“They have some questions about the investigation,” Leslie said. “I thought you might be able to answer them.”
Seeming taken aback, the sheriff glanced at her.
“I’m sorry, there’s not much to tell. We investigatedhis death, and the coroner seemed to conclude he died from a heart attack, and he hit his head when he fell, Sheriff Dalton explained.”
“He fell?” Owen asked.
“I discovered loose rock above the canyon. Leslie told me your father hiked daily. It’s my guess, he stood atop to watch the sunrise and fell when the episode occurred. I can assure you, I saw no signs of foul play.”
“Did you know about the offer on the mountain?” Owen asked.
“We heard the rumors. Everyone knew how Jeremiah felt about Wolfe Mountain. He told them no, and they respected his decision. According to the executives of the resort, your father approached them and stated he changed his mind. Everything appeared legitimate,” he assured them.
“What about his best friend, Gunny’s, concern about my father showing up unannounced?” Doesn’t it seem odd to you?” Owen pressed.
“You’re barking up the wrong tree,” the sheriff explained. “People do odd things as they grow older. They start putting their affairs in order. It’s my understanding you haven’t seen your father in ten years. Maybe he felt he needed to make arrangements for Conner.”
“I see,” Owen said. “We thank you for your time.”
He turned, leaving Leslie and Elias to follow him. When they climbed into the truck, He turnedonto the dirt road, heading back to Wolfe Mountain.
“What about the funeral home?” Elias asked, confused.
“I don’t like this,” Owen said in a clipped voice. “If they found him on the west path. Dad didn’t go see the sunrise,” he said. “Does the bench, Wyatt and Dillon made, still stand on the East rock?”
“Yes,” Leslie said, supplying the answer.
No one said anything. Each seemed lost in thought about what this meant.
When Owen pulled into the driveway, he faced them.
“I agree with Leslie. It seems they have already made up their mind. We’ll need to hike the west trail and have Leslie show us where they found Dad.”
“Then you might want these,” she said, taking out her phone. “I don’t want to sound morbid, but Jeremiah acted strangely, and it seemed too coincidental. I asked Conner to turn away because no boy deserved to see their father like this. But I took pictures. I don’t know why.”
“Because your gut told you to do it,” Owen said. “May I see them?”
She scrolled until she got the photos and handed the phone to him. “I don’t trust giving these to the police.”
Owen studied each image while Elias scannedthem. His jaw ticked as he turned the device, taking in each angle.
“Let’s take a hike,” he said, getting out of the truck.
The three of them traversed the rocky trail. Leslie stopped when they approached the spot. Owen glanced at the phone again and studied the land markings.
“What do you think?” Elias asked. “I don’t see any way Dad climbed the ledge and fell off.”
“Me either,” Owen muttered. He passed her phone back to her and studied the trail, walking the area.
When he finished, he turned to Leslie and Elias.
“Can you keep Conner for a few days? I don’t know how long we’ll be gone.”
“Of course,” she said. “What do you plan to do?”
“We’ll find out who killed our father and why,” Owen said. “Thanks to you, we might find out the truth.”
“What will we be doing, Owen?” Elias asked.
