“It’s slow going, but I was able to get the reports from that night.” I open my computer and log into our private server. “What exists of them, anyway.”
Walker leans forward, eyes narrowing. “What do you mean, what exists of them?”
“I mean the most interesting part of what I found was what I didn’t find.” Usually in an accident involving a death, the paperwork is substantial. Especially an accident from the days before the Internet was widely used. “There should have been pages and pages of documentation, but all I could dig up was a single hand-written report by the first officer on the scene.”
I pull the scanned document up and turn the screen toward my cousin. It’s nothing more than a brief explanation of what he witnessed upon arrival.
Walker looks it over, the set of his jaw tightening with each passing second. “Where’s the rest?”
“That is a good question.” I was young when my aunt was killed, but old enough to remember the police talking to my parents. Explaining there were three cars involved, but they hadn’t been able to locate the third one. “There should be an accident reconstruction in here. Pictures of your mom’s car and the car of the other guy who was killed. Witness statements.” I shake my head and lift my shoulders in a shrug of confusion. “But there’s nothing.”
Walker seems as stunned by the discovery as I was. “Where in the hell would it have gone?”
“That’s what I need to figure out. It’s why I hadn’t brought this to you yet. I was hoping I’d be able to track the rest of it—or at least part of it—down.” I hated coming to him with lessinformation than we started with, but in a way it still tells us something.
Or at least hints at it.
“Evidence doesn’t just disappear.” Walker stands and begins pacing across the room. “How in the hell could they have lost all of it?” He scrubs a hand over his face. “I shouldn’t have waited so long. Maybe if I started earlier we could’ve found more.”
“There are some things you can’t rush.” I like to think if my mother hired Mariah five years ago we would’ve ended up in the same place, but I’m not so sure. Grief takes time. Pain is slow to fade. And when you know something is going to rip open old wounds, it’s difficult to talk yourself into baring skin. “We’ll figure out what happened, it might just be a little harder and take a little longer than either of us was hoping.”
Walker turns to me, his shoulders slumped. “Or maybe I just learn to live with not knowing. I’ve managed this long.”
I think of the envelope sitting upstairs in my safe. What it contains.
What it doesn’t.
Opening it will only bring me pain. It will add another loss to the list I carry. Similar to Schrödinger’s cat, the baby Kara and I created has been both a boy and a girl in my head for so long that the thought of giving one of them up makes it difficult to breathe.
But the knowledge we’re seeking won’t lead to a loss for Walker—it will lead to closure. Allow him to shelve the book of his past and maybe make room for him to open something new. Something good.
He deserves something good.
“If you’re okay with it, I’d like to reach out to one of our clients. Pierce’s company has government contracts and his team might have access to places mine does not.”
I will bend a lot of rules. I’ll even stretch a law or two. But getting caught attempting to access classified material isn’t on my to do list.
Walker takes a deep breath as he considers. His eyes drift outthe front windows, looking over the mountains outside. “I’m older now than she was when she died. All I can think about is how much life was stolen from her.” His nostrils flare. “By some prick who couldn’t even be fucked to stop and see if she was okay.” He’s quiet for a minute longer before finally turning to me. “Figure it out. Find who did it so I can take him for a hike in the fall.”
I’m a little disappointed in my own plan to feed Mariah’s ex to the mountain lions. Getting bears to eat him right before hibernation would’ve been a much better solution.
I’ll have to remember that.
“Done.” I stand, following Walker out into the entryway.
He looks toward the back of my house where the construction crew is working on the addition. “This place is going to be hella big when you’re done.” He smirks. “Way too big for a family of four.”
I’m not going to deny having the same thought myself. “Didn’t want to have to do this again in a few years.”
If Mariah and I don’t have any more kids, that will be fine. But if we do, I want to be prepared. Going through a renovation isn’t an easy process. I can only imagine how much more difficult it would be with the twins running around.
“I know I said it before, but I’m happy for you.” Walker rests a hand on my shoulder. “But don’t you dare try to fix me up with one of her friends.”
I snort. “She’s got two friends. One of them is happily married in Montana and the other one has zero interest in putting up with a man.” Mariah hasn’t told me much about her friend Maren—some secrets need to be kept—but I know enough that I’ve kept my eyes open for a good position we can offer the feisty brunette when her temp contract is up. She’s a hard worker and busts her ass, so I don’t think it will be a tough sell.
And if it is, I’ll add her to my team. I don’t know what she’ll do there, but I’m at a point where we have more than we can handle, and I need to bring some more hands on deck.
“I don’t blame her.” Walker braces both hands on his hips. “We can bring a lot of bullshit to the table.”
