Cold Case Cowboy. Jenna Ryan

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ

      Chapter Four

      “You kissed her?” Dana shook his head in amazement. “You’ve known her less than eighteen hours, and you kissed her? You don’t kiss women you’ve known for eighteen days, sometimes eighteen weeks, once even eighteen—”

      “I get it, Dana.” In the sheriff’s private office, Nick searched for and located Will Pyle’s clipboard. “It’s out of character for me.”

      “It’s off the map for you. Lacey—”

      “Is remarried and living in Michigan with a man who’s not a cop. Subject dead. Move on.”

      His warning tone had no effect on Dana. “You’re a puzzler, Nick. Getting involved with a potential victim. What’s the deal with that?”

      “She’s not going to be a victim.”

      “Calmly stated, but so far your questions have struck out. And Will’s like a bull in a china shop with his interrogative techniques.” Dana frowned as Nick started out. “Where are you going?”

      “Mountain House.” A scan of the second sheet on the clipboard revealed that only a handful of the people staying there had spoken to the sheriff. “I’ve done Annie’s Barn and most of the Hollowback Inn.”

      Hauling out his gloves, Dana jogged along behind him. “April said there are climbers heading up the north side of Hollowback. Party of five.”

      “When did they leave?”

      “The morning after the murder.”

      “Does she have names?”

      “Names and Visa card numbers. They rented climbing gear.” Dana sucked in a sharp breath as Nick pushed through the door. “Man, it’s cold.”

      Clouds scudded across an already gray sky. Nick watched them bunch together. “Snow’s coming.”

      “It’s been that kind of year. We’ve had three major slides already. One missed Skye’s lodge by less than five hundred feet.”

      Nick’s eyes traveled up the mountain. “Where’s the building site?”

      “Five miles west of the lodge. That engineer’s got his work cut out for him. The pass alone’ll confound him for months. All the roads except one snake back to the same spot. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear old George Painter planned it that way.” Dana crunched along beside Nick in silence, but the sideways looks he darted were telling. Out of respect for a friendship that stretched back thirty years, Nick caved.

      “There’s something about her that feels familiar to me, Dana. My father’s ranch foreman is a Native American—Blackfoot. You know him. He believes in spirits, transfiguration and old souls reborn. I was fascinated by the idea as a kid. I thought I’d outgrown it as an adult. Guess not.”

      “Well that’s unexpected.”

      “What, that I’d believe in anything spirit related?”

      “That you’d admit it.” He opened the hotel door. “Details to follow, I hope.”

      Nick had left his gloves in one of the jail cells—not smart with the thermometer heading toward minus ten. He blew into his hands as April hastened over from the front desk.

      “Here’s your updated list, Detective Law.” She stood close enough to press her breasts into his arm. “There are only seven men who were here the night of the murder, plus the five out climbing. Mr. Phlug is ninety-two and traveling north to Montana with his grandson, Dr. Phlug. They’re both really nice. James Peebles is more surly, no idea why. Mr. Rush—well, he’s just plain hunky.”

      Nick’s brows went up. “He’s down the hall from Sasha Myer, right?”

      She pressed closer. “Don’t you love cowboys?”

      “Since I was a kid,” he agreed with a grin. “I’ve already talked to three of these guys,” he told Dana. “You do the Phlugs. I’ll take Peebles and Rush.”

      April bumped his arm. “Mr. Rush isn’t here right now, Detective. He’s over at Harvey’s Garage. His truck broke a kingpin. He’s been on Harvey’s case to replace it. I don’t mean in a nasty way. Mr. Rush is very polite and quiet, kind of skittish, but I figure that’s shyness.” She ran her gaze up and down Nick’s body. “It’s totally sexy.”

      “Room 23,” Nick read from the sheet.

      “Across the hall from Ms. Felgard.” April shuddered. “It’s creepy, isn’t it? One minute alive, the next gone. Poor thing. She was quiet, too. A sweet little mouse.”

      “Uh-huh. Look, phone Harvey and tell him to stall this Rush guy.”

      “Sure.” She hesitated. “Why? I mean, he’s the nice one. It’s Mr. Peebles who’s—Okay, I’m going. Stall. Shouldn’t be a problem for Harvey.”

      Dana peered over Nick’s shoulder. “Anthony Rush. Telluride, Colorado. Do you have a hunch about him?”

      Nick skimmed the list again. “Not particularly. I just don’t want him leaving town, and it looks like he’s paid his bill.”

      Dana ran a finger across the sheet. “Hasn’t checked out, though.”

      “We’ll see.”

      Nick felt revved, but then he always did when a cold case came to life. One thing he enjoyed doing was interrogating people. Anticipating the moment, he arched his brows. “Wanna watch?”

      “I’ve had breakfast. I can handle it.” Nick heard the sympathy in Dana’s voice as he added, “For his sake, I hope Anthony Rush can, too.”

      “I READ ON THE INTERNET that a woman died near Painter’s Bluff.” Barbara overrode a cloud of static to reproach her daughter. “How? Where? And what does Skye Painter have to say about it?”

      “Not sure, Painter’s Rock and nothing yet,” Sasha lied. The signposts in Smoking Gun Pass had vanished, if they’d ever been there, forcing her to use the map on the dash to locate the proper access route. With various roads and tons of snow, it was a complex endeavor.

      “Sasha…”

      “Look, Mother, I’m driving. Now’s not the time.”

      Barbara was undaunted. “Is Skye Painter going through with the project or not?”

      “I’m sure she is.”

      “So I can tell Donald you’re still working for her.”

      She wouldn’t ask, she promised herself. Wouldn’t ask. “Who’s Donald?”

      “He writes for well-known women’s magazines. I told him about your job and he was so impressed he wants to do an article on you.”

      “But you’ll rate a strong mention, I’m sure.”

      “That’s not the СКАЧАТЬ