“Sorry pal, I got a killer to catch.”
Whining, he follows me inside and I try to explain. “If I don’t get a lead soon, Stacy will fall into the cold case files and Danni, with her merry band of detectives, will continue to drive me nuts.”
Toby barks, wags his tail, and grins.
“Glad we got that settled.” After making a thermos of coffee, I stuff a few candy bars in my pocket, and load up.
A few minutes later, I turn left on East Maple where Jeff waves me down. Wearing a parka, red hunting hat and orange vest, he smiles and jumps in my passenger seat.
“Hey. Thanks for inviting me.”
“No problem.” I drive in silence until we reach old route seven where he clears his throat.
“Can I tell you something?”
“Shoot.” Cringing at my word choice, I wonder if he’s about to confess.
His eyes dart around the cab and he shifts. “Yeah. About that. I’ve been getting these weird calls on my home phone. I pick up and someone hangs up before I can even say hello.”
I figured it wouldn’t be so easy.“How long has this been going on?” At my secret hunting spot, I pull off the road, turn the key, and the engine rattles once before coming to a stop.
“Weeks.”
Jumping out of the vehicle first, I reach for his rifle in the truck bed and make sure it is unloaded before handing it to him. “Probably just kids.”
“Yeah. But, you see, I have this girlfriend. She can get real jealous.”
“We talking about Arianna?” My knapsack slides over my shoulders.
“Who? Oh no. Where’d you dig her name up? I haven’t heard from her in over a year.”
“What then? The giggler?” A round circle from my flashlight points out the trail and once he sees the narrow path, he takes the lead.
“No, not her, either. She was a onetime thing.”
Deeper in the woods, the dawn light fades away and our progress slows. After about an hour, Jeff’s breathing becomes more rapid and his footsteps on the frozen ground slow.
He stops and swivels to face me. “How much further?”
“Almost there.”
“I need a moment.” Face flushed, he leans against a large boulder.
Copying his stance, I stare off into the distance. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, and please don’t take it the wrong way, did you and Stacy have an open relationship?”
His voice gets tight and he wipes back a tear. “She couldn’t give me what I needed. Women around here are, how do you say, a bit prudish. If you get my drift.”
“So that’s a yes?” I make sure to keep my eyes averted so he can’t read my thoughts.
“Well, not really. She didn’t know about the others.”
“Gotcha.” Even though I’m trying to stay neutral, he picks up on my judgmental tone.
“You don’t understand. God forbid I want to push it up her ass, tie her up, or role play. She wanted it missionary, end of story.”
“Ay-yup.” My stomach churns but his insights may hold the key to Stacy’s death.
I squat and point out the hoof marks in the snow. “This way.”
