t ask.”

“It had to be drugs,” Emery said, pushing that theory. “I know he made a lot of trips up to the border.” It was only sixty-five miles from Libby to the Canadian border, nothing to drive when you lived in a state as large as Montana.

“You never asked him why he made so many trips to the border?” the deputy asked.

Emery shook his head. “He told me he had a girlfriend up there. I knew he was lying. But, like Krystal, I didn’t ask. I wanted nothing to do with it.”

* * *

Olivia had spentall morning trying to shake off the terrifying dream she’d had the night before.

She’d been back out at Starling. Only, this time, Cody had climbed out of the root cellar first, leaving her to die. She’d screamed for help until her throat was raw before a dark shadow had fallen over her. She’d looked up and Elden Rusk had been peering down at her. But then she’d seen who’d been standing next to Rusk and she’d gasped. Cody, smiling down at her, a rock in his hand.

She told herself it had just been a bad dream. It didn’t mean anything. It didn’t even make sense. Yet she found herself worrying about Cody. That really made no sense, given that she’d been the one in the hole, the one in danger, not Cody.

Still, she called his number. She’d tell him about the dream. They’d laugh about it. She’d put it behind her. His phone rang four times before voicemail picked up.

“You’ve reached Cody Ryan. Leave a message.”

Olivia hesitated as she heard the beep. “Cody, it’s Olivia. I had this crazy dream last night. I just wanted to make sure you were all right.” She recalled their talk the evening before by the river, his need to remember what had happened Halloween night. He wouldn’t go out to Starling, thinking it might help him remember, would he? “Please call me.”

After she disconnected, she was more convinced than ever that he might have gone out there this morning. Hadn’t people in the area been warned to stay away? Been told how dangerous it was because of all the debris left by the tornado? Like that would stop Cody.

She paused only a moment before she called the deputy. He picked up at once. Just the sound of his voice steadied her. He’d always had that effect on her. “Is the crime team done out at Starling?”

He instantly sounded suspicious. “Why are you asking me that?”

“Cody is determined to remember who attacked him. I couldn’t reach him this morning. I think he might go out there.”

Jaden swore. “Don’t you go out there,” he ordered, making her bristle.

“I didn’t say I was going out there.”

“It would be just like you. Do I have to remind you that there is still a killer on the loose, not to mention how dangerous it is out there?”

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