"Noah."
"Tanya. Ray in?"
"Yeah, come on in."
He stepped inside and followed the hallway toward the back of the house, passing the family photos on the wall that had been there since Ray and Tanya first moved in.
The entrance to the backyard was open and Ray was in the yard, dressed in jeans and a hoodie, looking nothing like the starched, well-pressed version of himself that showed up to work every day. He was tossing a tennis ball across the grass for a golden retriever that was bringing it back with the enthusiasm that could go on forever.
Ray turned as Noah stepped outside and smiled. "Finally tracked me down." He held up his phone. "I turn it off on my days off or I wouldn't get a moment's peace. The office called the house to say you swung by. Things okay?"
"Yeah," Noah said, watching the dog trot back with the ball and drop it at Ray's feet. "Got a dog now?"
"What Tanya wants, Tanya gets. Happy wife, happy life."
"But you're not married anymore."
Ray laughed. "Not on paper. She comes and goes. Has a key. Somehow it works. Strange how a piece of paper changes things, isn't it?" He looked at Noah and took his arm. "You look good."
"You're the third person who's said that. I'm starting to think that leaving police work might be the answer."
"The day a Sutherland hands in the badge is the day hell freezes over. Come on. Let's have some coffee."
They went inside. Ray's kitchen smelled of fresh pine cleaner and last night's chili. He sat across the scarred oak table from Noah while Tanya ground beans for a fresh pot at the counter.
"So I caught wind you're in the running for the High Peaks Police Chief position," Noah said, leaning back in his chair.
Ray smiled. The Sutherland name carried weight in these parts and everybody knew it. "Word travels fast. Yeah. Town's posting wrapped last week. I'm past the initial screens. Next couple of weeks they'll cycle me through stakeholder interviews,the mayor's panel, then council review and a vote. If it lines up, we'll know by month's end. My track record should speed it along."
"So Darren Wellend’s stepping down?"
"Thirty years. Time to hit a few balls. Him and his wife are eyeing The Villages, Florida."
"Nice for some."
"Better than shoveling snow."
Tanya slid steaming mugs across the table, black for Ray and cream for Noah, then disappeared into the living room. Ray took a sip and watched Noah over the rim.
"Love seeing you," Ray said. "But what's the real visit?"
"You and Luke worked the Kara Ellison case. Five years back."
Ray paused mid-sip, the mug hovering. "Let me guess. You got wind of Carter's execution notice? Don't remind me. I received three letters from him in four years. Why you asking?”
“Kara Ellison’s files aren't at State. Savannah confirmed they never ran point. County and locals handled it."
"That's right. We never needed State."
"County draws a blank too. Files got shuffled in the renovation."
Ray shrugged. "Old closed files get lost. You know how it goes."
Noah leaned forward. "From what I've pulled, no body's ever surfaced. Carter's been rotting in FCI Ray Brook for four years. Walk me through it again. How did the Feds end up with this?"
Ray took a slow sip and set the mug down. "State lines and bad luck. Kara ditches her car off Route 73. Keys in the ignition, phone dead, tire tracks everywhere. Gone in under ten minutes. At first they figured she wandered off. But she never surfaced."
"Pretty white college girl."
