21
At the hospital, nearing nine a.m., Reid escorted Megan and Ella from Ella’s doctor appointment to his SUV. Reid wanted to drive to be in control, and Jack had actually agreed, preferring to ride shotgun. Lauren and Jack joined him, as did two other agents in other vehicles, but Reid still didn’t let his guard down. Despite Jack’s warning last night to back off, Reid walked closer to Megan’s side than needed. Megan carried Ella, wrapping her arms around her as if they could stop a bullet as they stepped into the hazy morning with light snow drifting to the ground.
“Look, Mommy, it’s snowing.” Ella squealed and held her hands out, palms up. “Can I play in it?”
“Maybe when we get to the lodge.”
“Can you drive fast, Mr. Reid?” Ella asked.
“As fast as I can with it snowing.” Reid kept his focus ahead as he didn’t want to see if his comment had disappointed the child.
He opened the back door for Megan to put Ella in her booster seat. With Fowler still free, they couldn’t allow Ella to play outside, but Megan would be the one to tell her she had to stay inside. Reid didn’t envy Megan that task.
After making sure Megan and Ella were settled, Reid climbed into the driver’s seat and Jack into the passenger’s side. He waited for Lauren to drive off in the lead car and then eased onto the road with a third agency car following them.
Ella chattered about Christmas lights and decorations as they made their way out of town, but Reid focused on the road, where snow started to accumulate fast.
The weather forecast called for three to four inches that morning and more into the afternoon and night. The past few years had been snowier than usual for their part of the state. Still, people around here didn’t venture out, leaving traffic light.
Once they were on the highway, Ella drifted off to sleep and Jack communicated with the other drivers, but otherwise silence ensued. The snow seemed to wrap them in a cocoon of protection, but the skies were ominous and overcast, which served to keep Reid on alert.
Nearing their turnoff to the lodge, Reid’s phone rang. He glanced at it in the console, and saw that Russ’s name appeared.
With the cell phone laws in Oregon, Reid could answer while driving only if he used his hands-free app. No telling what Russ wanted, and Reid didn’t want the conversation played on the vehicle’s speaker in front of Megan and Jack, so he ignored the call.
Jack glanced at him, a question in his eyes, but Reid let the call go to voicemail and returned his concentration to driving. Seconds later, his phone rang again. Russ again. Call must be urgent.
“That’s Russ,” Reid said to Jack. “Will you answer and see what he wants?”
Jack grabbed the phone. “It’s Jack. Reid’s driving.” Jack listened. “You’re kidding me.” His voice rose in an unaccustomed high pitch, stirring Reid’s curiosity. “I’ll put you on speaker so you can tell Reid.”
Jack fumbled with the cell until he located the speaker button.
“Hey, bro,” Reid directed his voice toward the phone.
“Looks like you don’t need to worry about Fowler anymore.” Russ’s excited tone rushed through the speaker.
“Really? You have him in custody?” Reid flashed his eyes to the rearview mirror in time to see Megan’s surprised expression.
“Not exactly,” Russ said. “One of the locals was hiking and found Fowler’s body near the ridge. Seems like hypothermia got him last night.”
Reid couldn’t stop his mouth from falling open for a moment. “And you’re sure it’s Fowler?”
“He wasn’t carrying any ID, but I got a good look at the body. It’s him. Still, the medical examiner will confirm his identity with prints. She’ll start the autopsy first thing in the morning, and I’ll head over there to get preliminary results instead of waiting for the report.”
“Let me know what you learn,” Reid said.
“Will do.”
Reid nodded at Jack to end the call.
“So this is all over, and I can go home?” Megan asked.
“Seems like we’ll all get home in time for Christmas.” Jack smiled between the seats at her.
Reid checked on Megan in the mirror again. He didn’t want to get close to her, but he hated to think that she was eager to be rid of him and go home. He expected to see joy, maybe relief, but she peered straight ahead, her expression one he couldn’t decipher. With the snowy roads, he couldn’t take time away from his driving to figure it out, so he focused on the road.
At Valley View’s driveway, he turned onto gravel already covered in more than two inches of snow. The wind had picked up, and the light powder blew in swirly circles.
