“Why do you need to stop?” Elena asked.
“I need to get something there. It’s in a safety-deposit box. It should only take me a few minutes.”
“Okay,” Elena said, spotting a small herd of deer out in a field below one of the red cliffs. A large buck lifted his head and watched them drive by. She’d never seen anything so beautiful in her life. Maybe on her next vacation, she’d come back here and explore. If a junior prosecutor ever took a vacation. She was determined to move up the ranks and prove herself.
This case could do just that, which was why she’d decided to come with Amber, but after overhearing Amber’s side of the conversation, Elena hoped she hadn’t made a mistake. Based on the pleading Amber did, Josh Colten didn’t seem very happy to hear from her, much less willing to help.
They arrived at the outskirts of a small town with only a few buildings, including the bank Amber had mentioned.
Amber pulled into a parking spot and then said, “I’ll be right back.”
Elena nodded and stared around, taking in her surroundings. On the road they just pulled off from, there was a green mileage sign. Pinecone Junction was only another fifteen miles. While the scenery was gorgeous and serene, Elena’s stomach was flip-flopping with nerves.
Would Josh come through? Had he really changed? Or was this all some scheme on Amber’s part to try to see him again? If he did have evidence, would she be able to prove this case and would the police be able to find the real killer of Sydney Bradford? Why didn’t Ref ever say anything about being at another crime across town? Of course, Elena knew that wasn’t a typical defense—I couldn’t have killed this girl because I was a passenger in a drive-by murdering a rival gang member.What a mess. But she was determined to see all of this through.
A few minutes later, the door of the bank opened, the sun reflecting off the glass as Amber came back out. Even though it was chilly and windy outside, Elena loved the sun. Back home, there were still many dreary, cloudy, and rainy days, although later in the month, the weather in Chicago would get nicer.
Amber got in the front driver’s seat. Her purse now had a bulge. Elena didn’t want to ask. They pulled out onto the road and drove in silence. The road climbed in elevation and again, the landscape changed. Movement off to the side caught Elena’s eye and she realized it was a cow moose trotting away from the road, her long legs navigating the deep drifts on the north side.
She was definitely in the remote wilderness. That both thrilled and scared her. At least she knew her way around Chicago. Out here, she didn’t know which direction was which anymore. The trees had become thick enough to block out the sun and the view of the high mountain peaks, which was the only way Elena could get her bearings since they were to the west.
They drove by a sign welcoming them to Pinecone Junction. Amber stopped at a couple of four-way stops, no lights in sight, which amazed Elena, and then they continued outside of town.
“You know where you’re going, right?” Elena asked.
“Of course. I was out here in January. I got my bearings then.”
Elena nodded and thought,Amber also received a temporary restraining order then too. Am I completely nuts to be doing this?
What seemed like forever, but was probably only another five miles out of town, Amber turned onto a snow-packed road. Stopping long enough to put their rental Jeep into four-wheel drive, they drove on and parked on the other side of a hill. Amber shut the car off and they waited. The only sound was the faint ticking noise of the engine cooling off as the temperature dropped.
Elena grabbed her jacket and put it on. It might be sunny, but it was still cold in the mountains.Note to self, visit Colorado in the summer.
“When did the officer say he was going to be here?” Elena asked.
“Soon. I think he said an hour. We made good time. He should be here any minute.”
“And you’re sure he’s someone we can trust? I mean, his past isn’t exactly great.”
“Yes,” Amber said. “We can trust him. He’s gone through a lot and he’s sober now. He’s a very different person…in a good way.”
Elena thought Amber had a hard time admitting that. She probably would too if the man she loved was better because they were no longer together.
“I need to talk to him first when he arrives about some past things that happened. Alone.”
“Okay,” Elena agreed, even though she wasn’t thrilled about that. She’d rather get this over with and start the drive back to Denver, where they had a hotel room and early flight home the next day. The drive up to this location had taken over two hours. Elena wanted the evidence so she could get back to work. But Amber was helping her out, so she was trying to have patience. “Why don’t you do what you need to do and then wave when you’re ready for me to come?”
“That sounds great,” Amber said with a smile as she applied some lip gloss and ran a brush through her hair. A vehicle pulled up from the other direction. “That’s him.”
Elena wondered why the vehicle didn’t pull off from the same location they did, but Amber had mentioned something about how the road where they were stopping led to another mountain town, although you needed four-wheel drive. Maybe this guy, Josh, came from that direction? For some reason, though, Elena didn’t like it. The sun glinted through the trees as it started to set and reflected off the snow, making it hard to see. Elena tried to shield her eyes. She’d managed to forget her sunglasses back home.
As she blocked the sun, Elena noticed that the vehicle didn’t have a light bar and had a headlight out. “Are you sure that’s him? That doesn’t look like a sheriff’s patrol vehicle. Plus, that vehicle has a light out.”
“It has to be him. Maybe he’s driving his personal vehicle and doesn’t know about the headlamp. I’ll let him know, get what you need and be back,” Amber said, opening her purse.
Elena realized that the bulge in Amber’s purse was a gun. “What the hell, Amber?”
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I need to return this to Josh. Long story. Stay here and I’ll wave.”
