Page 1 of Peak Suspicion
Chapter One
DON’T THINK YOU CAN BREAK THE LAW AND GO UNPUNISHED.
The bold black letters, all caps in blocky print, stood out against the half sheet of white paper. Miranda “Mira” Veronica looked over at her friend and fellow teacher, Shayla Green. “Someone left this on your car?” Mira asked.
“Yeah.” Shayla tucked a strand of dark brown hair behind one ear and the line etched between her perfectly plucked eyebrows deepened. “Who would do something so creepy?”
Even though she was pretty sure they were alone, Mira glanced around the staff parking lot. At this time of day—almost five o’clock—the staff lot was more than half-empty. She and Shayla were parked side by side at the back of the lot, farthest from the school building. Mira had walked out to her car a few minutes ago, only to find her friend hunched over this piece of paper, practically trembling. “What are they talking about?” Mira asked. “How did you break the law?”
“Did you read the whole note?” Shayla nodded to the piece of paper.
Mira glanced at the note again. In smaller print beneath the accusation of wrongdoing were the typed words:Just because your pets are cute doesn’t mean they’re legal.
“I adopted a fourth cat,” Shayla said.
Not the awful crime Mira had anticipated. “Is that illegal?”
“There’s supposed to be a cap of four pets in the city limits.” Shayla sighed. “I have a dog, too, so that makes five animals. But honestly, she’s not hurting anyone. All the cats are indoor cats. Most people never even see them, and it’s not as if they make any noise, either. And the shelter is so full this time of year I couldn’t resist giving another one a home.” She bit her lower lip, close to tears.
“No one’s going to send you to jail for having an extra cat.” Mira folded the note and passed it back to Shayla. “This is just someone being a bully. If one of your students put this on your car, we need to find out who they are and see that they get counseling. This is no way to treat people.”
“I can’t believe it would be one of my students.” Shayla folded the note again. And then again, until it was a square the size of a postage stamp. “I’ve got a good batch of kids this year. And I haven’t told anyone about the new kitten.”
“Maybe one of your neighbors found out? Or one of the shelter employees said something?”
Shayla stared down at the folded square of paper in her palm. “I don’t understand why someone would be so mean.”
Mira patted her friend’s shoulder. “I don’t understand, either,” she said. “If I knew who did this, I’d give them a piece of my mind.” She looked around the parking lot again. “I don’t think the security cameras reach this far out.”
“I never even thought of that,” Shayla said. “I always park here because it’s easy to get in and out. And I figure walking a few more steps a day couldn’t hurt.”
“Do you remember who was parked near you?” Mira asked. “We could find out if they saw anyone near your car.”
“Mitch Anders’s SUV was a couple of spaces over.” She indicated a now-empty spot. At Mira’s questioning look she added. “He’s the technology teacher and athletic coach. You probably haven’t met him yet.”
There were so many people Mira hadn’t met yet. She’d only arrived in Eagle Mountain three weeks ago to start a new job teaching Spanish to middle and high school students in the small district.
“I’ll ask him tomorrow if he saw anyone who might have left this.” Shayla closed her hand around the folded note and shoved it in her pocket. “I just hope whoever wrote this isn’t telling other people about poor little Muffin.”
“Try not to let it upset you,” Mira said. She checked the time on her phone. “I have to go now, but we’ll talk tomorrow.”
Shayla forced a weak smile. “Thanks.”
Mira had been in a good mood until her encounter with Shayla. The move from her native Santa Fe had been a big step for her, but it was working out better than she had dared hope. She enjoyed her students, and her fellow teachers and administration had been friendly and welcoming. Eagle Mountain itself was beautiful. She had even qualified for a rent-controlled apartment in a complex set aside for teachers and other essential employees. No place was perfect, of course, but it was disturbing to realize that even here, there were mean people determined to make others as miserable as they were.
She wasn’t going to let them upset her. She had too much to look forward to, including this evening’s meeting. After she left the school, she followed the directions she had been given to the headquarters for Eagle Mountain Search and Rescue. American and Colorado flags snapped smartly in the breeze next to a large garage-like building. Mountains, their red-and-gray peaks not yet capped by snow, towered against a turquoise sky in the distance. Mira parked her car in a slot near the door labeled Visitor and followed a concrete walkway to the entrance.
The door opened into a large, concrete-floored room occupied by more than two dozen people. Several heads turned as she entered and a tall blonde moved to greet her. “I’mso glad you could make it.” Sheri Stevens, another teacher at the high school, took Mira’s hand and led her farther into the room. “Grab something to eat and drink and say hello. We’re all friendly here. We’ll get started in a few minutes and I’ll officially introduce you.”
“Thanks.” Mira dropped the backpack she carried onto a folding chair near the front of the room and headed for a table spread with sub sandwiches and drinks. People smiled and moved over to make space for her. They were mostly young people, though a few were old enough to have graying hair. She spotted some familiar faces, but no one she could put a name to yet. This was one reason she had accepted Sheri’s invitation to volunteer to help—she wanted to meet more people in what she hoped would be her new home.
She was pondering the selection of sandwiches when a man approached. He had straight dark brown hair, long on the top and short on the sides, and striking green eyes—the color of moss. “Hey there,” he said. “Are you a new volunteer?”
“Not exactly.” She selected a turkey sandwich and arranged it on her plate next to some pepper strips.
“Oh, mysterious.” He grinned, flashing white, straight teeth. Handsome. Charming. And very sure of himself. She had met his type before. “I’m Carter Ames.”
“Mira Veronica.”
