Page 13 of The Catcher
“His choice or yours?”
Noah cocked his head.
Savannah nodded. “Can’t keep punishing him forever, Noah, or using the kids as weapons. They’ll resent you for it.”
“I’m not. Until he’s honest, he’s a danger to them.”
“Him or the Ashfords?”
Noah smirked. The Ashford family had been a thorn in his side since his arrival back in High Peaks. Luther Ashford was a self-made man who had his fingers in every business in the town, including his father’s. The question was why? All the talk of him being involved in real estate was just a front.
Noah sipped his coffee, savoring the familiar warmth as it spread through his chest. The headache from the previous day had finally worn off.
“As much as I like to see you, what brings you here?” Noah asked.
Savannah took a deep breath, her demeanor turning serious as she set her cup down and passed him a tablet. It showed the headline from the local news. “Did you read the paper this morning?” she inquired, her voice grave.
“Nope,” Noah replied, shaking his head.
Noah listened intently as Savannah outlined the details of the case, his brow furrowing in concentration. “Two teens from the local high school went missing two nights ago; one of them was found at the bottom of a cliff in the High Peaks Wilderness. His wrists were bound behind his back, the rope was tied to a heavy tree branch. The other, his girlfriend, is still missing,” Savannah explained, her words casting a shadow over the tranquil atmosphere of the sunroom.
“Besides that, what have you got so far?” he inquired, his mind already spinning with possible theories and scenarios.
Savannah leaned back in her chair; her expression thoughtful. “Not much yet. The body is with the medical examiner. All the kid was wearing was a red hunter’s hat, and boxers. The manner of death looks to be a fall, but who knows how long he was alive. In these temperatures, it could have been hypothermia.”
“You think it was some sex game gone wrong? A prank?”
“Possible. However, this feels unusual. The location. The manner of death. We found the teens’ truck at the trailhead. A forest ranger was called out to the scene andmanaged to find footprints — size 12 shoes. No fingerprints so far, but we think various items inside a nearby geocache container are linked to the girl,” she explained.
“Geocache container?” Noah glanced at her, a flicker of curiosity dancing in his eyes.
“Like I said, unusual. But it’s all there in the crime scene report,” Savannah continued, handing him a folder containing the pertinent documents.
“Keep it. It’s not much use to me. I’m suspended, remember?” Noah said.
“Not anymore. It’s been lifted. Well, to be exact, it was lifted a couple of weeks ago,” Savannah revealed, her words sparking a glimmer of surprise in Noah’s eyes.
“The higher-ups weren’t sure?” Noah queried, his mind racing to catch up with the sudden shift in circumstances.
“There’s not much to go on without a witness. Declan said he saw and heard nothing. No marks on Landon Emmett. It’s a he-said, he-said scenario. All they had was destruction of property, and the camera doesn’t wish to press charges,” Savannah explained, injecting a hint of humor into her words. “Jokes aside, Noah. I can’t have you doing that kind of stuff. This isn’t the movies; this isn’t a game. And before you say it, yes,” she paused for emphasis. “I understand Emmett knew where Alicia and your father were, but still, there is a protocol that we follow, and even murderers have rights.”
His mind flashed back to that interview room. The game. The mocking laughter. Destroying the camera in the corner of the room. Throwing Emmett up against the wall. Then, the moments that led up to finding Alicia dead.
Noah’s expression softened, a mixture of gratitude and understanding flickering in his eyes. “So if they were sure, why the extra time beyond a month?” he inquired, his curiosity piqued.
“What with the loss. I figured you could use the time off,” Savannah admitted, her tone gentle yet firm. “Paid time off. Don’t worry, you are getting paid. I just know you wouldn’t have taken a leave of absence for grief, so I just extended your time away.”
“Until this landed on your desk,” Noah concluded, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
“I want you on this,” Savannah confirmed.
“You’ve got enough people. Declan Porter from State, McKenzie from the Sheriff’s Office, never mind all the special agents from DEC,” Noah countered.
“And you, wasting time here,” Savannah retorted, her voice firm and unwavering.
“You know what? I never thought I would say this, but I like wasting time. Something about being forced into stopping makes you look at life differently,” Noah admitted.
“Yeah? Next, you’re going to tell me you’re taking a cooking class. Listen, Porter is still wet behind the ears,” Savannah replied.
