Relief washed over Maya. Hopefully he wasn’t going to add any “buts” to it. Instead he said, “Just to make sure I understand, I do community service, I wear my ankle monitor and I never work in law enforcement again? Is that right?”
“That’s right,” Kessler said.
“I assume the alternative would be a trial and then I’d be tried for all sorts of things like evading arrest, bribes, stuff like that?”
“That’s right.”
“Then I’d like to take your offer, but I do have one question.”
Maya’s heart dropped. She had come to love Eric, but she also knew him well and nothing ever seemed straightforward with him.
“What’s your question?” Kessler asked.
“I’d like to stay here in Colorado. I’d be willing to stay in Pinecone Junction under the supervision of this sheriff’s office. I feel if I am sent to Montana, there’s too many ghosts in my past there. I want a fresh start. Do you think the prosecutors would be up for that?”
“I can ask,” Kessler said. “My guess is they wouldif a certain sheriff and undersheriff and even a US Forest Service officer were up for keeping track of your whereabouts.”
“I think we can arrange that,” Pops said. “At least I’m good with it.”
“Same here,” Josh said. “We can figure out with the parole officer where Eric should stay, but I know of a house that will be available soon. It belongs to me, so we can figure out all the arrangements regarding the ankle monitor. That’s of course if our Forest Service officer is okay with that.”
Maya stared at Josh. Her cabin was being rebuilt from Abigail burning it down the previous fall. The warm, dry weather meant the contractors were ahead of schedule. She and Josh would be moving into the finished cabin around September or October. They were living in Josh’s house in town and he’d been debating renting it or making it an Airbnb.
“That works for me,” Maya said. “And I have the K-9 who can track Eric if he tries anything.”
Eric laughed. “Yes, you do.”
“Until that house is unoccupied,” Pops said, interjecting, “I am fine with Eric staying with me. I have a large house and it’s empty.”
Maya felt bad for Pops. She hadn’t thought about him living alone and how that might be hard for him. But it had to be tough. On the other hand, Pops was set in his ways and having a roommate would be interesting.
“However,” Pops continued, “I don’t do laundry, cook or clean for anyone but myself.”
“Got it,” Eric said. “I think we can figure things out.”
“I’ll call the prosecutors right now then,” Kessler said, standing and pulling out his cell phone. “That way, you can be turned over to everyone here and I don’t have to worry about you anymore. I’ll see if I can get ahold of them right now. Excuse me for a minute.”
Kessler left the room and Maya, Josh and Pops stared back at Eric. Maya broke the silence by saying, “What about Nick, Isabelle and Hope? If you’re here, it’ll be harder for you to see them.”
“Maybe they’ll understand and come visit,” Eric said. “I feel that I’m a different person now and I don’t have a home. I don’t want to go back to Montana and somehow get sucked into the wrong choices again. I’d like to think I wouldn’t, but I have to be honest with myself.”
“I understand,” Josh said.
“You do?” Eric asked.
“I do. After I got out of rehab, I realized that if I tried to stay in Chicago or work anywhere around home, I would have temptations all over the place,” Josh explained. “Plus, I just wanted a fresh start. And I knew for sure that I’d never be hired by any departments around there. Pops gave me a second chance. I’m happy to pay it forward and return the favor by allowing you to stay in my house. Assuming the parole officer agrees to that.”
“That means a lot,” Eric said. “Thank you.”
“It means a lot to me too,” Maya said. “Let’s hope Kessler can get the prosecutors to agree.”
They sat in silence for a minute, but her mind couldn’t settle down. What would it be like to visit her father and get to know him better? There were still so many things she wanted to know. She looked over at Eric. “Did you know Agent Ross when he was up in Montana?”
“I did,” Eric said. “I always thought he was a stand-up guy. The kind of officer I wanted to be like, but wasn’t. Talk about being completely wrong about someone.”
“Don’t be hard on yourself,” Maya said. “We’ve all had that kind of experience. That’s how I ended up kidnapped by a serial killer, for example. I trusted him and thought he was a good guy. Psychopaths can be charming.”
“True,” Eric said. “I guess it’s human nature to assume things, but looking back, I can see the clues. For example, it was Agent Ross’s partner who was coming to see your grandmother to talk to her about what your mother knew. Maybe even get the evidence from her. He was the agent who died in a car ‘accident’ on the way here. Then when Drew, the officer I knew, was shot, Ross was also involved. I should have connected the dots then.”
