Big Lake Misfit

Nick Russell

Copyright 2025 © By Nick Russell

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing by the publisher.

Nick Russell

E-mail Editor@gypsyjournal.net

Also By Nick Russell

Fiction

Big Lake Mystery Series

Big Lake

Big Lake Lynching

Crazy Days In Big Lake

Big Lake Blizzard

Big Lake Scandal

Big Lake Burning

Big Lake Honeymoon

Big Lake Reckoning

Big Lake Brewpub

Big Lake Abduction

Big Lake Celebration

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Big Lake Snowdaze

Big Lake Fugitive

Big Lake Wedding

Big Lake Ninja

Big Lake Quarterback

Big Lake Massacre

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Big Lake Ranger

Big Lake Drunk

Big Lake Assault

Big Lake Accident

Big Lake Sinner

Big Lake Misfit

John Lee Quarrels Series

Stillborn Armadillos

The Gecko In The Corner

Badge Bunny

Mullets And Man Buns

Strawberry Slugbug

Sweet Tea And Jesus

Dead Romeos

The Road To Wrinkle Ranch

Fresh Out Of Mojo

Ka-Bar Karma

Pucker Factor

Jackpot

The Ballad Of John Lee

Dog’s Run Series

Dog’s Run

Return To Dog’s Run

Tinder Street Saga

Tinder Street

The Good Years

Boom And Bust

The Hard Years

A Changing World

The War Years

Standalone Mystery Novels

Black Friday

Nonfiction

Highway History and Back Road Mystery

Highway History and Back Road Mystery II

Meandering Down The Highway; A Year On The Road With Fulltime RVers

The Frugal RVer

Work Your Way Across The USA; You Can Travel And Earn A Living Too!

Overlooked Florida

Overlooked Arizona

The Gun Shop Manual

Author’s Note

While there is a body of water named Big Lake in the White Mountains of Arizona, the community of Big Lake and all persons in this book live only in the author’s imagination. Any resemblance in this story to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Chapter 1

The overnight temperature had plummeted into the mid-20s and snow started falling silently sometime after midnight. By morning the little mountain town of Big Lake, Arizona, was shrouded in a deep blanket of white that rounded the shapes of automobiles and weighed down the limbs of trees.

Jerry Hatton cursed as his numb fingers refused to cooperate as he fumbled with the tire chains. The first chance he got, he was going to get himself a four-wheel drive pickup. Carin might love this damn Fiat, but he had never liked it. At 5’11” tall and pushing 200 pounds, he could hardly fit in the damn clown car, and it was uncomfortable as hell.

Jerry could hear the roar of his neighbor Eddie Switzer’s snow blower and looked out the open garage door to see him across the street clearing his driveway. He was half tempted to ask Eddie to help him with the damn tire chains, but they had been on the outs since Halloween when he had cussed Eddie’s kid out for knocking over the decorations Carin had put up in the yard.

Yeah, he knew he had overreacted, but damn it, Carin loved decorating for any occasion, even if Jerry thought it was a pain in the ass and a waste of money. At Christmas, their house always had the most lights, along with Santa’s sled and reindeer up on the roof. A giant red heart and Cupid decorated the side of the house for Valentine’s Day, a leprechaun and his pot of gold for St. Patrick’s Day, and come Easter there was a six-foot-tall bunny in the yard, holding a basket of colored eggs. And on and on. Red, white, and blue bunting for the Fourth of July, pilgrims and a turkey at Thanksgiving. No wonder there was hardly any room to move in the garage, it was full of boxes of decorations!

But it made Carin happy, and that’s all that mattered. Jerry was no fool. He knew a guy like him was lucky a good-looking woman like Carin would even give him a second glance, let alone marry him. But she had, and the last four years had seemed like a dream to him. Carin was so different from Judy, his first wife. Where Judy had let herself go and become fat and sloppy, never bothering to dress up, never leaving the house except go play bingo or the slot machines at the local Indian casino, thought TV dinners and frozen pot pies were all a husband and growing boy needed to live on, and was on his ass all the time about something or other. Carin worked out every day, had a dressing table full of makeup and knew how to use it, was an excellent cook who loved surprising him with all kinds of great food, and went out of her way to make him feel wanted and appreciated. She even put up with Gabe’s moods and weirdness, and that was saying a lot.

Jerry had been relieved when he and Judy finally split the sheets and she went back to Texas to live with her sister, who was just as bad. She left him with a ton of bills, a dirty house, and a pimply faced adolescent who spent his time playing video games and reading superhero comic books. He figured that he and Gabriel would muddle along until the kid went off to college, then he might find himself a friend with benefits type of thing if he could.

At least that was how it was until he met Carin, who was a secretary at an engineering firm that contracted with him to help design a huge solar energy farm planned for east-central Arizona. She was smart, witty, always went out of her way to ask him how Gabe was doing and showed a genuine interest in his work. She was so far out of his league that Jerry would never have been able to work up the courage to ask her out, but it was Carin who suggested that she bake a cake for Gabe’s fourteenth birthday. And what a cake it was, decorated with his favorite superheroes. Jerry wasn’t sure who fell in love with her first, him or his son.

Soon after they married, Gabe surprised them both by asking if Carin would adopt him and be his real mom. Judy had no problem relinquishing her parental rights if that meant she would not be responsible for the court-ordered child support she had never paid anyway, and before long, they were standing in front of Judge Jensen, who made the adoption official. It was one of the few times Jerry had ever seen Gabe express emotion as he cried and hugged his new mother. There was no question about it, both his and Gabe’s lives had improved for the better from the day Carin brought that birthday cake to their house. Even now, after four years together, Carin was still a dream come true, and she rocked his world two or three nights a week.

Neither Jerry nor Gabe ever gave Judy a second thought after that until Jerry got a phone call late one night that Judy and her sister Jenny were dead. From what the police had told him they were coming home from bingo when a nineteen-year-old drunk kid slammed into their car. The officer had told him the kid, named Reggie Hamblin, had been going so fast that his sports car had sliced Jenny’s Mazda almost in two. It was Reggie’s third DUI, and his license had already been suspended, and though he had survived the accident with only a few cuts and bruises, he still had enough energy left to fight with the officers who arrested him.

Jerry figured that was that and didn’t feel any real sense of loss. Whatever feelings he might have once harbored for his ex-wife had died long ago, and when he was told about the accident, Gabe had just shrugged his shoulders and said, “Oh well.”

But then Jerry suddenly started getting phone calls from some high dollar law firm in Houston. It seemed like Reggie Hamblin was the son of a wealthy Texas businessman and the lawyers were telling Jerry that they wanted to settle out of court for the accident. Jerry didn’t know why he would be entitled to anything, but they explained that even with the adoption, they wanted to make sure Gabe was compensated for his loss. Jerry was no fool. He knew they were more interested in protecting their client and his son from future litigation. Even so, he didn’t feel right profiting from someone’s death, but he accepted the $500,000 settlement they offered and put the money away for Gabe’s future. His job as an electrical engineer paid well, and he didn’t have visions of grandeur. Life went on just as before. He kept working. Gabe was growing up, but was still a weird, nerdy kid, and that was just how it was.

Now if he could just get these damn tire chains on!

His hand slipped and he barked his knuckles on the wheel well. Cursing again, he held his bloody hand to his mouth and sucked at the wound, then shook his head and tried to fasten the tire chain once more. He heard a sound behind him and turned to see Gabe.

“What’s up, son?”

Gabe didn’t say anything. It was obvious he was in one of his moods. As the boy grew older, he seemed to have become even more difficult. If he wasn’t sequestered in his room playing games on his computer, he would mope around the house, sullen and obstinate. It seemed like only Carin could bring him out of wherever Gabe went deep inside himself at times like that.

“I don’t suppose you want to help me with these damn tire chains, do you?” Jerry looked over his shoulder at his son, and the look on Gabe’s face was one he had never seen before. If a person’s eyes could convey pure hate and rage, his son’s were sending that message.

“Look, Gabe, if it’s about the snowmobile, we’ve been over this before. If you want one, you need to earn the money to get it yourself. Nobody ever gave me anything, and looking back at it now, I’m glad they didn’t. It taught me to work hard for what I want.”

Lately Gabe had been asking, no, demanding, that he be allowed to use some of the money from the settlement to buy a car, or a motorcycle, and now that winter had come to the mountains, a snowmobile. Jerry had explained to him that the money was for his future, to pay for a good education and a head start in life.

“I’m eighteen and I want it now,” Gabe had argued.

“I know you do, but you’re just going to have to wait,” his father had told him. “The way the trust was set up was until you are 21, I have to authorize any spending. Just let that money sit where it is, Gabe. It’s earning interest every day. I know you don’t want to hear that, but someday you’ll thank me.”

When Gabe still didn’t reply, Jerry turned his attention back to the tire chains. He finally got one on and secured it and was just standing up to go to the other side of the car when he saw the gun in his son’s hand.

“What the hell are you doing with that, Gabe?”

The boy didn’t say anything, he just raised the pistol and pointed it at his father.

“Gabe?”

“You’re not getting away with it anymore.”

“Not getting away with what, Gabe? Look, son, that damn money isn’t worth doing something crazy for. I’m only trying to look out for your future.”

“All you care about is yourself!”

“That’s not true, Gabe. Put the gun down, son.”

Jerry really didn’t believe Gabe would actually shoot him, and even when he saw the flame from the barrel and felt the bullet tearing into his shoulder, he knew it was an accident. Gabe hadn’t really meant to pull the trigger. But then he shot him again. The bullet felt like a hot iron rod as it plowed a furrow through the outside of his neck.

“Gabe, no!”

The gun’s barrel never wavered, and Jerry ran around to the other side of the car, hearing the glass in a side window shatter as Gabe fired again.

“Stop it, Gabe!”

The grim-faced boy followed him around the car and shot Jerry a third time. His father cried out in agony and terror at the searing pain in his side. Gabe aimed the pistol again and Jerry threw up his arm to ward off the bullet, which tore mercilessly through the flesh and broke the bone.

Screaming, Jerry ran out of the garage with Gabe following close on his heels. Gabe shot him in the back twice more, and Jerry fell to his knees, screaming for him to stop. But the sound of Eddie Switzer’s snow blower drowned out his pleas and the gunshots.

Gabe stepped in front of him and Jerry looked up at the boy he had raised, who had suddenly become a monster. “Don’t, son. Please don’t.”

Gabe’s face was impassive when he asked, “How does it feel to be the one begging for a change?”

Jerry’s last words were, “I love you, Gabe.”

“I hate you,” Gabe replied, and then shot his father in the forehead.

Chapter 2

Big Lake Sheriff Jim Weber fidgeted restlessly in his seat, wondering how long this nonsense would last. He could think of a hundred other things he should be doing at this time that would actually accomplish something.

“Sheriff Weber?”

“Huh?”

“Would you answer the question, please?”

“I’m sorry. What was the question again?”

“Seriously, Sheriff? Are you even paying attention?”

Weber was tempted to tell the pinhead attorney that no, he wasn’t paying any attention, and he didn’t want to, because this was all a waste of time. Everybody knew this deposition was just one more ploy by land developer Robert Bannister to try to bully the Town Council into caving in and letting him have his way about two projects he had going on in town.

“What was the question?”

“Is it not true, Sheriff, that you arrested my client out of spite?”

“No, that’s not true,” Weber replied. “Your client was arrested for hindering a police investigation and disobeying a lawful order.”

“An order not to enter his own property, Sheriff? Since when did it become a crime to enter one’s own property?”

“It’s not a crime to enter one’s owned property,” Weber said. “However, it is a crime to disobey a lawful police order. At that time, the property was an active crime scene.”

“And this so-called crime, Sheriff, actually occurred what, fifty years ago? Something like that?”

“It wasn’t a so-called crime, sir. It was a homicide. And no matter when it happened, there’s no statute of limitations for murder. I explained to Mr. Bannister why he could not cross the crime scene tape we had put up and he decided he was going to do what he wanted, anyway. That’s why he was arrested.”

“What about towing my client’s car, Sheriff? Was there any reason to do that, which resulted in extra expenses for him for the towing and storage bill? Why did you feel the need to do that? It seemed like it was adding insult to injury to me.”

“To be honest, Mr. Jackson, I don’t really care how it seemed to you,” Weber told him. “You weren’t there. But getting back to why the vehicle was towed, it was parked alongside a public road and there was a very real possibility it might have been damaged by passing traffic or vandalized by somebody. Towing it was in Mr. Bannister’s best interest.”

“And all of this wasn’t because you took an immediate dislike to Mr. Bannister and wanted to hinder his projects in Big Lake?”

“No, sir. That’s not true.”

“Which part of it isn’t true, Sheriff? That you took an immediate dislike to my client or that you wanted to hinder his projects?”

“It’s been my experience that most people who have dealt with Mr. Bannister have taken an immediate dislike to him,” Weber said.

Across the table, the town’s attorney, Bob Bennett, shook his head but remained silent.

“Sheriff, would it be fair to say that you’ve said many times that you are not happy with the way Big Lake is growing, and you have expressed your dissatisfaction with the developments that have come to town?”

“I think that would be fair to say,” Weber acknowledged. “A lot of people who have lived here all their lives are not happy with the direction the town has gone. But that does not mean I purposely tried to hinder any of Mr. Bannister’s projects, or anyone else’s projects, as far as that goes.”

“Nevertheless, your arrest of Mr. Bannister resulted in him then being unlawfully extradited to Nevada, where he spent six months in jail on charges there. Wouldn’t you say that hindered his progress on his projects in Big Lake?”

“Let’s back up for a minute there,” Weber said sternly. “Mr. Bannister was not unlawfully extradited to Nevada. They had open warrants for him for failure to appear for problems he had there. The extradition was completely legal, and when he tried to ask the local court to intervene and prevent Nevada authorities from taking him into custody, he was denied.”

“When you say a local court, you mean Judge Roberta Jensen, don’t you, Sheriff Weber?”

“Yes, she was the judge who denied his request to bar extradition.”

“The same Roberta Jensen who is a personal friend of yours, Sheriff? The same Roberta Jensen who is romantically involved with one of your deputies, Ted Cooper, Sheriff? Is that the judge we’re talking about?”

“I have to speak up,” said Bob Bennett. “Judge Jensen is a respected member of the bar and recuses herself from any cases that involved Deputy Cooper. As far as being a personal friend of Sheriff Weber or anyone else, this is a small town and everybody knows everybody. Issues like this have come up before and every time it has been ruled that the judge acted within her purview.”

Before the developer’s attorney could ask another question, the door to the conference room burst open and Mary Caitlin, Weber’s administrative assistant, said urgently, “I need you out here, Jimmy. There’s been a shooting!”

***

An ambulance and three Big Lake Sheriff’s Department vehicles were parked along the curb, red and blue overhead lights flashing, when Weber arrived at the crime scene on Antelope Drive.

“What have we got, Tommy?”

“It’s a mess, Jimmy,” replied the deputy, who was cordoning the area off with yellow crime scene tape. “From what I understand, the victim was shot by his son.”

“Was it an accident?”

Shaking his head, Tommy Frost said, “It wasn’t an accident. He shot him a whole bunch of times. Chad was the first deputy on the scene, and as soon as I got here, I started securing the area with tape. He can probably tell you more.”

Weber approached the body of the man lying in the snow in the front yard of the gray house. A trail of red blood led from an open garage where a compact car was parked to the body. Looking down at the man, the sheriff could see a bullet hole in the center of his forehead, his lifeless eyes staring at the sky.

Kneeling beside the body, Senior Deputy Chad Summers looked up at the sheriff and shook his head.

“I don’t recognize him. Who is he?”

“According to his wife, his name is Jerry Hatton,” Chad said.

“What happened?”

“Don’t know much yet, Jimmy. The guy across the street was clearing his driveway and said he didn’t hear any shooting, but he looked up and saw this guy running across the yard with his son behind him, shooting at him with a pistol. He said the guy fell down, and the kid stood over him and shot him in the head and then took off running in that direction,” Chad said, pointing to the side of the house.

“Do you know who the son is?”

“Gabriel Hatton. The mother said she didn’t know what was happening until the neighbor came to the door and told her that her husband had been shot. He had already called 911.”

“Is that the neighbor?” Weber asked, looking at a man dressed in coveralls standing across the street, next to a snow blower.

“Yeah. Eddie Switzer, the locksmith. You know him, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I know Eddie,” Weber said.

“I only talked to him for a couple of minutes. He seems pretty shook up.”

Deputies Dolan Reed and Buz Carelton had arrived on the scene, and while Dolan set to work taking photographs of the body and the entire area, Buz began documenting everything into a handheld digital recorder.

“There’s nothing we can do for this guy,” Weber said. “Let’s go talk to Eddie.”

They crossed the street, and the man nodded his head and said, “Hell of a way to start the day, Sheriff.”

“It is,” Weber agreed. “I’m sorry you had to experience all this. What can you tell us about what happened?”

“Well, like I told Chad, I was clearing the driveway, and I didn’t hear anything over the sound of the snowblower. About the time I was getting done, I happened to look up and saw Gabe chasing his dad across the yard with a gun. At first, I thought they were goofing around or something. But then I saw Jerry fall down and he was kind of on his knees and the kid came over and just shot him in the head. I mean, he didn’t hesitate or anything, he just pointed the gun at his dad and pulled the trigger. Then he took off like a bat out of hell around the side of the house. I ran over and checked on Jerry, but I could tell he was a goner, so I called 911. Then I went to the house and told Carin what had happened. Jesus Christ, I’ve never seen anything like that before, and I hope I never do again!”

With that, Eddie turned and vomited into the snow piled up alongside the driveway. They waited for him to get done, and when he was and had wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, he shook his head and said, “Sorry. I guess you guys see enough of this that it doesn’t bother you. But, man, it was like a nightmare to me.”

“No matter how much we see, it’s always a nightmare, Eddie,” Chad told him.

“What do you know about the family over there? Ever heard any trouble or arguing or anything like that?”

“They’ve been here a couple of years at least, Sheriff. Jerry and I got along okay, I guess, but we’ve kind of been on the outs for a while now.”

“How come?”

“Just stupid shit. My boy Jack was being a dickhead a while back and went over and knocked over the Christmas decorations Jerry’s wife had put up. He came out and cussed Jack out and was telling him he was gonna kick his ass back here across the street where he belonged. Now, I’m not excusing my kid, because he was wrong, no question about that. But I didn’t think Jerry should be threatening to kick a fourteen-year-old kid’s ass, either, and him and me got into it a little bit.”

“When you say you got into it…”

“Nothing physical, Sheriff. Not at all. I told him to calm down, and he told me to keep a leash on my kid if I couldn’t control him any other way. It was just typical bullshit that happens between neighbors. I should have gone across the street and apologized to him a long time ago, but you get busy with things, and you know how it is.”

“What about the victim and his son? Had you heard them fighting or anything like that before?”

“The kid’s weird,” Eddie said. “Don’t see much of him, to be honest with you. But I’ve heard him and his dad arguing out in the yard a couple of times before.”

“What were they arguing about?”

“Like I said, they’re always putting up decorations for every holiday. One time Jerry wanted him to help, and the kid was basically just standing there not doing anything. Another time, they got into it about something. I don’t know what it was, but I just heard a lot of yelling back and forth.”

“And his wife’s name is Karen?”

“Yeah, but it’s spelled weird. Starts with a C. I don’t know why people do that instead of just using words that have been around forever. But she’s a nice woman. Good looking and real friendly. Anytime we’d see her, she’d wave. Last summer, when Brenda fell and hurt herself, Carin drove her to the Medical Center and stayed there with her while they checked her out and then brought her home. I was out on a job, putting locks in some of those new houses up on Summit Ridge, and she called me to tell me what had happened and that she was with Brenda, and said I didn’t have to stop working and rush to the emergency room. Then, after she got Brenda home and settled, she went home and made dinner for all of us and brought it over. That’s why I felt like kind of a dick for the way I acted about the Halloween thing.”

Weber’s radio came to life and Deputy Jordan Northcutt said, “I followed the footprints from the house across the yard to the house behind it and down to Beaver Dam Road. But they plowed there, so I lost them. Any chance of getting DPS or somebody to bring a dog?”

Weber keyed his shoulder microphone and said, “Dispatch, can you check on that?”

“10-4,” Dispatcher Kate Copley replied.

“Dispatch, send somebody to meet Jordan, and everybody else start canvassing the area.”

“10-4, Sheriff. Do we have a description of the suspect?”

Weber looked at Eddie, who said, “The kid’s about eighteen or nineteen, I guess. Kind of long brown hair, not fat, but maybe chubby. Wears glasses.”

“Do you remember what he was wearing, Eddie?”

“Let me think.” The man put his hands to his face, as if trying to shield himself from the memory of what he had seen, then said, “I think he was all dressed in black. Or at least dark colored clothes. That’s all I can remember.”

Weber relayed that information to the dispatcher, added that the suspect was to be considered armed and dangerous, then thanked Eddie for his help and said they would be in touch later on to get a written witness statement. Then he turned to Chad and said, “Let’s go talk to the victim’s wife and see what she can tell us.”

Chapter 3

Even with her hair disheveled, eyes swollen and red from crying, and with no makeup, it was easy to see that Carin Hatton was a good-looking woman. She looked small in the thick, fluffy robe she wore sitting at the kitchen table, eyes downcast and empty, as Weber sat down across from her and said, “Mrs. Hatton, I’m Sheriff Weber. I’m terribly sorry for your loss. Do you feel up to talking to me?”

The woman shrugged her shoulders and said, “I don’t know what to say. This is all so crazy. I keep thinking I’m dreaming and need to wake up.”

“I understand that,” Weber told her. “I’m sure I’d feel the same way if I was in your situation. Can you tell me what you know about what happened this morning?”

“God, it’s all mixed up.”

Another woman, who Weber recognized as Brenda Switzer from across the street, set a cup of coffee in front of the grieving woman and said, “Just tell the sheriff what you can remember.”

“I don’t really know anything. Jerry had to go to work, and I stayed in bed while he got dressed. I was still half asleep, but I remember him kissing me and telling me sweet dreams or something like that and then I fell back asleep. I don’t know how long after that I woke up to Eddie from across the street pounding on the door and telling me Jerry had been shot. I looked out there and I saw him lying in the yard and it didn’t make any sense to me.”

“Did you hear any gunshots, Mrs. Hatton, or anything like that?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “As I said, I was asleep. I usually get up to make Jerry’s breakfast, but I had a tummy ache last night and didn’t get much sleep, so he told me to stay in bed.”

“According to Mr. Switzer across the street, he said he saw your son shoot his father.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Why would Gabe do something like that?”

“Have they been having problems between them, Mrs. Hatton?”

She raised her coffee cup to take a sip, and her hands were shaking so much that she spilled some on the table. Setting the cup back down, she said, “I’m sorry. What was your question?”

“I asked if your son and his father had been having problems.”

“All families have problems, don’t they? But I never saw something like this coming.”

“So, there were some problems between them?”

“Yes, but I don’t know that it was any different from between any father and son. My God, it’s not like it was something big enough to make Gabe shoot Jerry!”

“What were they arguing about?”

“Typical stuff. Jerry said Gabe should be getting a job or getting ready to go to college, not wasting all of his time goofing around on his computer and playing video games. That used to get Jerry upset.”

“Is there anything else you can think of between them that might have led to what happened this morning?”

“I don’t know. Gabe has been wanting a snowmobile the last couple of days and they were arguing about that. Like I said, just typical stuff. A few months ago, he wanted a motorcycle, and before that it was a truck. His dad kept telling him that if he wanted something, he needed to get a job and earn the money for it.”

“Mrs. Hatton, did Gabe have access to any guns?”

“Yes, we have several. There’s a gun cabinet in the living room that’s got some rifles and shotguns. Jerry liked to hunt and target shoot, and he tried to get Gabe interested, but he didn’t want anything to do with them. Jerry said that didn’t make sense since Gabe was always playing those war video games where you shoot people and blow them up.”

“What about handguns?”

“Jerry’s got one he keeps in the nightstand on his side of the bed and I’ve got a .38 that he bought for me in my nightstand.

“Anything else?”

“There’s another handgun. I think it’s a .22. It should be in the bottom of the gun cabinet.”

Chad asked, “Do you mind if I have a look at them, ma’am?”

“Help yourself.”

Chad crossed into the open floor plan living room to the glass fronted oak gun cabinet. He took out several long guns, checking each one to make sure it was unloaded. Opening the drawer below, he took out a black plastic box and opened it, then said, “There’s no gun here, ma’am.”

“What? It should be.”

Chad brought the box back to the table and opened it. “The box is for a Ruger Mark IV .22 semiautomatic pistol. We found some spent .22 cases in the garage and one out in the snow near the victim. Mrs. Hatton, would your son Gabe have access to this pistol?”

Looking at the empty gun case, the woman shrugged her shoulders and said, “I guess so. But Gabe never had any interest in guns. None at all.”

“So he never went shooting with his father or anything like that?”

“Maybe when he was younger, I’m not sure. But they didn’t get along for the last couple of years.”

“Why do you think that was?”

“It’s like I told you before. Jerry wanted him to do something with his life. But ever since he graduated from high school, Gabe just seems to keep to himself and do his own thing.”

“Did they ever come to blows about anything, Mrs. Hatton?”

“No. Never! They’d have an argument and Gabe would stomp off to his room and slam the door.”

“Does he have many friends?”

“Not really, Sheriff. He’s kind of a loner. There’s that one kid. What’s his name? Jeff? Alan? I’m not sure. They hang around together, but that’s about it.” Her voice broke, and she asked, “Why in the world would Gabe shoot his father? Why is any of this happening?”

“I don’t know why,” Weber told her. “But we’re going to find out what happened and why. I promise you. We’re going to have to search the house. Are you okay with that, Mrs. Hatton?”

“Do whatever you want. I don’t care.”

Weber said again, “I’m sorry for your loss,” as he stood up.

“Sheriff?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Please don’t….”

“I’m sorry, ma’am?”

Choking back tears, she said, “Please don’t hurt Gabe when you find him. I don’t know how something this terrible happened, but he’s still my son. I can’t imagine losing him, too.”

“I understand,” Weber told her. “Believe me, the last thing we want to do is hurt Gabe. But that’s up to him. The best thing he can do is turn himself in.”

“As they walked outside,” Chad said, “I know you were trying your best to comfort that woman, Jimmy. But we both know that no matter how this ends up, life as she knows it is over.”

***

While Chad, Dolan, and Buz worked the crime scene and then began searching the house for any evidence that might tell them what was behind the violence that took place that morning, it was all hands on deck as Weber and his other deputies searched for the suspect. He stopped two streets away, where Deputies Robyn Fuchette and Berto Truax, armed with their patrol rifles, were going house to house asking if anybody had seen a young man dressed in dark clothing.

“Anything?”

Robyn shook her head and said, “Not so far. We checked out a couple of unlocked garages and a couple of backyard storage sheds if we saw any tracks in the snow around them, but we didn’t find any trace of him.”

“Keep at it, but be careful. If this guy would shoot his own father like that, he’s not going to hesitate to shoot again.”

“Big Lake One?”

Weber pushed the button for his microphone and said, “One.”

“DPS has a vehicle stopped with four young people a mile past the Y,” the dispatcher said. “Can you give me the name of the suspect again?”

“Gabriel Hatton. White male, brown hair, eyeglasses, dressed in dark clothing when last seen. Armed with at least one handgun.”

The dispatcher relayed the information to the Department of Public Safety vehicle and the highway patrolman responded that none of the people in the car he had stopped resembled the suspect and they all had identification. He told the dispatcher he was releasing them and coming into town to help with the search. Before long, three other DPS officers, Game Warden Mark Santos, and two United States Forest Service law enforcement officers, along with FBI Special Agent Larry Parks, had joined the manhunt.

Two hours later, the sheriff and Deputies Ted “Coop” Cooper and Jordan Northcutt met a DPS K-9 and its handler at the intersection of Whitetail Drive and Beaver Dam Road, where Jordan had lost the suspect’s footprints earlier.

“So, we know he ran across his backyard and out onto Whitetail and then down here,” Weber said. “Then what?”

“Hard to say,” Coop replied. “Since they had already plowed Beaver Dam, he could have gone either direction from here on foot, or maybe he got a ride from somebody. He could be anywhere by now.”

“Let me take Rocky around to the crime scene and see what he can figure out,” said DPS officer Carolyn Harris. Jordan went with her and soon they were coming back along the same trail Jordan had followed earlier. When they got to the intersection, the dog turned left and followed the scent down the middle of the street. Four blocks away, Rocky left the street and went into a yard, where a single set of footprints led around to the backyard and onto the back porch of the small green house with a red metal roof. The dog went up onto the porch and stopped at the back door.

“Is he in there?”

“I don’t know if he’s in there now, but he was,” State Trooper Harrison said.

“Coop, secure the front. Jordan, you’re with me and Carolyn.” Drawing his .45 Kimber semiautomatic pistol from his holster, Weber tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. Opening the door, he shouted, “This is the Big Lake Sheriff’s Department! If you’re in here, sound off and let me know. We’re going to send in a dog and you’re going to get bit if you don’t.”

Excited at the prospect of engaging a suspect, Rocky barked, as if to reinforce what the sheriff had said. Weber repeated the warning twice more, then said, “I guess we’ve got to go in. I haven’t worked with dogs much before, Carolyn, so you tell me how we do it.”

“We let Rocky lead the way. If the suspect’s in here, he’ll find him. Otherwise, we clear rooms just like in any other situation. Are you guys ready?”

“Let’s do it,” Weber said.

They went through the back door and into a kitchen, shouting out that they were police and for anyone inside to make themselves known. They made it as far as the living room when they heard Coop shout from outside, “Sheriff’s Office! Stop and put your hands on top of your head. Do it right now!”

His words were followed by the sound of a gunshot, and then three louder shots in rapid succession. “Stop, damn it!”

They ran outside through the front door just in time to see Coop running across the yard of the house across the street and then fall face forward into the snow.

“Damn it!”

Weber didn’t remember hearing a gunshot, but his first reaction was to think that his deputy had been wounded. Rushing toward him, he was slowed by the knee-deep snow in the yard but made it to Coop, who was starting to get up. Dropping onto his knees beside him, his pistol pointed forward, Weber said, “Stay down, Coop. Are you hit?”

“No, Jimmy. I tripped over something and my foot’s caught! Don’t worry about me. Go get him.”

“Jordan and Carolyn and the dog are after him. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, damn it,” Coop said, pulling his foot from a small white wire fence that had been covered in snow, waiting to trap him. Once on his feet, they followed the others’ tracks until they ended on Barn Owl Street, where Rocky was circling around, sniffing the air for any clues to his quarry.

“Anything?”

“No. It’s like he just disappeared into thin air,” Jordan said, frustrated.

“More likely he got a ride with someone. I heard a car going down the road as we were coming across the yard back there, but I couldn’t see it,” the state trooper said, then looked at Coop and asked, “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, I just tripped over something in the yard.”

“We heard shots fired. What happened?”

“The door on the side of the garage opened and the kid came running out. I guess he knew you guys were going to find him if he stayed where he was. I yelled for him to stop and he fired a shot at me as he was running away. I fired a couple back, but I don’t think I hit him.”

“Let me check you out just to make sure you’re not hit and don’t know it,” Weber said.

“I’d know if I was hit, Jimmy.”

“Just relax and let me check.”

Their radios were all squawking with calls from others wanting to know what the gunshots were about, and Jordan relayed the information about the encounter with the suspect. Berto and Robyn had arrived in front of the house where the shooting took place and began searching the scene for any evidence of blood that might show if any of Coop’s shots had hit their mark, but there was nothing.

“Well, we know one thing for sure,” Robyn said. “This guy won’t hesitate to shoot anyone if he gets cornered.”

“Yeah, and kid or no kid, don’t any of you take a chance with him,” Weber ordered. “If he even looks like he’s going to engage you, take his ass out. He’s done all the killing he’s going to do around here.”

Chapter 4

As the afternoon wore on and the cold weather sapped their energy, the deputies’ frustration grew when it became more and more obvious that their quarry had somehow slipped through the net and managed to evade capture.

“He’s either here someplace in the neighborhood hiding out and we haven’t found him yet, or else he got a ride someplace. There’s no other explanation for it,” Coop said.

“If he did get a ride, who did he get it from? Either he had a friend pick him up or he hijacked somebody. And I haven’t heard anything at all about a carjacking.”

“From everything we’ve heard about this kid, he’s not exactly a social butterfly,” Coop replied. “What do you think, Jimmy?”

“We’ve been going house to house and nobody’s seen anything, and everybody seems to be accounted for. There are only three empty houses in the neighborhood, all summer places, and none of those appear to have been broken into and there’s no footprints to indicate the kid was around them,” Weber said. “I’m betting Trooper Harrison was right and somebody picked him up right there where the dog lost the track after he shot at you. The DPS and everybody else that’s here helping have been checking all over town and nobody has seen the kid.”

“Any luck on the phone pings yet?”

“Nothing,” Weber said. “He either doesn’t have his phone with him or it’s turned off. I tried to call it and it says no service.”

“I keep thinking he could be anywhere if he got a ride out of town,” Robyn said. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and someone will spot him on our Attempt To Locate if he did make it out of Big Lake.”

“If he didn’t, he’s got to be hiding out in a house or some kind of building somewhere,” Coop said. “This kid is a nerd, not an outdoorsman. He’d have trouble making it for long in the forest during the summertime, let alone this time of year. If he’s out there anywhere, he’ll either freeze to death or show up at someone’s door looking for shelter.”

“That’s a scary thought,” Robyn said. “Imagine what anybody who could kill their own dad like that would do to a stranger.”

“I’m going to go back and talk to the mother and see if she can think of anybody else who might pick him up. We’ve only got a couple of hours of daylight left and I don’t want anybody stumbling around out here in the dark. Everybody in town is on edge over the shooting and I don’t want some scared citizen to hear one of our people and take a shot at them. Remember what happened to Robyn. Whenever you’re out there, sound off and let people know we’re the good guys.”

Deputy Fuchette had been lucky a few years earlier when another search for an armed suspect almost became a tragedy when an elderly homeowner, fearing for his safety, shot at her. Fortunately, the bullet had just grazed her hip, but it was a good reminder that no place is ever completely safe, whether it be a small town or a big city.

***

Grief can make a person collapse into themselves, and Carin Hatton looked like she had gone twelve rounds with a heavyweight boxer since the sheriff had spoken to her earlier that day. Though she had replaced the fluffy robe she had worn that morning with jeans and a cream-colored cable-knit sweater, Weber could tell she was still very much in shock.

“How are you holding up, Mrs. Hatton?”

“I don’t know what to say, Sheriff. I just keep thinking I’m living the world’s longest, worst nightmare. Have you found Gabe yet?”

“No, ma’am, we haven’t,” Weber told her. “We believe someone with a car picked him up.”

“I tried to call him. I was hoping he’d answer, but nothing. Where is he?”

“We’ll find him, ma’am.”

“Sheriff, you don’t think... could he have...” she began to cry again but managed to finish her thought. “Could Gabe have done something to himself after realizing what he did to his dad?”

“I hope not. That’s one more reason we have to find him. Has he ever said anything about wanting to harm himself?”

“No, not that I can think of. Wait, a couple of times when Gabe and Jerry would argue, he’d say he wished he was never born.”

“Oh, honey, don’t start thinking that way,” Brenda Switzer said. “My kids say that all the time. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“You said earlier that he only had one friend, but you couldn’t remember his name?”

“I’m sorry. I guess I wasn’t making myself very clear. He’s got some friends, but not as many as most kids do. I mean, he never goes off to keggers or bonfires or whatever kids call them these days. And it’s not like it was with me and my brothers when we were that age. Back then, our friends were always hanging out with us, doing things together. Gabe’s got a few friends, but I never see much of them except for Alan. That’s his name. Why couldn’t I think of that before? He’s probably Gabe’s best friend. They spend a lot of time together holed up in one of their rooms playing video games.”

“All right, Alan. That’s good. Do you know Alan’s last name, ma’am?”

“I should. Geez, why don’t I know it? I must seem like a total airhead to you. I’m not really this way.”

“It’s all right,” Weber assured her. “After what you’ve been through, you have every right to be confused about things like that. Just take your time and try to think of Alan’s last name if you can.”

“It’s something weird, like Polish or European. I know it ends with ski. God, does that make me sound like a racist something?”

“Not at all, ma’am. Is Alan about your son’s age?”

“I think so. I know they graduated together.”

“That’s good,” Weber said. “Do you know if Alan has a car?”

“Yes. It’s one of those boxy looking SUV things. That was one thing that made Gabe mad, that Alan has a car and he doesn’t. Him and Jerry argued about it all the time. Sometimes I told Jerry to just let him get a car or truck if he wanted one, and Jerry said that it was fine, as long as he earned the money for it.”

“Do you know Alan’s phone number or where he lives?”

“I don’t,” Carin said, shaking her head. “Darn it, why don’t I know these things? What kind of mother am I, anyway?”

“I’m sure you’re a fine mother, Mrs. Hatton. Don’t worry, we’ll get it figured out and talk to Alan and anybody else you can think of.”

“There’s also a kid named Jeff. He’s real tall and skinny. Whenever he comes around, I always tell him that I’m going to have to start making some treats so we can fatten him up.”

“Tall and skinny? Could that be Jeff Endicott?”

“Yes, that’s him. I think his mother is a schoolteacher. Do you know him?”

“Yeah, Jeff seems like a pretty good kid,” Weber said. “His mother teaches second or third grade, something like that. Can you think of anybody else?”

“No, not really. Gabe and I were always close, but you know how teenage boys are. They get to an age where it’s not cool to have Mama hanging around with them anymore, so I always tried to give him his space. I never wanted to be one of those helicopter parents that hover over their kids every minute of every day. But now...” her voice broke, and she said, “now I’m wondering if maybe I should have been that way instead. If I was, maybe I would have known what was going on in Gabe’s head. Could I have kept this from happening?”

She started crying again and Weber said, “Mrs. Hatton, you can’t blame yourself for what happened. Gabe made his choices for whatever reason he thought he had, and there’s nothing you could have done to stop that.”

“There must have been something I could have done! Something I missed, some clue that would have told me what Gabe was thinking.”

Brenda and another neighbor, Kelli Burns, wrapped their arms around the devastated woman, assuring her she was a wonderful mother, and what Gabe had done wasn’t her fault.

Chad nodded his head for Weber to follow him and led him down the hallway to Gabe’s room. It was what one might expect from a teenage boy’s room, but at the same time, it was different. While other boys might have posters of girls or rock stars or cars, the walls in Gabe’s room were adorned with star charts, a giant mural of the solar system, and a poster of the Kitt Peak National Observatory west of Tucson.

“Find anything?”

“Nothing much to speak of in the house itself,” Chad said. “Mrs. Hatton is obviously a good housekeeper. There are three bedrooms, this one of Gabe’s, a guest room, and the master bedroom. Except for the room showing the kid is apparently a science nerd, the only strange things we found are these notebooks.”

He opened a desk drawer and took out several spiral-bound notebooks of the sort any high school student would have and handed them to the sheriff. Weber looked through them, then at Chad, and asked, “What am I looking at? It’s just line after line of numbers.”

“I don’t know, Jimmy. I guess if he’s a science nerd, he could be a math nerd, too. Could this be some kind of equation he’s trying to solve or something?”

“Beats me. Anything else of interest?”

“Just this,” Chad said, opening a drawer and showing Weber a plastic box of CCI Stinger .22 hollow point cartridges. “Same caliber he used to kill his dad, and the empty cases we found are the same as the unfired ones in this box.”

“What about his computer? Anything there?”

“He’s got two, a laptop and a desktop. Both are password protected, so I couldn’t get into them. With any luck, Dan can.”

“All right. Good work, Chad. I’m going to go ask the mother if she knows anything about these notebooks. How much longer do you have here?”

“We’re about to wrap it up. I called Judge Jensen to get a search warrant so we could seize anything here, even though the mother gave us permission. I just want to cover our asses for down the road if something comes up.”

“That’s never a bad idea,” Weber said. “Let me see what she says about the notebooks.”

Gabe’s mother nodded her head when Weber showed her the notebooks and said, “Those things. He had three or four of them. Nothing in them ever made any sense to me, just lines of numbers. I asked him what they meant, and he said...” She paused for a minute and her face went pale as her jaw dropped open in what could best be described as shocked surprise.

“What’s wrong, Mrs. Hatton?”

She looked at Weber wide eyed and said, “Oh, my God!”

“What is it, ma’am?”

“When I asked Gabe about these notebooks, he... he kind of laughed at me and said he could tell me, but then he’d have to kill me.”

Chapter 5

As news of the murder spread through the small town, the dispatcher at the Sheriff’s Office was overwhelmed with calls from concerned citizens wanting to know if their families were in danger or reporting suspicious sounds and sightings that they thought might be the murderous Gabriel Hatton. And then there were the calls from the out-of-town news media asking for updates on the manhunt. With three callers on hold and every line ringing with new calls, Dispatcher Jill Ricketson frantically told Mary Caitlin, “It’s never been this crazy before. I don’t know which call to answer first!”

“You’ll get used to it,” Mary assured her. “Anytime something this big happens, the calls start coming in nonstop. People begin seeing shadows and thinking it’s our homicidal maniac, and every old man is loading his shotgun and setting it next to his recliner in case he needs it. Here’s what you do, Jill. You answer the calls one at a time, just like we’re doing. If it’s the media, just say call back tomorrow and hang up. If it’s an actual emergency, an accident or something like that, get the word out there and send somebody to respond. I know every deputy available is out on the street, but we have more than one job to do. As for all the people calling because they think they saw or heard something, jot down the address and tell them we’ll get somebody by when we can, but it will be a while. If they say they have their gun loaded, ask them to please be careful. That’s all we can do.”

Mary pushed the button to answer one of the calls that was holding and said, “Sheriff’s Office, what’s your emergency? Mr. Berry, I just told you five minutes ago that it’s probably a raccoon or a dog out in your backyard. Please don’t go out there with your gun because you could wind up getting in trouble. Yes, sir, I know you have a right to defend yourself. Stay inside and if anybody tries to get inside, call back. Yes, sir, if they get in and you really feel like your life is threatened, you have a right to defend yourself. Yes, sir. Goodbye, sir.” She answered the next call, saying, “Big Lake Sheriff’s Office. What’s your emergency?”

Deputy Dan Wright came through the door dressed in jeans and a blue jacket over a sweatshirt. “We were on our way back from Flagstaff when I heard about what was going on. Sorry I couldn’t get here sooner. Where do you need me?”

“Chad wanted to know as soon as you got here,” Mary told him. “I’ll call him.”

She called Chad’s cell phone number and spoke to him and then told the off-duty deputy, “He’s on his way here with Jimmy.”

“Okay, in the meantime, fill me in on what’s happening.”

Mary gave him the details of the case as she knew them between taking calls at the switchboard, and before long, Weber and Chad had arrived.

“Do you know this kid Gabriel Hatton from working at the school?”

“Yeah, I know him, Jimmy. He graduated last year.”

“Tell me everything you know about him.”

“He’s one of those kids you always see in the background but don’t pay much attention to. As the school resource officer, I try to get to know everybody. But you know how that goes. Some kids like you right away, some are a little wary until they get to know you and know that they can trust you, some want to act tough and try to impress you, and then you’ve got the guys like Gabe. He always gave me the impression he could take or leave most of mankind.”

“An outsider?”

“Oh, yeah, Jimmy. Way outside,” Dan said. “You know how you hear about those kids that get bullied, then wind up coming to school and opening up with a gun? I could see Gabe doing that.”

“He was bullied?”

“Yeah. Kids would call him Gay-briel and fag and things like that.”

“Is he gay?”

“I have no idea, Jimmy. I don’t think I got more than a dozen words out of the kid all the while he was in high school. Nobody did. When other kids would pick on him, he would just ignore it and keep right on walking like they didn’t exist.”

“Any disciplinary problems?”

“No, none at all,” Dan said. Then he paused for a minute and said, “As far as I know, he was always a good student. He didn’t go out of his way to try to make the honor roll, but he always had good grades. But there was one thing. What the heck was it?”

“What, Dan?”

“Something about that kid. Hang on, let me call Imogene.”

They waited while he called his girlfriend, Imogene Buckley, a tall, good looking strawberry blonde teacher at the high school. When she answered the phone, Dan put it on speaker and said, “Honey, I’m here with Jimmy and Chad on speakerphone.”

“Hi, guys,” she said. “I’ve had three messages saying that Gabe Hatton was the person involved in the shooting today. Is that true?”

“Yeah, honey. It was him,” Dan told her.

“Oh, my God. I had him in my classes the last two years before he graduated.”

“Imogene, there was something you said one time about somebody, and I think it was him.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m trying to think what it was. You said that he did something that made you feel really uncomfortable. Do you remember that?”

Imogene was silent for a moment, and then she said, “Oh, that. Yes, that was Gabe.”

“What happened, Imogene?”

“I was here at the house, I think it was two summers ago, and I was doing some work in the yard. Planting some flowers. Someone walked up, and it was Gabe. He said hi, and said he didn’t know I lived where I do and asked me something like how my summer was going. I was on my knees planting the flowers and he was standing above me. I was wearing an old T-shirt that was stretched out at the neck and Gabe got quiet suddenly. I looked up and realized he was looking down my shirt. I stood up and asked him if he needed anything and he just kept looking at my chest, even though he couldn’t see anything then. When he didn’t reply, I told him he should go. It was making me feel really uncomfortable. Then he kind of leaned toward me and had this strange look on his face and said I should wear that shirt to class sometime.”

“When she told me about it, I asked if she thought he was just shocked because it was the first time he ever saw boobs,” Dan said. “What was it you said about that, honey?”

“Let’s be honest, guys. I’ve got what some would consider nice boobs,” Imogene said. “And I teach high school, so I know all about teenage boys. It’s like trying to cram twenty pounds of raging hormones into a five-pound sack. Maybe sack wasn’t the right word, but you know what I mean,” she said with a laugh. “Obviously, I don’t wear anything revealing to school, but I’ve had boys looking at me and occasionally one of them gets a crush on me. It’s not unheard of. Usually if I catch a boy looking, he turns a dozen shades of red and I feel sorry for them. But the way Gabe looked at me that day… that was something else. It made me feel really creepy. So much so that after he left, I went inside and made sure all the doors were locked and took a long hot shower.”

“Gabe’s mother says he has a friend named Alan. Do you guys know who that would be?”

“Sawicki. Alan Sawicki,” Dan and Imogene said simultaneously.

“What can you tell me about him?”

“A shorter, thinner version of Gabe,” Dan said.

“That about sums it up,” Imogene agreed. “They were together all the time. If you found one, you found the other, whether it was the lunchroom or in the library, or somewhere on campus.”

“That may be where the Gay-briel thing came from,” Dan said. “The same kids that picked on Gabe picked on Alan, too. What was the nickname they had for him, honey?”

“Alan Suckwicki,” Imogen replied. “I have to be honest, guys, I was glad when they both graduated. They even had this secret language between them.”

“Secret language?”

“Yes, Sheriff. Well, maybe not a language, but a code or something like that. Several times I caught them slipping notes back and forth between them. At first, I thought they might be cheating on a test, though that didn’t make any sense because they were both good students who always did well on their grades. But whatever it was they were sending back and forth, it wasn’t anything I could make sense out of”

“What do you mean by that, Imogene?”

“It was just all numbers. Long lines of numbers. Like I said, like a secret code or something.”

***

Buster and Joanne Sawicki and their five children lived in a two-story frame house a block from the high school. Driving past the home, Weber noted a two-year-old white Toyota Camry parked in the freshly shoveled driveway next to an ancient mustard yellow Chevrolet Blazer with a white top. A snow-covered camper trailer was parked on one side of the house.

“How do we want to do this, Jimmy?”

“Well, I don’t want to go crashing in like gangbusters, assuming Gabe is there and armed. There are too many people that could get caught up in the crossfire or it could turn into a hostage situation. I’m thinking we stage people on both sides but off just a little bit, and I go to the door and just make a simple inquiry. I’ll ask if Alan is home, and if he is, I’ll ask him to come outside and see what he can tell us.”

“Or Gabe could open the door and shoot you.”

“Well, you’re the FBI agent. What would you do, Parks?”

“I’d say it’s a local police issue, go home and mind my own business, and wait to hear what happened in the morning. But that’s just me.”

“You’re always so much help.”

“You’re welcome,” Parks told him with a grin.

Weber keyed his microphone and gave instructions to his deputies to stay close, but not enough to cause any concern. “Everything I know about this family is that they’re good people, and we don’t want the whole neighborhood thinking they’re running a drug house or anything like that.”

He pulled into the driveway and parked behind the Blazer, then asked Parks, “Are you coming with me?”

“What the hell, why not? If anyone’s going to get shot, I would rather it be you for a change.”

“Now stop that,” Weber said as they checked both vehicles to make sure they were empty and confirmed that there were no fresh tracks in the snow around the camper, then walked up onto the porch. “You’ve only been shot a couple times since you got here, and one was an accident.”

There were lights on inside the house and they could hear a television. When Weber knocked on the door, he heard a large dog barking, then the sound of someone approaching from the inside. The door was opened by a heavyset woman with short, curly dark hair, who said, “Gabe’s not here, if that’s who you want.”

“Ma’am, I’m Sheriff Weber and this is Special Agent Parks. Are you Mrs. Sawicki?”

“Yes, and Gabe’s not here. I swear he’s not.”

“Why would you think that’s why we’re here, ma’am?”

“Because it’s been crazy all day. I’ve got three teenagers and one of them is Gabe’s best friend. How could it not be crazy? Our phones have all been ringing, people are sending texts, Mrs. Ross called from work and told me to stay home and near my family until they catch that little psychopath.”

“May we come in, Mrs. Sawicki? It’s kind of cold standing out here on the porch.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, stepping back. “Come in. You’re welcome to search the place if you want to. Gabe’s not here.”

“I believe you,” Weber told her. “What about your son, Alan?”

“He’s in his room. Believe me, he never saw this coming!”

“We need to talk to him,” Weber said.

The woman turned to a boy who looked to be around twelve years old, who was staring at the visitors and said, “Terry, go get your brother.”

“Which one?”

“Your brother Alan. I’m pretty sure they didn’t come here to talk to Bobby. Ten-year-olds don’t get many visits from the police.”

The boy went up the stairs and while they were waiting, Weber asked, “Is your husband home, Mrs. Sawicki?”

“He works down at the mine in Morenci. He only gets home on the weekends.”

A moment later, a teenage boy with shaggy dark hair and a wisp of a mustache above his upper lip came down the stairs, asking, “Did you catch him yet?”

“Are you Alan?”

“Yeah. Did you catch Gabe yet?”

“I’m Sheriff Weber this and is Special Agent Parks with the FBI. And no, we haven’t found Gabe yet,” Weber said. “I was hoping you could tell us where to find him, Alan.”

“Forget it. I won’t help you guys find him,” the boy said with an edge of defiance in his voice.

“You stop that nonsense right now, Alan Sawicki,” his mother said sharply. “This isn’t some stupid video game. A man is dead!”

“Look, son, I know Gabe is your friend,” Weber said. “But you know what he did today, and it’s not like we can just ignore it and pretend it never happened. We have to find him.”

“That’s not what I mean,” Alan said. “I know what Gabe did is messed up. But he had plenty of reasons to do it.”

“Whatever his reason was, that’s something that the courts will have to hash out, Alan. Our job is to find him before anybody else gets hurt.”

“That’s why I don’t want you to find him,” Alan said. “Because when you do, somebody else is going to die.

Chapter 6

After doing a quick search of the house to confirm that Gabe was not there, they sat at the dining room table to talk to Alan. With his arms crossed tightly across his chest, the boy was visibly upset by the events of the day, but still reluctant to share much information about his friend.

“Alan, had Gabe talked about wanting to harm his father before today?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know? From what I’ve heard, you guys are best friends. If he had a problem with his father, I would think you would know about it.”

“Gabe’s a good guy, no matter what he did.”

“I think you’re probably right,” Parks said. “But even good guys get pushed too far sometimes and they overreact. You said something about Gabe having plenty of reasons for what he did. So obviously you know something about what was going on between them. What was it?”

“Why don’t you ask Gabe?”

“We will when we find him,” Parks said. “But in the meantime, how about you give us some idea of what was going on? Because if we don’t know what caused all of this, we’re only seeing one side of the story. And the side we’re seeing doesn’t make Gabe look very good. Can you help us understand your friend and why he did what he did today?”

“His dad was a real douche, okay? Always on Gabe’s ass trying to get him to do something he didn’t want to do.”

“Like what, Alan?”

“Even before we graduated, his dad was always on him to get a job. After graduation, he really poured it on. Kept telling Gabe he needed to go to college or get a job or something. He couldn’t just hang around the house all day, every day.”

“All right. And I take it Gabe didn’t want to get a job?”

“It wasn’t like he was lazy or anything, he just couldn’t find any jobs he was interested in. Who wants to bus tables at a restaurant or deliver takeout food?”

“What is it with these kids today? They all want everything handed to them and never have to work for it,” Alan’s mother said. “You bus tables at the Roundup Steakhouse. Did Gabe think he was too good for that kind of work?”

“Come on, Ma. It wasn’t like that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Gabe didn’t have to work like that. He was rich.”

“Rich? What do you mean by him being rich? I think his father was some kind of electrical engineer or something,” Weber said. “It looked like he made a pretty decent living, but I don’t really think they were rich.”

“No, his dad wasn’t rich. Like I said, he’s just a douche. But Gabe was rich.”

“I’m sorry, but you lost me,” Weber said. “How was he rich?”

“I don’t know. Something about an inheritance or something from his mother.”

“You’re saying Gabe inherited a bunch of money?”

“I don’t know all the details, but yeah, something like that. All I know is that there was a whole bunch of money put away for him and his dad wouldn’t let him have any of it. He wanted to buy a truck last summer and his dad told him if he wanted something like that, he had to get a job and pay for it. But Gabe was like, I’ve already got the money. Just let me have it.’ But his father wouldn’t give it to him. He kept saying it was for his future.”

“His mother said something about him wanting a snowmobile. Did you know about that?”

“Yeah, he had talked about that, and about a motorcycle, too. But no matter what he wanted, his dad always said no. He told him to get a job and he could buy anything he wanted, but he was not touching his money that was put away for him.”

“Do you think that’s why he did what he did today, Alan?”

“I guess that was part of it. But there was other stuff, too.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. They were always fighting about something. Gabe didn’t like the way his dad treated his mom.”

“What does that mean?”

“I guess his dad beat on his mom a lot. Gabe hated him for that.”

Weber was surprised but didn’t let it show. The dead man’s wife had given no indication of abuse. However, he had learned a long time ago that nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors in even the best of families.

“Alan, did you see or talk to Gabe today?”

“No,” the boy said, shaking his head.

“Are you sure about that?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“We believe someone gave Gabe a ride someplace after he shot his father. Was that somebody you, Alan?”

“No, I swear it wasn’t.”

“Except for shoveling out the driveway, he hasn’t left the house all day,” his mother said. “He said something about wanting to go out and look for Gabe, but I told him he was going to keep his butt right here in the house. He wasn’t getting mixed up in all this. I took the keys to his Blazer away from him.”

“Why did you want to go out and look for Gabe, knowing what he had just done?”

“I’m not afraid of him. He’s my best friend. He would never hurt me. I was hoping I could find him and get him to turn himself in.”

“And you haven’t talked to him all day?”

“No. I texted him and tried to call him two or three times, but it just went to voicemail. I left him a message telling him to call me, but he never did.”

The family’s big golden retriever came up to the table and put his head on the boy’s leg, looking up at him. It was almost as if the dog knew there was a big problem and wanted to comfort Alan. As the boy rubbed the dog’s head, Weber asked, “Alan, do you have any idea where Gabe might be? We really need to find him.”

“I don’t know. And like I said, I hope you don’t find him, because if you do, he’s not going to just give up. Somebody’s going to get hurt.”

“None of us want that to happen,” Parks said. “Believe me, we want to take him into custody without anything happening to anybody. The best way we can do that is if you tell us anything you know about where he might be or what he might do next.”

“I don’t know anything.”

Weber looked at the boy, trying to discern if he was telling the truth, then said, “According to Officer Wright, the school resource officer, sometimes kids bullied you and Gabe. Is that true?”

“Yeah, there were some douchebags like that. I was glad to get out of that place.”

“How would you and Gabe handle that?”

“It got to me sometimes. Sometimes I wanted to kick some asses, but Gabe just ignored them. He always said that giving them any kind of reaction was what they wanted, and it would just make things worse. He would just act like nothing happened. He said that frustrated them more than anything else.”

“Let me ask you this, Alan. Given what happened today with his father, do you think Gabe might want to settle the scores with some people who used to pick on you guys?”

“No, Sheriff. They wouldn’t be worth his trouble.”

“What other friends did you and Gabe have?”

“Not many. We weren’t part of the popular crowd at school.”

“Any girlfriends?”

Alan looked at Weber like he was a fool to even ask him something like that, then shook his head and said, “Girls never looked at either of us. I think some of them probably believed we were gay, like the bullies were always saying. And we’re not! Not even a little bit.”

“What about Jeff Endicott?”

“Jeff’s all right,” Alan said. “He hung around with us for a while, and then he started dating Jasmine Thomas, so we haven’t seen much of him since graduation. The last I heard, he was down in Phoenix going to some technical college.”

They talked to the boy for another hour, but if he knew anything else about his friend, he wasn’t revealing it. They left after asking Alan and his mother to call immediately if they heard anything from Gabe.

“Don’t you worry about that. I don’t want that crazy kid anywhere near my family. If he calls, you’ll know about it.”

***

It was after 9 o’clock when they knocked on the door of the Endicott home, and after the porch light came on, a woman’s anxious voice from inside asked, “Who’s there?”

“Mrs. Endicott, it’s Sheriff Weber. We need to speak to you.”

“Step to the side by the window so I can see it’s really you.”

Weber and Parks moved to the window and the curtain drew back slightly, then was released. A moment later, they heard locks being turned and the door opened. Sharon Endicott, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt with the logo of the elementary school, was a tall woman with shoulder length dark hair that was showing streaks of gray. But what was most noticeable was the large single-action revolver in her hand.

“Ma’am, can you put the gun down, please?”

“Oh, sorry,” she said, placing it on a magazine table next to the door. “Ever since I heard what happened today, I’ve been scared to death that kid would show up here.”

“Can we come in?”

“Sure. I’m sorry. What’s up?”

Weber introduced Parks and said, “We’re here about the shooting today. I guess by now you know about it.”

“Everybody knows about it. It’s on the news, people are talking about it online, and I’ve had a dozen phone calls.”

“Sharon, do you know Gabe Hatton?”

“Just enough to know who he is. He and my son were friends. But Jeff doesn’t live here anymore. He’s going to trade school down in Phoenix, studying HVAC. Jeff was always a good student, but he never had any interest in college. He always wanted to work with his hands, and with all the construction going on, he said that there are always going to be jobs for people who know about heating and air conditioning systems.”

“When’s the last time you talked to Jeff?”

“About an hour ago. We’ve talked four or five times today after word got out about what happened.”

“Did Jeff have any ideas about what Gabe did or where he might be?”

“He just said that he knew Gabe and his dad didn’t get along, but he never thought he would do something like this. I asked him when the last time he talked to Gabe was and he said it was about a month after graduation. Jeff got a girlfriend, and she took up most of his time after that. Not that I’m complaining. Jasmine is a wonderful girl. She was a delight even when she was back in my classes. Her and Jeff kind of grew up together and I think she always had a crush on him. To tell the truth, I was getting worried he might never get interested in girls. But once he fell for her, he fell hard, and it was the same for her. In fact, they’re living together down in the Valley. She’s taking classes to be a phlebotomist.”

“Well, good for both of them,” Weber said. “It sounds like they’ve got themselves on a good path.”

“I think so,” she replied. “Of course, I’m kind of a traditionalist. I’d like to see them get married and have some babies. But they’re not ready for that yet and I’m not trying to push the issue. Now Adrianna, Jasmine’s mother, she wants to be a grandma real bad. I keep telling her to give them time and it’ll happen when it’s time.”

“I need to give Jeff a call. Can I get his number from you?”

She wrote down her son’s phone number. “I can tell you right now that Jeff doesn’t want anything to do with Gabe. He outgrew him after school, and after what happened today, he just can’t believe it’s the same person. And I know Jasmine is scared to death of him after hearing about what he did to his father.”

“I can’t say as I blame her,” Weber said. “We’ll get out of your way, Sharon. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us.”

“No problem. I hope you catch him.”

Weber looked at the woman’s revolver when he got to the door. It was an old Hawes Western Marshal in .44 magnum.

“That’s quite a gun.”

“To be honest, I don’t even know if it shoots,” Sharon said. “It belonged to Jeff’s dad, and it’s been in the closet in my bedroom forever. I don’t think I ever even picked it up before today. But with all this going on, I thought it was a good idea to keep it handy, just in case.”

“You’ve certainly got a right to defend yourself,” Weber told her, then asked, “do you even know how to shoot this thing?”

“Point it and pull the trigger, I guess.”

“It’s not quite that simple. This is a single action, kind of like the old cowboy guns. You have to pull the hammer back first, that’s this thing here, before you pull the trigger each time. And I’ve got to be honest with you, Sharon, it’s a .44 magnum and it’ll probably about knock you on your rear end. Not to mention the fact that it’s so powerful a bullet could go across the street and into somebody’s house. It wouldn’t be my first choice for home defense.”

“Well, hopefully I won’t have to use it.”

“Not to be too personal, but whatever happened to Richard? I don’t think I’ve seen him in ten years or more.”

“Good riddance to bad rubbish,” she said, shaking her head. “I haven’t heard anything about that rat bastard in over a year. The last I heard, he was selling mobile homes in Glendale or Mesa or someplace like that down in the Valley. According to him, he never made enough money to send any child support like he was supposed to. Not that I ever expected that to happen. He left for the last time when Jeff was twelve, and the kid was lucky if he ever got a Christmas or birthday card from him after that. When Jeff graduated, he sent him $10. Can you believe that? Ten bucks? I guess Jeff looked him up right after he went down to Phoenix and he wasn’t impressed. He said as far as he was concerned, he never needed to see him again. You know, it’s kind of crazy when you think about it. Richie took off and never looked back or cared a damn about his son, but then you’ve got Gabe, with a hard-working father and a good home, and the boy kills him. Go figure.”

Chapter 7

Weber knew every deputy and the officers from other agencies who had come to assist in the manhunt were exhausted, and that if they encountered Gabe in the dark it could lead to a tragedy, so he called off the search for the night. Leaving only a skeleton staff on duty, he sent everyone home to get some rest.

They were back at it early the next morning, checking the many summer cabins and vacation homes that sat vacant during the winter, looking for any signs of entry that might indicate where the fugitive might have taken refuge. They did find two cabins next door to each other on Foxfire Lane that had been broken into, but determined the burglaries had happened before the previous day’s homicide. It was a common problem. Sitting unoccupied for months at a time, properties like that were prime targets for thieves looking for something to pilfer and for teenagers looking for a place to party.

Weber drove back to Antelope Drive, where he found Carin Hatton drinking coffee and writing on a large yellow legal pad.

“How are you doing this morning, Mrs. Hatton?”

“I guess it’s not a nightmare, because I woke up and it’s still going on, isn’t it?”

“I’m afraid so, ma’am.”

“I’ve been sitting here trying to make notes of everything I need to do. I called Jerry’s brothers and sister. His dad passed when Jerry was still in college and his mother is in a nursing home down in Chandler. I called his work and told them what happened. They asked me about the funeral arrangements. I have no idea where to even start. I’ve never had to plan a funeral or anything like that.” She started to cry and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue, then said, “I don’t even know where his body is, or if I’m supposed to call or anything.”

“He’s been transported down to Tucson for an autopsy,” Weber told her. “That’s standard procedure in a case like this. I can give you the number to the Medical Examiner’s office down there and they can probably advise you on options for funerals and such.”

“What about Gabe? Have you... have you caught him yet?”

“No, ma’am, not yet. But we’re doing everything we can to locate him.”

“I don’t know if I should be relieved or scared to death to hear that,” she said. “Obviously, I want him caught. He needs to be. But I’m afraid that when you find him, somebody else could get hurt. I know it sounds crazy, but he’s still my son and I love him, no matter what he did. Does that make any sense?”

“Of course it does,” Weber told her. He wanted to add that he still loved his sister Debbie, in spite of the fact that she was serving multiple life terms in prison for murder and an armored car robbery, but she didn’t need to hear about his own personal drama at a time like this.

“I need to talk to you some more about Gabe and his father if you’re up to it, ma’am.”

“What do you need to know?”

“You said that they had been arguing a lot about Gabe getting a job or doing something with his life besides sitting around playing games on the computer?”

“Yes. Jerry wanted him to enroll in school or get a job or do something, but Gabe wasn’t all that motivated. He kept saying he just got out of school and he needed some time to figure out what he wanted to do first. I think that always upset Jerry because he was so focused, even when he was a boy. He knew what he wanted to do right from the start and set himself a goal and worked toward it.”

“And they argued about him wanting a car or a snowmobile or something like that?”

“It was one thing or another. Last summer it was a truck and then a motorcycle and now it’s a snowmobile. You know how kids are. They always want everything.”

“And his father told him if he wanted something like that, he needed to earn the money to buy it?”

“Yes. I mean, we could have afforded to buy Gabe a truck or a car, but Jerry felt that as long as he wasn’t willing to work for it, he didn’t deserve it. I think I said before that a couple of times I suggested we just buy him a vehicle, but Jerry said no, we weren’t going to give in like that. He said that the only way Gabe was going to learn to be productive and responsible was for us to take a hard line about things like that. He always said I was too soft on Gabe, and maybe he was right. I don’t know.”

“Last night I talked to Alan Sawicki. He said something about Gabe having a bunch of money put away from an inheritance or money from you or something like that? What can you tell me about that, Mrs. Hatton?”

“Can you call me Carin? Mrs. Hatton sounds so formal.”

“Whatever you’re comfortable with, Carin.”

“Yes, Gabe has a trust fund. It came from an insurance settlement over his mother’s death.”

“His mother’s death? I’m confused,” Weber admitted.

“Oh, you didn’t know? Well, how could you? I’m not Gabe’s biological mother. I love him as much as if I gave birth to him, and he loves me the same way. He’s always called me Mom. Judy, his birth mother, was Jerry’s first wife. She hadn’t been in the picture for a long time. She left them when Gabe was only about twelve years old, and I don’t think there was ever any contact after that. If there was, it wasn’t much. I don’t know all the details, but from what Jerry told me, she was hit and killed by a drunk driver and there was a large settlement. He put the money away in a trust fund for Gabe. Jerry had to work hard to put himself through college, sometimes two jobs at once, but he got his master’s degree, and he was darned good at what he did. Getting a good education was very important to him, and he wanted that money to go to Gabe’s college fund. But you know how kids are. Gabe just saw dollar signs, and he wanted to buy everything in sight. He couldn’t understand why his father wouldn’t let him have the things he wanted now. But Jerry worked so hard to get through college that it was important to him that Gabe got a work ethic. So yeah, they fought about that quite a bit.”

“Do you know how much money is in the trust fund, Carin?”

“No, I don’t,” she said, shaking her head. “It happened after Jerry and I got together and I know it was quite a bit. He got in contact with somebody he knew from college who is some kind of an investment banker or something. I’m not really sure about all that. Anyway, they set up the trust fund, and from what I understand, the interest has accumulated quite a bit.”

Changing the subject, Weber said, “I don’t mean to be indelicate, Carin, but Alan also said that, according to Gabe, your husband was abusing you. Alan said that was one reason Gabe hated his father.”

“What?” she asked incredulously, then shook her head adamantly. “No. Absolutely not! There was never anything like that in our marriage. Jerry was always the sweetest, most generous, most attentive husband a woman could ever ask for. I think I was first attracted to him because of his mind. He was so smart, and he had a good sense of humor. I was working as a secretary, and a couple of the other girls in the office asked why I was going after a man with a dad body and a kid, but when I looked at him, I didn’t see a slightly balding man with a dad body. I saw everything I ever needed or wanted in a man. And from the minute we got together, that’s what Jerry was. I don’t know where Alan came up with something like that, and if Gabe said it, I honestly don’t know why he would. You said Alan told you Gabe hated his father? God, I can’t believe that either!” She put her face in her hands and was quiet for a long time, then shook her head and said, “If I didn’t know better, I would think Gabe was on drugs or something like that, to say and do the things he did.”

“Is that a possibility, Carin? Do you think he was using narcotics?”

“No, I don’t. I just said that because all of this is so bizarre. So different than anything normal. Gabe and I were always close, right from the start. In fact, he asked if I would adopt him, and I did. I think it was one of the happiest days of our lives. I know it was for me. How could the little boy I knew so well do something like this, Sheriff? Why?”

“I wish I had an answer for you, Carin,” Weber replied. “I’ve sat in a lot of houses having conversations just like this with parents, and none of it ever makes sense. Pete Caitlin, who was the sheriff before me, told me once that we never know what’s going on in someone’s head and he said it’s probably a good thing we couldn’t or we’d never be able to go to sleep at night.”

***

When he left the Hatton home, Weber called the office to check in and find out what was going on elsewhere in town.

“Everybody available is out patrolling and looking for this kid,” Mary told him. “We’re still getting all kinds of calls and following up on them, but you know how that goes. Oh, and just to make your day even better, the media is in town. Reporters from two different news stations in Phoenix are camped out in the parking lot.”

“Well, I won’t be coming by there anytime soon,” Weber said.

The sheriff had a deep-seated loathing for the media, considering most reporters to be no more than vultures swooping down on any gory story they could to share the details with the viewing audience, and the more dramatic the crime was, the hungrier they were for blood and guts.

“I typed up a quick news release and gave it to them with the bare bones of the investigation,” Mary said. “Of course, that’s never enough and they still have all kinds of questions, but I told them they’re just going to have to wait until we have more we could share with them.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it. Has Dan been able to get into either of the boy’s computers?”

“Not yet, but he’s still working on them.”

“And no pings from Gabe’s cell phone?”

“Nothing at all. He either ditched it or has it turned off.”

“All right. Keep me informed about what’s happening. I’ll be there after a bit. Let me know if those reporters leave.”

“You know that’s not going to happen,” Mary told him. “They’re here for the long haul unless a bigger story comes along in the meantime.”

A highway patrolman pulled up next to Weber’s vehicle after he was done talking to Mary, and the sheriff rolled his window down.

“What’s going on, Hunt?”

“Nothing,” said the state trooper, shaking his head. “One of our guys stopped a teenager that was hitchhiking over on U.S. 60 toward Vernon. But it wasn’t the kid we’re looking for. Anything new on your end, Sheriff?”

Weber filled him in on what he had learned from Carin Hatton about the trust fund and told him about the cabins that had been broken into.

“It got down to thirteen degrees last night. There’s no way that kid survived overnight in this weather unless he found someplace to stay,” Neil Hunt said. “If someone picked him up, he could be anywhere by now.”

“I know that,” Weber replied. “I’m not sure if we’re still looking for a fugitive or if we should go into recovery mode looking for someone who froze to death overnight. But until we know more, keep your head on a swivel. If he’s still out here somewhere, by now this kid’s got to be desperate, and who knows what he might do?”

***

An hour later, accepting the fact that the out of town reporters were not going to leave without talking to him, Weber returned to the office. They pounced even before he was out of his vehicle, shoving microphones in his face and asking questions.

“Sheriff Weber, have you caught the suspect yet?”

“Sheriff, is there any danger to the public at this time?”

“Can you tell us if the suspect, Gabriel Hatton, has had any prior problems with law enforcement?”

“Have there been calls to the Hatton home for domestic violence in the past?”

“How about you all step back and let me at least get out of my damn vehicle?” Weber barked. “And the next one of you that shoves a microphone in my face is going to find out how it feels when I shove it in some part of your body. And I promise you, it won’t be in your face.”

They moved back a slight distance and Weber got out of his Explorer and said, “To answer your questions, no, we haven’t caught the suspect yet. We don’t believe there’s any danger to the public, but we are asking people to be cautious and keep their doors locked, and if they see him, not to approach but call law enforcement. As for any prior problems with the suspect or his family, no. They have not been on our radar for anything. They seem like just your typical everyday family until all this happened.”

“Sheriff Weber, I’ve heard rumors about satanic cults being involved in this crime. What can you tell me about that?”

“That’s the first I’ve heard about it,” Weber said, shaking his head. “I don’t know who told you that, but it’s one of the standard things people come up with all the time. For the record, I don’t know anything about any satanic cults or devil worshippers or any of that nonsense anywhere around Big Lake. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got work to do.”

“Sheriff Weber, Susan Preston from News Source One. Is it fair to say that the suspect is still at large and should be considered armed and dangerous?”

“It would be fair to say that,” Weber said, as he put his hand on the office door.

“You said earlier that you were telling people to keep their doors locked and not to approach the suspect if they see him. But don’t people have the right to defend themselves if they encounter Mr. Hatton?”

“Okay, stop right there,” Weber said with a hardness in his voice. “Yes, people have a right to defend themselves. However, that doesn’t mean they have the right to go out and be vigilantes. Don’t even be talking about nonsense like that, or the next thing you know, we’re going to have people shooting mailmen and UPS drivers and anybody else they see. This community is already stressed enough over the events of the last two days, and we don’t need you making it worse for the sake of a story.”

They were still asking questions when Weber went inside and closed the door behind him

Chapter 8

Dan Wright had been trying to get into Gabe’s computers all morning, and after several hours he was finally successful.

“I’m in,” he said, and Weber and Coop turned away from the wall map of Big Lake that they were studying and walked up to his desk.

“Good work,” the sheriff said. “Have you found anything yet?”

“No. I just figured out the password. Let’s see what I can find here.”

Besides the regular icons found on most computer screens, there were several gaming apps and some links to graphic comic books. After connecting to the Sheriff’s Department WiFi, Dan checked the search history for both computers.

“This is interesting. Have you heard anything about the kid having an interest in banking or finances or things like that?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Look here, Jimmy. He’s done at least fifty searches in the last few weeks on things like family trusts and living wills, different interest rates. There’s one here,” Dan said, pointing at the screen, “how to break a trust, and another on how to take control of a trust.”

“I just found out this morning that Carin Hatton is not Gabe’s biological mother,” Weber told him. “Apparently, his birth mother was killed in an accident with a drunk driver and there was some kind of settlement. Gabe’s father put the money in a trust fund for him to be used for college, and that was one of the things they argued about a lot, from what she told me. Gabe wanted to have the money to buy a car or whatever he was into at the moment, and his dad kept telling him it was only for his education.”

“Kids can’t see past today,” Coop said. “Do you think that was why he killed his dad, Jimmy?”

“That would seem like the obvious reason to me. His stepmother said that the father was one of those motivated guys who knew what he wanted to do even when he was a kid, and he worked hard to make it happen. I guess it frustrated him that Gabe just wanted to coast along, thinking that he could live off his trust fund forever or something like that.”

“Anything in those searches about how to kill somebody?”

“I don’t see anything like that, Coop,” Dan said. Then a moment later, he said, “Oh, look at this.”

He clicked on a link to a YouTube video about how to load and shoot a Ruger Mark IV .22 semiautomatic pistol.

“Wasn’t that the weapon used in the shooting?”

“Yes. According to the stepmom, the father liked to hunt and target shoot and tried to get Gabe interested in it, but he couldn’t pull himself away from his computer that long.”

“This could certainly help make the case that it was premeditated,” Coop said.

Not finding anything else interesting in Gabe’s search history, Dan accessed the e-mail program saying, “Let’s see what we can find out here.” He went through a month’s worth of emails and said, “It doesn’t seem like he has a big circle of contacts. About the only people he e-mailed regularly were his mother and Alan Sawicki. Several of them a day. There’s also a Joy Hatton he wrote back and forth to once in a while. She calls him Cuz, and with the last name being the same, I’ll assume it’s a cousin. Nothing interesting there, just asking each other how they’re doing and stuff like that.”

“What about with his mother and Alan?”

Dan opened some exchanges between Carin and Gabe and said, “Typical stuff between a mother and her kid. Here’s one where she reminds him he has a dentist appointment, and another telling him she was making pasta for dinner. And then there’s this one where he’s talking about how unfair his father is and that he’s eighteen and shouldn’t have to listen to him anymore. She replied that she understood how frustrating it was sometimes, but as long as he was still living under his father’s roof, he was going to have to follow the rules of the house.”

“I got the impression that she was caught between the two of them and spent a lot of time trying to be the peacemaker,” Weber said.

“Yeah. Here’s one where Gabe is thanking her for going to bat for him with the father over something. She replied that they’re both very stubborn and more alike than either of them probably wanted to admit.”

“What about Alan Sawicki? What were those two talking about?”

“I don’t know,” Dan said. “Let’s find out.”

He opened one e-mail and read from the screen, ‘yo you watn to drive me to Springerville? want to look at a Jeep for sale there.’ And then Alan says, ‘when do you want to go?’ and Gabe replied, ‘any time.’

Dan opened another e-mail, this one from Alan to Gabe, and asked, “What the hell is this?”

“What?”

“This. Look. It’s just all numbers. Like five lines of numbers. And there are a bunch of e-mails with the same thing.”

“Didn’t Imogene say something about them passing notes in class that were all numbers like that?”

“Yeah, she did, Coop. I remember her saying that,” Weber said. “And there were some notebooks in the desk in Gabe’s bedroom that were the same. Just lines of random numbers.”

“It could be a code like Imogene said,” Coop suggested.

“When Chad showed me those notebooks full of numbers, he said that since Gabe appeared to be a science nerd, maybe he was a math nerd, too.”

“Can you think of anything more nerdy than having your own language or your own code, Jimmy?”

“Coop’s got a point,” Dan said. “How about we go talk to Alan and find out what this is all about?”

“Let’s do it,” Weber said.

Making their way out to the sheriff’s vehicle in the parking lot meant running the gauntlet of reporters again, and whatever Weber had told them about sticking microphones in his face seemed to have been forgotten as they barraged them with questions. Ignoring the reporters, they got in Weber’s unit and drove away.

***

The Sawicki house looked the same, and the same big golden retriever barked when Weber knocked on the door. Joanne answered, and when Weber said they needed to speak to her son again, she asked them to come in.

Something smelled delicious and reminded Weber he had not eaten that day. When big cases like this were taking place, finding time for food was sometimes almost impossible.

“I don’t know what you’re cooking, but it smells wonderful, Mrs. Sawicki.”

“Stuffed peppers. My mother’s secret recipe.”

“Well, if they taste as good as they smell, you’ve got a winner there,” Weber told her.

“Did you find Gabe yet?”

“No, ma’am. We’ve still got every available deputy and people from outside agencies here helping us.”

“After you left last night, I really grilled Alan. He swears up and down he didn’t know anything about any plans Gabe had to hurt his father and that he doesn’t know anything about where he is now.”

“Would it be all right with you if we talk to him in his room? I’m not saying he lied to you about anything, but sometimes kids will be more forthcoming if there’s not a parent listening.”

“That’s fine, Sheriff. Believe me, I want that monster off the street. And I’m telling you right now, if Alan does know something he’s not telling, as far as I’m concerned, you can lock him up and throw away the key. I never did like Gabe. He was weird right from the start. He pulled a couple of things that really upset me and I told him he was not to come here again.”

“What kind of things, Mrs. Sawicki?”

“Well, and this probably sounds dumb, but he kept calling me JoJo. That’s the nickname my husband uses for me, and it just seemed like Gabe was getting too familiar with me for a kid. When I was his age, I would call someone’s parents Mr. and Mrs. Smith or whatever, not by their first name, let alone a nickname. Buster laughed about it and told me I was an old stick in the mud, and maybe he’s right.”

“Was there something else that made you upset with Gabe, ma’am?”

“Yeah, there was.” She looked around to make sure none of her children were listening and then took a step toward them and lowered her voice just a bit and said, “I’ve got two daughters. Barbara is sixteen and Susie just turned fourteen. The last time Gabe was here was at Halloween, and the older kids were all going to that party they were holding at the community center. Barbara and Susie were dressed up as hippies. Barbara had these hip hugger jeans that she had sewed peace signs and stuff like that on, and a tie dye T-shirt. and Susie had on a miniskirt and a T-shirt with the names of a bunch of bands from back in the 60s and 70s. I noticed a couple of times that Gabe was looking at the girls, and at first I didn’t think much of it. Then I realized that every time Susie bent over you could see her underwear, and Gabe was like focused on that. I hadn’t realized how short the miniskirt was, and I sent Susie upstairs to change, and Gabe kept saying she looked fine just like she was. Then, when Barbara went upstairs to help her find something else, Gabe had his eyes on her butt all the way up the stairs. Now, I’ve got sons, too, so I know it’s only natural for boys to look at girls when they get to be that age. But this was something different.”

“What do you mean by different, ma’am?”

“It’s hard to explain, Sheriff. But when I saw Gabe looking at them, it was like a wolf looking at the rabbit it was going to pounce on. There was this hunger, this predator look on his face. I’ll tell you right now, it gave me the shivers. I went upstairs and told the girls they were not to be alone with him under any circumstances, and I pulled Alan aside and told him he needed to watch out for his sisters.”

“Did anything happen after that, ma’am?”

“Barbara was going to spend the night at her friend Melinda’s house because she was having a slumber party, so it was just Alan, Susie, and Gabe on the ride home. Alan’s Blazer has bucket seats up front and a bench seat in the back. Susie said Gabe got in the passenger seat and told her she could sit on his lap. She said no thanks, and he kept trying to get her to do it. She said it creeped her out, and she got in the back seat. Then Gabe wanted to ride in back with her. Alan remembered what I had told him before about watching out for the girls and told Gabe to get in front. When I heard about that was when I said he wasn’t welcome in my house anymore. Alan said I was overreacting, but I don’t care. Some things are just out of line and I won’t stand for them.”

“For what it’s worth, I don’t think you were overreacting at all,” Weber said. “If something doesn’t feel right, trust your instincts.”

“That’s what I told Buster. He said it was a good thing he wasn’t home, or he’d have twisted the boy’s head off.”

“Thank you for telling us about this,” Weber said. “It helps give us a better picture of Gabe.”

“I never understood why Alan always wanted to hang around him. Anyway, he’s upstairs in his bedroom. First door on the left.”

Chapter 9

“Go away,” Alan said when Weber knocked on his bedroom door.

“Alan, it’s Sheriff Weber and Deputy Wright. Can we come in?”

A moment later, the bedroom door opened, and Dan asked, “How are you doing, Alan? I haven’t seen you around much since graduation.”

“No reason for me to go there. I’m done with that place.”

“I just meant I haven’t seen you around town. What have you been up to?”

The boy shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Not much.”

“You’re working at the steakhouse these days. How’s that going?”

“It’s a job.”

“Thinking about going to school?”

“I don’t know.”

“Nice computer setup you’ve got there,” Dan said. “Do you do a lot of online gaming?”

“Some.”

Alan’s bedroom looked similar to Gabe’s. The walls were covered with posters of rockets and spaceships, and one wall was covered by a mural on the International Space Station.

“Nice mural. Who painted it for you?”

“I did,” Alan replied.

“No kidding?” The deputy took a step closer and studied the mural and said, “Man, you’ve got some talent, Alan!”

“I guess so.”

“No. I’m serious. This is very good.”

“Thanks.”

“We wanted to talk to you about a couple of things concerning Gabe Hatton.”

“I already told everybody that I don’t know where he is and I haven’t heard from him.”

“That kind of surprises me,” Dan said, sitting on the edge of the boy’s bed, uninvited. “You guys always seemed to be best buddies.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“I don’t know. If I were to get into big trouble like Gabe’s in, I’d be trying to get hold of my best friends, asking if they can help me.”

“I don’t know what to tell you. I haven’t heard from Gabe.”

“Where do you think he is, Alan?”

“How should I know?”

“You know, it’s awfully cold out there,” Weber said. “I’ve been the sheriff here for a long time, and a deputy even before that. There’s been several times over the years that someone got lost in the woods or stranded on some back road in bad weather like this and wound up freezing to death. I’d hate to think of something like that happening to Gabe. Wouldn’t you?”

Alan looked out the window, where snow was falling again.

“Yeah, it’s damn cold out there,” the sheriff said. “From what I hear, Gabe was just wearing a sweatshirt and jeans or something like that when he shot his father. He’s not exactly dressed for this kind of weather. I’ve got to be honest with you, Alan, I told someone last night I don’t know if we should be conducting a manhunt or a recovery effort to find his body. I’d hate to think of him lying out there somewhere frozen to death, wouldn’t you?”

“You’re just trying to scare me,” Alan said with a touch of defiance in his voice. “Don’t worry about Gabe. He’s smart.”

“Yeah, but there are different kinds of smart,” Weber said. “Now, you take me. I was raised in these mountains. If I had to, I would know how to build a lean-to and start a fire and things like that if I was stranded out in the middle of this snowstorm. And I can rebuild the engine in a car, at least one of the older cars. This new computer stuff they have on cars these days is beyond me. But computers?” Weber shook his head. “It took me forever just to figure out how to do e-mail and look something up on Google. I bet you or Gabe or Deputy Wright here, you know how to do a thousand things with computers that I don’t have any clue about. That doesn’t make me dumb, it just means I’m smart in other ways. Just like you and Gabe are smart about technical things that I don’t understand, you’d probably have a pretty hard time on your own out in a storm like this, wouldn’t you think?”

“Maybe Gabe’s not out in the storm. Maybe he’s someplace nice and warm while you guys run around freezing your butts off looking for him.”

“Maybe so,” Weber agreed. “Tell you the truth, I hope he is. Because no matter what he did, I don’t want to see him suffering out there.”

“Yeah, right. Like you really care.”

“I do care, Alan. It’s my job to care about every person in this town. I know you care about your friend Gabe, don’t you?”

Alan looked away and didn’t reply.

“Sure you do, Alan. You guys were best buddies. Sometimes I imagine it felt like it was just the two of you against the world with the way the kids at school treated you guys. Am I right?”

“Yeah. So what?”

“So, if you know where Gabe is, please tell us,” Weber said. “I don’t want him to freeze to death and I don’t want some trigger-happy fool seeing him and shooting him without giving him a chance.”

“I don’t know where he is and I haven’t heard from him! I wish I would,” Alan shouted. “You think I’m not scared to death about what might happen to him? He’s the only real friend I’ve ever had.” There were tears in Alan’s eyes and he said, “I don’t know where he is. I really don’t!”

“All right, I believe you,” Weber said. “Can I ask you to do something for me, Alan?”

“What?”

“If you hear from Gabe, will you let us know? Like I said, between the weather and a bunch of people in this town that are scared to death right now, there are a lot of ways this can turn out badly for him. That’s why we need to get him into custody.”

“No matter what happens, this is going to turn out bad for him,” Alan said.

“That’s the truth,” Weber agreed, nodding his head. “But I guess there are different levels of bad, aren’t there? Put yourself in Gabe’s place. What would you want to happen?”

“I guess I’d want to get away.”

Weber shook his head and said, “That’s not going to happen, Alan. He might get away for a few days, maybe even a couple of weeks. Hell, he might even get away for a year. Who knows? But he can’t get away forever. Sooner or later, someone’s going to recognize him, or he’s going to reach out to somebody, or maybe he’ll get stopped by a traffic cop. But no matter when and how it happens, he’s going to get caught sooner or later.”

“And then what? Go to prison? Look at me, Sheriff. Look at me and tell me how long you think a guy like me or Gabe is going to last in prison. I’m not stupid, I know what happens to young guys that go to prison. If my choice was that or freezing to death or being shot by some old geezer who saw me walking through his backyard, I’d take that any day of the week rather than going to prison. At least then it would be over with.”

The room was silent for a minute, the only sound was tires crunching through the snow as a car passed by outside.

“Alan, what can you tell me about these?” Dan handed him one of the spiral notebooks taken from Gabe’s room.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, what is all this?” Dan asked, opening the notebook and flipping through the pages. “All these numbers. What do they mean?”

“They’re just numbers.”

“Come on, man. I’ve seen e-mails between you and Gabe that are the same thing. Just lines of numbers. Miss Buckley from the high school remembers taking notes you and Gabe were passing back and forth that were just numbers like this. What is it?”

“It’s just numbers.”

“No, it’s not. The sheriff just talked about people that are smart about some things, but are dumb about other things. I may not be smart about a lot of things, Alan, but I’m no idiot. This is some kind of code, isn’t it? A secret language you and Gabe came up with, right?”

“It’s just a game we used to play,” Alan said. “One of us would send a whole bunch of numbers like this and see how long it took the other person to add them all up in their head.”

“So, like a math puzzle?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Dan leaned forward on the bed and looked up at Alan and said, “You may think you’re smart, but if you think I’m buying that bullshit, you’re the dumb one in this room. Come on, Alan. Help me out. What’s all this about?”

“Hey, you’re the genius,” Alan said, defiant again. “You tell me.”

***

“Well, that was a waste of time,” a frustrated Weber said as they drove away from the Sawicki house.

“The kid’s torn between loyalty to his friend and not wanting something bad to happen to him,” Dan said. “I guess I can understand that.”

“Do you think he was being honest when he said he hasn’t heard from Gabe and doesn’t know where he is?”

“I don’t know, Jimmy. I want to believe him, but I just don’t know. He seemed sincere when he said he didn’t know where he was.”

“If this was a normal teenager in this situation, Gabe would have other friends we could talk to and try to get somewhere.”

“Yeah, Jimmy, but how many normal teenagers chase their father across the front yard and shoot him to death in broad daylight?”

“You’ve got a point there,” the sheriff agreed.

Weber turned at the corner and they saw a silver Ford F-150 pickup with a gold star on the door emblazoned with the words Game Ranger and Law Enforcement. He stopped beside it and rolled down his window. “How’s it going?”

Game Warden Mark Santos shook his head and said, “Damn snow is starting up again. I just got to town. Anything new on this kid we’re looking for?”

“Nothing,” Weber said.

“I was out on Highway 260 headed this way this morning and someone hit an elk,” Santos said. “I was hoping that by the time I got done taking care of that, you’d have the kid in custody and this all wrapped up.”

“My old man used to say wish in one hand and shit in the other and see which filled up first,” Weber said.

“Has anybody been out toward those abandoned cabins at the far end of the lake?”

“Not yet that I know of.”

“I thought I might take a drive up there and see what I can come up with,” Santos said.

“Are you talking about the cabins that the guy started putting up and then got into some kind of legal problems and just walked away from them?”

“Yeah, Dan. I know it’s a long way from where the shooting went down, but I think we’ve covered every place in town more than once, haven’t we?”

“It’s worth a shot,” Weber said. “I doubt Hatton could have made it that far, but like you said, we’ve been every place in town more than once. Radio service up there really sucks, Mark. Be careful.”

“I will.”

“Call Dispatch once you get clear out there, so we know you’re okay.”

“Will do,” Santos said, putting his truck in gear and waving as he drove away.

Weber’s phone rang and when he answered, Robyn asked, “Where are you?”

“Dan and I were just at the Sawicki house, seeing if we could get anything else out of Alan.”

“Any luck?”

“Nope. What have you been up to?”

“Same thing as everybody else,” Robyn said. “Driving down the streets and checking doors and asking people if they’ve seen anything. It’s like this kid just vanished after he shot his dad. How does that happen?”

“Damned if I know,” Weber said, then asked, “Are you hungry?”

“I’m always hungry. You know that.”

“Want to meet us at the Burger Barn for lunch?”

“You buying?”

“I suppose I could.”

“See you there in a few.”

***

“Hi, Sheriff, Deputy Wright. Take a seat anywhere,” Lydia Whipple greeted them as they walked into the restaurant.

“Thanks, Lydia. How are you doing?”

“Okay, I guess. Freaked out about what Gabe did to his father.”

“You graduated with him, didn’t you?” Dan asked as they sat down at a table that wobbled on uneven legs.

“Yeah. I can’t believe he did that.”

“Did you know Gabe well, Lydia?”

The girl wiped a wisp of hair away from her face and shook her head as Robyn came through the door and joined them. “Hi, Robyn.”

“Hey, Lydia. You’re looking good.”

“Thanks. I appreciate you telling me about that oil for my face. I went skiing yesterday, and it really helped. See, no chapped cheeks. I’m sorry, what were you asking me, Sheriff?”

“I asked if you knew Gabe very well.”

“No, not much at all. I don’t think I ever said two words to him all the time we were in school. He was just always,” she shrugged her shoulders and shook her head again and said, “I don’t know, he was just very weird. I remember one time I was at the grocery store with my mom, and we bumped into Gabe and his mom. My mom was complimenting his mom on how nice she decorated the yard for 4th of July or whatever it was, I don’t remember. I think I said hi to Gabe, and he just looked at me like I was some kind of talking monkey or something. Anyway, what can I get you guys?”

They placed their orders and as they waited for their food, they talked about the search for Gabe.

“Everybody is saying he must have gotten away by now,” Robyn said. “Do you think he did?”

“Like I was telling his buddy Alan just a little while ago, I’d rather he got away than be frozen to death out there someplace. If he got away, somebody will catch him somewhere.”

Two men sitting at a table nearby looked their way and one of them asked, “Are you talking about that punk that killed his dad?”

The beefy man’s name was Doug Hubbard and he worked in construction. Weber had not dealt with him in the past, but knew Hubbard had a reputation as a hothead.  

“Technically, he allegedly killed his father,” Robyn said. “He hasn’t been convicted of anything in court yet, so…”

“That’s bullshit. Eddie Switzer saw him do it!”

“I know that. I was just saying legally he’s…”

“As far as I’m concerned, legally he’s fair game,” the man said, pulling his Carhartt jacket open to reveal a holstered .357 magnum Smith & Wesson revolver. “I’ve got this and my .308 Winchester in the truck, and I’ll tell you what. If I see that little bastard, I’m going to blow his head off.”

“That’s enough of that. We don’t need that kind of talk around here,” Weber said. “And cover that weapon up before you get yourself in trouble for displaying it.”

“Nothing illegal about it, Sheriff. The law says this is a Constitutional carry state. I’m within my rights.”

“You have a right to carry, but when you start displaying it, you’re getting into a possible disturbing the peace situation,” Weber told him.

“Too bad you’re not spending as much time looking for the killer as you are sitting on your keister and hassling law abiding citizens.”

“Just take it easy,” Weber said. “We’ve got enough to deal with already without people looking for an excuse to hunt this guy down.”

“Yeah, well, all I’m saying is what everybody in town is saying, Sheriff. I’m not the only one. And I’ll be damned if I’ll take any chances if I see him. And then you can say I allegedly solved your problem for you!”

Weber wanted to respond, but he knew it wouldn’t accomplish anything. And he also knew that the man was telling the truth. The sheriff would bet conservatively that at least 70% of the homes in Big Lake had at least one firearm in them, and he knew there were a lot of people that felt the same way as the man sitting at the table next to them. If they didn’t find Gabe Hatton before too long, there was too much of a chance that somebody else would, and there would be another tragedy in town.

Chapter 10

When Weber and Dan got back to the office, Mary was on the telephone and she raised a finger to get his attention, then said to the caller, “Sheriff Weber just walked in. Can you hold for a moment, please?”

“What’s up?”

“Jerry Hatton’s brother Tom is on the phone asking about what happened.”

“I’ll take it in my office,” Weber said. Going into his office, he picked up the phone on his desk, pushed the flashing light, and said, “Mr. Hatton, this is Sheriff Weber. I’m very sorry for your loss, sir.”

“Yeah, I don’t know what to say. I never saw this coming in a million years. There was something on the news two nights ago about a shooting in Big Lake between family members, and I never gave it any thought. Who thinks something like that’s going to happen in their own family? Then Carin called me and I couldn’t get much out of her because she was so upset. All she could say was that Gabe shot his father. Then it was on the news last night saying that the cops were looking for him. What the hell is going on up there, Sheriff?”

“Unfortunately, it’s true, Mr. Hatton. We don’t know a lot yet, except that a neighbor saw Gabe chasing his father across the front yard shooting him and then he escaped on foot. We’ve got people all over the area looking for him, but so far we can’t figure out where he went.”

“Why in the world would Gabe do something like that? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“I honestly don’t know what to tell you, sir. Carin said there had been some arguments between Gabe and his father about some kind of trust fund that’s set up for him. Apparently, Gabe wanted money now and his father insisted it stay in the trust to pay for his education.”

“Yeah, I know about that. I talked to Jerry just a couple of weeks ago and he said that Gabe was giving him the silent treatment because he wanted to buy a snowmobile and Jerry wouldn’t let him have the money for it. Gabe’s always been an oddball, but I never would have expected something like this happening.”

“We’re trying to form a better picture of Gabe so we can figure out what his motivation might have been and where he may have run off to. What can you tell me about him, Mr. Hatton?”

“Like I said, he’s an oddball. I think part of that was from his mother. She never showed any interest in him when he was a kid, and then when she up and left, it’s like she never looked back. I don’t want to say he was resentful, but maybe that’s the right term for it. I don’t know. But it just seemed like he couldn’t relate to people very well at all. When they lived down here in Ahwatukee, before Jerry got that contract to work on the solar farm, we used to get together for cookouts and things like that. Whenever they came over, Gabe would just sit in a corner by himself, messing with his phone. His dad would tell him to jump in the pool with the other kids, but he didn’t seem to have any interest in that or anything else.”

“Did they seem to get along okay then, Mr. Hatton?”

“I can’t really say. Jerry never said anything about them having problems, just that he wished Gabe would show some interest in something in life. I’ve got three kids, and they’re so busy all the time between school and sports and friends and all kinds of stuff going on that it’s all my wife and I can do to keep up with them.”

“When was the last time you saw your brother or Gabe?”

“Geez, I don’t think I’ve seen Jerry or Carin since they came down here for Thanksgiving. But I talked to him on the phone every couple of weeks.”

“Did he indicate any family troubles besides the thing about the money for the snowmobile?”

“No, not at all.”

“Mr. Hatton, I don’t know how to ask this question without being offensive, but one of Gabe’s friends said that his father was abusing his mother. Do you know anything about that?”

“His real mother or Carin? Because I wouldn’t believe anything his real mother would have said.”

“I’m sorry, I meant Carin.”

“No way! He worshipped the ground that woman walked on, and it was the same way with her about him. I’ve got to be honest, the first time I met her, I thought Carin was way out of Jerry’s league. I mean, she’s good looking and smart and just an amazing woman in so many ways. I don’t mean to sound like I’m putting my brother down, but he was just an everyday guy raising a kid by himself. I don’t imagine single fathers are in much demand, and I couldn’t see why a woman with all she had going for her would be interested in him, to tell you the truth. But man, was I wrong. If there was ever a marriage made in heaven, it was Jerry and Carin. When she came into the picture, Jerry and Gabe’s lives changed overnight.”

“From what I’ve heard, Carin and Gabe got along pretty well,” Weber said.

“Oh, yeah. The only time I ever saw Gabe show any interest in anything or anybody was with Carin. It never mattered how grumpy he was, she could always get him smiling and bring him out of his shell. You know she adopted Gabe, right?”

“That’s what I was told.”

“Yeah, and he’s the one that asked her to do it. Jerry told me once that Gabe said as far as he was concerned, all Judy did was hatch an egg, that Carin was his real mother. That really made Jerry happy.”

“Mr. Hatton, do you have any idea where Gabe might have gone off to?”

“I really don’t, Sheriff. If I did, I would tell you. Do you think he’s still up on the mountain, or do you think he got away somehow?”

“I wish I knew,” Weber said. “We have checked every house, every vacant cabin, every place we could think of in Big Lake and there’s been no sign of him. The weather up here was terrible the day of the shooting and it’s been snowing off and on ever since. To be honest with you, I’m worried that he might succumb to the elements, if he hasn’t already.”

“This probably sounds pretty harsh, Sheriff, but after what he did to my brother, it wouldn’t bother me at all to hear that little son of a bitch froze to death.”

“I can understand that,” Weber said.

“My other brother, Patrick, and his family are on the way up there to be with Carin. I wish I could be too, but my daughter Kristi just had her appendix removed, and she’s running a low-grade fever, so the doctor has her on antibiotics. My wife works nights, and I don’t feel comfortable leaving her and the other two here alone with that going on.”

“That’s perfectly understandable,” Weber said.

“As soon as we can arrange something on our schedule, I’ll be heading up.”

“The roads are still bad, so please be careful, sir. I know you want to be here for your family, but honestly, there’s nothing you can do except give Carin support.”

“Yeah, I know. I can’t imagine what that poor woman is going through right now. It’s just insane.”

“It is,” Weber said. “Mr. Hatton, if you hear anything from Gabe, will you let us know?”

“Of course. I don’t know what flipped the switch in that kid’s head, but somebody needs to catch him before he kills again.”

“Do you think he would do that, Mr. Hatton?”

“Hell, I don’t know, Sheriff. Two days ago, I never would have believed he would have killed his father. But now? I don’t know what to think.”

After the phone call, Weber went into the outer office, where Dan was busy at his desk with Gabe’s computers.

“I don’t know if you want me out on the street looking for the suspect or here doing this right now,” the deputy said.

“We’ve got plenty of people running around looking for him. Why don’t you just keep poking into those computers and seeing if you can come up with anything else?”

“Okay. I’m trying to figure out this code thing,” Dan said. “If I can break into that, it might tell us a lot.”

“Sheriff, I need you over here,” Judy Troutman said tensely from the dispatch desk. Then she pushed the floor pedal to activate the microphone and said, “Unit calling, you’re breaking up. Please say again.”

She had switched the speaker on, and Weber heard a garbled voice but couldn’t make any sense of what was being said.

“I’m sorry, unit calling, but I still can’t understand you. Can you move to a different location and try again?”

There was a response, and though he couldn’t understand what was being said, Weber said, “That sounds like Mark Santos’ voice. Key the microphone.”

The dispatcher did and Weber said, “Unit calling, if this is Santos, key your microphone twice.”

They heard two clicks of a microphone and Weber said, “10-4, Santos. I know that’s you. Key your mic again if you need help.”

There were two more clicks from the distant radio.

“Are you at the location you talked about going to earlier?”

Two more clicks confirmed the answer to the question.

“Help is on the way,” Weber said. “Hang tight, buddy. We’re coming!”

***

The deep snow on the primitive road that went around the south end of the lake had been broken by a set of tire tracks, and Weber shifted into four-wheel drive.

“Are we going to make it all the way up there, Jimmy?”

“We’re going to make it at least as far as these tire tracks go,” Weber said. “Then if we have to, we’ll hike in the rest of the way.”

“Dispatch to Big Lake One.”

Weber keyed his shoulder mic and said, “Go ahead, Dispatch.”

“I just got a phone call and caller ID said it was Mark Santos,” Judy said. “But just like with the radio, I couldn’t make out what he was saying.”

“He seemed to hear us on the radio even though we can’t hear him,” Weber said. “Let him know that we have three units on the way and we’re just passing the Forest Service boat ramp.”

“10-4,” Judy replied. “You guys be careful.”

“Do you think Santos ran into that kid up there?”

“I don’t know, Parks. He’s a good hand and he can take care of himself. I guess we’ll find out when we get there.” Keying his mic again, Weber said to the deputies following him, “We’ve got about two more miles to go. You guys be ready. I don’t know what we’re gonna run into.”

The road got worse and the snow deeper the further they went, but eventually they pulled up within sight of the empty cabins and spotted the game warden’s truck off the side of the road, sitting at a steep angle. Weber was relieved to see Santos standing on the road, waiting for them. Pulling up beside him, he put his window down and asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just pissed off at myself,” Santos said, embarrassed. “The snow’s so deep I couldn’t see where I was going, and I slid off the road. I tried everything I could to get out and I nothing worked, and I couldn’t get anybody to understand me on the damn radio or my cell phone. I knew the cavalry was coming, and I didn’t want you guys to be rushing to help me, thinking something bad was happening, and get into an accident.”

“The great thing about four-wheel drive is it can take you anywhere to get stuck,” Buz said. “But the bad thing about it is that when you’re stuck with four-wheel drive, you’re really stuck.”

“Just so you’re safe, that’s all that matters,” Robyn said.

“Did you check the cabins out?”

“Yeah. It was a wasted trip. Nobody’s been out here. And then I get stuck.”

“Yeah. But look at it this way. You’re going to have a great story to tell your grandkids,” Dolan said.

Buz had waded in the knee-deep snow down to the game warden’s truck and said, “I think if we position one of our vehicles up there at the right angle, we can use it as a deadfall and Santos can use the winch on his truck to pull himself out.”

“Somebody head back toward town far enough to get a signal and call Dispatch and let them know everything is okay out here so they don’t send more reinforcements,” Weber said.

“This looks like the kind of project you boys will enjoy, so I’ll go do it,” Robyn said.

“Oh, are we suddenly becoming a princess?”

“Bite me, Parks.”

“I would, but you being Jimmy’s wife and him having that gun, I think I’m going to pass for right now. Can I get a rain check?”

“You better check yourself before you wreck yourself, bud,” she said, giving him the finger as she got back in her unit and carefully made a three-point turn to head back toward town. 

Weber repositioned his Explorer, and once they had the winch cable connected from the stuck vehicle, and with the help of three deputies pushing, they were able to get the Game and Fish truck back onto the road.

“Look at that, and you didn’t even break anything,” Dolan said.

“No, but my ego took a bruising,” Santos replied.

“Oh, look at it this way. We’re only gonna call you Crash for a little while,” the sheriff said with a grin. “Eventually Archer’s going to do something else stupid and put all the attention back on him.”

“I can hardly wait,” Santos said, getting into his truck, and they caravanned back to town.

Chapter 11

After dropping Parks off at his office trailer at the rear of the sheriff’s department parking lot and checking in with Mary, Weber was restless. He decided to drive around town, hoping to spot Gabe Hatton, though he knew it was a very long shot. It seemed like every inch of the town had already been checked and double-checked, all with no success. He stopped to talk to people he saw in their driveways shoveling out the latest snow that had fallen and they were all concerned with the fugitive still at large.

“I hope you find that guy soon,” said Mary Beth Hatcher. “I’m keeping my doors locked all the time and I don’t open them unless I know who’s there.”

“Can’t say as I blame you,” Weber told her. “You can’t be too careful when something like this is going on.”

“What the hell happened to this town, Sheriff? When I was a kid, things like this didn’t happen in Big Lake,” her husband Ted said. “I think it’s all the people moving here from California and everyplace else. I wish we could just block the roads off and not let anybody else come to town.”

“You’re preaching to the choir, Ted. But keep in mind, those tourist dollars are what keep a lot of businesses open.”

“Businesses we didn’t need back in the old days. Am I right, Sheriff?”

“You’ve got a point there,” Weber agreed.

A block later he stopped to talk to a white-haired man clearing his driveway. “How you doing, Ken? You’re looking a little red faced there.”

Breathing hard, Ken Leffler stopped shoveling and said, “I’m getting too old for this shit, Sheriff. I keep telling my old woman we need to sell this place and move to one of those retirement places down in Phoenix or Tucson. She says she won’t do that because she loves the four seasons and the snow. But I’m the one out here doing the shoveling while she’s inside all warm and cozy, watching the damn boob tube.”

“How old are you now, Ken?”

“I’ll be eighty in June, if I make it that long.”

The man was still breathing hard as he leaned against the sheriff’s vehicle. Concerned for him, Weber got out and said, “How about you give me that snow shovel?”

“No need for that, Sheriff. I’ll get it done. You’ve got better things to do with your time. Especially with that killer running around town.”

“Well, I’m not going to get anything done if I’ve got to get an ambulance out here to take care of you because you had a heart attack or something,” Weber said, taking the snow shovel and walking up the driveway to finish clearing it.

Leffler protested mildly, but Weber said, “It’s not a problem, Ken. Besides, I need the exercise. All I do is sit at my desk or sit in that damned Explorer driving around town.”

It took him about fifteen minutes to finish the driveway, and Weber said, “There you go. The good news is, the weatherman says the snow is over for now, so hopefully it won’t need dug out again soon.”

“Thank you, Sheriff. I appreciate it.”

The man’s breathing seemed to have slowed down to normal and Weber said, “It says right there on my fender we’re supposed to protect and serve. That’s not just chasing down bad guys and writing speeding tickets. You go inside and warm up, Ken.”

“I think I will,” the man said, taking the snow shovel from him and walking toward the garage. “Thanks again, Sheriff. I hope you catch that kid that killed his dad.”

“Oh, we’ll catch him sooner or later. I just hope it’s before anybody else gets hurt.”

A few blocks away, Weber stopped to watch a group of kids building a snowman in the front yard of a brick ranch house. A young woman wearing a blue ski jacket, with curly hair poking out around the edges of her stocking cap, was taking pictures of them.

“How come you’re not hanging out in my parking lot with the rest of the big time reporters?”

“Hey, Uncle Jimmy,” said Jennifer Shores, the reporter from the Big Lake Herald. “I’d rather be out here taking pictures of the kids having fun. Any luck finding Gabe Hatton yet?”

“Nothing,” Weber said, shaking his head. “He disappeared just like Houdini.”

“Hey, Sheriff, duck!”

Eleven-year-old Bobby Freson threw a snowball at them, hitting Weber in the shoulder.

“Oh, that’s the way it’s going to be? All right then, it’s on!”

Weber scooped up some snow, formed it into a ball, and threw it back at the boy. Immediately, it was the sheriff and the reporter against five children. What the kids lacked in accuracy, they more than made-up for with enthusiasm, chasing the adults to the other side of Weber’s Explorer, laughing and shouting.

Phyllis, Bobby’s mother, came outside to see what all the noise was about and stood with her arms folded, laughing.

“Help us, Mom!”

“No, help us.” Weber shouted. “It’s big kids against little kids and they’ve got us on the run.”

“Well, I’ve always believed in helping law enforcement,” Phyllis shouted back, then started throwing snowballs at the children, who screamed with delight.

When one lopping snowball came across the roof of the Explorer and plopped down on the top of Weber’s head, the sheriff said, “They got me, Jennifer. It’s up to you and Phyllis now.”

“Oh, yeah? Then I’m going to attack!”

Rushing towards the children, throwing snowballs with both hands, they soon found themselves caught between Phyllis and the reporter, and the battle ended with a draw.

Laughing, Jennifer looked at Weber and said, “Now why in the world would I want to be hanging out with those people in your parking lot when I could be out here playing?”

“That college education is really paying off for you. You’ve definitely got your priorities in order,” Weber told her.

A little later, Weber drove out toward the Y where the business route split off from the main highway to come through town before rejoining it again on the other side of Big Lake in a T intersection. He pulled into a convenience store to get a cup of coffee and fill his gas tank, and as he was hanging the hose back on its pump, a car pulled in beside him and the driver put his window down.

“My cell phone battery’s dead, so I was just going to stop here and call your office.”

“What’s up, Carlton?”

“A car’s off the road about a mile back,” Carlton Merritt said. “I’ve got Mom in here with me. We had to go see her heart doctor over in Show Low. I stopped and asked if they were all right and the man said they were. He said they had already called 911.”

Just then the dispatcher’s voice came over Weber’s radio saying, “Any Big Lake unit, we have a car off the road on this side of the Y. No injuries, but they can’t get out.”

Weber keyed his microphone and said, “Big Lake One to Dispatch. I’m almost there. I’ll let you know if we need a tow truck.” Then he turned back to the car and said, “I’ll go check it out. Thanks, Carlton. Nice to see you again, Mrs. Merritt. I hope you get to feeling better soon.”

The old woman in the passenger seat waved at him and Weber drove toward the Y until he saw the vehicle that had slid off the side of the road. Activating his overhead light bar, he made a U-turn and parked on the shoulder of the road. It was a silver colored four-door Hyundai Sonata, and as he walked toward it, the driver’s door opened and a man got out holding his hands in clear view. Weber could see a woman in the passenger seat and two teenagers in the back.

“You folks all right?”

“Yes, sir,” the man said. “I just want to let you know I’m carrying a pistol in my pocket.”

“That’s fine,” Weber told him. “Like I always tell people, if you don’t touch yours, I won’t touch mine. What happened?”

“It was my fault,” the man said. “I’m not used to driving in snow and I was going too fast. I came around that little curve back there and lost control. I spun around and wound up here.”

“Is everybody okay?”

“Yeah, just stupidity on my part.”

“It happens to the best of us,” Weber said. “I’ve got a tow strap in my vehicle. Let me see if we can get you out.”

Retrieving a twenty-foot long Rhino nylon tow strap from the back of his Explorer, Weber crouched down at the rear of the Hyundai, looking for a place to attach the hook.

“Let me do that,” the man said.

“No problem, this will just take a second.” Attaching the hook to the car, then getting up and brushing snow off his clothes, Weber said, “Let me drive forward so we can hook this end onto one of those rings on the front of my rig, and we’ll see what we can do.”

Once he was in position, with the strap connected to both vehicles, he told the man, “Start it up and put it in neutral and just keep the wheels pointed straight, okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

Getting into his Explorer, Weber put the transfer case in low range four-wheel drive and backed up slowly, putting tension on the tow strap. He had to pause while a Nissan pickup went flying by him and was tempted to call the dispatcher and tell her to send someone to find the idiot and give him a ticket. But he knew his deputies were too busy searching for Gabe Hatton and didn’t have time for that.

His foot light on the accelerator, it didn’t take much to pull the Hyundai back onto the pavement. Getting out, he crawled under the back of it to unhook the tow strap, then rolled it up and stowed it back into the cargo compartment of his unit.

“We really appreciate it, sir,” said the stocky driver, who looked to be in his mid-40s. “The last couple of days have been hell.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I’m Sheriff Weber.”

“I figured I might be talking to you or somebody from your office once we got here,” the man said. “I’m Patrick Hatton. Jerry Hatton’s brother.”

Extending his hand to shake it, Weber said, “I talked to your brother Tom a little while ago and he said you were on your way up here. I’m very sorry for your loss, sir. I’m not sure I ever met your brother, but everything I heard about him was that he was a good man.”

“He was,” Patrick said, nodding his head. “I still can’t believe it’s true. Why in the world would Gabe do something like that?”

“We’re trying to figure that out,” Weber said.

“Have you found him yet?”

“No. We’ve looked everywhere we can, over and over again. To be honest with you, I don’t know if he’s been able to make it outside the area or if he’s gotten himself in trouble somewhere with the weather and needs to be rescued.”

“As far as I’m concerned, he can freeze to death and the coyotes can eat him,” Patrick said bitterly. “A lot of fathers would not have raised their kid after his mother took off like she did, but Jerry put everything he had into that boy. I think he was just trying to get through life at that point until Carin came along. She changed everything for the better for both of them. Until now, anyway. How’s she doing?”

“She’s having a rough time of it,” Weber said. “I’ve talked to her a couple of times, and I know some of the neighbor ladies are looking after her as best they can. I’m sure having you and your family here will help. Speaking of which, I’ll let you go so you can get there. But I would like to talk to you at some point, if that’s alright?”

“Of course.”

“How long are you going to be in town?”

“I’m not sure, at least a few days. As long as Carin needs us.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be in touch,” the sheriff said. “Drive carefully, Mr. Hatton.”

Chapter 12

With no sign of the suspect to be found anywhere, and the strong possibility that he had fled town, the outside agencies had pulled back from assisting with the search. After news reports had been broadcast statewide, police were getting calls of sightings of Gabe Hatton from as close as Show Low and Springerville, and as far away as Phoenix and Tucson.

That didn’t stop some local people from deciding to form their own posses to look for him. Berto Truax was on patrol when he spotted four men with rifles gathered in the high school parking lot. When he stopped to investigate, they told him they were “going hunting for that killer kid.” Berto warned them they could not interfere in a police investigation and urged them to go home. When they didn’t leave as directed, he told them they had two choices, go home or he would arrest them all for carrying firearms on school property. Dolan Reed answered a call for suspicious activity in a neighborhood near the T intersection to find brothers Dale and Danny Macias driving down the street, shining a spotlight into yards. When he stopped them, they told him they were after the $10,000 reward offered for the fugitive. When Dolan informed them there was no such reward offered and suggested they go home before they get themselves into trouble, Danny said. “I don’t care about the reward. If you cops can’t do the job, we’ll do it for you.”

“I’ve never seen people as on edge around here as they are now,” Marcia Perry said as they had dinner at the Ming House Chinese restaurant. “Sophia Warner was in my shop today and told me she’s carrying tear gas. Can you imagine that? What is Sophia now, seventy years old?”

“I’m less worried about her carrying tear gas than I am about some of these people running around with guns,” Weber said. “Don’t get me wrong. I believe everybody has a right to have one, but there are some folks that have no business owning a gun if they won’t take the training and have the common sense to know how to use it. I stopped by Matt’s Sporting Goods this afternoon and he doesn’t have one gun left in his shop. Not one. People are buying anything they can get their hands on, and boxes and boxes of ammo. You’d think they were getting ready for the siege of the Alamo or something.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, I dug my old Rossi .38 out and I’m keeping it under the counter of the store,” Marsha said. “I never felt the need to do that before. I mean, who robs an antique shop, right?”

“At least you know how to shoot,” Parks said.

Marsha nodded her head and told her boyfriend, “And don’t you ever forget it, wise guy.”

“Do you think he’s still in town, Jimmy?”

“I don’t know, Robyn. I don’t know how he could be and we haven’t located him. We haven’t found any place broken into and we’ve been house to house talking to everybody in town. Nobody has seen him. I’m convinced that either someone picked him up after he shot at Coop and he got completely out of the area on that first day, or else he froze to death somewhere in the storm.”

“Could he still be in town and holding somebody hostage? Like, when a deputy comes to the door, he’s standing out of sight with a gun, telling whoever the hostage is to say they never saw him?”

“I guess it’s possible, Marsha,” Weber acknowledged. “All we can do is keep looking and keep asking questions. If he made it out of town that first day, he could be anywhere by now. If he froze to death out in the storm, we may never know unless some hiker or hunter finds what’s left of him.”

Their waitress brought their orders, and as they were eating, Weber’s phone rang, the caller ID saying it was the dispatcher.

“What’s up, Kate?”

“Sorry to bother you when you’re off duty, Sheriff, but I got three calls from Hazel Fuller saying she saw Gabe Hatton.”

“Was he with a hooker?”

The elderly woman was obsessed with prostitutes and a regular caller to the sheriff’s department to complain about suspicious activity. Hazel believed that ladies of the evening were lurking everywhere in Big Lake, including driving the library’s bookmobile, hanging out in the local motels, and working the night shift in convenience stores. Just a few weeks earlier, she had called to report groups of prostitutes going door to door in her neighborhood. It turned out they were Christmas carolers, but Hazel was still convinced they were up to something shady.

“No, but she said he just stole a car from across the street.”

“At Pete Clinton’s house?”

“Yes. Normally I would ignore her, but she was so insistent that I called Pete, and he went outside and looked, and his son’s car is gone.”

“And David’s home?”

“Yes. I put the word out to the deputies on duty. It could just be her crying wolf again, Sheriff, but I thought you should know.”

“Okay. Who’s on duty tonight?”

“Berto and Jordan. Jordan’s at Pete’s house taking the report now and Berto’s across the street talking to Hazel.”

“All right. Get a description of the car and keep me posted, Kate.”

“Will do, Sheriff.”

“What was that all about?”

“Hazel Fuller called saying that Gabe Hatton was prowling around her neighborhood. She’s like the little boy who cried wolf, so Kate didn’t take her seriously at first. Then she said he stole the car from across the street. That’s where Pete and Tina Clinton live. Kate called them, and Pete went out and checked and sure enough, his son’s car is gone.”

“No kidding? Could it be Gabe?”

“I guess it could, Robyn,” Weber said.

“Should we go check?”

“I wouldn’t know where to look at this point. Kate’s going to call me back as soon as she knows anything else. In the meantime, eat up. If it is him, it could be another long night.”

Halfway through their meal, Kate Copley called back from the dispatch desk and said, “Sheriff, this may be real. Two people just reported a red Camaro with a young male driver doing donuts in the parking lot of the Thriftway. It hit a bunch of shopping carts one of their employees was pushing back to the store, then took off headed toward the lake.”

“Oh, shit! Was anybody injured?”

“No, but it’s a wonder they weren’t. Jordan and Berto are looking for it now.”

“Okay. Robyn’s with me and we’ll get out there and see if we can help them. Who’s on call for backup?”

“Archer and Dan. Should I call them in?”

“Give them a heads up and tell them to stand by,” Weber said. “We don’t know if this is Gabe or somebody joyriding. We’ll check in as soon as we’re on the road.”

Robyn had already put money down on the table to cover their dinner and was standing up by the time Weber ended the call.

“Sorry to cut this short, but we need to see if we can find this guy.”

“Need any help?”

“I think we’ve got it, Parks. I’ll let you know if we do.”

When they were in Weber’s unit, Robyn said, “I’m sure glad we didn’t take my Mustang. We’d lose a lot of time going home to get one of our units.”

“You’re right about that. Get on the radio and tell Kate we’re in service.”

Weber pulled out of the restaurant parking lot and headed toward the lake.

A moment later, they heard Berto over the radio saying, “I have the car in sight. He just turned onto Timberland Street.”

“10-4,” Robyn said. “Big Lake One and Twelve are headed your way.”

Speeding through town, lights and sirens warning other traffic to get out of the way, Weber made a quick turn on Boland Street, hoping to get to Timberland Street ahead of the stolen car and cut it off. But before they got there, Berto announced, “He just took a right turn on Goldwater. Speeds are about 80 miles an hour.”

“He’ll be lucky if he doesn’t wreck and kill somebody at that speed on these roads,” Robyn said.

“Suspect and Berto just passed me at the intersection of 12th and Goldwater,” Jordan said.

Weber slammed on the brakes and skidded sideways as a car pulled away from the curb in front of him, then stopped.

“What the hell is this idiot doing?”

The car backed up, then moved forward, and Weber cursed as he slipped narrowly between it and another parked car.

“Doesn’t he know what lights and a siren mean?”

Turning on to 14th Street, he sped to Goldwater and made a right turn. Five blocks ahead, they could see the flashing lights of the two pursuing units.

“Fifteen is in service,” said Dan Wright’s voice over the radio. “Where do you want me?”

“Tell him to get over to Main Street,” Weber told Robyn. “If the suspect stays on Goldwater, he’s going to hit Main. Ask if he has stop sticks.”

Robyn relayed the message and Dan confirmed that he did and would be waiting.

“He just spun out at the intersection of Goldwater and Geronimo,” Berto said excitedly, then said, “he recovered and now he’s heading east on Geronimo. Speed still at 80.”

“That Camaro is a hot car,” Robyn said. “David’s always teasing me, chAlanging me to a race in my Mustang. I told him even if it was legal, he’s got more horses under the hood than I could handle. He’s put a lot of time and money into that car. I hope we can get it stopped and get it back to him in one piece.”

“Suspect turned south on Cherry Street and sideswiped a parked car,” Jordan said, then quickly added, “he just turned again. Now he’s eastbound again on Myrtle. Speed 90.”

“Damn, he’s going to kill himself or somebody else,” Weber said.

They chased the car on side streets at a high rate of speed and finally came out onto the business route heading toward the Y, still pushing 100 miles per hour.

“Big Lake, this is DPS 2217,” came State Trooper Bill Walton’s voice over the radio. “I just turned on to the Y. I’ll put out stop sticks.”

“Good, we need some reinforcements,” Weber said.

A moment later and a mile away they could see the flashing lights of the DPS car as the trooper prepared to put out his sticks.

“He’s coming at you. Get those sticks out,” Berto said.

As the Camaro approached the DPS officer, the driver swerved at him as he was trying to deploy the stop sticks. The state trooper jumped out of the way, barely missing being struck.

“Oh damn! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay,” said Walton. “That guy’s a psycho.”

“Anybody who can take that vehicle out, do it, no matter what it takes,” Weber said. “That includes the use of lethal force. We need to put an end to this before somebody gets killed.”

“10-4,” Berto said. “If I get a chance, I’ll PIT him.”

“Just be careful,” the sheriff instructed. “If it’s Gabe Hatton, he may still be armed, and we know he won’t hesitate to shoot at a cop.”

Up ahead they were coming into a curve, the same curve where Patrick Hatton had slid off the road coming from the other direction earlier that day. The Camaro slowed enough so that Berto could catch up to it and execute a Precision Immobilization Technique, striking the rear driver’s side with his vehicle. The Camaro spun out, crossed the road, hit a snowbank on the other side, then careened back onto the highway, rolling three times before landing on its roof in a shower of sparks and broken glass.

Jumping out of their vehicles, the deputies pointed their weapons at the wrecked car, shouting, “Show me your hands! Do it now, hands where we can see them!”

“Don’t shoot! I give up, don’t shoot me!”

“Crawl out of there,” Weber ordered. “And I’m telling you right now, if you have a weapon or show any aggressive action, you will be shot!”

“Geez, don’t get your panties in such a wad! I don’t have a damn gun!”

“Get out of there right now.”

They saw hands extend out the driver’s side window of the Camaro, and then somebody crawled out.

“Keep your hands out away from your body and stay face down on the ground,” the sheriff said. “Berto, Jordan, cuff him.”

“Watch your crossfire,” Weber said as the deputies moved forward cautiously while Robyn and Weber kept their off duty weapons trained on the suspect. Once he was handcuffed and pulled to his feet, he grinned at them and asked, “What’s up, Doc?”

“Dylan? Dylan Knight?”

“That’s my name,” the teenager said with a smirk. “Don’t wear it out.”

“Are you crazy? Do you know how many lives you put in danger with this shit?”

“I was just having fun.”

“You almost killed that state trooper,” Weber said.

“I did not. I might have made him crap his pants, but that was all. But he moved pretty fast for an old guy, didn’t he? Lighten up.”

Weber wanted to throttle the punk. Dylan Knight had been a problem for as long as he could remember. He started out shoplifting, moved up to vandalizing, was a suspect in several summer cabin burglaries, and now this! He came from a good family, but the sheriff had known for a long time that he was headed for trouble if he didn’t straighten up and fly right. And now it looked like his prediction had come true.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Yeah, man, my ovaries hurt. I think I’m about to start my period.”

“Robyn, call Dispatch and have them send an ambulance out to check this idiot over”

“Tell them to bring tampons, would you?”

“You may think this is funny, but you won’t when your ass is sitting in jail,” the sheriff said.

“Come on, man, don’t be such a dick. I was just having fun.”

Robyn had been married to Weber long enough to know when he had reached his limit, and she knew he was about there. “Jordan, put this fool in the back of your unit until the ambulance gets here. He may not need one now, but if he keeps running his mouth, he’s definitely going to!”

Chapter 13

“What in the hell were you thinking?”

“I was thinking it would be fun to get the police to chase me in a fast car. And I was right. Want to do it again?”

“You really think you’re smart, don’t you?”

“According to my teachers, I am, even though I mostly just get Cs. They say I don’t apply myself.”

“You’re lucky you’re sitting here in instead of lying on a slab in the morgue. You could have gotten yourself killed or killed somebody else! Can’t you get that through your thick head?”

“Did I?” Dylan extended his fingers and placed the palm of his hand over his eyebrows as if he were outside in the daytime and looked around the sheriff’s office. “Nope, no dead people. I guess I didn’t kill anybody, did I?”

Weber held his hands to his sides and squeezed them into fists to resist slapping the smirk off the boy’s face.

Robyn ended the telephone call she was on and said, “His mother’s on her way here. I told her he’s not going home tonight because we’re going to keep him until he sees the judge, but she still wants to see him.”

“What is it with you, Dylan? I mean, seriously, do you ever stop and think about what you’re doing before you do it?”

“Nah,” the boy said with a grin, stretching his arms over his head and then rolling his shoulders. “That would take all the fun out of it. Hey, I’m kind of hungry. Can we order a pizza?”

Robyn saw the look on her husband’s face and said, “Step away, Jimmy. He’s not worth it.”

Weber knew she was right, but he was too angry to listen at that moment. “You’re going to be eighteen in three months, buster. That makes you an adult, and all this juvenile shit you think is such a thrill isn’t going to be so funny when you have to pay the price.”

Dylan sat back in his chair, his brow wrinkled and his right hand under his chin as if in deep thought, as if the warning the sheriff had given him was sinking in. Then he said, “So what I’m hearing you say is that I should do as much stuff as I want now, right? Man, how much can I get into in ninety days? I’d better start making a list.”

Berto had also been on the telephone, and when he ended his call, he said, “Randy Laird got the Camaro towed to his shop and David Clinton and his father are headed there now. Man, that was a nice car before tonight. I bet he’s going to be sick when he sees it.”

“I talked to him last summer, and he showed me some pictures of the car when he first got it,” Jordan said. “It showed every day of its thirty years. It wasn’t a basket case, but it wasn’t much more than that. David and his dad rebuilt it from the frame up. Just thinking about all the hours they put into it, not to mention the money. What a waste.”

“Come on, guys, it wasn’t a total waste,” Dylan said. “How often do you get to haul ass through town in the middle of the night like that? You guys should thank me for the adventure!”

“Somebody take this asshat back to a cell before I wring his neck,” the sheriff said.

“Gladly,” Berto replied, grabbing the prisoner under his arm and pulling him to his feet. “Let’s go.”

“Easy, man,” Dylan complained. “You have to treat me nice. I’m a juvenile. Just ask the sheriff.”

He laughed at his own joke all the way down the hall and through the heavy steel door to the cell block.

“God, I hate that kid!”

“You don’t hate him, Jimmy,” Robyn said. “You just hate the way he acts.”

“No, Robyn. I hate him. You mark my words, he’s not gonna make it till 21 before he’s either in prison or in a grave somewhere, the way he’s going. I just hope he doesn’t take anybody else out with him.”

“The way he swerved at that trooper, I thought he was going to take him out for sure,” Jordan said. “It’s a miracle the man is still alive.”

“Among his list of charges is going to be attempted murder of a police officer,” Weber said. “With everything he did tonight, there’s no way he’s not going to wind up in a juvenile facility until he’s of age.”

Berto returned from the cell block shaking his head and said, “That kid’s so high on adrenaline and so proud of himself you’d think he was on drugs.”

“I didn’t see any indications of it in him, but I’m still going to ask his mother to authorize a blood draw,” Weber said.

A short time later, while they were still filling out reports, Megan Knight arrived at the sheriff’s office looking frazzled and worried.

“Is he all right?”

“Yes, ma’am, he’s all right,” Weber said. “I had paramedics check him out at the accident scene.”

“Please tell me he didn’t hurt anybody else.”

“No, but he tried his best to run over a state trooper.”

“Oh, my God, no! What was he thinking?”

“I’ve got to be honest with you, Mrs. Knight. I don’t believe he was thinking at all, except that he was having a good time.”

“And he was in a stolen car?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m afraid so.”

She slumped down in a chair and put her head in her hands, crying. “What am I going to do with that boy? I’ve tried grounding him, I’ve taken away his Xbox, I’ve taken him to counselors, you guys have arrested him, nothing works. He thinks everything is just a big joke.”

“Mrs. Knight, I’m sorry to say that he went too far tonight,” Weber told her. “He racked up a list of felonies including grand theft auto, felony fleeing from police, hit and run, more traffic infractions than I can count right now, and attempted murder on a police officer.”

She dropped her hands from her face and looked at him in shock. “Felonies? Attempted murder?”

“Yes, ma’am. I know that sounds harsh, but you have to put yourself in our place. He could have killed so many people tonight, the way he was driving. And he’s lucky he didn’t kill himself in the process.”

“What’s going to happen to him?”

“He’s going to stay in jail until he sees the judge. Also, Mrs. Knight, I would like to have your permission for a blood draw to see if he was using any narcotics.”

“Drugs? You think Dylan was using drugs?”

“I honestly don’t know, ma’am,” Weber replied. “I didn’t see any visual signs of impairment and none of us could detect alcohol on his breath. But if he did take drugs, we need to know because we don’t know what they could do to him. That’s why we need your permission for the blood draw.”

“Yes, do whatever you need to be sure he’s not on something. Will they do that at the Medical Center or what?”

“No, ma’am. I can have a nurse come here and do the blood draw,” Weber said. “We just need your signed permission.”

“Fine. I’ll sign anything you need me to.”

Robyn gave her a consent form and the boy’s mother signed and dated where she indicated.

“Where is Dylan now?”

“He’s back in a cell,” Weber said. “Same one he’s been in before. We don’t have any adult prisoners right now, but he’s still in one of the segregated cells used for women and juveniles. I can have a deputy bring him out.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I want to see him sitting in that cell with my own eyes. Can I do that?”

“If you want to. I can take you back.”

“Please.”

“All right, come with me.”

They walked down the hall and Weber unlocked the steel door and ushered her into the cell block. Dylan was stretched out on a cot in the first cell on the right. His mother took a deep breath as she looked at him, then shook her head.

“I can’t believe you could be so stupid, Dylan! Are you proud of yourself?”

“Hi, Mom. Yeah, I guess I am kind of proud of myself. You should have seen these jerks trying to keep up with me. You’d have thought I spent years on a racetrack.”

“Stop it, Dylan! You could have killed somebody tonight!”

“Oh, come on, Mom. You’ve been talking to this clown again. Tell her it wasn’t that bad, Sheriff.”

“The only one who thinks this is funny is you, Dylan,” Weber said.

“Hey, I wish we could put it on YouTube or something like that. Can you put your dash cams on YouTube? That would be fire.”

Shaking her head, his mother said, “I want you to know something, Dylan. I’m not paying for an attorney for you. I’m not going to come to court and see you when they take you to see the judge. Whatever they do to you for what you did tonight is all on you. If they send you away someplace, I’m not going to come see you. I’m not going to write to you, and you will not call me because I will not accept the charges. And when you turn eighteen, you’re out. I mean it. Your brother is scared to death of what’s going to happen to you or what you’re going to do. So am I. But I can see that nobody is going to change you.”

“Come on, Mom. We both know Gary’s a pussy. He wishes he could be like me, but he doesn’t have the balls.”

His mother looked at him one last time and shook her head and turned and walked away. Back in the office, she asked, “Do you need me for anything else?”

“No, ma’am, we don’t,” Weber told her. “Mrs. Knight, I’m sorry it has to be this way. I really am. I know how hard this must be for you.”

“I knew it was coming eventually, Sheriff. I guess it could be worse. I guess my son could be on the run after killing somebody.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then said, “Thank you for calling me,” and left the office.

***

It was after midnight when they got home, and Robyn said, “I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. They always say Chinese food doesn’t stick with you long and I guess that’s true. Even less when you don’t get to eat all of it.”

“Nothing like a high speed chase and a rollover to help you work up an appetite,” Weber said.

“What sounds good and quick?”

Weber rolled his eyes at her and leered, and she shook her head. “Not tonight, cowboy. I want to eat, I want to take a shower and I want to go to bed, in that order.”

“And then?”

“And then I want to snuggle up to you and go to sleep. Sleep, Jimmy. Just sleep.”

She made bacon and eggs, and they ate them at the kitchen table, both feeling exhausted from the adrenaline dump after the pursuit. When they were done eating, Weber stacked the dishes in the sink while Robyn took a shower, then he kissed her as she was coming out of the bathroom and he was going in to take his shower.

He stood under the hot water for a long time, feeling it wash the kinks out of his body. Tonight had been a close one. When he saw the Camaro heading for Trooper Walton, he was sure they would be putting his friend in a body bag. Sometimes he questioned the universe about how some people could be so good and others so bad. Dylan’s brother Gary and their next-door neighbor, Tabitha Belville, were great teenagers. Yes, there had been that time that they had given into Dylan’s prodding and climbed to the top of the fire tower, and all three were lucky they hadn’t fallen and broken their fool necks. Maybe finding that murdered forest ranger’s body that day had helped the youngsters understand that there was more to life than good times and quick thrills. At least he hoped so.

Getting out of the shower and drying off, he got into bed and spooned Robyn, putting an arm across her stomach. He kissed her shoulder and said, “Goodnight, baby,” but she didn’t hear him. She was already sound asleep.

Chapter 14

Judge Harold Ryman was on the bench the next morning when they took Dylan Knight before him. Weber was surprised to see the boy’s mother sitting in the courtroom as they entered. She stared at her son in handcuffs and leg shackles, and he wondered if she had changed her mind about supporting Dylan. When the court clerk read the charges against him, Judge Ryman looked at Dylan and shook his head.

“Mr. Knight, how many times have we done this before?”

“Getting forgetful in your old age, judge?”

“There are a million comedians looking for a job. Trust me, son, you’re not funny.”

“Not even a little bit?”

“Sheriff, how old is the defendant?”

“He’s seventeen, sir.”

The judge studied the non-repentant boy for a long moment and then said, “Under Arizona law, juveniles age fifteen years or older who are chronic felony offenders as defined by statute shall be prosecuted as adults. Sheriff, is this Mr. Knight’s first felony arrest?”

“It is, sir. However, as you now, he has a number of misdemeanor convictions.”

The judge looked at Dylan’s mother sitting in the courtroom and said, “Mrs. Knight, when you asked to speak to me earlier, I gave you a chance even though it was irregular because I have gotten to know you and what you have been through with this young man. Would you please say again for the record what we talked about?”

Standing up, Megan Knight said, “Your Honor, as I have said before, my son is totally out of control and there is nothing I can do with him. He almost killed a state trooper last night, not counting all the other lives he put in danger before he rolled that car. I am grateful he didn’t kill anyone and that he’s still alive. I’d like to keep him alive, Your Honor. That’s why I asked that you sentence him to the maximum you can, for his own sake.”

“Really, Mom? You’re throwing me under the bus, just like that? Thanks a lot!”

“I know you don’t believe me, but this is for your own good, Dylan,” his mother said, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.

“Come on, Mom! I was just having fun. Stop being such a bitch.”

The judge rapped his gavel. “Watch your language, young man.”

“Screw you, you old bastard! All I did was take a car for a ride and all of you are acting like I’m Charles Manson or something.”

“Mrs. Knight, is your son represented by an attorney at this time?”

“No, Your Honor. I’m still paying off lawyers from his last two arrests.”

The judge was silent for a moment, and then said, “Mr. Knight, I am going to appoint an attorney for you.” Turning to the court clerk, he asked, “Mrs. Fischer, who is the next court-appointed attorney on the list?”

“Mr. Recker, sir.”

“Please call him and see if he is available tomorrow. If he isn’t, please ask him the soonest he will be.”

The clerk left the courtroom, and Dylan berated his mother, the judge, and the sheriff until she returned.

“He is available all day tomorrow, sir.”

The judge nodded, then said, “Sheriff, please take this young man back to his cell. Let’s meet again tomorrow morning at 9 o’clock with Mr. Recker here to represent him. In the meantime, Mr. Knight, I urge you to look inside yourself and reconsider your attitude. I’m sure your attorney will be in touch with you today.”

“Whatever,” Dylan said, looking uninterested in the entire process. 

Judge Ryman rapped his gavel again and said, “Court is dismissed until tomorrow morning.”

As Weber led Dylan out of the courtroom, he turned and spat at his mother. “Go to hell, you bitch!”

***

Once Weber had Dylan back in his cell, he drove to Randy Laird’s garage to meet with David Clinton. Looking at what was left of his dream car, David shook his head and said, “I honestly don’t know what to say.”

“I’m sorry, David. We tried to stop him before the accident happened.”

“I understand, Sheriff. Was the kid who took it hurt in the accident?”

“Fortunately, nobody was injured, though I honestly don’t know why not. I was sure we’d have a fatality before it was all over.”

“At least we can all be thankful for that.”

“Is the car insured, David?”

“Yes, but it won’t pay what it’s worth. To them it’s just a 31-year-old car.”

“I’m not an attorney, but since he is a juvenile, I would think you’d be able to sue his mother for whatever the difference would be.”

“Somebody told my mom it was Dylan Knight. Is that true?”

“Yes,” Weber said.

“I know Mrs. Knight. She’s had it hard enough since her husband left, working two jobs just trying to keep up. She’s come to my window at the bank to deposit rolls of pennies to keep from being overdrawn. There’s no way I’m going to sue her, Sheriff. It’s just a car. I loved it, but there are lots of cars in the world.”

“I’ve got to say, that’s pretty generous of you, David. Most people would be so pissed off they’d sue her in a heartbeat.”

“She’s not responsible for what her kid does, Sheriff. But I have to admit, if he was standing here today, I might be the one that ended up in handcuffs.”

Weber smiled at David and said, “For what it’s worth, it might take me a while to get between the two of you and break it up.”

***

“Your favorite lawyer is here,” Mary said when Weber got back to the office.

“How is Pecker Recker today?” Weber asked, using the nickname hung on attorney Grover Recker since his school days.

A small man who seemed to have been born with a perpetually bad attitude, Grover and Weber had been in the same classes throughout grade school and high school and there was no love lost between them. Grover barely made it through law school, graduating at the very bottom of his class at the University of Arizona. It took him three attempts to pass the bar examination to get his license to practice, and he made his living taking on any case where he thought he could make a quick settlement and get out, usually with a hefty percentage of whatever payment came his clients’ way. He supplemented his income by serving as a court appointed counsel and frequently showed up at the sheriff’s office, hoping for the opportunity to represent anyone recently arrested.

“His usual abrasive self,” Mary replied. “Demanding we release the Knight kid immediately, no matter what Judge Ryman ordered. He said he needs to talk to you.”

“I don’t have time for Grover’s nonsense today.”

“I told him that, but you know how Grover is.”

“Yeah, we all know how Grover is,” Weber said.

Dan was at his desk, still working on Gabe Hatton’s computers.

Weber checked in with him and the frustrated deputy shook his head, saying, “There are some files that I can’t get into and I don’t know why.”

“Are you telling me that a high school graduate can beat you at this game? Come on, man, you’re the best we have,” Weber said with a teasing smile.

“I may be the best we’ve got here, but I’m far from the best,” Dan replied. “And for the record, he was a high school graduate.”

“Keep it up,” Weber told him, then asked, “What about that code of his? Or was it really just some kind of math game Gabe and Alan Sawicki were doing?”

“No,” Dan said. “It’s a code of some kind. Who sends three pages of a math game? I mean, some of these things are twenty pages long, Jimmy.”

“Beats me,” Weber said, “You’re the expert. Do expert things and solve it.”

Dan looked up from his desk and asked, “Have I been here long enough to say bite me?”

Weber looked at the calendar and said, “We’ve got some new guys since you came on the job, so I guess that gives you the right.”

“Fine, bite me.”

As they were bantering back and forth, Grover Recker came out of the interview room and walked down the hall into the office, saying, “I wanted to talk to you, Sheriff.”

“Whatever it is, save your breath, Grover. We’re not letting Dylan Knight go and if you have a problem with that, you can tell it to the judge tomorrow morning.”

“That guy? He’s as guilty as all get out. He thinks this is all a big game. Besides, he’s rude. He called me names.”

“You should be used to that by now,” Weber said.

The little man refused to be baited, saying, “I wanted to talk to you about my other client.”

“Your other client, Grover? And just who would that be?”

“Gabe Hatton.”

“Gabe Hatton? Since when did he become your client?”

“Since last month.”

“Wait a minute, Grover. Gabe hired you last month?”

“Isn’t that what I said?”

“Okay,” Weber said, sitting on the edge of Dan’s desk and folding his arms across his chest. “What are you up to now, Grover?”

“I’m not up to anything. I want to know what the status is on the investigation into the alleged crimes my client is accused of.”

“Alleged? Eddie Switzer saw him shoot his father. It’s definitely more than alleged.”

“Sheriff, in this country, all people are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Isn’t that right?”

“You’ve been watching those true crime shows again, haven’t you, Grover? I don’t know what your scheme is, but forget it. When we catch this kid, if he’s still alive, he’s going to need someone a lot better than you to represent him. Besides which, why would he retain you a month ago? I’m not sure I believe it.”

Then Weber realized that if what Grover was saying really was true and if Gabe really had hired an attorney ahead of his crime, it was evidence of premeditation.

“Are you calling me a liar, Sheriff?”

“You’ve been called worse, Grover. Why would Gabe have hired you a month ago?”

“That’s lawyer client privilege.”

“If you know anything at all about what happened between Gabe and his father, I want to hear it right now. This isn’t your usual ambulance chasing bullshit, Grover. A man is dead. If you withhold information on a homicide, I’ll throw your ass in a cell and leave you to rot.”

“I don’t know anything about what happened between Gabe and his father getting killed.”

“So why did he retain you?”

“I’m representing him in the matter of the trust his father set up for him.”

“What do you know about the trust, Grover?”

“I know that the terms are illegal. My client has a right to his money, and he wanted it now.”

“Whoa, hold on a minute,” Weber said, holding up a hand. “Gabe had hired you to try to break the trust?”

“Yes. It’s obvious that the terms of the trust are unfair. At eighteen, Gabe is effectively an adult, and he has every right…”

“Stop,” Weber said, interrupting him. “Start from the beginning, Grover.”

“I’m not telling you anything else unless you answer my questions first, Sheriff. What’s the status on the investigation and the alleged crimes?”

“Grover, you know as well as I do that I can’t tell you a damn thing about an open investigation.”

“Then I guess we have nothing else to talk about,” the attorney said. “I’ll see you in court for Mr. Knight’s hearing tomorrow morning.”

“Wait a minute,” Weber said. “Did Gabe Hatton tell you he was going to shoot his father?”

“Forget it, Sheriff. You cooperate with me and I’ll cooperate with you.”

“Damm it, Grover. If this kid is still running around out there, he may be frozen to death by now. We need to find him for his own good. Now tell me what you know about it.”

Grover Recker might resemble a ferret, but there was no question that he was also as stubborn as a mule. He shook his head and said, “You show me yours and I’ll show you mine.”

“Fine,” Weber said, exasperated. He would tell the attorney what was common knowledge by now, anyway. “Eddie Switzer was using a snowblower, and he saw Gabe chasing his father Jerry across the yard, shooting him. Jerry fell and Gabe stood over him and shot him in the head. Then he took off running. We’ve been chasing him ever since. He broke into a house a block or two away, and then he took a shot at Deputy Cooper. Coop fired back twice, but we didn’t find any evidence that he hit him. We trailed him another block before we lost him. That’s all we know so far.”

“Come on, Sheriff. Everybody knows all that. It’s the talk of the town,” Grover said. “Sit down at a table in any restaurant and you can hear all of that.”

“Well then, we all know the same thing, Grover. We think he got away somehow or another, but we don’t know how. Maybe somebody picked him up. If not, he’s probably frozen to death by now. I showed you mine, now show me yours.

“Can I expect any cooperation from you when or if my client is apprehended?”

“Grover, you get the same cooperation that any attorney would in a case like this. No more and no less.”

Grover shook his head and said, “Not enough. See you tomorrow.”

“Deputy Wright, arrest this man.”

“Yes, sir,” Dan said, getting up from his chair.

“Wait a minute,” Grover said. “You can’t do that!”

“How long have you known me, Grover? I think we were in second grade together, weren’t we?”

“I think so.”

“You ever known me to say something and not mean it?”

Dan pulled his handcuffs from his belt and said, “Turn around and put your hands behind your back.”

“All right, all right! I’ll tell you what I know,” Grover said quickly. “Gabe Hatton came to see me and told me about the trust. I asked him what he knew about it, and he said he didn’t know much. He had never seen the trust papers. All he knew was that there was a settlement from his biological mother getting killed in an accident. He didn’t know how much money was in the trust, but he wanted it now. His father wouldn’t give it to him until he was 21. He wanted me to break the trust.”

“And?”

“And that’s it.”

“What do you mean, that’s it? What did you do for him?”

“Not much,” Grover said. “I sent a letter to his father demanding a copy of the trust and how much money was in it. The next thing I heard about the family was when somebody said Gabe shot his father. I mean, allegedly shot him,” Grover said, correcting himself.

“And that’s it?”

“That’s it, Sheriff. I was waiting to hear back from his father when all this happened.”

“Stand down, Deputy,” Weber said, and Dan put his handcuffs back into his belt pouch, but stayed standing, towering over the much smaller man.

“Grover, have you heard anything from Gabe since then?”

“He called once asking what had happened with the trust so far. I told him I was waiting for his father to respond, and if he didn’t, my next step was going to be to have papers served on his father, demanding the trust paperwork and telling him that if he didn’t comply, I would get a judge to issue a subpoena.”

“Have you heard anything from him since the shooting?”

“Nothing,” Grover said. “I’ll put my hand on a Bible and swear to that.”

“Shit, Grover. If you ever put your hand on a Bible, it would probably burst into flames.”

“Funny, Sheriff. Ha ha.”

“Okay, Grover, See you tomorrow in court.”

“You’re going to tell me if anything develops on the Hatton case, right?”

“Why? All you have to do is sit down at a table in any restaurant in town and you’ll hear all about it, Grover.”

Chapter 15

Weber called Carin Hatton and asked if it would be possible to come by to talk to her and her brother-in-law.

“Do you have any news yet, Sheriff?”

“No, ma’am, I’m afraid not. I’ll try to only take a few minutes of your time.”

“That’s fine. Come by anytime you want. We’ll be here,” she told him, then said, “I heard a lot of sirens last night. I was wondering if that had anything to do with Gabe?”

“I’m afraid not,” Weber said. “That was a stolen car chase.”

“All right. See you soon, Sheriff.”

When Weber got to the Hatton house on Antelope Drive, he saw the silver Hyundai that he had pulled out of the snowbank the day before. He knocked on the door and Carin opened it and invited him in. He followed her to the dining room where her brother-in-law Patrick was sitting with his wife, who Weber recognized from being in their car the day before.

A fire was crackling in the fireplace and a basket of freshly baked blueberry muffins sat on the table. If one was not aware of the tragedy that had taken place at the home just days before, it would have felt like a cheery comfortable refuge from the cold outside.

“Would you like some coffee?”

“Thank you, Carin, I would love coffee,” Weber said, still tired from lack of sleep.

“Nice to see you again, Sheriff,” Patrick said. “Did you catch the person you were chasing?”

“Yes. He rolled the stolen car he was driving. Actually, it wasn’t far from where you slid off the road yesterday.”

“Was anyone hurt?”

“Just the fellow who owned the car,” Weber said. “He put a lot of time and money into restoring it and the insurance company won’t pay him nearly what he had into it.”

“What is wrong with young people these days? It’s like they’ve all gone crazy,” Patrick’s wife, a plain-looking woman with streaks of gray in her curly dark hair, said.

“I don’t know, ma’am. I remember my dad asking the same question when I was a teenager. I guess it’s just a generational thing.”

“Here you go, Sheriff,” Carin said, placing a cup of coffee in front of him. “Patrick, Donna, do you need anything while I’m up?”

“No, we’re good,” her sister-in-law said.

“Cream or sugar, Sheriff?”

“I’m fine, thank you,” Weber said, shaking his head as he sipped the coffee, enjoying its warmth all the way down. Then he asked, “Carin, do you know anything about an attorney contacting Jerry about the trust he set up for Gabe?”

“Yes,” she said, nodding her head. “Gabe had said before that when he turned eighteen, he was going to find an attorney to get him his trust money. Jerry got a letter from one a few weeks ago.”

“Do you know if Jerry responded to that letter?”

“He didn’t. He just told Gabe all he was doing was wasting his time, and money he didn’t have, hiring the attorney, because the trust was not going to change.”

“All this over money,” Patrick said, shaking his head. “It’s just crazy.”

Carin nodded her head and said, “I still can’t believe it’s real. I keep asking myself what I could have done to keep this from happening.”

“You need to stop blaming yourself, honey,” Donna said. “None of this is your fault. Gabe was always strange. I always thought it was because of Judy leaving like she did. Not that she was ever any kind of mother in the first place. But then you came along, and for the first time, I started to see another side of Gabe. You made him light up. I used to say that was the power of love.”

Carin reached for a box of tissues and wiped away her tears. “You’d think I wouldn’t have any more tears left, but they just keep coming.”

“I know, honey,” Donna said, patting her hand. “It’s all right.”

“Patrick, did Jerry ever say anything about worrying about something becoming physical between him and Gabe?”

“I think he said they got into a shoving match a time or two, Sheriff. But not like they took swings at each other or anything like that.”

“Did he ever say that he feared it would become violent?”

“No, never,” Patrick said, shaking his head. “Who thinks their own kid is going to attack them?”

“If you ask me, I think Gabe was going off the rails all along,” Donna said.

“I tried to get us into family counseling,” Carin said. “The more isolated Gabe became, and the more belligerent he got towards his father, I thought it might help. But Gabe refused to go.”

“All I can say is, when you find Gabe, I better not be there,” Patrick said, then added, “I’m sorry, Carin, that was out of line. But I’m so damn mad,”

The man had tears in his eyes and Carin leaned over to hug him and said, “I know what you mean, Patrick. One minute I feel that way and the next minute I worry about Gabe out there all alone. I know that sounds crazy, but he’s still my son and I love him.”

“It doesn’t sound crazy at all,” Donna assured her.

“Have you talked to those friends of his, Sheriff? Alan and Jeff?”

“Alan swears he hasn’t talked to Gabe since all this started. We haven’t been able to talk to Jeff Endicott yet. He lives down in the Phoenix area and we’re waiting for a call back from him. Have you been able to think of any other friends Gabe might have been in contact with?”

“I keep trying to think of somebody, but I just can’t,” Carin said. “I always told him he needed to make friends, but he just wasn’t a very social person.”

“What about his girlfriend? Did you talk to her?”

All eyes turned toward the athletic-looking teenage girl wearing jeans and a red Arizona Diamondbacks sweatshirt who was sitting on the love seat in the living room reading a book. Weber thought he recognized her from the snowbank the day before.

“I’m sorry, what did you say, miss? Gabe had a girlfriend?”

“That’s the first I’ve heard of it,” Carin said incredulously.

“It’s been going on for a while, according to him,” the girl said.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name,” Weber said.

“She’s our daughter, Shannon,” Patrick said. “That joker on the floor playing his Game Boy is our son, Trevor.”

The boy, who appeared to be about fourteen, was absorbed in his game and didn’t seem to hear what was going on around him. For a moment, Weber wondered if he was another one like Gabe, lost in his own world.

“Shannon, what do you know about this girlfriend of Gabe’s?”

“Just that he had a girlfriend, and they were in love. He thought she was the hottest thing around.”

“You never heard about this, Carin?”

“No. Gabe never showed any interest in girls. Sometimes Jerry wondered if he was gay. Not that it would have made any difference to us. Gabe used to tell me everything. I’m shocked he had a girlfriend and never said a word about it to me. I always thought we were so close. Shannon, did Gabe ever tell you who she was?”

The girl shook her head and said, “No. I asked him two or three times, but he said that if Uncle Jerry knew about it, he would say she was just a gold digger trying to get his money from the trust. He said he wasn’t going to tell you or Uncle Jerry about it until he got the money and had moved out.”

Weber asked, “Did he tell you anything about this girl?”

“Not much. Just that she was beautiful and how much he loved her.”

“What about you, Trevor? Did Gabe ever say anything to you about a girlfriend?”

The boy was still focused on his game and didn’t respond until his father raised his voice and said, “Trevor, someone’s talking to you.”

“Huh? I’m sorry, Dad. I just made a record. What did you say?”

“This is Sheriff Weber. He asked you a question.”

The boy looked at Weber, who asked, “Did Gabe ever say anything to you about a girlfriend or anything like that?”

Trevor shook his head and said, “Gabe never talked to me. I asked him something about a video game once and he just ignored me and didn’t answer.”

Turning back to his sister, Weber asked, “How often did you and Gabe talk?”

“We never talked on the phone. It was always text or e-mail. Sometimes I’d hear from him a lot and other times never at all.”

“Do you remember when the last time was?”

“Maybe a couple of weeks ago. He said he wanted to get his girlfriend something special for Valentine’s Day and was asking me what I thought she might like. I told him I didn’t know her, so I didn’t know what to suggest. I asked a few questions about her and all he said was that she was really hot and they were in love. I told him the best thing he could do was spend time with her. If she really cared about him, that would matter more than things he could buy her. I said maybe he should ask Aunt Carin for suggestions, but he said the same thing as before, that his parents didn’t know anything about her, and if they found out, Uncle Jerry would start nagging him about her only being after his money.”

“Do you think she was someone from school?”

“I honestly don’t know.”

“Would you say you two were close?”

The girl shrugged her shoulders and said, “I don’t know. I guess we were as close as anybody is to a cousin they don’t see all the time. Our birthdays are only seven months apart. When we were little, Uncle Thomas used to always tease us and say we were kissing cousins, but we never were. To be honest, sometimes I thought Gabe was gay. He said that the kids at school teased him about that.”

“Did you ever ask him about it or talk to him about it?”

“No, not really. I think when he was complaining one time about the kids saying that he was gay, I told him if he was, so what? It wouldn’t matter to me.”

“What did he say to that?”

“Nothing. He ghosted me for about a month or two.

“Kristi, did Gabe ever say anything to you about wanting to harm his father?”

The girl was quiet for a moment and her mother said, “Shannon, if you know something, we need to hear it.”

“A couple of times he said he wished his father was dead or that he couldn’t wait until he was dead or something like that, because then he would be free. But I never took him seriously. I hear kids say stuff like that all the time when they’re mad about something.”

“I knew Gabe was difficult sometimes, but I never imagined this,” Donna said.

“I don’t know what to expect from Gabe if he shows up here,” Patrick said. “That’s why I brought my Beretta .32 when we came up. I hate to even think about it, but if it came down to it, I would protect my family if I had to.”

Weber nodded his head and said, “I honestly don’t believe Gabe would be foolish enough to come near here after all that has happened.”

“Maybe not,” Patrick said. “But I never believed he’d kill his father and shoot at a cop, either.”

Chapter 16

When Weber left the Hatton house, he drove directly to Alan Sawicki’s. There was a white dually four-wheel-drive Chevrolet Silverado pickup in the driveway behind the Blazer, and Buster Sawicki answered the door. Weber noted that there was a Sig Sauer semi-automatic pistol tucked into the man’s belt.

“Hey, Sheriff. Come on in.”

Nodding at the pistol as he entered the room, Weber asked, “Going hunting, Buster?”

“Nope,” Buster said, shaking his head. “But you can bet your ass that if that Hatton kid comes around, somebody will be putting a toe tag on him.”

Buster was a good man who worked long hours driving a massive haul truck to provide for his family, commuting 120 miles from the copper mine in Morencie to Big Lake on the weekends.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“I sure as hell hope not,” Buster said. “But if he comes around here, I won’t hesitate to protect my family, Sheriff. I took some vacation time to be home until you catch that little prick.”

“I’ve known you a long time, Buster, and I understand exactly how you feel. I also know you’re levelheaded enough not to just start shooting at sounds in the night. All I can say is, you have to do what you have to do, but be careful.”

Buster nodded his head and said, “Any news on Gabe yet?”

“Nothing,” Weber replied as he bent down to pat the golden retriever who had come to the door to greet him. “We have checked every house, every summer cabin, every abandoned building we can think of.”

“With this weather we’ve been having, if he didn’t find shelter someplace, he’s dead,” Buster said.

Nodding his head, Weber said, “That’s the same thing I’ve said. Unless he got out of the area, and I don’t know how he would have done that. We didn’t have any reports of stolen cars, nobody’s been carjacked, nobody’s missing that we can think of that he might be holding hostage.”

“For what it’s worth, Sheriff, I grilled Alan. He swears up and down that he didn’t know this was going to happen, or anything about where Gabe is. I think I believe him, but who the hell knows these days? I never much cared for Gabe when he came around, and after Joanne told him about the thing with the girls, I told Alan never to bring him around here again. But who the hell thinks a boy that age is going to kill his own father? I mean, you might hear about shit like that down in Phoenix or Tucson or someplace like that, but hell, man, this is Big Lake!”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to Alan again.”

“No problem.” Buster walked to the bottom of the staircase and yelled upstairs, “Alan, get down here! The sheriff wants to talk to you.”

A moment later, Alan came downstairs and asked, “Did you find him yet?”

“Not yet,” Weber said. “Can we sit down at the table?”

“Sure,” Buster said. “Do you want a cup of coffee?”

“I just finished one, thanks,” Weber said, then turned to Alan and asked, “What do you know about Gabe’s girlfriend?”

“Not much,” Alan said.

“What’s her name?”

“I don’t know.”

“Your best friend has a girlfriend and you don’t know her name? Don’t even think about playing games with the sheriff, boy. Tell him what he wants to know!”

“I don’t know anything, Dad! I never met her.”

“If there is anything at all that you can tell me about her, I need to know it,” Weber said.

“To be honest, I think Gabe made her up,” Alan told him.

“What do you mean?”

“Just what I said. I didn’t really believe she was real. You know, guys make up things like that sometimes.”

“Okay, whether she was real or not, what did he say about her, Alan?”

“I don’t know. Just that she was really sexy, and she was beautiful, and they had been… you know, doing it.”

“But you never met her?”

“No. Like I said, I thought he made her up. In fact, he got pissed off at me because I said I didn’t believe him, and if she was real, I wanted to meet her to prove it. Gabe said it had to be a secret until he got the money from his mother getting killed. His real mother. He said he knew his dad would say she was just interested in his money, so he wasn’t telling anybody about her until he had the money.”

“Did he ever show you a picture of her, anything like that?”

“Yeah, kind of.”

“What does that mean?”

“I must have asked him a dozen times, and he just said he wasn’t going to risk his dad finding out. He said as soon as he got the money, they were leaving town and nobody would ever see them again. I told him he was just making it up, and he finally showed me a picture on his phone of her boobs.”

“Can you describe her? What did she look like?”

“I don’t know, man. It was just boobs. No face or anything, just boobs. I figured it was just a screen copy he got off the internet.”

“Could you see her hair, anything at all?”

“Nope, just boobs. He was talking about how he could touch them anytime he wanted, she didn’t care.”

Weber thought back to his own days as a teenager. More than once his friends had boasted about getting lucky with some girl. Usually, it was an actual person they all knew, and sometimes it might have been true. He had certainly done some things adults wouldn’t have approved of back in the day. And if he had to admit it, he had probably made up a story or two himself or at least exaggerated. Could this be the case now?

Everything he had heard about Gabe Hatton didn’t indicate he had any friends except for Alan and Jeff Endicott. Where would he have met a girl who would be attracted to him? Could she be a summer visitor, one of the many who came to the mountains to escape the blistering heat of the summer desert? Or maybe someone who came up to go skiing at nearby Cat Mountain? Either way, where would someone like Gabe, who seemed to spend most of his time hiding out in his bedroom with his computer games, meet a girl like that?

And if the girlfriend really did exist, could his father have been right? Was she just after the boy’s money? Is that what escalated things to the point that it led to violence? He guessed only Gabe had the answer to that, and they might find out when they caught him. If they caught him. Damn it, where the hell was the kid anyhow?

***

“Doctor Hurtado called,” Mary said when Weber got back to the office. “He’s said he finished Jerry Hatton’s autopsy and would e-mail the reports to us. I told him you’d call him back when you got here.”

“Thanks, Mary. Anything else going on I need to know about?”

She shook her head and said, “A man had a heart attack up at the ski lodge. The ambulance took him to the medical center to get him stabilized and then transported him to the hospital in Show Low. A couple of stupid kids were running around, knocking on doors and running away. Jordan tracked them down and told them they were being idiots, and they were lucky somebody didn’t think it was Gabe Hatton and shoot through the door and kill one of them. Then he took them home to their parents, and I’m sure they’re going to put an end to that nonsense. Besides that, nothing much is going on except a lot of calls from people thinking they saw Gabe Hatton. One lady said he was eating a sandwich at the Cross Eyed Cricket, but it turned out to be a skinny redheaded boy with his mom and dad.” Mary shook her head and said, “It’s only a matter of time before somebody sees some kids sledding on Marshall Hill and thinks it’s Gabe and his gang and takes a shot at them.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Weber said. “But I know what you mean.” Looking around the office, he asked, “Where’s Dan?”

“Imogene got nervous because a car drove by their house and slowed down four times. She’s not the kind to get rattled by something like that, but it did concern her after her experiences with Gabe before. He went over to check it out and it turned out that it was a man from over towards Payson who was looking for a house that was listed for sale online. It turns out he was on the wrong street. He should have been on North Thompson Drive and he was on South.”

“If Imogene’s getting scared, you know it’s bad,” Weber said.

“Oh, one more thing,” Mary said as Weber was going to his office, “Bob Bennett called. I guess that developer’s attorney is throwing a hissy fit because you walked out of the deposition and was demanding it happen right now. Bob told him we had a homicide to deal with and as far as he was concerned, Robert Bannister could go pound sand. He told him that the town council had decided that all prior agreements between his client and the town were off the table, and if Banister ever wanted to build anything in Big Lake, he was going to have to start from scratch.”

“How did he respond to that?”

“According to Bob, he’s threatening all kinds of lawsuits. I got the impression the town council is so tired of dealing with that jerk that they don’t care. That’s why they canceled the permits he had for his other projects from before.”

“That wouldn’t hurt my feelings,” Weber said. “I’ll go call Hurtado and see what I can find out.”

He sat down at his desk and called the medical examiner’s office in Tucson and a cheerful sounding young woman put him on hold for a moment before the doctor’s voice came on the line.

“It sounds like they’re keeping you busy up there, Sheriff.”

“Busier than I want to be,” Weber acknowledged.

“Have you caught that young man that shot his father?”

“Not yet, but it’s not for lack of trying.”

“They’ve had it on the news down here two nights in a row now.”

“Yeah, we’re getting calls from all over the state from people who think they saw him,” Weber said. “Mary said you finished the autopsy on Jerry Hatton?”

“Yes. The poor guy didn’t have a chance. We recovered six bullets from his body, and there’s evidence of a seventh on the side of his neck that didn’t penetrate the body. He had a wound in his right shoulder, another in his left side that broke a rib, a third in his left arm, two in his back, one of which punctured a lung and the other lodged in his right kidney. What I believe was the last shot was in his forehead, which tore through his brain.”

“Jesus,” Weber replied.

“If I was a believer, which I’m more of an agnostic than anything,” the medical examiner said, “I would say that Jesus and God were nowhere near Big Lake when this happened.”

“I see what you mean when you say the guy didn’t have a chance.”

“The bullets we recovered were all .22 hollow points. They were all pretty deformed, but I believe they were CCI Stingers.”

“That makes sense. We recovered a partial box of them in the suspect’s bedroom,” Weber told him. “I’ve spoken to the victim’s wife several times. She doesn’t know where to turn as far as funeral arrangements and things like that. I gave her your office number and told her that maybe someone down there could tell her what she needs to do.”

“We cannot recommend any individual provider, but we can give her a list of options,” Doctor Hurtado said. “We should be ready to release the body tomorrow.”

“All right. I appreciate you calling me, Doctor. Sorry I wasn’t here and had to get back to you.”

“No problem, Sheriff. I have to say that you folks up in Big Lake help provide my job security.”

“Well, that’s good to know. We do what we can,” Weber said facetiously. “Have a good day, Doctor Hurtado.”

Chapter 17

It was late in the afternoon and Weber had been going through a pile of paperwork that had accumulated on his desk. He wanted to be out searching for Gabe Hatton, but where would he look that hadn’t been searched two or three times before? By now, the sheriff was convinced he was dead or had somehow made it out of the area after killing his father.

Mary knocked on his office door and said, “Jeff Endicott is on the phone.”

“Thanks,” Weber said, and then pushed the button to take the call. “Jeff, Sheriff Weber here. Thanks for getting back to me.”

“I’m sorry it took so long,” Jeff said. “I got a bad cold over the holidays and had to miss some classes, and my instructor was letting me make them up, but I had to get them done this week. God, I can’t believe Gabe killed his father. That’s just crazy!”

“It is,” Weber agreed. “I understand that the two of you are friends?”

“Were. Past tense, Sheriff. Not anymore. The last couple of years of high school, we hung out together, but I haven’t talked to Gabe in a long time. If I never see or hear from him again, that would be just fine with me.”

“It sounds like there was a rift between the two of you,” Weber said.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know. I guess I grew up.”

“Your mom says you’re doing good down there, going to trade school.”

“Yeah, learning HVAC. There’s good money in it, and I enjoy working with my hands.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Weber said. “I never understood why the world suddenly decided everybody had to be some kind of computer programmer or data analyst or whatever. We need people that can fix cars and build houses and keep things running.”

“I know. The school here helps us find jobs and I’ve already got three offers as soon as I graduate.”

“That’s great, Jeff. You said you grew up. That’s good and I’m proud of you, but can you tell me any more about what happened between you and Gabe? I mean, a lot of people grow up and still have friends they have known a long time. Shoot, there’s lots of people here in Big Lake that I’ve known forever.”

“I guess part of it is that I wanted more out of life than working in a restaurant or something like that. There aren’t a lot of opportunities in Big Lake for young people, Sheriff.”

Weber knew that was true. With no industry except for tourism, many young people left the mountains to go elsewhere because jobs were scarce, and most of them were in the hospitality industry. Making motel room beds and waiting tables in restaurants didn’t pay a livable wage. Many young people who stayed in town found themselves working two, even three, jobs just to make ends meet. And while tourism had led to a growing population, not much had changed economically, except for construction jobs. All the building going on in the area had helped in that respect.

“Maybe when you graduate, you can come up here and work,” he suggested.

“Maybe. I don’t know,” Jeff replied. “Jasmine and I kind of like city life. There’s a lot to see and do down here besides squirrels and pinecones.”

Weber laughed and said, “That’s true. I left and went into the Army after I graduated from high school, and I never thought I would come back. But here I am. You mentioned your girlfriend, Jasmine. That’s Jasmine Thomas, right?”

“Yeah. We started dating in our senior year in high school and really get along great. Her mom and my mom are friends and we’ve known each other forever.”

“That’s what your mom told me. She’s a nice girl,” Weber said. “Her whole family are nice people.”

“Yeah. Her bother Mickey is the one who got me interested in HVAC. That’s what he does, and he’s making a good living. In fact, he recommended me to the company he works for. They’re one of the places that offered me a job.”

“Well, I wish you the best in that,” Weber said.

“Thank you.”

“You said that you outgrew Gabe, but your mom mentioned that there was something else. Some friction between Jasmine and him?”

“Yeah, that was part of it. I know it doesn’t make sense, but it was almost like Gabe was jealous because I had a girlfriend. It wasn’t like I was just ignoring him, but after about the second time I didn’t go to his place and hang out because Jasmine and I were going to do something, he started being a butthead. He told me she was just a girl, and you can never depend on girls. They’d leave you when you needed them the most. I guess it’s because of his real mom leaving, I don’t know. But he got in Jasmine’s face a couple of times. I mean really snarky. She’s not afraid to stand up for herself. Not one bit, and she told him off. Then one day, he called her a bitch, and I got right up in his business and told him if he ever did that again, I’d bust his head wide open. That’s the last time we talked to each other. I liked the guy, Sheriff, but he always has been kind of weird. There’s more to life than sitting in front of a computer.”

“That’s true,” Weber said. “I’ve heard that some kids at school called him gay. Do you think there might be any truth to that?”

“I don’t know,” Jeff replied. “You know how people talk smack about things like that if you’re an outsider. And Gabe was definitely an outsider. But if he was, he never gave me any signs of that. Not that I’d care. If anything, I think Gabe always just resented people.”

“What do you mean by that, Jeff?”

“I know that even though him and Allan Sawicki are friends, he resented the fact that Alan had a car. He resented the fact that my mom and I got along so well, just like he resented Jasmine. When I started talking about coming down here to go to school and he would like, ‘Gee, you’re going to be a working man? How special.’ I guess you know about that trust fund his dad set up for him.”

“I do,” Weber said.

“Gabe thought he was going to be rich and never have to work a day in his life. He was always talking about buying cars and bikes and big computer systems and stuff like that. But I know how hard it always was for my mom to make ends meet after my dad took off. I told Gabe money goes faster than you think, and if he did all that, he was going to go blow through it before he knew what was happening. Then what? That’s how the real world is, right?”

“That’s for sure. You’ve a good head on your shoulders, Jeff,” Weber said. “Your mom said Jasmine was actually afraid of Gabe. What was that about?”

“Like I said, he got up in her face and called her a bitch and stuff like that. Then, after what he did to his dad… to be honest with you, Sheriff, I’m afraid of him right now. Do you think there’s any chance he might come down here looking for us?”

“I think right now he’s desperate, and he’d come looking for help anywhere he could,” Weber said. “So I won’t say it’s not possible.”

“I meant to get even with us?”

Weber had not thought about that and said as much. “I don’t know about that, Jeff. I would hope not. But after what he did, I just don’t know. All I can say is, if you hear from him, call the police right away, and call me, too, if you would.”

“I’ve still got my shotgun from when I was a kid, Sheriff. Should I keep it handy?”

Weber wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Would Gabe try to search out his old friend if he thought he had somehow turned his back on him or betrayed him by getting a girlfriend and moving on with his life?

“Jeff, all I can tell you is, be careful. You definitely have a right to defend yourself and Jasmine. For what it’s worth, I don’t think he’s going to show up at your place. To be honest with you, I think there’s a better than even chance that he froze to death in the storm since we can’t find him anywhere. From what I understand, he wasn’t dressed for the weather we had up here when everything happened.”

The phone was silent for a minute, and then Jeff said, “That wouldn’t bother me. I almost hope he did, Sheriff. Is that crazy?”

“I can understand you feeling that way, Jeff. If you hear anything from him, call the local police, and call me, too, would you?”

“Yes, sir. I promise.”

“And, Jeff, I’m proud of you. You were always a good kid and I think you’ve got a good future ahead of you. Enjoy your life.”

“Thank you, Sheriff. I plan to.”

***

Dan was back at his desk in the main office, still working on Gabe Hatton’s computer and tablet.

“Tell me you’ve found something.”

“I’ve found a lot of stuff, Jimmy. But there are some files I just can’t figure a way to get into. What I am finding is just everyday stuff. He was looking at motorcycles and cars and trucks online, a lot of computer geek stuff, space stuff, things like that. There’s one where he researched getting a ride on a NASA rocket to the International Space Station.”

“That kid must really think he’s a billionaire,” Weber said. “Do they even let civilians ride on rockets since that schoolteacher got killed when the Space Shuttle blew up?”

“I don’t think so. It’s not like she just showed up to hitch a ride,” Mary said. “She was part of a planned mission and had to take a lot of training to get picked.”

Dan shook his head and said, “I just can’t figure out these damned locked files! Why can’t I get into them?”

“Let me ask you something else, Dan. Gabe supposedly had a girlfriend, but I can’t find out anything about her. His mother never heard a word about it, but he told Alan Sawicki and his cousin from down in the Valley. Have you found any emails back and forth between him and some girl?”

“No,” Dan said, shaking his head. “The only e-mails I’m finding that Gabe sent or received are almost all to Alan Sawicki or his mother. Well, let me correct that. There are also a few he sent to his father that were links to cars and trucks that were for sale online, asking if his dad would take him to see them. His father wrote back, telling him each time that if he didn’t earn the money to buy one, he was wasting his time shopping online. But that’s about it.”

Weber thought for a moment and asked, “Do you think he made the girlfriend up?”

“I don’t know, Jimmy. I’m not finding anything here about a girl.”

“Is it possible that the boy got catfished?”

“Catfished? What’s that, Mary?”

“It’s when someone pretends to be someone they’re not and establishes a relationship with somebody online.”

“I don’t know,” Weber admitted. “I never thought of something like that. I wondered if he met a summer girl or a snow bunny or something like that. But it seems like he didn’t leave his room often enough to meet someone.”

“The catfish thing is a real possibility,” Dan said. “Especially if he was bragging online about having money. It’s possible someone was hitting him up, trying to get him interested in a relationship.”

“It doesn’t have to be a woman,” Mary said.

“I haven’t been able to confirm anything about the rumors of him being gay.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about, Jimmy,” Mary said. “If someone was talking to him by e-mail, they could pretend to be anybody in the world. They could send him pictures, and how would he know if they were real or not?”

“That’s interesting,” Weber said. “Gabe showed Alan Sawicki a picture of some boobs and said it was his girlfriend. Nothing else, no face or hair or anything. Just boobs. Alan said it could have been just a screenshot Gabe took off the internet.”

“It could be,” Dan said and he got up from his desk and went to the coffeepot to refill his cup. “Or, if someone was catfishing him and sent him something, Gabe could have cropped out everything but the breasts. I haven’t found any e-mails like that, but I’ll keep looking.”

“Sounds good,” Weber replied. “There has to be something out there we can find that might tell us what was going on in his head, and hopefully where that kid is now.”

Chapter 18

With their previous meal at the Chinese restaurant interrupted because of the car chase, Weber and Robyn met Parks and Marsha that evening at Mario’s Pizzeria. When they sat down at their table, Marsha asked, “Have you heard the weather report? We’re supposed to get another big storm in a couple of days. We haven’t even dug out from the last one.”

“I know,” Weber said. “It’s not helping us find that kid if he’s still out there.”

“If he’s out there and still alive, the chances of anybody finding him are slim and none, and Slim just left town,” Parks said.

“At least it’s good for the people at Cat Mountain,” Robyn said. “There’s been a long line of cars coming through town, and every one of them has skis strapped to the roof. It’s good for the economy, right?”

“It doesn’t do me any good,” Marsha replied. “Skiers don’t come up here to shop for antiques. They’re only interested in thrills and getting laid.”

“What’s wrong with thrills and getting laid?”

“Nothing, Parks. I just wish people would spend money in the process.”

“Oh, for that you’ve got to go to Tijuana,” Parks said. “When I was in the Navy in San Diego, that’s where you went for thrills and getting laid. There was one place where there was a girl who could…”

“Shut up, Parks,” all three of them sitting at the table said at once.

Parks laughed and asked, “What? I was just reminiscing.”

“Nobody wants to hear about your disgusting life of perversion,” Marsha told him.”

Salvatore Gattuccio, the jovial big restaurant owner, came to their table and sat a tray of drinks and a basket of garlic knots in front of them, saying, “My friends. So good to see you all.”

“It’s good to see you, too. Sal,” said Weber. “How are you doing?”

“Very good. I can’t complain. And now more snow is on the way. One thing about people who go skiing, they work up an appetite.”

“How’s Christine? I haven’t had a chance to see her lately.”

“Oh, Miss Robyn, she is wonderful. She was just here a little while ago. I’m sorry you missed her.”

“Me, too,” Robyn said. “Tell her I said hello.”

“Yes, of course,” Sal said nodding his head, then he shook it and said, “This thing with the Hatton boy and his father. So sad. It breaks my heart. Christine always tells me that you can care about people, but you have to separate the feelings. I know you know that as well, with your job. How do you do it?”

“It’s hard,” Robyn said. “It really is. She knows that from the work she does.”

The big man shook his head and said, “I could never do it. But I am grateful all the time that the world has people like you and her.”

Sal’s girlfriend, Christine Ridgeway, a big woman with a heart of gold, ran SafeHaven, a refuge for battered women and children. Even in a small town like Big Lake, she was kept busy helping them escape from terrible situations and rebuild their lives through educational programs, counseling, and whatever was needed to go forward.

“So, your usual?”

“I think I want to mix it up a little bit, Sal,” Marsha said. “Can we have a supreme, but without the black olives? Is that okay with you, Robyn?”

“Sounds good.”

“What? You’re racist now and you don’t like black olives? I’m surprised at you.”

“Oh, shut up, Parks,” she said, nudging him in the ribs with her elbow.

“And what about you and Mr. Parks, Sheriff Jimmy?”

“We’ll have the meat lovers,” Parks said. “That’s a real man’s pizza.”

“As you wish, my friend. I will get them going right now,” Sal said.

When he left the table, Parks asked, “You okay, Bubba? You’re looking down in the mouth.”

“I’m just frustrated,” Weber said. “I had a lot of paperwork to catch up with in the office this afternoon when I should have been out there looking for that kid.”

“We’ve looked everywhere there is to look,” Robyn told him. “I think he’s gone.”

“Gone as in left the area, or gone as in dead?”

“That’s the $10,000 question, Marsha,” Robyn told her. “You were raised here. You know how dangerous these mountains can be in bad weather. How long could a geek like him last out there?”

“Not long,” Marsha said, then asked, “Jimmy, do you remember the Barrett girls and what happened to them?”

“Oh, yeah,” Weber said.

“Barrett? I don’t think I know that name. What’s that about?”

“It was before your time, Robyn,” Weber told her. “Leslie and Leanne Barrett were sisters. Leslie was in my class in eighth grade, and I think Leanne was a year behind us, maybe two years? Does that sound about right, Marsha?”

“Yeah, because she would have graduated a year ahead of me if she would have lived,” Marsha replied.

“That sounds grim,” Parks said. “What happened to her?”

“We had a big storm that lasted for two or three days,” Marsha said. “Just one wave of snow after another coming in. They had this big old mutt of a dog named Dutch. That thing was half the size of a pony, I think. And fast? I mean, you’d think nothing that sized could go as fast as that dog did. It was amazing.”

“I know,” Weber agreed. “My old man always used to say we should put a saddle on it and hire a midget and enter it in the horse races.”

“And it used to chase everything, from cars to deer and elk,” Marsha continued. “Anyways, this big storm had hit, and the girls were outside playing in the snow. They lived out toward where Ponderosa Heights is now. Back then, that was on the outskirts of town. Anyhow, Dutch took off after some critter and the neighbor heard the girls yelling for him to come back. Leanne went looking for him and she didn’t come back, so Leslie went after them. Their parents were both at work. Their mom worked at the hospital in Springerville and their dad was out plowing snow for the highway department. Both girls and the dog disappeared. There was so much snow coming down that their footprints were covered up and even search dogs couldn’t pick up their trail because of the snow and the wind. Every grownup I knew was out there looking for those girls, weren’t they, Jimmy?”

“Yeah. I remember my dad and Harvey Clutton and Jose Riviera riding down Main Street in the middle of the blizzard on their horses, going out to look for them. There were people on horses and snowmobiles and in four-wheel drives, even on snowshoes. You name it. The place was crawling with people who came from all over to help. I remember one guy had a heart attack, and they had to evacuate him, which was one more thing to deal with.”

“Did they ever find them?”

“Not until spring,” Weber said. “They were maybe half a mile from the house at most, all three of them huddled together, sitting under a tree.”

“It broke their mother’s heart,” Marsha said. “They always said it was just an accident when she drove her car off the edge of Dead Man’s Curve that Easter, but I never believed that. Did you, Jimmy?”

“I didn’t know what to believe,” Weber said, “but my mom and dad both thought she did it on purpose.”

“Whatever happened to their father, Jimmy? I never heard, did you?”

“I don’t know,” Weber said. “I know he was around town for a while after that, because I remember seeing him staggering out of Dusty’s Saloon on Main Street, back when it was open. He was just polluted. I remember he was trying to get in his pickup and couldn’t even get the door open. My dad drove him home, and I don’t think I remember ever seeing him around after that.”

“Gee, this is such a beautiful place. But it can kill you in a minute if you’re not careful,” Robyn said.

Sal was back with their pizzas and set them on the table, saying, “Enjoy, my friends.”

“I’m sure we will,” Robyn told him.

Weber asked, “Sal, did you know the Hatton family very well?”

“Not well, maybe, but they used to come in sometimes. Mrs. Hatton, such a beautiful lady, and so kind. I don’t remember the conversation, but I said one time that I love cherry pie. The next day she brought me a fresh one she baked herself. It was delicious. The father was a nice man, too. He worked a lot, so Mrs. Hatton and the boy came in mostly. I was never too sure about the boy.”

“Why was that, Sal?”

“He was… I think sulky is the word I’m looking for. He never smiled or said much. The only time I saw him smile was when she would say something to him.”

“Did he seem to get along well with his dad?”

“I don’t know about that. I know he worked a lot, so it was usually just Mrs. Hatton and the boy. I remember one time he was complaining. Something about wanting a motorcycle, and she was telling him she understood, and if it was up to her, he would have one, but his father was the one in charge of things like that. I remember him saying he hated his father. How can a boy hate his father, Sheriff Jimmy? My father was a great man. He built his business and left it to me when him and my mother bought that big RV and became gypsies. And your father? I remember him from when I was just a boy myself. My gosh, Sheriff Jimmy. Such a good man! I just can’t believe anybody could say that about their father. Anyway, my friends, enjoy. If you need anything, Sal is here. Just let me know.”

Putting two big slices of pizza on his plate and sprinkling parmesan cheese on them, Parks asked, “Anything on pings from the kid’s cell phone?”

“According to his mother, he didn’t have a phone.”

“Come on, Jimmy. Even 10-year-olds have phones these days.”

“I know,” Weber said. “On the day of the shooting, Chad asked her about his phone. She said that Gabe had gone through two iPhones in less than a year. He lost one, and he got mad and threw the replacement one across his bedroom and broke it when he was pissed off at his father about something. She said after that, the father refused to buy him another one and told him if he wanted a phone to get a job and buy it himself.”

“There’s obviously a pattern of this kid feeling entitled, isn’t there? ‘I want a motorcycle, I want a truck, I want a telephone.’ When I was a kid back in Oklahoma, if I wanted something besides three hots and a cot, I had to earn the money to get it,” Parks said.

“From what I understand, Gabe felt that money sitting in the trust fund should be used for whatever he wanted, and if his dad wouldn’t let him have access to it, then his dad should provide the things he demanded. And from what I hear about Jerry Hatton, he was fed up with that nonsense and wasn’t going to hear anymore of it.”

“He sounds like the kind of kid that I’d get fed up with in a hurry. It’s probably a good thing I never wanted to have kids,” Marsha said. “I don’t have any maternal instincts to begin with.”

“What do you mean, no kids? I thought someday we’d have ten or fifteen little ankle biters running around.”

“Not in this life,” Marsha said. “With our luck, they’d inherit the worst of both of our quirks, and Lord knows the world doesn’t need any more of that.”

“Quirks? What quirks? You may have quirks, but I don’t.”

“No, Parks, you’re just special,” Weber said.

“I may be quirky or special, but at least I don’t discriminate against black olives. A man has to draw the line somewhere if he wants to be able to look at himself in the mirror.”

“Oh, trust me. This clown spends a lot of time posing in front of mirrors,” Marsha said, biting into a garlic knot.

Chapter 19

It was obvious that Dylan Knight had not wised up by the time they took him before Judge Ryman the next morning. He began by cursing Weber and Berto as they took him from his cell into the courthouse, gave his mother an evil look when he saw her sitting waiting for the hearing to start, and refused to acknowledge the judge’s presence.

“Mr. Recker, have you had time to talk to your client?”

“I have, Your Honor.”

“Does he wish to enter a plea at this time?”

“I don’t know, Your Honor.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“Just what I said, sir, I tried to talk to him yesterday and he wouldn’t cooperate, and I had a few moments with him this morning when they brought him here, and he told me to lick his…”

“All right, I get it,” the judge said, raising his hand to silence the attorney.

Turning to Dylan, he said, “I need a plea from you, young man. Guilty, innocent, or nolo contendere. That means you’re not pleading guilty, but you’re acknowledging that the charges against you are sufficient for a guilty verdict. What’s it going to be?”

“How about when this weasel’s done, you can lick my balls, too?”

“That’s enough of that,” the judge said, rapping his gavel.

“Hey, man, I don’t care. Lock me up. I’ll be eighteen in three months and they have to let me go. Shit, I can hold my breath that long.”

“So, am I understanding you to say that you are pleading guilty?”

“Whatever floats your boat, your judgeship.”

“I need a yes or no.”

“Sure, why not? Guilty as charged, and a whole lot more than you idiots never even knew about.”

Judge Raymond sat back in his chair and looked at the defendant for a moment and said, “I’ve given this a lot of thought, Mr. Knight. Under Arizona law, juveniles who are chronic felony offenders as defined by statute can be tried as adults. I wish I had that option, but since this is your first felony conviction, I do not. As a juvenile, the state can usually hold you until your eighteenth birthday. However, under certain conditions, I have the authority to extend that for another year. You, sir, meet those conditions in my opinion, so I am committing you to the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections until your nineteenth birthday. Try holding your breath that long.”

“What the hell? You can’t do that!”

“I just did, sir,” Judge Ryman said. “Sheriff Weber, please take this young man back to his cell and make arrangements to transfer him to a Juvenile Corrections facility. I’ll send the paperwork over and tell you where he needs to go later this afternoon.”

Judge Ryman rapped his gavel and Dylan cursed at him and tried to rush the bench, but Berto quickly tackled him before he could assault the judge. His mother sat stone faced as they took him out of the courtroom, kicking and cursing.

***

A small woman with an enormous belly was sitting on a chair next to one of the desks in the office when Berto and Weber finished locking Dylan back in his cell.

“Hey there. How ya’ doin’ this fine mornin’ Sheriff Jimmy?’”

“I was able to sit up and take nourishment, and nobody shot at me, so I guess I’ve got no complaints. How about you, Kallie Jo?”

“Fat and sassy.”

“When are you going to have that baby? It seems like you’ve been pregnant forever.”

Kallie Jo laughed and said, “Tell me about it. I ain’t seen my toes in so long I don’t know if I some squirrel gnawed ’em off. And I have to get up and waddle to the bathroom six or seven times a night. I told Archer I’m like my Grandpappy Lee, that’s my grandpappy on my daddy’s side. His daddy named him Lee after General Robert E Lee.” Kallie Jo spoke with a thick southern accent at a hundred miles an hour. “He come to live with us, ya know, after Granny Irma died. Lord knows he was just broken-hearted after we lost her. That was the sweetest woman ever walked on this earth, ’cept for maybe my momma. Now, don’t get me wrong, all my aunts on both sides of the family, they’s good women, but Granny Irma, she just had this love inside her that kind of just shined out. Mama used to say it was the Lord’s light shining out of her, and I think maybe that’s true. We used to sit out on the front porch shellin’ peas snappin’ beans, and Granny Irma would smoke her corn cob pipe and tell us stories about when she was a little girl. She taught me how to knit, mend socks and... now what was I sayin’? I went and got off track. Oh, yeah, I was sayin’ that I gotta get up and pee all night long, like Grandpappy Lee did. Poor man had a bad prostate, Sheriff Jimmy.”

“I’m sorry I never got to meet him,” Weber said.

“Oh, Sheriff Jimmy, you’d a loved him, and Granny Irma, too, may they rest in peace. But ya know what?” Before Weber could ask what, she continued, saying, “You’re goin’ to get to meet a whole passel of my kinfolk once this baby gets itself born. Yes, sir! Daddy and Ma, and my sister Georgia Dean and my other sister, Nellie Mae and her husband Jerry Lee. I don’t think he’s named after Robert E. Lee, but I could be wrong about that. I’ll have to ask him someday. Anyways, they’s all fixin’ to come out to meet the baby. My Aunt Beatrice, that’s Mama’s younger sister, not the younger one who works at the Walmart there in Waycross, that’s Aunt Shelby, she wants to come, too, but she’s got that bad hip and it makes it hard for her to walk. I don’t reckon that Aunt Shelby can come, either, ’cause her and Uncle Braxton, that’s her husband, they got that hog farm, and ya know how them pigs are. They got to be fed every day.”

“Well, I’m sure I’m going to enjoy meeting them,” Weber said, looking desperately around the office for an escape.

He loved Deputy Archer Wingate’s wife to death, but experience had taught him that when Kallie Jo got off on a tangent, it might take most of the morning before she got back to whatever it was she was going to say originally. The two had met and fallen in love online, but Archer never in a million years would have expected the girl to leave Georgia and come all the way to Arizona on a bus to be with him. They made an interesting couple, Kallie Jo so tiny and with endless energy, and big, hulking Archer, who preferred to move at the speed of a sloth.

But Kallie Jo had been good for him, and since they got married, he had become a better deputy. He seldom had food stains on his uniform when he showed up for work, and he had even saved a woman’s life when her abusive husband threatened to kill her with a shotgun. Though nobody said it out loud, everybody wondered how a woman as small as Kallie Jo was going to give birth to a child that might come out reflecting Archer’s size.

“What was ya askin’ me, Sheriff Jimmy?”

“Huh?”

Weber realized he had not been paying attention for a moment, and that was all it took to lose track of the entire conversation with Kallie Joe. Then he said, “I asked when you’re due to have the baby?”

“Doctor says three more weeks, but I don’t think so. I think it’s goin’ to be sooner than that. All the girls in my family pop out their babies before their doctors say. You take my cousin Cheryl, that’s Uncle Henry’s daughter, she got married in April, and I swear that girl must have got in a family way on her wedding night, ’cause she had her baby Ray Lee on Halloween! Yep, that one sure came early, but he was full size.”

“That’s interesting,” Weber said, doing the math in his head and wondering if cousin Cheryl’s father had brought his shotgun into the church or left it outside in his pickup.

Dan Wright came to his rescue, saying, “Jimmy, got a minute?”

“Sure,” Weber said. “I’ll be right there. It’s good to see you, Kallie Jo. You take care.”

“There aint’t nothin’ to take care of, Sheriff Jimmy. Archer won’t let me lift a finger at home. I get up to start cookin’ dinner and he tells me to sit right back down, and you know what? That man’s turned into a pretty good cook. Yes, sir, he has! He’s even doin’ the vacuumin’ and makin’ the bed.”

“That’s outstanding,” Weber told her. “I guess you’ve got him housebroken.”

Kallie Jo laughed. “Housebroken! Oh, Sheriff Jimmy, ya make me laugh all the time. Ya know that?”

Weber smiled at her and went to Dan’s desk, asking, “What have you got?”

“When I saw these emails about Gabe looking at cars and trucks and things like that, once I realized what they were by the subject line, I didn’t really spend a lot of time with them. But after we talked about catfishing yesterday, I went back and started reading every exchange. And I might have found something.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, most of them are just an inquiry from Gabe about a vehicle and some salesman writes back and maybe they exchange a couple of emails about the vehicle and the salesman tries to get him to commit to something and it just dies off. Some of the salespeople follow up a few times, but nothing ever comes of it. Except for this one,” Dan said, tapping his computer screen. “Let me show you.” He used his mouse to click on a link and open the exchange and said, “Look at this.”

It started like a typical e-mail, with Gabe Hatton asking about a four-wheel drive Ram pickup for sale at a dealership in Scottsdale, Arizona. Gabe had inquired if the truck in question was still available and a salesperson by the name of Kathy Coates had responded, telling him that the truck was sitting on the lot and asking when he wanted to come in and take it for a test drive. Gabe responded, saying that he was up in Big Lake and didn’t know when he would get down to that area, but that he was coming into a bunch of money and getting an idea of what was available. When the saleswoman wrote back, she told him that she had always wanted to come to Big Lake but never had the opportunity. Gabe replied, telling her he couldn’t wait to leave the place behind and she responded, asking why. The conversation went on from there with at least a dozen exchanges of e-mail back and forth. Weber noted that by the end of them, neither one was talking about the truck. The online conversation had morphed to asking about Gabe’s plans for the future. Was he planning to go to college? Or maybe thinking about getting married someday? Then they ended.

“What do you think, Jimmy?”

“I’m not sure what to make of it. What are your thoughts?”

“I took a couple of sales classes when I was in college, just to fill some time and because I thought I might have to get a job someplace. One thing that the professor said was that you needed to establish a relationship with your customers because people buy from someone they like. Knowing what we know about Gabe, and how he was out of sync with most of the people up here, I can see where he’d be an easy mark for somebody trying to make a sale. Or for somebody who found a lonely guy that was about to come into a bunch of money.”

“Do you think this woman might have catfished him, Dan?”

“Who knows? But I think it’s certainly worth following up on, don’t you?”

“Definitely,” Weber said. “See what you can find out about her.”

“Well, we’re headin’ out, Sheriff Jimmy,” Kallie Jo said, as she and Archer were at the door. “We’ve got to go over to Show Low for my checkup with the doctor. I told Archer if I don’t have this baby soon, we’re goin’ to have to stop at one of them auto parts places and get me one of those seat belt extensions so it’ll fit around my belly!”

“You two have a safe trip over there and back,” Weber said.

Archer opened the door for his wife and then quickly put his hand in front of her and closed it and, “Uh, Jimmy, we might have a problem.”

“What’s that, Archer? Did you lose the keys to your car again?”

“No, sir. There’s a bunch of people out in the parking lot with guns!” 

Stepping outside with Dan beside him, Weber saw over a dozen men gathered in the parking lot of the sheriff’s office.

“This doesn’t look good,” Dan said.

“What’s up, guys?”

“You tell us, Sheriff,” said Robert van Patten. “Where is that kid that killed his father?”

“If I knew where he was, he’d be sitting in a cell,” Weber said.

“Then why are you in the office and not out looking for him?”

“Where would you suggest I look, Robert? We’ve gone door to door in town. We’ve checked every summer cabin, every storage building, every empty house, and we haven’t seen hide nor hair of him.”

“Meanwhile, we’re all afraid to let our kids go outside and play or our wives go to the grocery store, or anything else,” said Bernie Cameron. “How long do we have to live like this, never knowing when he’s going to kill somebody else?”

“To be honest with you, I don’t think he’s a threat anymore. At least not here in Big Lake,” Weber replied. “Those of you who have lived here a while know what these mountains are like in the wintertime. Especially after that big snowstorm we had when Jerry Hatton got shot. I believe that either the suspect left the area, or he froze to death somewhere out there.”

“That’s bullshit! Dolan Reed told me there were no reports of stolen cars or anybody being carjacked, so how did he get out of town, Sheriff?”

“I don’t know. But like I said, if he didn’t get out of the area, I don’t believe he could have survived the weather we were having. According to his mother, he was wearing a pullover sweatshirt and jeans. How long would any of you have lasted out there dressed like that?”

“You’re talking out your ass, Weber,” said someone from the back of the crowd. “If you’re not going to find that kid, we are!”

“All right, stop right there. Is that you, Fred Davis?”

“Yeah, it’s me. We’re not going to put up with this anymore. It’s only a matter of time before he kicks in somebody’s door and kills the whole family. And it’s not going to be mine!”

“I’ve told everybody that you have a right to defend yourself and your family,” the sheriff said. “So if you’re all so worried, why aren’t you home defending them right now?”

“Like I said, if you’re not going to find him, we are!”

“What you’re going to do is get yourselves in trouble and maybe get somebody hurt,” Weber said sharply. “We’ve had Department of Public Safety people here, we’ve had officers from every town and county in the area, they brought in dog teams, they had a helicopter flying around for over a day, and there has not been a sign of this kid anywhere. So what makes you think, if all those people and all those trained searchers couldn’t find him, you’re going to?”

“At least we’re not sitting on our asses in a nice, warm office like you are,” said Harold Doyle.

“I won’t have a bunch of vigilantes running around town looking for trouble,” Weber told them. “I would suggest you all cool off and go home.”

“There’s nothing illegal about us carrying guns, and if we decide to carry them while we look for that kid, who’s going to stop us?”

“Don’t push me, Harold,” Weber warned.

“Nobody’s pushing anybody, Sheriff,” said a man dressed in camouflage coveralls, with an AR-15 rifle hanging from a sling over his shoulder. “We’re exercising our right to bear arms and we’re letting you know that we’re not going to hide like a bunch of sheep waiting for that wolf to come and attack us.”

“Do I know you, sir? I’ve seen you around town, but I don’t know your name.”

“You don’t need to know my name.”

“That’s Barry McRae,” Dan said in a low voice. “He hangs out at the Antler Inn. I think he’s shacking up with Margot Prestwick.”

“Great,” Weber said. “That’s just what we need.” Addressing the crowd of men, he said, “I’m not going to stand here and argue constitutional law with you. Yes, you have a right to carry guns, and I can’t keep you from looking for our suspect. I don’t have the manpower to babysit all of you, even if I tried to. But I’m telling you right now, you’re looking for trouble and you’re going to find it. But it’s not going to be what you think it’s going to be. The first time one of you fires a shot anywhere near a house or an occupied structure, the first time I get a call that you are trespassing onto anybody’s property, the first time you do anything that’s a step over the line, I’m going to be on you all like white on rice. And don’t think you can just see this kid and shoot him. That’s not how the justice systems works. If you do something like that, you’re going to be the one sitting in jail.”

“Enough of this bullshit. Everybody meet me at the Antler Inn in fifteen minutes,” McRae said. “I’ve got maps of the areas we’re going to be searching.” Then he looked at Weber and said, “Don’t try to stand in our way, Sheriff. Not if you know what’s good for you.”

Weber walked forward until he was face to face with the man, invading his personal space until their noses were almost touching, and asked, “Are you threatening me?”

“No, I’m telling you like it is,” McRae said, his breath smelling of stale beer and an obvious lack of oral hygiene. Then he turned to face the crowd and said, “Let’s go, men. Antler in fifteen minutes.”

Chapter 20

Housed in a square cinderblock building situated two miles outside of town on the back road to Round Valley, Weber and his deputies knew the dive bar well, and routinely responded to calls to break up fights between its customers, who mostly reflected the seedy side of Big Lake’s citizens. The decor leaned heavily toward neon beer signs and pinup calendars, all floating in a thick haze of blue cigarette smoke. A scarred wooden bar ran along one wall, vinyl booths patched with silver duct tape took up the other side, and a pool table with torn felt sat toward the rear of the room, near a jukebox and cigarette machine. Several mounted deer and elk heads hanging on the walls were draped with brassieres, everything from a skimpy red one that looked like a teenage girl might wear, to larger sizes and colors, the last seeming big enough to hold a bowling ball in each cup.

The bar was presided over by a heavyset dyed blonde named Margo Prestwick, a white trash woman known for her bad attitude and poor taste in men. Barry McRae was holding court, a bottle of Coors in one hand and a cigar in the other, telling the assembled men they were going to hunt down that killer kid and take care of him once and for all when Weber, Parks, and Coop walked in.

All eyes turned toward them, and the sheriff could hear murmurs among the group of men getting ready to go out on their manhunt. Glaring at Weber as he leaned against the bar, McRae asked, “What the hell are you doing here? Why aren’t you in town taking care of business?”

“Because I’m here taking care of business,” the sheriff told him.

“There ain’t nothing going on here that’s any of your concern, Weber,” Margo said from behind the bar.

“I’m not too sure about that. I see some violations.”

“What violations.”

The sheriff walked up to McRae and said, “You know what we talked about in town just a little while ago? About how you’ve got a right to carry a gun?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“You seem to have forgotten one thing,” Weber told him. “I know the law a lot better than you do.”

“Ya think so?”

“Yep,” the sheriff said, nodding his head. “Here in Arizona, you’re allowed to carry a handgun in the open or concealed. You can even carry it into a bar. But here’s the thing, Mr. McRae, Arizona Revised Statute 13-3102, makes consuming alcohol while armed in a licensed liquor establishment a Class 1 misdemeanor. It’s punishable by fines and up to six months in jail. Now, looking around here, I see that Colt you’ve got stuck in your belt, and Drew Keoning has that big old Smith and Wesson .44 magnum of his, and Willie McGovern’s got a pistol. Hell, it looks like damn near every one of these guys have guns on them.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“No, sir, Mr. McRae, I’m serious as a heart attack.”

“You’re going to use some kind of chickenshit law like that to harass us?”

“My friend here, Special Agent Parks from the FBI, he was in the Navy. What’s that you always tell me, Parks? Any old port in the storm? What I’m getting at, Mr. McRae, is that, yeah, that’s what I’m going to do. Now, I don’t doubt you’re stupid enough to try to argue with me about this, so let’s just save us both the time and agree that it’s not going to work. And if you’re even more stupid and try to resist, I’ve got five more deputies outside the door. So, here’s the way we’re gonna do this. You’re all going to surrender your weapons and I’ll give you a receipt for each one of them and you can come down to the sheriff’s office and pick them up at my convenience in the next day or two, or I can arrest you all. What’s it going to be?”

McRae stared at him, trying to judge how serious he was, and for a moment his body tensed when he set his beer bottle on the bar behind him.

“Unh, unh, don’t even think about it,” Coop advised, shaking his head. “These men standing here may be full of piss and vinegar right now, but they all have families, and none of them are dumb enough to want to add resisting arrest or assaulting a police officer to their charges. Am I right, men?” Coop looked at them and said, “How about you, Bernie? Do you think Walt from the propane company is going to be happy if you miss work because you’re sitting in a jail cell? Who’s going to take care of your wife and kids while you’re locked up?”

Bernie Cameron dropped his eyes but didn’t say anything.

“What? Cat got your tongue? What about you, Ted? Every time I call you to work on my furnace, you’ve got a lot to say. What do you say about all this?”

“Nobody’s looking for trouble, Deputy Cooper.”

“Yeah, you are looking for trouble,” Coop said, nodding his head. “And good for you, you found it. The only thing we have to figure out is how much trouble it’s going to be. You know, I like my guns as much as the next man, and it would be a bit of a hassle to go to the office and pick them up in a day or two. But sitting in a jail cell for six months, now that’s real trouble. Am I right?”

“Don’t listen to these assholes. The constitution says...”

“Okay, I tried to do it the nice way,” Weber said, cutting McRae off. “But since you want to push, I’m giving you exactly three seconds to put your hands out to the sides and keep them there while I take your weapon off of you. I don’t know how well you know Special Agent Parks here, but he’s been the pistol champion in every regionwide FBI competition for the last two years. So, believe me, Mr. McRae, when I tell him that if you do anything silly like reaching for that weapon, you’ll be dead before you hit the floor. Isn’t that right, Mr. Parks?”

Parks’ jacket was pulled back and his hand was on his 9mm Glock semi-automatic pistol. “The man’s not lying to you, buddy.”

“What’s it going to be?”

“Don’t let him push you around like that, Barry,” Margo said from behind the bar.

“Hey guys, I don’t need this bullshit,” said Eugene Smith. “Coop, you can take my weapon off me or I’ll hand it to you. Whichever you want.”

“Good thinking on your part,” Coop said, as he stepped forward and removed the revolver from the man’s holster. “I’ll write you a receipt for it in just a minute. Anyone else want to use your brain?”

“Now, I know most of you have rifles or shotguns, too,” Weber said. “Give me your word this nonsense is over and I’ll let you keep them. Fair enough?”

With the bravado of the moment dispelled, there were no arguments and the crowd dispersed, going back to their families.

Weber looked at Margo and said, “I’m sure someone from the State Liquor Board will be in contact with you for violation of Statute 4-244, providing alcohol to someone who is armed.”

Margo leaned over the bar and shouted, “Screw you, Weber! Screw You!”

“Babe, there’s not enough penicillin in the world to get me to do that,” the sheriff told her.

***

Back at the office, with the weapons they confiscated at the Antler Inn locked in the safe, Mary told Weber he had received calls from Mayor Kirby Templeton asking him to stop by his pharmacy, and from Carin Hatton. He called her first, and her sister-in-law Donna answered the telephone.

“She’s in the shower, Sheriff. Can I have her call you back?”

“Sure. Everything all right over there?”

“As good as it can be,” Donna replied. “The folks from the medical examiner’s office called, and she talked to them, and they’ve made arrangements to transfer poor Jerry to a mortuary in Phoenix.”

“How is she holding up?”

“Not good,” Donna said solemnly. “It’s been so hectic with everything going on, but I think it’s really hitting her now that he’s gone. Not that she didn’t feel it before, but when she started talking about funeral arrangements and things like that... it really hit her hard.”

“I can certainly understand that,” Weber said.

“Have you found any sign of Gabe yet?”

“Nothing,” Weber told her. “If he’s alive, he’s not in the area. I’m sure of that. I just can’t figure out how he got out of town.”

“You said if he’s alive. Do you still think it’s possible he froze to death?”

“If he took off into the forest, there’s no way he could have survived this long,” Weber said.

Donna was quiet for a moment and then she said, “I know this must make me seem like the most heartless woman in the world when I say it, but if he did freeze to death, Gabe can thaw out in Hell.”

“If that makes you heartless, Mrs. Hatton, I guess there’s a lot of heartless people around here right now,” Weber told her.

“I still can’t believe Gabe would do something like that. I keep asking myself if there was something anybody could have done to see it coming.”

“We never know what’s going on in somebody else’s head,” Weber told her.

“I guess that’s true. Oh, wait a minute, Sheriff. I just heard the shower shut off. Can you hang on a minute?”

“No problem.”

A moment later he heard someone knocking on a door and Donna saying, “It’s the sheriff, Carin. Do you want to talk to him or call him back?”

Carin Hatton came on the telephone and said, “Sheriff, thanks for calling back. Is there any news on Gabe? Anything at all?”

“I wish I could say we were getting somewhere, ma’am, but we’re not.”

“I keep thinking of him out there in the cold. I’m wondering if he’s suffering anywhere. I know, I know, Patrick keeps telling me that he deserves to suffer, and I guess that’s true. But he’s still my son.”

Weber could hear her crying and he gave her a moment and then said, “Carin, I don’t know that it’s any comfort to you at all, but from everything I’ve read about people who die in storms like the one we had, they just go to sleep. They’re cold at first, then they actually start to feel warm at the end.”

“Do you think there’s any chance he’s still alive?”

“There’s always a chance, ma’am,” Weber told her. “But I’ll be honest with you. If he’s out in the forest up here, it would be a miracle if he’s still alive.”

“God, I lost my husband and my son on the same day! I almost wish... I wish I was dead, too.”

“I’m not a psychologist and I’m not any kind of counselor, Carin. But I know a little about grief and loss from my own experiences in life. It’s not easy, but life does go on. Not the same life you had maybe, but life does go on. I didn’t know Jerry, but everything I hear about him was that he was a fine man, and that he loved you more than anything in the world. I think you ought to honor his memory by continuing to go on.”

“He loved me so much, and I loved him. I thought we were building this perfect life together, even with the way Gabe was acting. I don’t know, maybe I’m foolish. Jerry used to say I was the eternal optimist. But either way, I kept hoping that Gabe would grow out of this phase or whatever he was going through and things would get better. But I was wrong.”

“I understand that you’ve talked to a mortuary in Phoenix about his services.”

“Yes,” she said. “He grew up and lived down in that area before he came up here for the job with the solar farm, and all of his family and friends are down there. I’m going to bury him next to his mother and father. I think he would have liked that.”

“I’m sure he would,” Weber said. “If you could let me know when and where the services are, I would appreciate it.”

“That’s a long way for you to have to go, Sheriff. It’s nice of you to offer to be there, but there’s really no need.”

“I’m not sure I can make it down,” Weber told her. “However, it’s not unknown for people to go to the funerals of someone they harmed. I will arrange to have some local plainclothes officers there to keep an eye out for Gabe, just in case he shows up.”

“My God, do you think he would do that?”

“It’s possible, but not probable. But I would feel better if someone was there, just in case.”

“Do you... do you think he would do anything to hurt me, or the rest of the family, Sheriff?”

“I wish I could say no, but I can’t,” Weber replied. “From everything I’ve heard, it sounds like you and Gabe had a very good relationship. I can’t see him having any reason to want to harm you. But I don’t think it can be completely ruled out. This is just a precaution, but it’s one worth taking.”

“All right. As soon as I know about the services, I’ll let you know. Oh, there was something else,” Carin said. “The weather says there’s a big storm coming in with a lot more snow.”

“Yes, ma’am, that’s what I understand. I think they said it’s probably going to hit sometime tomorrow afternoon or night.”

“That’s what I heard, too. Do you think it’s okay for us to leave today to get down there and beat the storm?”

“I don’t see why not. In fact, I would advise it. There’s really nothing you can do up here at this time, Carin. I’ve got your cell phone number, and if something comes up, I’ll give you a call. Fair enough?”

“Thank you, Sheriff Weber. You’ve made the worst possible week of my life at least a little more tolerable.”

“You have a safe trip down to Phoenix,” the sheriff told her.

Chapter 21

Kirby Templeton, Big Lake’s mayor, was putting a fresh roll of receipt paper in the front cash register and looked up at Weber and nodded his head.

“How’s it going, Jimmy?”

“They’re keeping me as busy as a one-armed paper hanger.”

“Anything new on the suspect?”

“Nope. Someone from the US Marshal’s office is supposed to be here today. They specialize in finding fugitives and they have a lot more resources than we do.”

“Do you still think he made it off the mountain in one piece?”

“Either he did or he froze to death, Kirby. I just don’t know which.”

“I know you checked with everybody in town you could,” the mayor said. “What I’m wondering is if there might have been someone who came up to go skiing or play in the snow or something like that and he carjacked them to get out of town.”

“It’s possible,” Weber acknowledged. “But there haven’t been any reports of anybody missing statewide that was known to be up in this area, so I just don’t know. That’s where I’m hoping the Marshal’s Service can help us.”

“I don’t need to tell you that people are on pins and needles around here. Every time I turn around, I get a phone call from somebody asking why he hasn’t been found yet.”

“We’ve got the same thing at our office,” Weber told him. “Believe me, we’re trying, Kirby.”

“I know that, Jimmy. I didn’t call you to come over to give you any grief. I just wanted an update so I can tell the other members of the town council. Oh, and to tell you that we’ve unanimously agreed that we’ve had enough of Robert Bannister. We all know this stupid lawsuit of his isn’t going to go anywhere, and he knows it, too. It’s just an attempt to bully us into giving him his way. That’s not going to happen. We formally notified him that all previous contracts and permits between the Town and his company have been canceled. Hopefully, he’ll go somewhere else and be a pain in somebody else’s hind end.”

“That would be nice,” Weber said. “But what about all the land he’s got tied up? That’s a lot of money that I can’t see him walking away from.”

“That’s his investors’ money, and from what we’ve been able to find out about Mr. Bannister, it won’t be the first time he’s walked away from a project and left the money people holding the bag. We’re not opposed to somebody else developing those properties when the time comes, but we want nothing more to do with Bannister.”

“You’ll get no complaints from me about that,” Weber said.

“I heard that there were a bunch of guys talking about forming a lynch party and going after the Hatton kid. What do you know about that, Jimmy?”

“Yeah, they showed up at the office this morning. Some fool named Barry McRae got them all fired up. I put a stop to it.”

“Good. How’d you do that?”

“I took their guns away from them.”

“No kidding? How the heck did you do that? Folks around here act like they were born with a gun in their hand.”

“My old man used to always say there’s more than one way to skin a cat,” Weber said, then told Kirby how he had found the loophole in the law and going to the Antler Inn to defuse the situation.

“If I were a man that was prone to cursing, I’d say damn, Jimmy. Not only did you take their guns, but you went to the Antler Inn to do it? I’m impressed.”

“Hopefully, I got the message across. I have a feeling this McRae fellow is going to be a problem, though. I ran a check on him, and he’s been bouncing around from St. John’s to Vernon to Show Low and every place in between. He’s one of those camouflage freaks who likes to dress up like a soldier and talk tough. Larry Parks said he’s not so much like a real soldier, but more like a Gravy Navy wannabe.”

The mayor laughed at that, shaking his head as he closed the cash register and tested it. Satisfied that the paper roll was feeding properly, he said, “I’ve got some prescriptions to fill, so I’d better get at it. Thanks for stopping by with a progress report, Jimmy. I’ll pass it on to the rest of the council.”

“I wish I had some actual progress to report on,” Weber told him.

“Hey, all you can do is all you can do. Mother Nature hasn’t exactly cooperated, and we’ve got another big storm headed our way. If nothing else, you kept that vigilante nonsense from getting out of hand.”

***

A woman wearing her dark hair in a bun at the back of her neck was waiting for Weber when he got back to the office. Standing up, she extended her hand and said, “Sheriff Weber, Deputy United States Marshal Andrea Helms.”

At 5’9” tall and 148 pounds, Helms was a fit woman who might never be called beautiful by some standards, but was definitely attractive, and had an air of confidence about her. Her handshake was firm and Weber could tell there was a lot of intelligence behind her brown eyes.

“Nice to meet you, Marshal Helms. Thanks for coming up, especially with this storm we’ve got headed our way.”

“No problem, Sheriff. I’ve read the reports on what happened between Gabriel Hatton and his father. From what I’m seeing so far, he doesn’t seem like a hardened criminal who planned this out ahead of time.”

“He’s not,” Weber said. “From everything I’ve learned about him, I think he’s been brooding over the money in that trust fund for a long time. But I think killing his dad was more of an impulse thing. He wasn’t dressed well for the weather, and he didn’t seem to be worried about being identified when he chased his dad across the front yard and finished him off.”

Helms nodded her head and said, “Usually somebody like that isn’t hard to find. What do you think the issue was in this case that change things, Sheriff?”

“The weather, obviously. In the last few years, we haven’t gotten big storms like this. I don’t know if it’s global warming or not. We would get snow, but nowhere near what we had a few days ago and what we’ve got coming. There was so much snow coming down and blowing around that it was covering up tracks almost as fast as anybody made them.”

“What’s your gut feeling about where he is, Sheriff Weber?”

“He either found a way to get out of the area before we could get enough reinforcements into town to get a good search organized, or else he took off into the forest around here and froze to death. There’s no way that he could have survived out there on his own, dressed the way he was and with no supplies. Since we can’t find any evidence of him finding a way out of town, I tend to believe that’s what happened.”

“No hits on a credit or debit cards anywhere?”

“None,” Weber said. “According to his mother, he didn’t have a credit card. He had a debit card, but his bank account only had a little over $100 in it and there has not been any action on it. He left his wallet in his bedroom and the debit card and his driver’s license were in it.”

“I don’t see anything about cell phone pings.”

“According to his mother, he doesn’t have a cell phone. She said he lost one and trashed the replacement and his father wouldn’t buy him another one.”

“How does somebody his age communicate without a cell phone?”

“We seized a laptop computer and a notebook,” Weber said. “He sent a lot of text messages and e-mails, but he didn’t communicate with very many people at all. He had one close friend here, Alan Sawicki, and a cousin down in the Phoenix area that he communicated with, and his stepmother. Well, she’s his mother because she adopted him. Except for reaching out to some car salespeople, we haven’t been able to find anything else.”

“I was talking to Deputy Wright before you got back,” Marshal Helms said. “He was telling me about this weird code thing. I’ve got some thoughts on that, and I asked him to print out some of them for me.”

“Dan Wright’s a sharp young man,” Weber said. “It frustrates him because he can’t break the code, and there are some files on the computer he can’t get into, either.”

“Maybe we can help with both of those. In the meantime, I’d like to go by the house and speak to the mother, and maybe get a general lay of the land, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Weber told her. “When I talked to the mother earlier, she said they were getting ready to go down to Phoenix to get ready for her husband’s funeral, so I don’t know if she’s still home. Let me call her.”

Carin Hatton told Weber that they were almost ready to leave, but she would be happy to wait until he and Marshal Helms came by. Driving to the house, Weber pointed out different areas of town and gave the marshal an idea of how the search had progressed to that point.

Patrick Hatton was putting a suitcase in the back of Carin’s Fiat when they pulled in the driveway. Weber introduced him to the deputy marshal.

“Looks like you’re all ready to go.”

“We are,” Patrick replied. “I’m a desert rat and I don’t like trying to drive in the snow. You’ve already seen what kind of trouble I can get into with that, Sheriff.”

“We won’t take much of your time, sir,” Helms told him. “I totally understand. I’m hoping to get out of here before it starts, too.”

They followed Patrick into the house, and introductions were made. Weber noted Helms had a natural way of talking to people that put them at ease. If she had been in the medical profession, he would have called it an excellent bedside manner. Carin showed them around and she spent some time in Gabe’s bedroom, then came out and said, “Let me give you my card, Mrs. Hatton. Sheriff Weber told me he was going to have some of the local police at the funeral, but I think I’ll have my people there, too, just in case Gabe shows up.”

Carin took the card and thanked her, and after just a few more questions, Helms told them to have a safe trip and she would be in contact. When they left the Hatton house, Weber took her along the route Gabe had taken when he made his escape, to the home he had broken into and then fled, shooting at Coop, and to the spot where the trail ended.

“No tracks from here? No scent that the dog could follow?”

“Nothing,”

“Somebody picked him up,” Helms said, arms crossed over her chest. “That’s the only thing that’s possible, unless he just levitated up into thin air. The question is, who?”

“My first guess would be his friend Alan Sawicki,” Weber said. “But he swears up and down it wasn’t him.”

“Do you believe him?”

“I want to. His parents both do, and his dad Buster’s a no nonsense kind of guy, so I don’t think the kid could lie to him and get away with it. But who knows?”

“And what’s this thing with him talking to a car salesperson somewhere that Deputy Wright was talking about?”

Weber filled her in on Gabe’s conversations with Kathy Coates at the automobile dealership in Scottsdale.

“Have you followed up on that?”

“She was out of town at a sales seminar and Deputy Wright left a message for her to call him back when she returns.”

“Do you think it’s possible she came up here and picked him up?”

“It crossed our minds,” Weber said. “But Dan talked to her sales manager, and according to him, she was at the dealership on the day of the shooting and hasn’t missed a day of work since.”

After showing Helms around more of the town and telling her the steps they had taken to find the fugitive, she spent another two hours at the sheriff’s office going over the reports on the investigation.

When she finished, she said, “I can’t find any fault with anything you guys have done up here, Sheriff Weber. Not that I expected to. I already have a fugitive alert out for Hatton nationwide. I’m going to touch base with Special Agent Parks. I’ve worked with him in the past several times. He’s a good man. Then I’ll head back down to Phoenix and get the ball rolling. Deputy Wright, did you print out some of those emails with the code between Gabe and Alan Sawicki?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Dan told her, handing her several sheets of paper and also a USB drive. “I also copied some to this drive, as well as those files I can’t break into. Maybe you guys can do more than I can.”

“We’ll darn sure give it our best shot,” Deputy Marshal Helms said. “Thanks for your hospitality, Sheriff. Don’t worry. Between all of us, we’re going to get this kid. I’ll be in touch.”

Chapter 22

The weather forecast became more dire throughout the rest of that day and overnight. The next morning Archer Wingate called Weber while he was still at home and said, “Jimmy, I’ve got a problem.”

Weber wanted to respond that Archer always had some kind of problem, but he didn’t. The guy was trying, and he really had come a long way from the slovenly deputy who had been foisted upon the Sheriff’s Office when his father had been the mayor.

“What’s going on, Archer?”

“My dad has to go to Flagstaff for adjustments to his leg braces, and with this weather coming, Gretchen isn’t comfortable driving over there. Can I take the day off to take them there and back?”

“Of course,” Weber told him. “Listen, if you get over there and the weather starts getting bad, I want you to stay put, understand? There’s no reason for you to be on Interstate 40 with the storm.”

“Yes, sir. I understand.”

“I mean it, Archer. I know you have a sense of duty and that you want to get back to work, and I applaud that. I know your dad can be demanding, and if he wants to come home, he wants to come home. But I do not want you out there on the road if it starts snowing too hard. You stay put. That’s an order, Deputy.”

“Yes, sir. I promise.”

“Let me know what’s going on.”

When he hung up the phone, Robyn was putting their breakfast on the table and asked, “What was that about?”

“Chet has an appointment today over in Flagstaff to adjust his leg braces, and Gretchen is afraid of driving in this weather that’s coming, so he’s going to take them over.”

“Chet couldn’t have just called to reschedule?”

“He may be in a wheelchair, and he may have changed some of his attitude, but Chet’s still Chet and as stubborn as a rock. You know that.”

“Yeah, I know that,” Robyn said, as she sat down at the table with him.

The previous winter, Big Lake’s former mayor had been viciously assaulted in a road rage incident and nobody was sure if he would even survive. He had, but not without suffering a traumatic brain injury that had changed his life. Though he had been confined to a wheelchair for months, physical therapists had been working on getting him back on his feet, and with the help of leg braces and crutches, Chet had made very good progress, even if he did complain all the way.

Driving into town, with Robyn behind him in her unit, Weber looked at the heavy cloud cover hanging low over the mountains and wondered how long the storm was going to hold off. It looked like it could snow at any moment, and he hoped Archer would make it to Flagstaff all right, and that he would listen to the sheriff’s advice and stay there once the storm intensified.

Noting all the traffic in town with people heading to Cat Mountain, Weber thought again that skiers were different people. Anybody with common sense would be holed up to avoid being out in bad weather, but skiers were like surfers who wanted to be out on the water in the middle of a hurricane. Anything for a thrill.

When he got to the office, Dan said, “I talked to Kathy Coates, the saleswoman down in Scottsdale. According to her, she and Gabe are getting along well, but in her mind, she was just talking to a customer. But she said eventually he took the conversation off the truck he was interested in and started getting personal. I saw a picture of her on the dealership’s website, Jimmy. How do I say this? She is not a good-looking woman. She’s overweight and would never make heads turn. She admitted she was flattered by his attention at first, but I guess he started getting more personal than she was comfortable with. When she found out that he really didn’t have any funds to buy a vehicle, and realized the conversations weren’t going anywhere, she stopped replying to him. She said when she heard about the shooting and realized who it was, it really freaked her out. She said she’s keeping her doors locked in case he comes after her.”

“Why would he do that?”

“I don’t know. She thinks maybe he felt rejected. Who knows? How many people here in town are afraid he’s coming after them?”

“You’ve got a point,” Weber said.

Parks came through the door with a flat white box from the Sweet Seductions bakery, saying, “I brought goodies.”

“See, Jimmy, he is good for something,” Mary said, taking the box from him and setting it down next to the coffeepot and opening it.

“Don’t take the chocolate éclair,” Weber said.

Mary held it up and asked, “This one?”

“Don’t you dare, Mary.”

“Don’t I dare what?”

“Come on, you know I love those.”

“But, Jimmy, I’m so worried about your cholesterol,” Mary said as she bit a chunk off of the pastry.

“I hate you,” Weber said.

“Fear not, I got you covered, Bubba,” Parks said, reaching inside his pocket to pull out a white paper sack and handing it to Weber. “I knew she was going to do that and beat her to it.”

“I hate her, but I love you, Parks,” Weber said, taking his éclair out of the bag.

“Dig in, big boy. I’ll run interference if Mary tries to take it away from you.”

Weber took a big bite of the éclair and the pleasure on his face quickly disappeared.

“What the…”

He bent over a metal wastebasket and spat it out, wiping at his tongue with his hand.

“Are you trying to poison me, Parks?”

“Oh, I must have messed up and given you the one I put French’s mustard in that I meant for Mary,” Parks said innocently. “My bad.”

“Just so you know, I’m going to kill you the first chance I get,” Weber said.

“Uh, Jimmy? You might want to wash your face. You’ve got something yellow on your chin,” Mary said with a smug smile.

When Weber got back from the bathroom, where he had cleaned his face and rinsed out his mouth, Parks was pouring himself a cup of coffee.

“What did you think of Marshal Helms?”

“I like her,” Weber said. “She seems to know her job. Asked all the right questions, and you could tell her mind was going a mile a minute.”

Taking a sip of his coffee and nodding, Parks said, “I’ve worked with her on two or three task forces. No question about that. If Gabe Hatton is alive anywhere in this country, they’ll track him down.”

“That’s a big if,” Robyn said. “Especially with the weather we’ve been having. When I was on patrol yesterday, I came across Walter Wheeler. He was walking his old mail route. The poor old guy was half frozen, Jimmy. I got him in my unit and took him home. After Thelma got him warmed up and put him to bed, she was crying and told me she does everything she can to keep him from sneaking out, but he does it all the time. She said their kids are telling her he has to be placed in some kind of care facility where they have the resources to keep him from wandering away, but she said it would just kill her to have to do that.”

“I can’t imagine how that must feel,” Mary said, finishing her éclair and licking the frosting from her fingers as she looked at Weber. “That was delicious, Jimmy. How was yours?” 

“You can bite me. How about that?”

“I would, but I’m trying to avoid junk food,” she replied, taking a glazed donut from the box.

“You’re avoiding junk food, but you’re eating a donut. How do you explain that?”

“My job description doesn’t say I have to explain anything to you,” Mary said as the door opened again and Bernie Cameron and Drew Keoning came in, stomping off snow.

“Well, it’s started,” Drew said. “It’s not coming down hard yet, but it’s going to.”

“Yeah. I think we’re going to get hammered,” Bernie said.

“Sheriff, we want to apologize for yesterday. We were way out of line and we know it. Barry McRae has been going around town talking about how the Hatton boy could bust into somebody’s house and kill all of them, and well, we just…”

“I understand,” Weber said. “I’m just glad you all came to your senses. Do you want your guns back?”

“If we could.”

“No problem,” Weber said. He went to the oversized gun safe in his office and got their handguns. While he was doing that, Willie McGovern arrived to reclaim his weapon.

“Here you go, guys,” the sheriff said, handing each of them their firearms. “And here’s your ammo,” he said, handing each the ammunition he had unloaded from their guns.

“No hard feelings, Sheriff?”

“No harm, no foul, Willie,” Weber told him, shaking his head. “Don’t worry about it. Just don’t listen to McCrae when he starts talking shit anymore, okay?”

“Nope,” Drew said. “He’s always talking big, but when it came right down to it, that’s all it was, talk. You sure showed him who’s boss around here, Sheriff.”

“That’s usually how guys like that are,” Weber said. “You guys need to get home. Make sure you’ve got all the supplies you need on hand. The way things are looking, we may be snowed in for a day or two.”

“Yeah, I’m stopping at the grocery store to pick up a few things and heading home right now,” Bernie said.

When they were gone, Mary said, “It’s scary to think that men like Drew and Bernie and Willie, all good guys, could get all worked up and want to do something stupid because some jackass is spouting off.”

“Mobs are made up of people,” Parks said. “Everyday people who normally wouldn’t do something crazy get caught up in mob fever and forget who they are. By the way, Jimmy, where did you come up with that story about me being the shooting champion of the FBI?”

“It worked, didn’t it? There’s no harm in a little white lie if it gets the job done, right?”

“That’s why you’re such a handsome, smart guy,” Robyn said, batting her eyelashes at her husband. “Yes, sir, you’re the smartest man I know.”.

“You’re spending too much time with Mary,” Weber told her. “She’s as bad an example as that McRae fellow is.”

The phone rang, and the dispatcher answered it and said, “Sheriff, Archer’s calling to let us know he got to Flagstaff all right.”

“Let me talk to him.” Weber took the phone and asked, “How were the roads?”

“Not bad at all until the last thirty miles, Jimmy. It started snowing between Winslow and Meteor Crater, and it got worse the closer we got to town. It’s really coming down now and the roads all over town are slick. I already told Dad and Gretchen that we’re staying here overnight. Dad wanted to get back home, but Gretchen told him no, so we’re not going to do that.”

“That’s good,” Weber said. “Glad to hear it. Be safe and call me tomorrow if you decide to head back.”

“Will do. Oh, Jimmy, can I ask another favor?”

“Sure, Archer. What do you need?”

“Would you have somebody go by and check on Kallie Jo?”

“Check on her? She’s not with you?”

“No. She wasn’t feeling good this morning, and with the weather and everything, she decided to stay home.”

“No problem. We’ll be sure to check on her and be sure she has everything she needs. If the storm gets as bad as they say it might, we’ll take her to our house until you get back.”

“Thanks, Jimmy, I appreciate it.”

Chapter 23

The snowstorm that had hit Big Lake the day of the Hatton murder had been bad enough, but the one that came in on its heels was even worse. The snow fell nonstop all day long, and by midafternoon the Sheriff’s Office was besieged with calls from residents needing help. There were multiple traffic accidents around town, most of them fender benders, but two were much more serious. Alex Chambers and his wife Bree had foolishly decided to take the back road home from Springerville and wound up stuck on the unplowed gravel road. Deputies Chad Summers and Tommy Frost had been dispatched in Chad’s personal vehicle, a four-wheel drive Ford F-150 pickup, to help them.

A passing motorist called to report that Kurt Wolcott had rolled his SUV near the same dangerous curve where Patrick Hatton had gotten stuck and Dylan Knight had overturned the stolen Camaro days earlier, and was badly injured. Directing traffic around the wreck and getting him out of the crushed Toyota 4Runner had required several deputies and volunteer firemen. Realizing that his injuries were more severe than the town’s small Medical Center could handle, and since a medical evac helicopter could not fly in the present conditions, the ambulance took him to the hospital in Show Low, over 90 miles away on mountain roads made treacherous by deep snow and high winds.

But the problems weren’t confined to automobiles and their drivers. Before long, trees were down all over town, sometimes taking power lines with them. With the electricity out, the sound of running generators was drowned out by the storm. Things came to a standstill in town but that didn’t keep the skiers at Cat Mountain, forced off the slopes, from having a good time at the lodge’s bar or trying to come into Big Lake looking for food and entertainment. Finding little of either, some of them decided to make their own fun. Three young men from the Phoenix area were arrested for vandalism after they drove their all-wheel drive SUV down the sidewalk, knocking over benches covered by snow and taking out the mailboxes in front of the post office.

Kirby Templeton called the office to ask if someone could meet him at his pharmacy and take 82-year-old Dora Cothern’s heart medicine to her because she had neglected to come in and get it refilled before the storm and was now out of her pills. Robyn set off in her four-wheel drive Explorer to handle that, while Deputies Dolan Reed and Buz Carelton parked at two separate places to keep people away from live electrical wires that had come down.

It seemed like it was non-stop, Weber and his people running from one call to another. It didn’t help at all that Hazel Fuller called three times to report prostitutes going door to door looking for business, or that grouchy old Harvey Nichols called, demanding to speak to the sheriff because a deputy had not been sent out in response to his calls complaining about kids playing in the snow.

“Really, Harvey? That’s your problem? Are they on your property?”

“No, they’re out in the street. I went out and told them twice to get inside before they got run over by a snowplow, but they just ignored me. It’s those damn Sherman kids from across the street and the Harrison boy that ride their bicycles up and down the street all the time. I want you to get out here and do something about it, Sheriff!”

“What would you like me to do, Harvey?”

“I want you to do your damn job. That’s what I want you to do!”

“Kids have been playing in the snow since the beginning of time, Harvey. Why don’t you just lighten up a little bit?”

“And what are you going to tell their parents when a plow runs over them?”

“There’s so much snow coming down that a plow’s not going to get to your street anytime soon,” Weber told him. “Maybe tomorrow, if you’re lucky.”

“Well, that’s bullshit, too. What am I paying taxes for if I can’t even get the road plowed or get you out here to chase those little bastards inside where they belong?”

“Damn it, Harvey. We’ve got trees down all over town, we’ve got accidents everywhere, Betty Bishop just called to say that her roof is caving in from the snow load, and you’re worried about kids playing outside. How about you just close the curtains and ignore them? I don’t have time for your nonsense today.”

“You sure told him,” Mary said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever met anybody who finds fault with anything and everything as much as he does.”

“I don’t know about that. You always find plenty of stuff about me to complain about,” her husband Pete said.

“Oh, shut up, you old fart,” Mary told him. “Don’t you have anything else to do besides standing around here getting under foot?”

“I came to help. Send me someplace where I can do that.”

“Here,” Mary said, handing him a dispatch slip. “Donna St. James needs help getting her garage door closed. The power went out just as she was closing it and snow is getting inside. She’s got her rabbit cages in there and doesn’t want them to freeze to death.”

“If they do, we could fry them up and have a feed,” Pete said.

“Be nice,” Mary told him. “They’re her show rabbits and she loves those little critters.”

“I do, too. Especially when they’re battered and deep fried.”

“Just go help her out, will you?”

“Okay, fine. Be that way.”

Mary shook her head as the former sheriff left and said, “I don’t know why I didn’t hit him in the back of the head with a shovel twenty years ago.”

Everybody in town knew that Pete and Mary loved each other very much and had worked together for a long time before he retired. Their good-natured bickering was part of their charm, and they would do anything for anybody they could.

Darkness comes early to the mountains during the winter, and the blizzard brought it even sooner. As the snow piled up knee deep and continued to fall, nobody was surprised when the telephone service went out. Mary was fond of saying that if a dog peed on the ground in Lakeside, the phones were sure to go out in Big Lake.

She used her cell phone to forward all incoming calls to three cell phones the department kept just for that. “I hope they work for a while,” she said. “If the towers go down, we won’t have any communication with anybody, in or out.”

“All we can do is cross our fingers and keep hoping,” Weber said as he put on his jacket and prepared to go out and help Steve Landers, who had hit a snow-covered curb and blown a front tire. “At least we’ll have the radios, unless that tower goes down.”

***

Landers looked at the sheriff with a chagrined expression and said, “I’m sorry, Jimmy. I know I shouldn’t have been driving in this mess anyway, but my sister Margie needed firewood carried inside, and with her just getting her hip replacement, there’s no way she could do it on her own.”

“Don’t worry about that, Steve,” Weber said. “What are you now, 82 or 83?”

“I won’t be 82 until July,” Landers told him. “Don’t make me older than I already am.”

Weber laughed and said, “You shouldn’t be carrying firewood, either.”

“Well, who else is there?”

“You could have called me. You know that.”

“You’re the sheriff. It’s not your job to bring in firewood.”

“It’s not my job to pull people out of the snow and change tires, either, but here we are,” Weber said.

“I tried Randy Laird first, but he’s completely backed up with the storm.”

“I don’t doubt it. Roll up your window before you freeze to death, Steve. I’ll handle this.”

It didn’t take the sheriff long to change the tire, and then he followed Landers the rest of the way home to make sure he got there all right.

“Don’t go out again until this clears up, okay, Steve? I’ll go by your sister’s house first thing in the morning and make sure she’s got enough wood to get her through the day. Fair enough?”

“Thank you. You’re a good man, Jim Weber.”

“Well, don’t tell anybody. I’ve got a reputation to uphold!”

As full darkness descended on the little mountain town, distress calls began to slow down. Most people who needed to get home were safely there, and between the deputies, Pete Caitlin, and the Sheriff’s Department’s civilian volunteers, they had managed to handle all the calls for service that had come in.

Weber sent everybody home that he could, telling them to get some much-needed rest. Berto and Jordan were scheduled to work the night shift, but they had been on their feet all day answering calls. Weber told them he and Robyn would stay until midnight so they could get at least a few hours’ sleep.

Dispatcher Jill Ricketson had worked beside Mary all day, but when her shift ended, she went home and came back with a big pot of stew that had been cooking in her crock pot, saying “I figured this might help some folks thaw out their bones.”

“I knew there was something I liked about you,” Weber said, dishing out a bowl.

“If you need me to, I can stay a while longer,” Jill offered.

“No, I think we’ll be okay,” Kate Copley said from the dispatch desk. “You get home to Troy and the kids. We don’t want them starving to death since you brought us their supper.”

“Those little monsters of mine are fine with anything I put in front of them,” Jill said. “I’ve got a gas stove and a gas oven, so I’ll make them some fish sticks, and peanut butter cookies later on and they’ll be happy as can be.”

“Yeah, but what about Troy?”

“He’s the biggest monster at my house,” Jill said with a laugh. “And he’s got a cast iron stomach. I swear, I could put three-day-old roadkill in front of that man and he’d eat every bit of it and ask for more.”

At 7:30, Weber and Robyn took a ride through town, looking for anybody that needed help. On Wikiup Street, they came across Jean Du Plessis and his son James cutting up a large ponderosa pine that had come down and was blocking a driveway and part of the street.

The big, bearded French-Canadian transplant to Big Lake, who could have served as a model for the famed mythical lumberjack Paul Bunyan, shut off this chainsaw when they got out of the Explorer, and Weber asked, “How’s it going, Frenchy?”

“Just having fun, Sheriff. How about you?”

“I’m having all the fun I can stand and a little more,” Weber replied.

Frenchy nodded at Robyn and asked, “Has he got you up here working in the snow?”

“Everybody we’ve got has been out. It’s a long day,” Robyn said. “It looks like you and James are working hard, too.”

James, who was a younger, smaller version of his father, without the beard, shook his head and said, “This ain’t work. This is fun!”

“We’ve been helping out wherever we could,” Frenchy said.

That didn’t surprise the sheriff. Frenchy ran a food bank providing meals to the elderly and those who had fallen upon hard times and was well known for his acts of service to the community. Weber doubted anyone had asked him and his son to cut the tree up. It was just a job that needed done, so they did it. That’s the kind of men they were. Watching the pair work together, hooking a cable around a large section of the tree and using the winch on Frenchy’s three-quarter ton four-wheel drive Chevrolet pickup to pull it out of the way, Weber wondered why Jerry Hatton and his son Gabe had not been able to make the same kind of connection. It was sad the way some people’s lives turned out.

“Do you need anything from us, Frenchy?”

“No, sir,” the big man said, pulling the cord to start his chainsaw. “We’re gonna do this one and another one over in Tony Teague’s yard. Then we’re going to call it a day.”

“I appreciate you guys,” Robyn said, as they got back into the Explorer.

Frenchy gave her a big smile and said, “It ain’t nothing but a thing, Robyn.”

Back at the office, the dispatcher said they’d only had one call, and that was from somebody wanting to know if the roads were open between Big Lake and Round Valley. She had advised them that the highway might be closed until sometime the next day.

“It’s after eight. Why don’t you go home and get some rest? I can handle whatever else comes up before Jordan and Berto come on duty.”

“No, I’m fine. I’ll stick it out,” Robyn said.

“Seriously, honey, go on home. You’ve been at it all day.”

“So has everybody else, Jimmy.”

They compromised, and she agreed to take a nap on the sofa in his office, but only after he and the dispatcher both promised to wake her up if she was needed for anything. Not wanting to disturb her, and always happy to avoid doing the paperwork that was always piled up on his desk, Weber stayed in the outer office chatting with the dispatcher and answering the occasional call from people wanting to know if they knew when the power would be back on and the roads open again. Sitting warm and comfortable in the office, with a second bowl of Jill’s beef stew in his belly, Weber found himself drifting off in spite of his best efforts to stay awake, and Kate let him sleep. He had been off in dreamland somewhere when the call came in that would present him with one of the biggest challenges of his life.

Chapter 24

“Sheriff? Wake up, Sheriff.”

Roused from sleep by the dispatcher, Weber said, “Huh?”

“I need your help at the desk.”

Weber sat down beside her and put on an extra headset so he could listen to the radio traffic.

The dispatcher stepped on her foot activated transmit button and said, “I have Sheriff Weber on now.”

“Hello, can ya hear me?”

He pushed his foot switch and said, “Sheriff Weber here. Who’s this?”

“I need help.”

Weber knew the voice instantly. “Kallie Jo, what’s going on?”

“Sheriff Jimmy, is that you? Thank God! I need help.”

“Where are you?”

“I’m home and I can’t get out.” 

“Hold on, Kallie Jo, I’m on the way.”

Pulling on his jacket, Weber went out into the cold, dark night. The wind was blowing harder, and when he started his Explorer, the accumulated snow was too heavy for the windshield wipers to clear. Weber got out and used his arm to push enough away that he could see and got back in his vehicle and took off, lights and siren clearing the way, although there was nobody else out and about on Main Street. 

He only made it a block before his wheels started spinning and he shifted to Low Range four-wheel drive.

Kallie Jo said something, but the radio signal was garbled.

The landscape looked surreal, reduced to a world of white against the black night. With everything covered in deep snow it was hard to tell where the streets were as he made his way through town. Twice he had to back up and detour around fallen trees blocking the roads. He missed the turnoff to Archer and Kallie Jo’s driveway because he couldn’t tell exactly where he was.

“Dammit,” Weber cursed when he realized he had gone past the driveway. Carefully making a three-point turn, his tires slid, seeking purchase in the snow. He turned in where he thought the driveway was and tried to peer through the blowing snow. He wiped the fog off the inside of the windshield, but the wiper blades on the outside were heavily encrusted with thick snow and not doing much of a job.

Somehow, he still managed to move forward until he came to a large tree down across the driveway. Looking around frantically for a way to get around it, Weber picked up his microphone and said, “Kallie Jo, I’m in the driveway, but it’s blocked. I’m going to walk the rest of the way in.”

There was no reply. Getting out, the snow was up to his thighs and Weber had to work hard, raising his legs high to move forward. He fell twice trying to get over the tree but got up each time and kept on going.

Finally, he could see the lights of the house through the blowing snow. He pounded on the door once, and then again, and thought he heard somebody saying something from inside. Trying the door, he was able to get inside. He felt wildly disoriented.

“Kallie Jo, where are you?”

“Thank God you’re here, Sheriff Jimmy,” the young woman said, waddling down the hall toward him. “I didn’t know if anybody could hear me. The baby’s comin.’ I’m sorry to use the radio, but the darned phone is dead and I couldn’t get the car out.”

She was holding Archer’s handheld radio and Weber took it from her and keyed the mic and said, “Dispatch, this is One. I’m here. Send the ambulance.”

A moment later, the dispatcher replied, “They’re stuck in Show Low, Sheriff. They can’t make it back over the mountain.”

“How much time do we have, Kallie Jo?”

“They ain’t no time left.”

Weber’s mind was racing, and for a moment he felt panic as he tried to figure out what to do. He had dealt with more drunk drivers, barroom brawls, abusive spouses, and hardened criminals than he could remember, but he had never delivered a baby before!

As if reading his mind, Kallie Jo said, “Sheriff Jimmy, I need your help. We can’t both of us be freakin’ out here.”

Somehow, her words calmed Weber. Kallie Jo was depending on him, and he couldn’t let her down. No, he had never delivered a baby before, but he had taken enough emergency medical care classes to know the process.

“Don’t worry, Sheriff Jimmy. ‘Tween the two of us, we can do it.”

He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile and said, “Yes, we can, Kallie Jo.”

The radio crackled, and he heard Robyn saying, “Jimmy, what do you need?”

“The driveway is blocked and we can’t get out. The phones are all down. Get Frenchy Du Plessis to come out and clear the driveway and see if you can pick up a nurse or doctor from the medical center and bring them here.”

“10-4, I’m on the way,” Robyn replied.

“I don’t think this baby is gonna wait that long,” Kallie Jo said.

“All right, let’s get you comfortable.”

He followed her as she made her way back down the hall to the bedroom. As she laid down on the bed, he asked, “What do you need?”

“I need this here baby out of me.”

“Kallie Jo, I have to tell you that I’ve never done this before.”

“Me, neither. But I’ve seen it done back home. Don’t worry, we can figure this out.”

“I need to look down there, Kallie Jo. I’m sorry.”

“Sheriff Jimmy, modesty ain’t my biggest concern right this minute.”

Weber went into the bathroom and washed his hands thoroughly, drying them as he returned to her. She pulled her legs up toward her chest and spread them, and he examined her, not sure what he was seeing. The sheriff was no stranger to the female anatomy, but what he was looking at was like nothing he was familiar with. Then he realized it was the top of the baby’s head crowning.

“I can see it, Kallie Jo!”

She was taking deep breaths and Weber worried about how small she was. There had been some speculation as to whether or not she would be able to deliver her baby naturally or would need a Cesarean section.

He said as much, and Kallie Jo said, “Sheriff Jimmy, we ain’t got no way to get to a hospital and I don’t think a C-section is an option right now, so we just need to do what we got to do, okay? Women been having babies for a long time. I know I’m a small woman, but so is my mama. My brothers is all big ol’ boys, even when they was born. It’ll happen.”

Then she grunted with another contraction, and he could see more of the baby’s head.

“Okay, it’s happening,” he told her. “Deep breaths, Kallie Jo. When you feel like you need to, go ahead and push.”

She nodded her head and a moment later pushed and then screamed in pain.

She panted three times and then gave another push and miraculously the head began to emerge. The umbilical cord was around the baby’s neck and Weber gently pulled it over, then put his hand under the baby’s head to support it as he waited for another contraction. Weber was tempted to gently pull, but he knew that it could harm the mother or the child.

“It hurts so much, Sheriff Jimmy!”

“I know, Kallie Jo. But you’re getting there. Don’t stop now.”

“It ain’t like I got much of a choice, do I?”

“No, ma’am. I guess not.”

Three more contractions and then Kallie Jo gritted her teeth and gave another mighty push, grunting sharply, and the baby was out of her in a rush of fluid.

“Is it out?”

“Yes, ma’am, it’s out,” Weber told her. “You’ve got a beautiful baby boy, Kallie Jo.”

“It’s a boy? Archer is goin’ to be so proud.”

Weber was tempted to ask her what he had to be proud of. He was sitting in a warm hotel room somewhere in Flagstaff. But he didn’t. The baby began to cry, and they both felt a giant wave of relief.

Kallie Jo said, “He sounds like he’s got his daddy’s lungs.”

“Or his granddaddy’s,” Weber said, and they both laughed.

“Can I hold him?”

“Of course.”

He placed the baby in his mother’s arms and she kissed his forehead.

“He’s beautiful, ain’t he, Sheriff Jimmy?”

“You both are,” Weber said, feeling tears of relief in his eyes.

“I don’t think I want to cut the umbilical cord until help comes.”

“That’s fine. We ain’t goin’ nowhere, are we sweet baby?”

Suddenly Kallie Jo grimaced with another contraction and Weber looked down as the placenta came out. He panicked at first, and then realized what it was, and that it was all part of the process. He used washcloths and towels from the bathroom to clean her up as best he could.

“We did it, Sheriff Jimmy.”

It had certainly not been a cakewalk, but he said, “Yeah, Kallie Jo. We did.”

“Jimmy, can you read me?”

Weber pushed the button for his shoulder mic and said, “Yes, Robyn.”

“What’s going on there?”

“We’ve got a baby, Robyn.”

“A baby? Kallie Jo had her baby?”

“10-4. It’s a boy!”

“I woke up Frenchy and he’s on his way there, and so are Jordan and Berto. I’m just pulling into the Medical Center, then I’m headed that way,” Robyn said. “How are Kallie Jo and the baby doing?”

“They seem to be good, but we need to get them to the hospital just to be sure.”

“We’re coming,” she promised. “You guys just sit tight.”

Weber looked at Kallie Jo and her baby and felt a wave of emotion that made his knees feel weak. He sat on the side of the bed and said, “You two are so beautiful together.”

She was obviously exhausted, but she smiled and reached out a hand to take his and squeezed it. “Thank you, Sheriff Jimmy. You’re my knight in shining armor.”

They sat together, not saying anything, until there was a thumping on the front door and then they heard Jordan’s voice. “Anybody home?”

“Back here,” Weber said.

Soon, a snow-covered pair of deputies were in the bedroom doorway.

“Y’all look like them there abominable snowmen,” Kallie Jo said.

“We fell a couple of times getting over that darned tree and up the driveway,” Berto said.

“We’ve got a baby. Do y’all want to see him?”

They approached the bed carefully and looked at the sleeping baby in awe.

“He’s beautiful, Kallie Jo,” Jordan said.

“He must take after his mama,” Berto added, and they all laughed.

A few minutes later, Robyn and Doctor Priya Patel arrived and Robyn shooed the men out so the doctor could examine Kallie Jo. Weber and the deputies made their way on foot back down the driveway to the sound of chainsaws as Frenchy and James were working on the tree. As the two men cut the large trunk into sections, Weber and his deputies shoved them out of the way.

Before long, there was enough of a path for Weber to get through with his Explorer. He drove up to the house and went back inside and down the hall.

“Everything okay in there?”

“You can come in, Sheriff Jimmy.”

He entered the bedroom, feeling unsure of himself for some reason.

“Relax, Sheriff Jimmy, I’m all covered up. Not that it matters. Ya got a good look at everything I got a while ago,” Kallie Jo said with a laugh. Then her face became serious, and she said, “I’m so sorry I peed all over you, Sheriff Jimmy.”

“You did? There was so much going on I never noticed.”

“I don’t know what was more embarrassin’ to me, that or havin’ you lookin’ at my cooter.”

“It’s normal, Kallie Jo,” Doctor Patel said, then added, “You did a good job, Sheriff. Baby’s fine and mom is fine. Now we just need to get her to the Medical Center, if we can.”

“They’ve got the driveway cleared enough that we can get out,” Weber said. “Whenever you’re ready, Kallie Jo.”

With Kallie Jo and the baby wrapped in a blanket in the back seat of his Explorer with Doctor Patel, he drove down the driveway. Frenchy had come up behind him in his big Ford 4x4, driving forward and backing down the driveway carefully, making a better path for the sheriff’s vehicle.

Weber stopped long enough for Robyn to get out and into her unit and they drove to the medical center while Frenchy and James finished with the tree.

Standing in the hallway once they had Kallie Jo and the baby in an exam room, the sheriff’s knees suddenly felt weak again and he began to tremble.

Robyn looked at him and asked, “Are you all right, Jimmy?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. I just… Wow.”

“Here, let’s get you sat down,” a concerned nurse said, helping Robyn ease him into a chair. “Are you feeling lightheaded?”

“Yeah.”

Gently pushing the back of his neck, the nurse said, “Put your head down between your knees, Sheriff. It’ll pass in a minute.”

“That was weird,” Weber said when the feeling passed.

“It’s usually the fathers that feel that way,” the nurse said. “But after what you did tonight, I guess you earned the right.”

“You did a wonderful job,” Robyn said. “But why didn’t you wake me when Kallie Jo called in?”

“It all happened so fast I never even thought about it,” Weber admitted.

Another nurse approached them and said, “Doctor Patel says you can come back now.”

They followed her into the exam room, where Kallie Jo smiled and said, “There’s my hero.”

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, Sheriff Jimmy. ’Specially for somebody who just pushed out a baby weighin’ eight pounds and ten ounces. They’re goin’ to keep us overnight, just ’cause of the weather.”

“That’s good.”

“I’m sorry for all the ruckus I caused. When I felt the baby startin’ to come, I tried to call, but the phones was all dead. Then I decided to drive out, but my car wouldn’t go nowhere. I was pretty scared until I remembered Archer’s radio and used that.”

“You did great,” Robyn told her.

“Oh, shoot. What about Archer? He wanted to be here when the baby was born.”

“Well, we’re darned sure not going to put it back in and start over,” Weber said. “My heart couldn’t take that.”

Chapter 25

The storm moved east into New Mexico overnight, and the next morning the people of Big Lake began the arduous task of digging out. A pair of state snowplows came through town, cleared the bypass from the Y to the T intersection, connecting the town back to the state highway, while the town’s two smaller plows started working on the streets. The snow was piled up in the center of Main Street where Jack McLemore scooped it up with a backhoe and deposited it into the back of three dump trucks that hauled it away to dump in designated fields. The Sheriff’s Department Civilian Volunteers directed traffic past the activity. Meanwhile, local people with tractors and plows on the front of their trucks were clearing driveways and parking lots.

As Weber drove around surveying the damage left by the storm, he saw people everywhere with snowblowers and snow shovels. It seemed like an insurmountable task, but the townspeople were no strangers to blizzards, and they would get it done.

Minutes before noon, the phone rang for the first time at the sheriff’s office and Mary answered it. The upset caller complained that they needed to be back in Tucson that afternoon, and with so many roads closed statewide, he did not know if he would make it.

“I’m sorry, we don’t control the weather, sir,” Mary told him. She listened for a moment, then said, “I don’t know, sir. Yours is the first phone call we’ve had since yesterday, and the power is still out, so I have not seen the news. The advisory from the state is for people to stay off the roads here in the high country.” Mary rolled her eyes at Weber as the man continued to complain, then said, “Sir, I assure you that nobody is trying to keep you captive in Big Lake. You can try to get out if you want to, but it is not advisable. No, sir, I am not a public servant. I just answer the telephone.”

She hung up, shaking her head, and almost immediately the phone rang again. “It sure was quiet here for a while,” Mary said as she answered it.

It might have been quiet, but once people realized the phones were working again, they began calling the office wanting to know when schools would reopen, what businesses were open, what roads were passable, when the power would be back on, and a dozen other questions the dispatchers had no answer for.

Weber drove to Margie Blodgett’s house to bring in firewood as he had promised her brother, and the elderly woman, wearing two sweaters, thanked him profusely, offering him $10 for his trouble.

“No, ma’am, that’s fine. Just doing my job,” Weber told her.

“My brother, he came over and brought a bunch in yesterday, but it was so cold in here last night I burned it all up and still never got really warm.”

Looking around the small house, which was clean but obviously in need of a lot of maintenance, Weber said, “Hopefully, this is the last storm of the season.”

“I sure hope so. When my Andy was alive, he took care of things, but he’s been gone now for almost fifteen years. I sure do miss that man. My brother Steve comes over and does what he can for me, but he’s no spring chicken.”

Weber told her he would have someone check back on her later, making a mental note to see if Frenchy Du Plessis might be able to offer the woman some help in getting her house taken care of. The sheriff thought that even plastic sheeting over the windows might help keep out some of the cold.

When the tired ambulance crew finally got back from Show Low, where they had spent the night, they turned the vehicle over to the second team of paramedics, and before long they were on their way to a call, taking Ferrell Sherrod to the Medical Center for a heart attack.

“I told him not to shovel that snow, but he’s just so darn stubborn,” his wife Helen told one of the EMTs. “Our grandson always says he’s going to come over and help, but the only time we see him is when he wants money for something. Now, you behave and do what the doctor tells you to, Ferrell. I’ll be there once I get the car out of the garage and driveway.”

“You can ride with us if you want to,” the EMT said.

“No, that’s all right. I’ll be along directly.” When they closed the doors on her husband, she said, “Served him right. I get so mad at him when he gets so stubborn. I’ll be there in my own good time.”

Weber was watching a crew of men working on the power lines when his phone rang and Mary said, “Archer just called. They’re a few miles outside of town now. I told him to go to the Medical Center and assured him that Kallie Jo and the baby are doing fine. I hated telling him the baby was already here, but I didn’t want him speeding and getting into an accident, thinking something was wrong.”

“No, he gets in enough accidents on his own,” Weber said. “I’ll wander over in that direction.”

He got to the Medical Center before Archer and found Kallie Jo propped up in bed in a room, nursing the baby. She pulled a blanket over her shoulder and said, “Sheriff Jimmy, how ya doin’ today?”

“I’m fine,” he told her. “The question is, how are you?”

“I’m better than fine. I keep lookin’ at this precious little thing and I can’t believe he’s mine. Like it’s a dream. But if it is, what a wonderful dream it is.”

“Well, he’s certainly yours,” Weber told her. “You’re the only woman in town that had a baby last night.”

She reached out and took his hand, squeezed it, then kissed the back of it and said, “I can’t never thank ya enough for what ya did for us.”

“I was honored to help,” he replied. “But the next time you have a baby, could you spend the last month or two here at the Medical Center, Kallie Jo? I don’t know if I can do that again.”

They were both laughing when someone said, “Knock, knock,” and Archer pushed his father’s wheelchair into the room, with Gretchen Smith-Abbot behind them.

“Archer, honey, ya made it. Come see the baby.”

Weber moved out of the way and Archer came to her bedside, and when she brought the baby out from under the nursing cover, he stared at it in awe.

“This is your son, Jody, Archer. What do ya think of him?”

Archer could not find his voice. He just stood there, his mouth hanging open, eyes fixated on the child in his wife’s arms.

“So, Archer, what ya think?”

“He’s beautiful,” the deputy said in a soft voice. “My gosh, Kallie Jo, he’s just beautiful.”

“Do ya want to hold him?”

“I don’t know. What if I drop him or something?”

“You’re not gonna drop him. Sit down in this chair by the bed,” Kallie Jo said, passing the baby to him when he was seated. Weber smiled, seeing the rapture on his deputy’s face.

“He’s ours?”

“He sure is,” Kallie Jo told him.

“I tried to call, and the lines were down, and when we get close to town and I finally got through to the house, there was no answer. I called the office, and Mary told me you were here. What happened?”

“What do you think happened, Archer? She had a baby,” his father said. “When do I get to hold him?”

Archer started to stand up with the baby in his arms and then sat back down, afraid of dropping him.

“Oh, here,” Gretchen said, taking the baby from his arms and looking at it and then kissing his forehead and cooed, “What a sweet little man you are. Oh yes, you are! Do you want to meet your grandpa?”

She placed the baby in Chet’s arms and Weber saw something on the man’s face he had never seen in all the years that he had known him. It could only be described as pure love as Chet Wingate held his first grandchild.

“Well, hello there,” Doctor Priya Patel said as she came into the room.

“Hello, Doctor.”

“Hello, Kallie Jo. How are you feeling this morning?”

“A lot better than I did last night, that’s for sure.”

“That’s good news.” The doctor chuckled as she picked up Kallie Jo’s chart and read it, then briefly examined the baby. She said, “Everything looks good. Is he nursing?”

“Yes, ma’am, no problem. He’s got his daddy’s appetite.”

“And how are you, Sheriff? You had quite a night, too, didn’t you?”

“It was one to remember,” Weber agreed.

“Did you get any sleep?”

“A bit.” Weber said. “I feel like I’ve got more coffee in my veins than blood right now.”

“You certainly did a good job. What do you think of all this, Mr. Wingate?”

“She’s talking to you, not me, Archer,” Chet said.

“He’s beautiful. I wish I could have been here when he was born, but I was stuck in Flagstaff in the storm.”

“If there was no storm, and you had been here when he was born, you would have still missed it,” the doctor told him.

“What do you mean?”

“Didn’t anybody tell you?”

“Tell me what, Kallie Jo?”

“Archer, I had the baby at home. Sheriff Jimmy delivered him.”

“What?” Three incredulous voices asked at once.

“You did, Sheriff?”

“I didn’t have much choice, Gretchen. The power was out, and the roads were all blocked… It’s a long story. But Kallie Jo didn’t have time to wait.”

“Are you serious? You did this, Sheriff Weber?”

“They did it, Chet,” Weber said, nodding at Kallie Jo and Archer. “All I did was catch the baby when it came out. Everything else was their doing.”

Archer was looking from his son to Kallie Jo to the sheriff in confusion, then he got up and wrapped his arms around Weber and said, “Thank you, Jimmy. I didn’t know. Thank you. I should have been here, but the weather was so bad and the roads were…”

“Slow down, Archer,” Weber said, patting him on the back. “You’re talking as fast as Kallie Jo. It was all fine.”

“It wasn’t quite all fine,” Kallie Jo said, “at least not from my end of things.”

“Hey, I was on the receiving end,” Weber teased her with a smile. “My uniform is still soaking in the tub at home.”

“What?”

“Like Sheriff Jimmy said before, it’s a long story, Archer. I’ll tell ya all about it some other time,” Kallie Jo said.

Looking at the happy little family, Weber said, “I need to get back out on the road. Welcome home, Archer, and congratulations. How are you feeling, Chet?”

Beaming up at him as he held the baby, the former mayor, who had always been such a quarrelsome person, said, “I don’t think there’s a happier man in the world than me right now, holding this little tyke.”

Weber was still smiling when he left the Medical Center. Getting into his unit, he called the dispatcher and said, “Big Lake One, back in service at the Medical Center.”

“Stand by, One,” the dispatcher said, and Weber noted the tenseness in her voice. He wondered what was wrong. Maybe a traffic accident, or somebody else with a heart attack from shoveling the deep snow? But when the dispatcher came over the radio, he learned it was something altogether different. Something different and something unexpected.

“All units, proceed to the park at Miller’s Pond. We just received a call that Gabe Hatton kidnapped two girls!” 

Chapter 26

The sound of sirens shattered the mountain air as every on-duty Big Lake unit, as well as off-duty officers who heard the call, rushed to respond. Picking his mic off the hook on the dashboard as he sped down Main Street, Weber said, “Dispatch, this is One. Any description of a vehicle?”

“No. I just got a phone call saying he had grabbed two girls.”

“Did the caller say who they were?”

“Negative. It sounded like a young girl and she was hysterical. I tried to call back and didn’t get an answer.”

“I’m two minutes away,” Coop said over the radio.

Weber stomped on the brake pedal to keep from hitting two boys on a snowmobile that zipped across the road in front of him. As the Explorer began to slide sideways and he turned into the skid to get control and sped on toward Miller’s Pond.

“All units, stop any vehicle coming up the road from the pond,” Weber said. “If it’s Hatton, and he has hostages, don’t let him get past you.”

“I’m on the scene,” Coop said.

A minute later, Tommy Frost radioed he was there with Coop. When Weber got to the park, he saw his deputies standing with two teenage girls that looked to be hysterical, both crying and shouting at once.

Getting out of his vehicle, the sheriff asked, “What happened?”

“He took us. He tried to kidnap us!”

“Do you know who it was?”

“Gabe Hatton,” said one of the girls, Cierra Bernard.

“Where is he?”

Looking around, he didn’t see anybody else in the small park, and the only vehicle besides police units was an older gray Acura RSX buried in a snowbank.

“I don’t know where he went.”

Other deputies were arriving and Coop walked toward them with a hand raised to stop them from entering the crime scene. Meanwhile, Weber was trying to question the girls but wasn’t getting anywhere.

“I was so scared,” said Valerie Rittenhauser. “He had a gun pointed at my head! I thought I was gonna die.”

“You’re safe now,” Weber said. “Can you tell me what he was wearing?”

“A ski jacket,” Cierra said.

“What color was it?”

“Blue,” she replied just as her friend said, “Orange.”

“Which was it, girls. Blue or orange?”

“It was blue with orange on it,” Cierra said quickly.

“Yeah, blue with orange,” Valerie confirmed.

Coop had returned and nodded his head to Weber to go with him. They walked away a short distance and Coop said, “Their story doesn’t hold water, Jimmy. The blonde one said they were in her yard throwing snowballs and he came up and pointed a gun at them and made them drive over here. She said he kept telling them he was going to rape and kill them. Then they got here and got stuck in a snowbank.” Coop nodded toward the Acura sitting off to the side. “They said he got out and ran away, but the only footprints I saw near the car are theirs. And if you look at the parking lot, you can see somebody was doing donuts in the snow.”

They walked to the Acura and surveyed the scene, and Weber said, “Damn. Are you kidding me?”

Walking back to where the girls were talking to Tommy and Chad, he said, “Let’s start over. Valerie, come over here with me.”

They got into his Explorer and he said, “Tell me what happened from the start.”

“We were sitting in the car listening to the radio and he came up to my side and put his gun against my head. He said if we didn’t do what he told us to do, he would kill us. Then he got in the back seat and made us drive here.”

“Are you sure it was Gabe Hatton?”

“I know it was. He graduated last year when I was a freshman. Every year the freshman class is supposed to write letters to the graduating seniors, telling them good luck and asking for any advice to help us get through high school. I drew Gabe’s name, and he was a jerk. When I tried to give him the letter, he wouldn’t take it. He just turned and walked away from me.”

“You said he pointed a gun at you, right?”

“Yes. He put it against my head,” she said, pointing to her left ear. “Right here.”

“Could you tell if it was a revolver or a semi-automatic pistol?”

“I don’t know. It was just a gun,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes. “I don’t know anything about guns.”

“That’s fine,” Weber told her. “So, he made you guys drive to the park and then what happened?”

“He got stuck and the car wouldn’t go anywhere, so he jumped out and said if we told anybody, he would come back and kill us. Then he took off running.”

“Which direction did he run, Valerie?”

She pointed across the park toward a small block building holding the restrooms. “I don’t know if he went in there or not, but that’s the direction he was going.”

“Is there anything else you can remember about what happened?”

“Just that I was so scared,” she replied. “He kept saying dirty things he was going to do to us if we didn’t do what he told us to do.”

“I know that you’re probably not comfortable talking about things like this, Valerie, but I have to ask. Did he sexually assault you or Cierra?”

“No,” the girl said, shaking her head. “He just kept saying all the things he was going to do to us.”

“All right, I appreciate you talking to me.”

Taking Valerie back to Coop, the sheriff said, “Deputy Cooper is going to ask you some questions, and they’re probably a lot of the same questions I did, but try to answer them the best you can, okay, Valerie? Cierra, let’s go sit in my car and talk.”

Once they were in his Explorer, he said, “Deputy Cooper said you told him you guys were playing in your yard when this all started. Is that right?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, tell me in your own words what happened, Cierra.”

“He came up and showed us his gun and made us go with him.”

“In that car over there?”

“Yes?”

“Is that your car?”

“No, it’s my mom’s. I don’t have my license yet.”

“All right, go on.”

“We got in the car, and as he was driving here, he kept telling us if we gave him any trouble, he was going to kill us. He said he already killed his dad and it wouldn’t bother him to kill us, too.”

“What else did he say, Cierra?”

“All kinds of dirty things. Things he was going to do to us and make us do to him. He was cussing at us and yelling and waving the gun around and I was so scared I ran the car right into the snow and got stuck.”

“What happened then?”

“He put the gun against the back of my head and said he should kill us both right there. We kept begging him not to hurt us and promising that we wouldn’t say anything. He said we better not because he knows where we live. Then finally he just took off.”

“Did you see which way he went?”

“Back that way,” she said, pointing toward the road leading into the park. “He went down the road and then he went over that way.”

“To the left, toward those trees over there?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m just curious about something, Cierra. Were the keys already in the car?”

“What do you mean?”

“Does your mother leave the keys in the car all the time?”

“No. They were in the house. He made me go in and get them and said if I didn’t do it, he would kill Valerie.”

“So you went in and got the keys?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you think about calling 911 while you’re in the house?”

“No,” the girl said, shaking her head. “Like I said, he had the gun pointed at Valerie. I was afraid if I did anything but what he told me to do, he would shoot her.”

“Okay, so you all got in the car and he made you drive here. And he was saying terrible things about what he was going to do to you, right?”

“Yeah, terrible things. He made me feel so dirty and scared.”

“Tell me again what happened when you got here?”

“We got stuck.”

“Because you were so scared you drove right into the snow?”

“Yes.”

“And you said he was wearing a blue and red ski jacket?”

“Yeah.”

“All right, let’s go back over to the others,” Weber said, opening the door of his Explorer.

When they rejoined the other deputies and Valerie, Weber said, “I’m confused about something. First you said it was a blue ski jacket and then you said it was blue and orange and you just told me it was a blue and red, Cierra. So which was it?”

“I don’t remember. There was so much going on,” Valerie said.

“It was blue, but it had orange and red stripes,” Cierra said quickly.

The sheriff looked at Coop and they both knew this was a waste of time.

“Is your mother at home, Cierra?”

“No, she’s at my grandma’s house. She’s been sick.”

“Is that your Grandma Elizabeth on Copper Street?”

“Yeah. She went there first thing this morning. My dad dropped her off when he went to work.”

Next, Weber walked over to his deputies and Tommy Frost shook his head. “We looked all over the area, Jimmy. The only tracks out there are ours or what was left by animals during the night.”

“Did you check those restrooms?”

“Yeah, they’re all locked up for the winter.”

“Their story has more holes in it than a screen door,” Chad said.

Weber walked back to the girls and asked, “Ladies, we’re going to need you to fill out police reports stating what happened to you, okay?”

The girls nodded their heads, and he said, “Now, I need you to understand something. When you fill out those police reports and sign them, you need to be a hundred percent truthful about what happened. Filing a false police report is against the law, and if you report a crime that didn’t really happen, you could be in a lot of trouble.”

“It happened just like we said,” Cierra told him. “Don’t you believe us, Sheriff?”

“Let’s just say I’ve got some questions. You said you were in your yard and he came up and pointed a gun at you and that you went in the house and got the keys to your mom’s car. But at one point you said he was driving, and at another point you said you were driving, and you drove into the snowbank. Which was it, Cierra?”

“No, he was driving,” she said defensively. “I got confused when I said I was driving.”

“Okay, and then you said when he got out, he pointed the gun at the back of your head and told you not to say anything to anybody. Now I know that Valerie here was in the passenger seat, so if you were in the back seat, how did he point the gun at the back of your head before he got out of the car?”

“It all happened so fast I don’t remember. But we’re telling the truth!”

“I don’t think so,” Weber told her. “Valerie, you said you guys were sitting in the car when he came up to you, right? You said you were sitting in the car, and he came up and put the gun up against your head. Isn’t that what you told me?”

“Yes, that’s what he did.”

“What were you doing sitting in the car?”

“We were listening to the radio.”

“How could you listen to the radio when Cierra said she had to go in the house to get the keys?”

“You’re confusing me, Sheriff,” the girl said.

“I understand that. I’m kind of confused, too, Valerie. You said he came up to you and pointed the gun at your head. It’s a cold day, isn’t it? So why was the window rolled down? Because you said he pushed the gun right up against the side of your head, didn’t you?”

The girl looked down and didn’t reply.

“Something else that confuses me is, if you were sitting in the passenger seat and he came up on your side of the car, how did he put the gun here?” Weber asked, pointing to his left temple. “Because that’s where you told me he put the gun, didn’t you?”

“I don’t remember for sure.”

“It seems like you both have amnesia,” Weber said. “You don’t remember who was driving the car, you don’t remember what color his jacket was, you don’t remember if you were in the yard throwing snowballs at each other or sitting in the car listening to the radio.”

Valerie started crying and Cierra said, “We told you the truth.”

“No, you didn’t. Do you think this is the first time we’ve ever heard a wild story like this? If it’s the truth, how come there aren’t any footprints in the snow going over toward those restrooms like Valerie said he went or off in the other direction like you said he went? Listen, girls, the quicker you tell me the truth, the better it’s going to be for you.”

Coop shook his head and said, “You two seem to think this is a joke, but it’s not. Do you two realize how many lives that you put in danger with all of us rushing over through the snow to get here? Do you know how many other things we could be doing to help people right now instead of standing here wasting time with you?”

Both girls were crying now and Coop said, “How about you tell us what really happened?”

“We didn’t mean to cause so much trouble,” Cierra said. “We were just goofing off, and we were here doing donuts in the snow and the car got stuck and we didn’t know what else to do. My parents are going to kill me. I’m not supposed to drive the car.”

“At least you’re safe. That’s the only good thing that comes out of all of this,” Coop said.

“What do you think, Deputy Cooper?”

“We need to throw their butts in a cell for about a week,” Coop said sternly. “Maybe then they would understand how stupid they were.”

“We didn’t mean to do anything bad,” Valerie said. “We were just messing around. I swear we didn’t want to cause all this trouble.”

“Do you know what would have happened if one of us had hit somebody and killed them while we were rushing here to save you two? Do you think I would want to live with that on my conscience? Would you?”

“Are we going to go to jail, Sheriff?”

“I don’t know,” Weber said. “Deputy Cooper was first on the scene, so that makes this his case. What do you think, Deputy?”

“I already said what I think. We need to lock them up for a week.”

Weber shrugged his shoulders and said, “It’s your case.” He opened the back door of Coop’s unit and said, “Get in, girls.”

“I don’t want to go to jail,” Valerie sobbed.

“Remember that the next time you feel like doing something stupid,” Coop told her as Weber closed the door on them.

They walked off to where the other deputies were standing and Weber asked, “Is everybody okay?”

“Yeah, but I hit my mailbox hauling ass out of my driveway,” Chad said.

“If that’s the worst that happened, I guess we got off all right,” Weber said. “By the way, if you guys see Paul White and Melvin Wickham riding around town on a snowmobile, stop them and take their machine. I almost T-boned them on Main Street.”

“Kids will be kids,” Dolan said. “Buz, do you remember when you and me had that old ‘59 Buick and were doing donuts in the high school parking lot after we had that big snowfall our junior year?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Buz said, shaking his head.

“You should have seen it, Jimmy. We wiped out and went right through the chain-link fence by the school. Scared the crap out of both of us.”

“I have no memory of any such incident, past or present,” Buz said, shaking his head. “Besides, that would be destruction a public property.”

“Look at you standing there pretending you’re all innocent,” his friend said. “I wasn’t in that old car alone, Buz.”

“Again, I have no memory of any such incident, past or present. I plead the Fifth.”

“Coop, has the statute of limitations ran out on something like that?”

“I don’t know, Jimmy. I’ll have to look it up when we get back to the office.”

Weber said, “I think you put the fear of God in those two girls, don’t you?”

“I hope,” Coop replied. “How about next time I get to be the good cop and you be the bad one?”

“Do you think they’ve had long enough to sit there and squirm?”

“Oh, let’s let them sweat it for a while longer before we call their parents to come and get them,” Coop said.

When Coop left with the girls, taking them to the Sheriff’s Office, Weber glanced in his rearview mirror as he drove out of the park and saw Dolan and Buz gleefully cutting donuts in the parking lot in their marked vehicles. He stopped and got out of his unit and stood with his arms folded across his chest as they drove toward him. When they stopped and put their windows down, he said, “Really, guys? What are you, both sixteen?”

“It’s not what you think, Mr. Sheriff, sir,” Buz said.

“It’s not huh? Then what is it?”

“We were practicing evasive driving maneuvers,” Dolan told him. “I figured since we’re out here anyway, we’d get a head start on those hours of required continuing education every cop in the state has to take every year.”

Weber shook his head and asked, “Do you really expect me to believe that bullshit?”

Buz grinned at him and said, “Well, we were kind of hoping you would.”  

Chapter 27

Even though the call about the kidnapping had been unfounded, word spread quickly around Big Lake from people who had scanners that monitored the sheriff’s department’s radio transmissions, and once again the dispatchers were flooded with calls from people who thought they saw something suspicious. Despite the recent storm and the cold weather, the town council chambers were packed for that night’s meeting.

“What’s being done to catch that maniac that killed his dad? Why is he still on the loose?”

“Mr. Mayor, we need to get the National Guard here to protect the people of this town!”

“Sheriff Weber, why can’t you find Gabe Hatton?”

“All right, folks,” Mayor Kirby Templeton said, rapping his gavel, “we don’t need everybody talking at once. We understand that everybody’s on edge over what happened, but as you all know by now, the report of a kidnapping turned out to be just a couple of girls who were joyriding and got in trouble and tried to cover it up. Sheriff Weber, would you mind addressing the audience and answering some of their questions?”

Weber stood up and said, “First of all, I want to assure everybody that we are doing everything we can to find the young man who shot his father.”

“Really? Because it doesn’t seem that way to any of us,” said Larry Brewster. “How hard can it be to catch an eighteen-year-old kid?”

“Larry, you were born and raised here,” the sheriff said. “But last winter you got lost when you were hunting, and it took our search and rescue people half a day to find you. And it wasn’t snowing then, was it?”

“That’s different. I got drawn for elk in an area I wasn’t familiar with.”

“Fair enough,” Weber said. “Everything we know about Gabe Hatton is that he’s a nerd who spends all his time sitting in front of a computer. If you could get in trouble out in the forest when there was snow on the ground but no storm, how well do you think he did in the conditions we have had? And keep in mind, you were dressed to be out there. Everything we’ve heard says that this kid was wearing a sweatshirt and pants and shoes. No coat, no gloves, nothing.”

“Sheriff Weber, you told me you believe that if the boy didn’t get out of town right after the shooting, you think there’s a good chance that he got caught in the snow and died. Is that still your opinion?”

“Yes, it is, Mr. Mayor.”

“Then call the National Guard in to find his body, if that’s what you think happened,” Martin DeShoot said. “Hell, call anybody. Just get the job done!”

“Why isn’t the FBI helping with this?”

“The FBI is an investigative agency,” Weber replied. “However, Special Agent Parks has helped us search for Gabe Hatton. He even took his own airplane up with a spotter looking for the kid when it was safe to fly. I’ve also reached out to the U.S. Marshal’s Office, and they sent somebody up here the other day. They’re the ones that are tasked with looking for fugitives, and they currently have a nationwide watch out for our suspect and are looking for him.”

Joyce Freeman raised her hand and said, “Sheriff, is it true that the boy that shot his father broke into a cabin and stole a machine gun?”

“No, ma’am,” Weber said. “We haven’t found any evidence of any summer homes or anyplace else being broken into. And just for the record, most people don’t have machine guns. They are what’s called a Class III weapon, and one has to jump through a lot of hoops to be able to purchase one.”

“My brother heard he was hooked up with a biker gang that’s been selling meth up here,” said Todd Reynolds.

“That’s the first I’ve heard of that one,” Weber said. “There’s absolutely no reason to believe that’s true.”

“Well, that’s what he told me.”

“When I was a kid, my dad told me the moon was made out of blue cheese,” Weber said. “Turns out that wasn’t true, either.”

Several people in the audience laughed, breaking tension.

“Look, folks, we’re doing everything we can to find this kid. He’s not involved with meth or running around with a stolen machine gun or anything like that. I think he’s too busy just trying to survive. We all need to take precautions, keep our doors locked, don’t leave our keys in our vehicles, and things like that. But we don’t need to be shooting at shadows or stray dogs wandering through our yards. Sooner or later, we will find him, alive or dead.”

A hand raised in the back and Harley Willits asked, “Now that you’re delivering babies on the side, do we still call you Sheriff, or is it Doctor?”

That drew more laughter from the audience and Weber said, “I think I’ll stick to being a sheriff.”

“Now that you brought it up, Mr. Willits, I’d like to make a motion that the Town Council recognize and commend Sheriff Weber for his actions during the storm in delivering Kallie Jo Wingate’s baby under less than optimum conditions,” said Councilwoman Gretchen Smith-Abbott

“I’ll second that motion,” said Councilwoman Janet McGill.

“We have a motion and a second,” the mayor said. “All those on the Council who approve the motion, say aye.”

It was unanimous, as well as many people in the crowd agreeing.

“Sheriff Weber, we have depended on you for so much over the years, and this is one more example of the great job you always do,” said Councilman Frank Gauger.

Moving on, the council talked about the snow removal policies, cautioned people to be careful shoveling snow so they didn’t suffer a heart attack or some other medical emergency, and thanked the many volunteers who came out to help with the cleanup. They also recognized Jean Du Plessis and his son James for all the work they had put in.

When the meeting was over, Gretchen approached Weber and said, “Sheriff, I know we’ve had our differences over the years, but I want you to know how much we appreciate what you did for Kallie Jo.”

“I was just doing my job,” Weber told her. “I’ve been so busy with everything else I haven’t had a chance to go by and see her. How’s she doing?”

“Wonderful,” Gretchen said. “And little Jody, too. I have to tell you something, Sheriff. Seeing Archer change a diaper for the first time was quite the experience.”

“I bet it was,” Weber said. “Please tell me it was the kind with the little sticky tabs instead of safety pins. I’d hate to think of that little guy looking like one of those voodoo dolls that you stick pins in all the time.”

Gretchen laughed and shook her head and said, “No, they’re using Pampers. But as big as Archer is, to see how gentle he is with that little baby, it’s just amazing.”

“Truth be told,” Weber said, “Archer has amazed me a few times over the years. Good and bad.”

They laughed together, probably the first time they ever had, and then Weber asked, “How is Chet doing?”

“Oh, that’s another amazing story. If he had his way, he would sit and hold that baby all day long. Whenever Kallie Jo tries to take him to put him down for a nap, Chet says he can sleep just fine in his arms. He just sits there, almost like he’s entranced, looking at the little guy. I know Chet can be a bit difficult at times, but little Jody has brought out a side of him I’ve never seen in all these years.”

Town Councilman Mel Walker, who owned the local Arby’s franchise, approached them and extended his hand, saying, “Congratulations, Sheriff. Or is it Doctor?”

Weber laughed and said, “Like I told Harley Willits, I’ll stick with sheriff if it’s all the same to you.”

They chatted for a few moments and then Weber said, “If you will excuse me, I’m going to head on home and try to get some sleep. It’s been a rough week.”

***

“How did the meeting go?”

“About like you would expect,” Weber said. “Some people are all up in arms about Gabe Hatton and wanted to know why we haven’t found him yet, but that was about it.” Then he asked, “What smells so good?”

“Baked chicken,” Robyn told him. “Why don’t you go get cleaned up and change into something comfortable? It should be ready in about twenty minutes.”

“Sounds good to me.”

He went to the bedroom and took a quick shower, and when he came out wearing a pair of sweats, Robyn was just putting their dinner on the table.

“I baked the potatoes the way you like them, so the skin is crispy,” she told him.

“I really don’t deserve you. You know that, right?”

“I should by now. My mother tells me often enough,” she said.

“You know, I kind of liked it when you two weren’t speaking.”

Robyn’s mother had been very vocal in expressing her disappointment with her daughter’s decision to work as a deputy from the start and made no secret of the fact that she disapproved of their marriage. They argued about it on a regular basis, and a while back had fallen out and had not spoken to each other for several months before their relationship thawed again.

Partway through dinner, Robyn told him about helping Desiree Hamilton catch her horse, which had somehow gotten out of its fenced in paddock and wandered away.

“I swear, Jimmy, that thing was having fun playing tag with us. Every time one of us would get close enough to lay a hand on it, it would turn and run off again. I was afraid it would get hit by a car before we finally caught it. I always thought it was strange that you grew up on a ranch and don’t like horses, but I think I understand it now. They’re beautiful animals, but it seems like they go out of their way to get into trouble.”

“I know. Do you remember last year’s Pioneer Days parade when Elmer Anderson’s horse bit Louie Howard’s bay mare in the ass because I guess it wasn’t moving fast enough for him? That nag took off and dumped Louie right there in Main Street and then ran through the high school marching band!”

“Oh, God. I was sure it was going to run into the crowd and trample over somebody,” Robyn said.

Just then, her phone buzzed, and she picked it up and set it back down.

“That your boyfriend?”

“No, it’s Marsha. She wanted my recipe for Spanish rice and I forgot to send it to her.”

“I remember when people used to call when they wanted to know something. Now everybody texts. Even those two girls out at Miller’s Pond today. With everything else going on, they’re standing there with their phones texting.”

“What do you expect? They’re teenagers. It’s like they’re born with a phone in their hand and can text before they can talk. But think about it this way, Jimmy. If it was the other way around, I’d be talking to Marsha on the phone right now instead of you.”

“You’ve got a point there,” he said, then stopped and looked away, his brow wrinkled in thought.

“What is it, Jimmy? Something wrong with your food?”

“Huh?”

“All of a sudden, it’s like you’re a million miles away. Is something wrong?”

“No,” Weber said, shaking his head. “I just had a thought, but I can’t pin it down.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. We were sitting here talking and something flashed through my brain for a second and it’s gone already. I must be getting old and senile.”

“You’re just tired, honey,” Robyn said. “You’ve been on the go almost nonstop for days now. Why don’t you finish your food and we’ll set in front of the fireplace and just relax, okay?”

“Sounds good to me.”

They finished eating, and she sent him into the living room to build a fire while she did the dishes. When she finished and came out of the kitchen, the fire was burning, and he was snoring. Robyn smiled at him and got an afghan she had knitted when she was a teenager and put it over him, then cuddled up next to him on the couch and watched the flames.

Chapter 28

It’s a common experience that all humans have at one time or another. They try to remember the name of a song, or perhaps an actor, or something else that completely escapes their mind. Then, hours later, often when they are asleep, it comes to them. Scientists have called this the “tip of the tongue” phenomena, where we know something, but we cannot access the memory even though it’s on the tip of our tongue. During sleep, the brain continues to process information, which might include working on retrieving the forgotten information and bringing it forward to us. Such was the case hours later when Weber set upright in bed.

“Somebody lied to us!”

Robyn, asleep beside him, roused and asked, “What? What’s wrong, Jimmy?”

“It just hit me. When we were eating dinner and sitting at the table I said I had a thought but then I couldn’t remember it. It just came to me.”

“That’s good, honey,” she said. “But let’s talk about it in the morning, okay?”

“No, I might forget it by morning.”

He got out of bed and she asked, “Where are you going?”

“I’ve got to call Parks.”

“Jimmy, it’s 3:30 in the morning. I know you and Parks have this bromance thing going on, and I’m okay with that, but he’s asleep. Whatever it is, it’ll wait until later, won’t it?”

“Yeah, I guess so. But I need to make a note to myself.”

“Fair enough. Then will you come back to bed?”

Weber went into the other room and wrote a note to himself and stuck it on the kitchen table where he wouldn’t miss it in the morning. Then he went back to bed and Robyn sighed comfortably and snuggled up to him with her head on his chest. Even though he was exhausted and couldn’t remember getting from the couch to the bed, sleep did not come back easily, and the first light of dawn was creeping over the mountain town when he finally drifted off again. When he did, his dreams were of footprints and blood on the snow.

***

Parks had just sat down behind his desk when the door to his office trailer opened and Weber came in with a manila folder in his hand.

“Good morning, Jimmy. You look bright-eyed and bushy tailed.”

“It was a lie,” Weber said.

“Okay, okay, I admit it,” Parks said, shaking his head. “I really don’t come from big Oklahoma oil money. My family are just poor dirt farmers. Great Grandaddy Parks couldn’t scrape up enough money to take off with the rest of the Oakies during the Dust Bowl and we’ve all been poor dirt farmers ever since then. And that thing about me and those blonde triplets in Hawaii was just a story I made up. Happy now?”

“No, Parks,” Weber said, handing him the folder. “Look at this and tell me what you see.”

Parks opened the folder and said, “It’s the report from when we talked to Alan Sawicki. What am I supposed to be seeing?”

“Here,” Weber said, pointing to the second page of the report. “Alan told us that when he heard about the shooting, he tried to text Gabe and tried to call him, but it only went to voicemail, right? Do you remember that?”

“I think so, Jimmy, but I can’t say for sure that it was word for word. But that’s what it says here. What’s your point?”

“Carin Hatton said Gabe didn’t have a phone. She said that he lost one and busted the next one, throwing it against the wall when he threw a tantrum about something. After that, his father wouldn’t buy him another one. So, if he didn’t have a phone, how did Alan text him and call him and get voicemail?”

“You can make and receive phone calls on a lot of different programs like Skype, WhatsApp, Google Voice, and Facebook. I imagine there are a lot of other apps that will do it, too. Just like he was sending texts from his computer and his tablet.”

“Yeah, but if Gabe didn’t have his computer or tablet, which we know he didn’t because we seized them at the house, how was he supposed to get a text or call him?”

“Maybe the Sawicki kid didn’t know Gabe left his tablet and computer behind when he killed his dad and took off.”

“If Alan did call or text, wouldn’t there be a record of it someplace?”

“I would imagine so,” Parks said. “You might want to ask Dan Wright about that.”

“I’m going to,” Weber said as he went to the door. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“That’s it? You come in here and tell me all this and then go running off?”

“What do you want me to do, Parks, stay and play footsie with you?”

“No, but maybe we can go to the bakery. I’ll even buy you an eclair. You didn’t like the last one you had.”

Weber gave him the finger as he left the office.

“Where’s Dan?”

“Well, good morning to you, too,” Mary said when he entered the office.

“I need to talk to Dan.”

“He’s off duty until 4 o’clock,” Mary said. “What’s up, Jimmy?”

“I’m trying to follow up on something,” Weber said. “I’ll see you later.”

“Wait, don’t you want your coffee?”

But the sheriff was already back out the door. Mary stood there for a moment, his coffee cup in her hand, then shrugged and took a sip.

***

Weber heard a dog barking from inside when he rang the doorbell of the house Dan and Imogen shared. He waited a moment and rang the doorbell again.

“Hold on, I’m coming. Who is it?”

Someone lifted the blinds on the window next to the door and Weber stepped sideways so Imogene could see him. She unlocked the door and opened it as she slipped a snub-nosed .38 revolver into the pocket of her robe.

“Sheriff, what’s going on?” Her hair was still uncombed, and it was obvious she had just gotten out of bed.

“I’m sorry to wake you, Imogene, but I have to talk to Dan.”

“That’s all right. Is something wrong?”

“No. I just need to ask him about something.”

“He’s in the bathroom. Can you wait a minute?”

“Sure,” Weber said.

“Come in. Would you like some coffee?”

“Sounds good. I’m sorry to get you guys up so early,” Weber said.

“Don’t worry about it. I was awake, just lying in bed being lazy,” Imogene said as she went to the kitchen and turned on the coffee pot. “I’ll go tell Dan you’re here.”

She left him and then returned and said, “He’ll be a minute. Are you sure everything’s okay?”

“Yeah. I just had a thought that came to me in the middle of the night and I can’t let go of it,” Weber said.

She set three cups on the table and poured coffee into them. As she did, her robe gaped open enough to show an impressive amount of cleavage. Weber looked away politely and she pulled it closed. “Sorry about that.”

“No problem.”

“How’s Robyn?”

“She’s good. She’s got the duty with Dan this afternoon.”

“So, you’re an official midwife now. Are you going to start a side business?”

Weber laughed and said, “I’ll figure out another way to make an extra buck or two. I’m in no hurry to do that again.”

“Do what again?” Dan asked as he came into the kitchen.

“Deliver another baby.”

“I can understand that,” Dan said, sitting down in front of his coffee cup. “What’s up, Jimmy?”

“You told me that Gabe Hatton was sending emails and texts from his tablet and computer, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And according to Parks, there are programs you can use to make phone calls with the computer, too?”

“Yeah. What’s going on?”

Weber handed him the manila folder with the interview with Alan Sawicki and said, “According to what we know from his stepmother, Gabe Haddon didn’t have a telephone, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“In this report, Alan said that when he heard the news about the shooting, he tried to call Gabe and only got voicemail, and he also sent him a text. We know Gabe didn’t have his computer or his tablet with him, so is that why Alan couldn’t get hold of him? Or does he have a phone that nobody knows about, except maybe Alan? Do you remember seeing any texts from Alan to Gabe on the day of the shooting?”

“No, I know there weren’t any.”

“How about any of those apps that you can use to send and receive phone calls? Did Gabe have those on his stuff?”

“No, he didn’t.”

“So where did those texts go, Dan? We know Gabe didn’t have access to his stuff to delete them if they went to his regular accounts.”

“Damn. How did we miss that?”

“You guys have had a lot of things going on lately,” Imogene said.

“Before you go on patrol tonight, can you check his computer and tablet and see if there were any messages on the day of the shooting that we missed somehow?”

“I don’t have to wait to go to the office to do that,” Dan said. “I copied the hard drives from them onto an external drive that I can plug into my laptop. I’m still trying to interpret those stupid codes of theirs. Let me get it.”

While Dan went to retrieve his laptop, Weber and Imogene made small talk. He had always been impressed with how intelligent she was, and it was easy to see why Dan was so taken with her. When the deputy came back, he opened his computer and started going through things and said, “There were a few regular texts the day and night before the shooting, and a few longer ones in that code of theirs. But nothing I can see that hinted at what Gabe was planning to do.”

“I’m not a cop, but I don’t think Gabe planned to do what he did ahead of time,” Imogene said. “From what I’ve heard from Dan, he wasn’t exactly prepared if he didn’t even have a coat on.”

“I believe you’re right about that,” Weber said. “It seems like it was spontaneous.”

“Just because his dad wouldn’t buy him another phone doesn’t mean he couldn’t have gotten one on his own, does it?”

“Not necessarily, Dan. Except we know he didn’t have a job, so where did he get that kind of money? Those iPhones aren’t exactly cheap.”

“It didn’t have to be an iPhone, Sheriff,” Imogene said. “A lot of the kids at school have cheap prepaid phones. Is it possible he picked up something like that?”

“You have a point,” Weber said. “That’s very possible.”

Dan was scrolling through his computer and said, “I’m just double checking, Jimmy. There’s nothing between Gabe and Alan on the day of the shooting. I don’t see where there are any texts or any attempts that he made to contact Gabe. At least not on his regular accounts.”

“Does that mean that Alan lied to me and Parks when he said he called and sent texts?”

“Why would he do that?”

“You tell us, Imogene,” Dan said. “You know more about kids than we do. You’re the schoolteacher.”

“I have kids lie to me all the time,” she replied. “Everything from nonsense like the dog ate their homework or their little brother tore it up. And some of them get more creative. Last week Kelsey Davis told me she didn’t get her homework done because her Aunt Martha died. I asked if she believed in reincarnation, and she didn’t know what that was, so I told her. I said I believe in it because it seems like Aunt Martha has died three times this year. And then you have those two girls yesterday that were joyriding and made-up that story.”

“I get what you’re saying,” Dan said. “In cases like that, they’re trying to get out of trouble or get off for something they did. But how does that explain why Alan would claim he tried to contact Gabe on the day of the shooting? As the school resource officer, I’ve heard some crazy stories, too. And not just to get out of trouble. Brian Walton told me he killed a bear with his bow and arrow last year. When I asked to see a picture of it, he didn’t have one. I asked how big it was, and he didn’t remember. Didn’t remember where he shot it, either. He was just trying to impress me, I guess.”

“I’ve had that kind of stuff, too,” Imogene replied. “But having had Gabe and Alan both in my classes, I can tell you that those two never seemed like they felt the need to impress anyone. They might be geeks, but they appeared to be happy that way and they never cared about fitting in.”

“Do you know if Gabe’s mother is back in town yet? She might know if he had another phone.”

“She made a point of telling us about the iPhones, so I don’t see how she’d overlook telling us he had a burner phone,” Weber said. “The funeral is today, and I hate to call her about this, but I think I need to.”

Coming back from the kitchen with a plate of cinnamon rolls she had warmed in the microwave, Imogene said, “It’s not even nine o’clock yet, I don’t know when the service is, but I would think it’s later than that.”

“It’s at two o’clock,” Weber said as he pulled his phone out. He dialed Carin Hatton, and she answered on the third ring.

“Sheriff Weber. Have you found him?”

“No, ma’am, we haven’t yet,” Weber said. “I’m sorry to bother you today of all days, Carin, but I need to ask you a question.”

“All right. What is it?”

“You said that Gabe’s father wouldn’t buy him another phone because he lost one and trashed one, right?”

“Yes. That was one of the things they argued about. One of many.”

“Is a possible Gabe somehow got a phone on his own without his father buying him one? Maybe one of those cheap prepaid ones?”

She was silent for a moment and then said, “I guess anything’s possible. He had some money left over from graduation and his birthday, so I guess he could have. But I never saw it, and he never told me about it. As I said before, we were always very close, so I would be surprised if he did and kept it from me. Why would he do that?”

Weber was silent as he thought about what she had told him, and she asked, “Are you still there, Sheriff?”

“I’m sorry, Carin. It was just a thought that came to me.”

“Is there something going on with Gabe that I don’t know about?”

“No, ma’am. We’re running down every lead that comes to us. Alan Sawicki said that he called and texted Gabe when he heard about the shooting, but we can’t find anything on Gabe’s computer or tablet that showed that and were just wondering if he might have had another phone.”

“Gabe wasn’t much for talking on the phone. Sometimes he Facetimed with his cousin Shannon down here, but not often. He Facetimed me a couple times about things, but it was mostly just texts from his computer or tablet.”

“All right. I’m sorry to bother you today of all days, Carin. I know it’s going to be a rough day for you, but you’ll get through this.”

“To be honest, I’m not sure. It’s just…” She was quiet for a moment, then said, “It’s just so hard. We had a little viewing for him last night and I was sitting there and it was like, I don’t know how to go on. I really don’t.”

“All I can tell you is one day at a time, Carin,” Weber said.

“Jerry’s family down here has been so supportive. They just surrounded me with love and support. I don’t know what I would do without them.”

“It’s good you have that,” Weber told her.

“Is the big storm up there still going on?”

“No, ma’am. We’re all just digging out,” Weber told her. “We’ve got most of the roads open and the power’s back on everywhere. Oh, and I drove by your place, and Eddie from across the street was clearing out your driveway with his snowblower.”

“He’s always been so nice,” Carin said. “Him and Brenda both.”

“They’re good people,” Weber said.

“I don’t think I’ll be driving back up today after the funeral, but I think I will come home tomorrow. Patrick and Thomas have both told me to stay with either of them as long as I want to, but I just feel like I need to get back, even though I know there’s nothing I can do up there.”

“Do what feels right for you,” Weber told her. “There’s no right answer or wrong answer for any of this, Carin.”

“I know, Sheriff. I’ll be in touch when I get home. But then what do I do? I built my whole life around my husband. And Gabe, too, of course. My God, why did he do this? I love Gabe, but I won’t lie to you, Sheriff. I always knew there was something different about him. I always thought it was because of the way his birth mother abandoned him. That’s why I tried so hard to be a mother to him. If you would have asked me if I thought he would ever do something like this, I would’ve thought you were crazy.”

“We never know what’s in somebody else’s mind,” Weber said. “All we can do is try to pick up the pieces and start over.”

“What pieces, Sheriff? What pieces do I have left to pick up? All the pieces of my life are shattered.”

Weber didn’t know how to respond to that, so all he could say was, “Be careful driving back up tomorrow, Carin.”

Chapter 29

“Back again, Sheriff?”

“Sorry to bother you again, Buster,” Weber said. “Can I come in?”

“Sure.”

He stepped into the house and the Golden retriever rolled onto its back, legs extended, wanting a belly rub, but Weber wasn’t in the mood to rub a dog’s belly that morning.

“I need to talk to Alan again, Buster.”

“Now what? Seems like he’s already told you everything he knows.”

“I just need to ask him about something he said before that’s not making sense to us.”

“Sheriff, I’m a patient man. But half the town is talking about us behind our backs, saying Alan was involved in Jerry Hatton getting killed. When the wife went to work at the nursing home this morning, one of the women she works with told her she should be ashamed to show her face in town after what Alan and Gabe did. She was so upset she came home in tears.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Buster,” Weber said. “People say stupid things sometimes.”

“That’s because they’re scared to death. Why haven’t you caught that kid yet?”

“Believe me, we’re doing everything we can,” Weber said.

“Meanwhile, everybody thinks my boy was part of it. And it don’t help when you keep coming back here over and over. We’re a good family. We’ve never done anything wrong.”

“I know that, Buster.”

“You know that, but you keep coming back. This is like the third time. Tell me flat out, do you suspect my kid of something?”

“Buster, I don’t know what’s going on. I really don’t. That’s why I need to talk to Alan again.”

“All right. But this can’t go on,” Buster said, going to the bottom of the stairs and shouting, “Alan, get down here.”

“I’m in the middle of something, Dad.”

“I don’t give a damn what you’re doing. Get your ass down here!”

“Honey, I know you’re upset because you’re missing so much work, but don’t take it out on the kids,” his wife said.

“If these guys would catch that little prick, I’d be back at work instead of standing here.”

“Buster, I know you’re frustrated. I’m just as frustrated,” Weber said.

“Don’t tell me that bullshit, Sheriff. Is it your kid people think is a killer? Is it your family they’re talking about behind your back? Are people saying shit to your wife?”

Alan came down the stairs and paused when he saw the sheriff.

“Did you find Gabe?”

“Not yet,” Weber said. “I need to ask you about something, Alan. When Special Agent Parks and I were here the first time after the shooting, you told me that when you heard about it, you tried to call Gabe and it went to voicemail, right?”

“Yeah. So what?”

“You also said you sent him a text, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Alan, we looked at Gabe’s computer and on his tablet, and we don’t see any texts from you or any kind of computer phone call either.”

“What are you getting at, Sheriff?”

“Buster, we’re trying to figure out how Alan tried to reach out to Gabe when we know Gabe didn’t have a cell phone. The way they communicated was by text and occasional computer phone calls.”

“Yeah. So what’s your point?”

“Like I just said, Alan told us he called and left a voicemail and said he sent a text. But we can’t find any evidence of either of those on Gabe’s tablet or his computer.”

“I don’t understand all that computer crap. Cut to the chase and tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I’m beginning to think that Gabe had a cell phone we didn’t know about, but Alan did. Is that true, Alan?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I think you do,” Weber said.

“I said I don’t know anything about a phone!”

“Listen, Alan, if you’re lying, you could be charged with felonies including aiding and abetting a fugitive and being an accessory after the fact of Jerry Hatton’s murder.”

“Now hold on just a damn minute, Sheriff,” Buster said, raising his voice. “I’ve asked him over and over if he’s told me everything he knows and Alan said he has, and I believe him. So don’t go standing here calling him a liar!”

“Buster, I mean no disrespect to you or your son,” Weber said. “But the fact remains that Alan said he tried to call and text. If that were true, there would be some electronic record of it somewhere if he tried to reach Gabe on his computer or his tablet. It’s just not there. Can you explain that, Alan?”

“I don’t know. It was all happening at once. Maybe I tried the wrong numbers,” the boy said defensively.

“You and Gabe are best buddies. You talk back and forth constantly. But you want me to believe that you tried to call him and got a wrong number?”

“Isn’t that what I just said?”

“It’s what you said, but it doesn’t make sense,” Weber said. “I don’t know much more about computers and stuff like that than your father does. But I do know that I have all my contacts on my phone and on my computer and all I do is click on their name and it goes right to them. I don’t dial a number.”

Alan wouldn’t meet Weber’s eyes when he said, “Maybe I made a mistake. I think that was the day before what happened to Gabe’s dad.”

“Maybe you made a mistake by lying to us, Alan. Even if it was the day before, there’d still be a record of it on his computer.”

“That’s enough,” the boy’s father said, slapping his hand on the table so hard that the items on it rattled. “I’m putting a stop to this. If you want to talk to him any more, you need to go through our lawyer first, Sheriff.”

“Buster, I’m not trying to make life hard for you. I’m really not,” Weber said. “But I need answers, and Alan seems to be the only one who has them.”

“Fine, then talk to our lawyer.”

Buster walked to the door, leaving no mistake that he expected Weber to leave. Instead, the sheriff turned to Alan and said, “I know you care about Gabe, and the last thing I want is to involve you in all of this. But if you’re trying to cover for him, if you’re doing something we don’t know about to help him, you could go to prison with him. You’re over eighteen. This isn’t kid stuff, Alan.”

“I don’t have anything else to say.”

“We can settle this pretty easy,” Weber said. “Let me see your cell phone, Alan. It will show me who you called.”

“Get your ass out of my house, Sheriff, and don’t come back,” Buster said. “I mean it.”

The good-natured dog sensed the tension between them and growled.

“Thank you for your time, Buster,” Weber said, and left.

***

“You know I’ll help you anytime I can, Jimmy. But I can’t issue a search warrant based on what you’ve told me so far.”

“Roberta, this is the only thing we can figure out that might help us know where Gabe Hatton went after he shot his dad.”

“I understand that,” Judge Jensen said, “But I need to see a direct connection, Jimmy. All you have is him saying he made a phone call and text the day of the shooting. Then he says it must have been another day. That doesn’t give us any proof of anything. It’s like taking one person’s word against another, but in this case, it’s his word both times.”

“That’s why I need his phone or his phone records.”

“What do you hope to find, because I need specifics, Jimmy. You know that.”

“I don’t know what I’m hoping to find, Roberta. Maybe something telling if he took Gabe someplace to hide or Gabe asking him to bring him supplies or something.”

“So, a fishing expedition?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Weber admitted, feeling defeated.

“I’m sorry, that’s not enough, Jimmy. I wish I could help. But even if you found anything, a defense attorney would get it thrown out of court based upon the insufficient need for the warrant.”

“Right now, I don’t care about what might happen in court. I just want to find Gabe.”

“I know you do,” Roberta said. “We all want you to so this town can get back to normal. My neighbor, Mrs. Barnes, has two of those short-term rentals and she said they always book a year in advance for the season, but she has had so many cancelations after this all started that she has more vacant dates than reserved.”

“Well, I appreciate your time,” Weber said, getting up from his chair in her office.

“Bring back something specific, Jimmy. Figure out something that explains the need for the warrant and I’ll take another look.”

“I’ll try, Roberta.

When Weber got back to the office, Mary said, “You had a call from Deputy Marshal Helms.”

Going into his office, he called Marshal Helms, and when she answered, she said, “Hello, Sheriff. Are you guys still digging out up there?”

“The streets are clear, but we’ve got a lot of snow piled up if you want to come up and play in it.”

“No, thanks. I’m not a ski bunny.”

“Please tell me you found something useful,” Weber said.

“Not a lot,” she replied. “I went by the car dealership and talked to Kathy Coates, the woman that Gabe had been in contact with from there. She did say one thing that I thought was interesting.”

“What’s that?”

“Gabe wanted to know if his mother could cosign for him to get financed on the truck, with the idea that he would pay it off when he got his trust settlement. She ran it by their finance manager and he said with no current employment and no proof of income, there’s no way Gabe could get financed. He suggested Coates tell Gabe that his mother could buy the truck in her name, if she could qualify. That would be the only way to do it.”

“So basically, a straw purchase?”

“Right. Did Carin Hatton mention any of that to you?”

“No, she didn’t. But who knows if Gabe even brought it up? By the way she talked, I don’t think she would go behind her husband’s back and do something like that, or even cosign. They couldn’t exactly hide a pickup truck from the father. I think that was just grasping at straws.”

“Probably so, Sheriff. I’ll be heading over to the funeral soon and we have people with photos of Gabe, so if he were foolish enough to show up, we’ll nail him.”

“That’s a big if,” Weber said.

“It is. I also talked to Corey Gunn. He does that fugitive show on television. He’s agreed to talk about Gabe this week. He’s got a nationwide audience, and his viewers have helped find wanted people all over the country. If Gabe made it out of there after the murder and is on the run, there’s a good chance that someone will spot him and make a call.”

“Let’s keep our fingers crossed,” Weber said.

“Anything new on your end?”

“A couple of things,” Weber said, “one being a waste of time.” He told her about the alleged kidnapping at Miller’s Pond.

“Wow. What a waste of time and resources.”

“Exactly,” Weber said.

“Are you charging them with anything?”

“No,” Weber told her. “They’re mostly good kids and have never been in trouble before. They just did something stupid, and it got out of hand. Between one of my deputies telling them he was considering throwing them in jail for a week and the ass chewing they got from their parents and being grounded, I think they realize how wrong they were.”

“Anything else?”

Weber told her about the inconsistencies in Alan’s story about trying to contact Gabe the day of the shooting, and the sheriff’s suspicion that the suspect had a prepaid phone.

Marshal Helms said, “You can buy a phone like that in just about any convenience store these days. I assume your people are looking into that?”

“They are,” Weber said. “They haven’t found anything so far. Nobody keeps a record when you buy one of them and nobody in any of our local stores remembers Gabe buying one.”

“You said the judge won’t issue a search warrant for Alan Sawicki’s phone based on what you have so far?”

“No,” Weber replied. “She’s a good person. She works with us any way she can, but there are limits.”

“I understand that, Sheriff. I’ll get back to you if we see anything suspicious at the funeral. Oh, by the way, our people are looking at those blocked files on Gabe’s computers that Deputy Wright gave us backups to. Hopefully, they can get into them. I’ll let you know what they come up with.”

“Thank you, Marshal,” Weber said. “We need all the help we can get.”

Chapter 31

Weber had been in such a hurry to talk to Parks and Alan about the inconsistencies in the young man’s statement concerning contacting Gabe that he had not bothered with breakfast, over Robyn’s strong objections. By noon the coffee and cinnamon roll he had at Dan and Imogene’s house he was wearing thin and he was ready to give in to his hunger, but he had promised to meet Jennifer Shores at Archer and Kallie Jo’s house so she could take a picture of him with the mother and baby for a story she was running about the emergency home birth in the newspaper.

“Hey there, Sheriff Jimmy. How you doin’ today?”

“I’m good, Kallie Jo. How are you? And how’s this little guy?”

“We’re just fine as can be, ain’t we, Jody?” She lifted the baby from his bassinet and asked, “Do you remember this man, Jody?” as she brought him to the sheriff and placed him in his arms.

Weber was not used to holding babies, and he was very stiff, afraid he might harm it in some way. “Just relax, Sheriff Jimmy. You ain’t gonna break him. Shoot, you was the first person to ever hold him, remember?”

“Oh, yeah. I remember,” Weber said. “How you doing, Jody?”

The baby opened his eyes and looked at him and there was a smile that Weber thought must be some kind of recognition until the baby burped. He guessed it was just gas after all.

“So, what do you think of this little guy, Archer?”

“I still can’t believe he’s real every time I look at him.”

“Archer is shaping up to be a real fine daddy, Sheriff Jimmy.”

“That’s what Gretchen told me the other night. She said they’ve even got you changing diapers, Archer.”

The doorbell rang and Archer went to let Jennifer in. The young reporter took off her jacket and pulled her stocking cap off, her curly hair springing out.

“Thanks for making time for me to come over and do this. How are you feeling, Kallie Jo?”

“I’m just fine.”

“So, I guess you guys had quite an ordeal, didn’t you?”

“Tell the truth, I think it was harder on Sheriff Jimmy than it was me,” Kallie Jo told her.

“Is that true, Uncle Jimmy?”

Jennifer’s father had been killed in an accident when she was a small child and Weber and Paul Lewis, the editor and publisher of the weekly Big Lake Herald newspaper, had become her surrogate uncles, and the closest thing to father figures she would ever know.

“Let’s just say I’m in no hurry to repeat the experience,” he told her.

Jennifer took out a small digital recorder and asked them to tell her what had happened the night of the baby’s delivery. By the time they got done with the story, Jody was beginning to fuss a bit, but they were able to get several pictures of mother, baby, and Weber together before he began crying.

“It’s feedin’ time,” Kallie Jo said. “Archer here can never claim it’s not his baby, not with that appetite.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Weber said.

“You don’t have to run off just ’cause I’m feeding the baby, Sheriff Jimmy. I’ll cover up so you won’t be embarrassed.”

“I’d love to stay and visit, but we’re still trying to find Gabe Hatton.”

“I feel bad that I’m not there helping find him, Jimmy.”

“Don’t you worry about that, Archer. Enjoy your family leave time. You’ll be busy enough when you get back to work.”

Jennifer walked out with him and asked, “Anything new you can tell me about the investigation, Uncle Jimmy?”

“I’ll tell you what. Let’s grab a bite to eat and I’ll fill you in on what I can,” Weber suggested.

“I may not be Archer, but I’ll never turn down a free meal,” she said with a smile.

Fifteen minutes later, they were seated at Billy’s BBQ and Weber gave her a brief rundown on the status of the case. He enjoyed working with Jennifer because he had known her all her life and trusted her, and she knew when not to push for information that he could not reveal.

“I’ve been talking to people around town, and a lot of them are scared to death. I know you said before that you don’t believe he was still up here unless he got lost and froze to death in the first storm on the day of the shooting. Do you still think that’s the case?”

“I don’t know how he could have survived. But we can’t figure out how he could have gotten out of town, either. The US Marshal’s Service has a nationwide alert out for him and they’ve got capabilities and resources we can’t come close to,” Weber said. “If he somehow made it out of here, it’s only a matter of time until they find him.”

“And if he didn’t, Uncle Jimmy?”

“Then, with any luck, somebody will find what’s left of him, eventually. Or maybe not. Who knows?”

“I’ve talked to some of the kids who went to school with Gabe, and it sounds like he was one of the most unpopular students there. They all say he was just a complete outsider who never tried to fit in.”

“I know, and outsiders are prime targets for bullies, Jennifer. I guess you heard about the rumors about him being gay?”

“Yeah. Do you think there’s any truth to them? Not that I care one way or another, but let’s face it, Big Lake might not be a great place to be a gay kid in high school.”

“I thought young people were more accepting these days,” Weber said.

“I think they are, Uncle Jimmy. But at the same time, there are always going to be bullies. Especially when someone is like Gabe, who kept everybody at arm’s length.”

The young man who had taken their order brought their sandwiches to the table, and as they ate, Weber and Jennifer talked about the differences she had experienced between growing up in somewhat sheltered Big Lake and then going off to Tucson for college.

“It was a good experience, but I was glad to be back home.”

“It’s funny how everybody has their own idea of what they want out of life,” Weber said. “I was talking to Jeff Endicott the other day. He’s down in Phoenix going to a trade school and he said him and his girlfriend love the big city life and it didn’t seem like they were in any hurry to come back here.”

“I guess to each their own,” Jennifer replied. “Look at you, Uncle Jimmy. You went off to the Army and then came back. I remember when you left, you said you didn’t think you wanted to ever live here again, and it broke my heart. But look at us both, sitting here today.”

Weber’s phone rang and he looked at the caller ID and said, “I need to take this.” He pushed the button to answer the call and asked, “What’s up, Dan?”

“I did it, Jimmy. I cracked the code!”

“You did?”

“Well, at least in part. I called the office and Mary said you’re not there.”

“No, but I can be, or I can come back to your place.”

“I’ll see you at the office.”

“What’s up, Uncle Jimmy?”

“You know that code I told you about that Gabe was using? Dan says he figured it out.”

“No kidding? Can I come, too?” Before Weber could answer, she held up her hand and said, “I understand that there are some things you won’t be able to show me. Fair enough?”

“Fair enough,” he said, finishing the last of his sandwich.

***

“I know there’s more to this code than what I’ve figured out so far, and I’ll explain that in a minute,” an obviously excited Dan Wright told them. “But here, let me show you this first, because it’ll help explain part of what I’m talking about.”

He placed a sheet of paper on his desk with a line of five letters, A through E, and a line of the numbers 1 through 5 under it. Then there was another line of letters, F through J, and under them the numbers 6 through 10, and so on through the number 26 and the letter, Z, under it.

“Okay, to keep it simple, we’ve got 26 letters in the alphabet and the numbers 1 through 26, each corresponding in sequence, so that 1 equals A, and 2 equals B, and 3 equals C, and on through the alphabet. Does that make any sense so far?”

A | B | C | D | E
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
F | G | H | I | J
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
K | L | M | N | O
11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15
P | Q | R | S | T
16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20
U | V | W | X | Y
21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25
Z |  |  |  |
26 |  |  |  |

Looking at the grid of numbers and corresponding letters, Weber nodded his head and said, “I get that.”

“Okay, if I want to send the message Hello Jimmy in code, I would start with 8 for H and 5 for E and 12 for L and 12 again for another L and then 15 for O, 10 for J, 9 for I,13 for M and another 13 for M again, and 25 for Y. Are you following me?”

Dan had written out the number and letter sequence, and Weber said, “That’s simple enough, I guess. But how do you figure out each word if it’s just one long string of numbers?”

“Again, keeping it simple, if you read HELLOJIMMY, you could figure that out, right? So if you did it just that way, all you’d have to do is read a long line of letters and put spaces where appropriate and then you’d have a sentence.”

“I can see that,” Jennifer said.

“It makes sense, but it would take forever for somebody to read it, wouldn’t it?”

“Not necessarily, Uncle Jimmy,” Jennifer said. “It’s just like when I took Spanish in high school. None of it makes sense until you use it enough. So, if I was reading something in Spanish and knew the language, it wouldn’t take me long to figure out what the letters meant for each word. From what I’ve heard, Gabe and Alan Sawicki are both smart and really sharp in math. If this was the way they communicated, it would just become another language to them, right, Dan?”

“In theory, that’s right,” Dan said. “However, they didn’t make it that easy. If they did, anybody could have figured it out pretty quickly if they tried hard enough. But let me show you this one.”

He showed them a piece of paper with a long series of numbers on one line.

“Okay, based on what I told you, can you figure this one out?”

Jennifer and Weber studied it and both shook their heads. “934767749132541425120851817191420154125. I don’t get it,” Jennifer said.

“Me either, Dan.”

“It took me a while to figure out that the first nine numbers don’t mean anything. Or at least anything I can figure out. But if you delete them and start with what’s left, here, I’ll break it into words.” He wrote the series of numbers with spaces between the number sequences. 1325 414 25120 8518 171914 20154125.

Jennifer studied it for a moment and picked up a pen and piece of paper and worked it out, then said, “MY DAD BEAT HER AGAIN TODAY.”

“That’s right,” Dan said. “And even without the spaces, if you had all those together, it would be just like the HELLOJIMMY run together. Then, just to make it more confusing, they would have a series of numbers at the end of the sentence, too. And it wasn’t always a series of nine numbers. It could be any series of numbers. Some strings seem to have fifteen or twenty numbers before it actually gets to the message.”

“How the hell did you figure that out? Because I’m seeing it, but I’m still confused,” Weber said.

“I don’t know, Jimmy. It was just hours of staring at it and looking for anything that was common. Once I did, it was not that hard.”

“We’re not paying you enough, Dan,” the sheriff said. “How many of those messages have you been able to figure out?”

“Just a few short ones so far, Jimmy. Some of them are a lot longer and it’s going to take me a while to work through them.”

“Can I help?”

Weber looked at Dan and they both looked at Jennifer, and Dan said, “I wouldn’t mind the help, but what if there’s something important to the case you came across, Jennifer? Would that create some kind of conflict of interest, Jimmy?”

“Come on, you know me, Uncle Jimmy. I won’t talk out of school. Anything that I find won’t go in the paper until you clear it. I promise.”

“I’m not worried about that,” Weber told her. “I just wonder if some attorney could find some way to make that a problem.”

“Hell, just swear her in as a part-time deputy or a civilian volunteer or something like that,” Mary suggested.

Weber thought about it for a moment and said, “That’s an idea. Congratulations, Jennifer, you’re our latest civilian volunteer. You and Dan figure out how you’re going to work together on it. I care more about results than details.”

“I love it,” Jennifer said excitedly.

“Alan Sawicki said that Gabe had told him his father was abusing his mother, and it says the same thing here: He beat her again today. But when I talked to Carin Hatton about that, she absolutely denied it.”

“You know, Jimmy, some women won’t admit they’re being abused, even when they are,” Mary said. “If you talked to Christine Ridgeway, she would tell you all about that.”

“I don’t have to talk to Christine about it. I’ve seen it myself,” Weber said, recalling more than one battered woman who would stand in front of him with eyes blackened and blood dripping down her face and say it was an accident. She bumped into something or fell down. Her husband abused her? No, that would never happen!

Was that the case here? He felt like he needed to have another talk with Carin Hatton when she got back in town, and revisit the subject with her.

Chapter 32

It was just past noon the next day, and after a meeting with the town council and attorney Bob Bennett about developer Robert Bannister’s frivolous lawsuit against the town and the Sheriff’s Office, and him personally, Weber was backing up Buz on a traffic stop with an out-of-town driver who was wasted and had an attitude. While admitting he had been smoking pot, he refused to take a field sobriety test.

“I haven’t been drinking. I’m stoned.”

“Yeah, that’s obvious,” Buz told him. “The standardized field sobriety tests are physical and mental exercises to assess your impairment and determine if you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.” 

“You already know I’m stoned. But you can’t charge me with DUI unless it’s booze. Weed is legal in Arizona.” 

“I don’t know where you went to law school,” Buz told the young man, “but you might want to call them and see if you can get your tuition back. The law says driving under the influence applies to anything that affects your ability to drive safely. That includes alcohol, drugs, and even prescription medications. Now, are you going to perform the tests or not?”

“What if I refuse?”

“You have the right to refuse,” Buz told him. “But based on the strong odor of marijuana, your physical appearance, and your reactions, I have probable cause to arrest you and arrange for a blood draw and/or urine sample.”

“You can kiss my ass about that. I’m not doing any of that and you can’t make me.”

“Yes, I can,” Buz replied. “Arizona’s Implied Consent Law states that when you are issued a driver’s license, you automatically agree to submit to chemical tests, including breath, blood, and urine if an officer suspects you of driving under the influence. Refusing to do so can mean a one-year suspension of your driver’s license.”

“What a crock of shit! I just came up to go skiing and hopefully get laid, not get hassled by some dipshit Deputy Dawg with a God complex. I want to talk to your supervisor, asshole!”

“That would be Sheriff Weber, and trust me, you really don’t want to cop an attitude with him. Compared to him, I’m almost a sweetheart.”

“Look, Poindexter. Get on your radio and tell him to get his ass out here right now or I’m driving away.”

“That would be a big mistake,” Buz told him.

“The only person making a big mistake here is you. Now get your boss out here right now if you know what’s good for you.”

“If you say so,” Buz said with a sigh. He turned to Weber and said, “Sheriff, this gentleman wants to talk to you.”

“Wait. You’re the Sheriff?”

“I am,” Weber told him. “Now, as Deputy Carelton said, you have two choices, sir. You can perform the field sobriety tests or you can go to jail. Your choice, either way. It doesn’t matter to me. What’s it going to be?”

“I want to talk to my lawyer.”

“No problem, sir. You can do that once you get to jail. I’m going to ask you one more time. Are you going to take the tests or not?”

“I’m not doing anything until I talk to my lawyer.”

“Have it your way,” Weber said. “Step out of the car, sir.”

“I don’t think so.”

“It’s not open for debate. I gave you a lawful order, and if you don’t get out of the car, we’re going to take you out.”

“You lay a finger on me and I’ll sue you both for everything you own!”

The sheriff didn’t respond. He just reached inside the car and grabbed the man under the arm and started pulling him out. The driver began to resist and Buz grabbed his other arm, and between the two of them, they got him outside and on the ground.

“Stop resisting!”

The man cursed and continued to try to stop them from handcuffing him.

“Keep it up and you’re going to get tased,” Buz warned.

“You can’t do this to me. I have rights. Do you know who my father is?”

“No,” Weber said. “Didn’t your mother ever tell you?”

They got him handcuffed and put him in the back of Buz’s unit, then searched his car, finding a baggie of marijuana, a glass pipe, and some residue that tested positive for crack cocaine.

“Well, hell,” Weber said. “That fool’s day is getting worse by the minute, isn’t it? Take him in and call the Medical Center to have them send somebody over for a blood draw and urine sample.”

He stood by until Randy Laird arrived with his tow truck to impound the car. “They keeping you busy, Jimmy?”

“It never stops.”

Randy looked at the car and said, “I don’t see any damage. What’s the story with this one?”

“Just some guy with an attitude who thinks the law doesn’t apply to him. You know what they say, Randy, come on vacation and leave on probation.”

The mechanic laughed and began hooking up the Mazda MX5, when Weber’s radio sounded an alert tone and the dispatcher called out, “Any units available, we have a report of shots fired at 316 Antelope Drive.”

“Antelope Drive? Isn’t that where that kid killed his father?”

Weber keyed his mic and said, “This is One. What’s going on?”

“I got a call from a neighbor who said she went to the door and heard a woman screaming and gunshots. That’s all I know, Sheriff.”

“Show me on the way,” Weber said, and two of his deputies called and said they were en route.

Speeding through town with his lights and siren clearing the way, Weber was confused. How could there be another shooting at the Hatton house? That didn’t make any sense at all.

Coop arrived at the house at the same time, and jumping out of his unit, Weber said, “Go to the back, Coop!”

Brenda Switzer was standing in the yard with three other neighbors, and she said, “Something terrible is happening in there, Sheriff!”

“Did you call it in, Brenda?”

“Yes, I saw Carin pulling in earlier as I was going out to the grocery store. After I came back and put the groceries away, I went over to say hi and see how she was doing. When I was coming up to the house, I could hear her screaming hysterically and then someone shooting.”

“How many shots, Brenda?”

“I don’t know. It seems like a lot.”

“What the hell is going on around here, Sheriff? That’s two shootings in a week on this street,” said Carl Burgess. “I moved up here from Phoenix to get away from all that shit.”

“Everybody get back across the street or get inside,” Weber ordered. “If there are more shots fired, I don’t want anybody getting hit by accident.”

Weber approached the house cautiously, and when he tried the front door, it was unlocked. Drawing his pistol and stepping inside, he shouted, “Sheriff’s Office. Anybody in here, call out so I know where you are.”

There was no answer, and as he checked the living room, Tommy Frost entered the house and said, “Right behind you, Jimmy.”

They cleared the front part of the house, announcing their presence, then moved down the hall.

“Sheriff’s Office. Make yourself known,” Weber called out again. There was still no response, but they could hear a metallic snapping sound. They cleared Gabe’s bedroom and the guest bedroom across the hall and moved toward the master bedroom at the end of the hall. The strange sound grew louder as they approached.

Looking into the room, Weber saw a naked Carin Hatton standing with a revolver in her hands, pulling the trigger over and over, the gun’s hammer falling with a metallic click on already fired shells. A few feet away, her son Gabe, also naked, was lying on his back on the floor at the foot of the king-sized bed, torso covered in blood, sightless eyes staring at the ceiling.

“Carin, it’s Sheriff Weber. I need you to put the gun down.”

If she heard him, she didn’t acknowledge it. She just continued to stand woodenly, eyes fixed on Gabe’s body, as she pulled the trigger over and over again. Holstering his weapon and moving slowly into the room, Weber said again, “Carin, I need you to put the gun down. It’s all right. We’re here now.” 

As if in a trance, she continued to pull the trigger on the empty gun. Talking in a low tone of voice, Weber slowly eased up beside her and took the gun away and dropped it on the bed.

Tommy bent down and checked Gabe for vital signs, then looked at Weber and shook his head. More deputies were in the house now, calling out, and Tommy stepped back out into the hall and said, “Back here. Somebody call an ambulance.”

The fluffy robe she had been wearing the day her husband had been killed was lying on the floor next to the bed and Weber picked it up.

“Here, Carin, put this on, okay?”

She had dropped her arms to her sides but continued to stare at Gabe’s body. Finally, eyes still locked on her son, she said, “I shot him.”

“Carin, it’s best if you don’t say anything right now, okay?”

“He raped me. He raped me and I shot him.”

Weber had never attempted to dress a mannequin, but he felt it might be something like trying to work her arms into the robe, pulling it closed across her, and tying the sash together. In doing so, he noticed red marks on her breasts and around her neck, and that her lower lip was split and swollen.

“Come on, Carin. Let’s go in the other room.”

With one hand on her back, he gently guided her around the foot of the bed and toward the door. She never looked back as he took her down the hall and sat her down in a chair in the living room.

“Are you all right, Carin? Are you hurting anywhere?”

Weber leaned down to where his face was in front of hers and she stared at him unblinking for a second, then she seemed to snap out of the shock she was under and she said, “He raped me. My God, why would Gabe do that? I’m his mother and he raped me.”

“I’m sorry, Carin. I’m sorry that happened to you,” Weber said.

“He beat me and he choked me and then he raped me. He said he was going to kill me and then himself. He said that was the only way this could end.”

Weber heard sirens outside, and a moment later, EMTs Ann Duchamps and Pat Price came through the door.

“Why did he do that? Why did Gabe do that to me?”

“We can talk about all that later,” Weber said. “Right now, let’s get you to a hospital and get you checked out, all right?”

“I shot him, Sheriff. I shot my own son.”

“Let’s get you to the Medical Center, honey,” said Ann Duchamps. “You and the sheriff can talk about all that later. Right now, we need to make sure that you don’t have any internal injuries or anything like that, okay?”

The EMT was a short, solidly built woman with curly brown hair that looked like it would defy any attempt at combing or brushing. She put a gentle hand on Carin’s and asked, “Are you okay to stand up on your own, or do you need some help?”

Carin looked at her, confused for a moment, and then said, “I loved him. Why would Gabe do that to me?”

“I don’t know, honey. I honestly don’t know.”

“I shot him.”

And then Carin screamed, a terrible, anguished sound that everybody in that room would remember for a long time and collapsed into Ann’s arms.

Chapter 33

“How’s she doing, Doctor?”

“She’s been through a lot, Sheriff,” Doctor Patel said. “Besides the obvious physical injuries, she’s had a major emotional trauma. Not just from this incident, but also from losing her husband a few days ago, and who the assailant was.”

“When can I talk to her?”

“We’re doing a sexual assault examination and that takes time, as you know, Sheriff. We don’t want to rush and get something wrong.”

“I understand that,” Weber said.

“It will take at least two more hours,” the doctor said. “If you have things to do, I can call you when she’s ready to talk. If she’s ready to talk. My patient’s well-being comes first, Sheriff.”

“Of course,” Weber said. “I have a lot on my plate right now, so if you could give me a call when you’re done, I can come back.”

He drove back to Antelope Drive, where several neighbors were standing in their yards looking at the house in spite of the cold day. Wayne Harris, one of his Civilian Volunteers, was standing at the doorway, recording the names of anybody who came and went in the investigation log. Donning paper booties and a paper crime scene suit, Weber entered and went down the hall to find Dolan, Buz, and Jordan collecting evidence, taking photographs, and recording measurements. Pausing in the door of the master bedroom, he asked, “How’s it going, guys?”

“It’s going to take a while,” Dolan said. “It’s hard to believe I went from dealing with an obnoxious pothead to something like this in one day, Jimmy.”

“I understand that.”

“How’s Mrs. Hatton?”

“It’s hard to say right now, Jordan,” Weber said. “Physically, I think she’ll pull through okay. But emotionally? I guess only time will tell.”

Gabe’s body was still on the floor where he had fallen, and Dolan said, “I’ll say one thing for her. She’s a good shot. Five rounds center chest.”

“She should have blown his balls off,” Buz said. “That would have fixed the son of a bitch.”

“From what I can see, she fixed him pretty good,” Weber said. “Where’s the weapon?”

“Here in the box.” Dolan reached into a cardboard box and retrieved an evidence bag with the Charter Arms Undercover revolver.

“Tommy said she was still pulling the trigger when you guys got here.”

“Yeah. I think she was in shock and didn’t even realize that she was doing it.”

“How can somebody do something like this, Jimmy? First, he murders his dad and then rapes his mother? I was never sure about capital punishment until today. Now it makes perfect sense to me.”

Buz, who had been on the job for a long time and was somewhat jaded, as many experienced law enforcement officers are, said, “As far as I’m concerned, she did the right thing. Saved the state the expense of a trial, and with the way things are these days, he probably would have been declared incompetent and put in a looney bin for a while and then be back out on the street. Or else spend life in prison on the taxpayers’ dime. This way, there’s no chance of him hurting anybody else.”

“I can’t say that I disagree with you,” Weber said, then asked, “Was there any sign of forced entry?”

“Not that we can see, Jimmy, but we haven’t checked outside yet. Do you think he could have been hiding here at the house all this time?”

“I don’t see how that could be possible, Buz. But he had to have been somewhere close. I can’t see how he got through town to get here without being spotted by somebody. We’ve got people peeking out their windows watching the mailman and the UPS driver when he comes down the road.”

“Then where the hell was he hiding?”

“I don’t know, but we’re going to find out.”

“Could somebody have been harboring him?”

“Anything’s possible, Jordan. The question is, if that’s true, who was it?”

“If I had to bet, I would say it was the Sawicki kid,” Dolan said.

“That’s my first thought,” Weber told him. “I’ll definitely be talking to him again.”

“We found three guns here in the room,” Dolan said. “The .38 she shot him with, a 9mm Glock in the other nightstand, and the .22 Ruger sitting there on the dresser.”

Looking at the black Ruger semiautomatic pistol, Weber said, “It stands to reason this is the one he shot his father with.”

The sheriff stayed there for a while, then went back to the front of the house and chatted with Wayne Harris for a few minutes before walking around the outside of the house. When he got to the back, he stopped and stared at a set of what looked like fresh footprints in the snow leading from the rear deck of the home directly behind the Hatton house, across the backyards of both places, and to the back door of the Hatton garage. He tried the knob, and the door was unlocked.

Keying his mic, he said, “Dolan, I need you guys to come out to the garage.”

When the three deputies joined him, he showed them the tracks.

“Where did they come from?”

“I don’t know, Buz.” He keyed his mic again and asked dispatch if Coop was on duty.

“No, he went off about an hour ago,” Mary told him.

He called Coop at home, and when the deputy answered, Weber asked if he had seen the tracks when he covered the back of the house when they responded to the shooting.

“I don’t recall any,” Coop said. “But I was focused on the house and waiting for anyone to come out the back until you called me in. Why?”

Weber told him about the tracks and Coop said, “There was so much going on inside that I honestly don’t know, Jimmy.”

“I appreciate it,” Weber said.

After Dolan took photos of the footprints, they approached the house where the footprints originated, looking for any signs of forced entry and finding none.

“Do you guys know who lives here?”

“I think they’re summer people,” Buz said.

Weber called Mary and asked her if the office had any information about the homeowners on file. She checked and confirmed that they were summer residents, Curtis and Dayna Barreiro, who lived in Chandler, in the Phoenix area. She gave him their phone number, and he called, getting voicemail. After leaving a message, Weber and Jordan went around the house a second time, checking to make sure they had not missed any sign of forced entry.

“This doesn’t make any sense, Jimmy. How could he have gotten inside this place unless he had a key?”

“I don’t know, Jordan.”

“How did he get back in his own house, too?”

“The front door was unlocked when we got here after the shooting.”

“But the tracks lead right to the back door of the garage. If he was able to get inside the garage, he could enter the house that way, right?”

“Unless the door to the house from the garage was locked.”

“It wasn’t when you called us out here.”

“I guess it would make sense that Gabe would have a key to his own house.”

“I don’t know,” Weber said. “Why would he have remembered to take his keys when he killed his father, but forget to take a jacket or any kind of warm clothes?”

“The only person who can tell us what he was thinking is Gabe, and he’s not telling anybody anything,” Weber said, looking at the footprints again.

***

When he got back to the office, all the telephones were ringing and Mary and dispatcher Jill Ricketson were talking to people. Weber answered another phone and said, “Sheriff’s Office.”

“This is Susan Preston from News Source One. We are getting reports about another shooting at the Hatton house. Can you confirm that?”

“No comment at this time,” Weber said. “When we have information we can share, we’ll send out a press release.”

“Can you at least tell me if…”

Weber hung up the phone and said to Mary and Jill, “If any other reporters call, just tell them no comment and hang up. We don’t have time for their nonsense right now.”

“What about all the local people calling in?”

“Tell them the same thing, Jill.”

He went into his office and began filling out a report of the incident from his perspective, as every deputy would do who had been at the scene. When he finished that, he called Patrick Hatton.

“Sheriff Weber, is everything all right up there? I’ve been trying to call Carin all afternoon, and it just goes to voicemail.”

“No, sir. I’m sorry to say that there’s been another shooting.”

“Oh my God! What happened? Is Carin all right?”

“I can’t get into all the details right now because it’s an open investigation, but Gabe somehow managed to get into the house. He attacked Carin, and she shot him. He’s dead, Patrick.”

“No! How is she? Is she…” 

“She’s alive,” Weber told him. “I hate to have to tell you this, but she was sexually assaulted.”

The sheriff could hear a choking sound on the other end and asked, “Are you all right, Patrick?”

The man’s voice was shaky when he said, “I just can’t believe any of this. Not since the first call about Jerry. It’s just… why, Sheriff? Why would Gabe do all this?”

“I wish I had an answer for you,” Weber said. “But I don’t. I’m sorry. All I can say is that at least he’s not going to hurt anybody else.”

“At least that’s something,” Patrick said. “My daughter has been freaked out since we got home. She won’t even go into the bathroom unless Donna or I check first to be sure Gabe’s not hiding behind the shower curtain.”

“Well, tell her he’s not a threat anymore.”

“Hell of a note for a kid to have to grow up in such a hurry, Sheriff.”

“It is,” Weber agreed.

“Where’s Carin now?”

“She’s at our Medical Center being treated. She’s in good hands, Patrick.”

“I need to call Thomas and tell him.”

“All right.”

“We’ll be back up tomorrow. If you see Carin, please tell her we all love her, and we’ll be there as soon as we can.”

“I will,” Weber told him.

He ended the call and went back to the outer office, where Mary held up a finger to get his attention and said, “He just came in the office now, Doctor. Can you hold?” She turned to Weber and said, “It’s Doctor Patel, Jimmy.”

Weber took the phone and said, “Hello, Doctor.”

“Sheriff, we’re done with Mrs. Hatton’s examination, and she said she’s up to talking to you.”

“I’m on my way,” Weber said.

***

Carin Hatton was in a private room, propped up on pillows, when Weber knocked on the door and said, “Hi, Carin. How are you feeling?”

“Like I just ran a thousand miles nonstop,” she said. “I can hardly lift my hands.”

A nurse sitting next to the bed said, “That’s because you’re coming down from all the adrenaline, Mrs. Hatton. It happens anytime somebody goes through something like this.”

“Are you sure you’re up to talking, Carin? We can do this another time.”

“No. I can do it, Sheriff.”

“I’ll give you some privacy,” the nurse said. “Unless you’d prefer I stay.”

“No, I’m fine,” Carin assured her.

The nurse left, and Weber sat down in the chair she just vacated and said, “I’m so sorry this happened.”

“After Jerry was killed, I kept saying that it was a nightmare,” Carin said. “I didn’t think anything could be worse. Then I found out how wrong I was.”

“Carin, I need to get a statement from you if you’re up to it.”

“I am.”

“I need to record it. Is that okay?”

“Do whatever you have to do.”

“Can you start at the beginning and take me through what happened today?”

She nodded her head and said, “Patrick and Donna wanted me to stay longer, but I just felt like I needed to get home. I got in about 10 o’clock and emptied my suitcase and put stuff away and threw my dirty clothes from the trip into the laundry. I thought about fixing myself a sandwich, but I didn’t have any appetite, so I decided to take a quick shower and a little nap. I don’t know how long I slept, but I woke up to a sound. Then I felt someone getting on the bed.”

“When you said you felt someone getting on the bed, do you mean Gabe?”

She nodded her head and said, “Yes. At first, I thought I was dreaming, but I wasn’t. I think I was still half asleep. I asked him what he was doing, and then Gabe started choking me. That’s when I realized it wasn’t a dream.”

Her voice broke and Weber gave her a minute, then asked, “What happened next, Carin?”

“I begged him to stop, and he did. At first. I asked him… I think I asked him why he killed Jerry, and he said he had to. He said it was the only way for us to be together. I asked what he meant by that and he tried to kiss me. Not a kiss on the cheek, like always. I mean, a real kiss. Like a man kisses a woman. I remember trying to push him away and told him that was wrong, but he wouldn’t stop. I tried to fight him off. I tried. I know I scratched his face so hard I broke my fingernails and he hit me in the mouth. That’s when he did it the first time.”

“When you say he did it, do you mean…”

“He raped me. All the while he was doing it, I kept begging him to stop, telling him I was his mother. But it was like he wasn’t hearing me. He just held me down and did it. He told me now that Jerry was gone, it would be just me and him, and we could get the money from the trust fund and we could go someplace where nobody knew us and would never know anything about what happened before.”

She was sobbing as she re-lived the horror she had gone through, and Weber handed her a box of tissues from a stand next to the bed. She dabbed at her eyes and continued. “I told him I can’t get to his money in the trust fund, but I couldn’t get it through to him, Sheriff. I told him the trust was all his father’s doing. I don’t even know where the money is or how much there is, or anything like that. I tried to tell him that and he said I was lying and hit me again. I could taste blood in my mouth after that. I think that… I don’t know, excited him? Because then he raped me again. I didn’t know what to do, Sheriff. I can’t explain it, but for some reason, I didn’t fight the second time. Why didn’t I do that?”

“It’s not uncommon,” Weber told her. “Sometimes people dissociate themselves from what’s happening to them. A counselor friend of mine told me it’s a mental self-defense mechanism.”

“I don’t know if that was it or not. I remember what was happening. I was crying, and I remember him saying that it was okay. He said it won’t always be that way. He said the time would come when we would make love like we were meant to. He said he knew I loved him as much as he loved me and he wanted me to say it.”

She took another tissue from the box and wiped her eyes, then asked, “What do you say to somebody when they say something like that, Sheriff? What do you say when your own son kills his father and then rapes you and demands that you say you love him? How are you supposed to answer?”

“I don’t know,” Weber said.

“Neither do I. He kept asking me to say it, say that I loved him that way, and I told him no. I said I loved him because I was his mother and he was my son, and that’s the only way I could ever love him.”

Carin was looking at the wall as if watching a movie about what she had gone through, and her voice sounded hollow when she said, “It was obvious he didn’t like that answer. He hit me on the side of the head, here.” She pointed at her temple and said, “He hit and twisted my breasts until I cried. He told me I needed to understand the way things were now. That we were a couple. That Jerry was gone, and I needed to forget about him. I told Gabe I would never forget his father or what he did, and if he thought we were going to be together forever, that was his crazy fantasy. That it would never happen.”

She began crying again, and Weber asked gently, “What happened then, Carin?”

“That’s when he told me that if it wasn’t going to be that way, then there was no reason to go on. He said that he was going to kill me and then kill himself. He said that was the only way it could end. That’s when I started fighting again. He pushed me down and got up and went toward the dresser. That’s when I saw the gun there. The one he used to shoot Jerry. I opened my nightstand and got my gun, the one Jerry bought me. I couldn’t remember if it was loaded or even how to use it. He saw I had it and started coming towards me. I told him to stop, but he wouldn’t. That’s when I shot him. Oh God, Sheriff. I shot Gabe, and I killed him.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Carin,” Weber said. “Nobody can blame you for that.”

“But he was my son! Why did he make me do that?”

“I don’t know,” Weber said. “I’ve been at this job a long time. I’ve seen all kinds of crazy things, and I can’t count the number of times I asked myself the same question. I don’t have an answer for you, but I wish I did.”

“Sheriff, I heard about your sister and what she did.”

“It’s common knowledge around here,” Weber said.

“How did you get through it?”

“Like I told you before, Carin. One day at a time. It’s the only way.”

Chapter 34

It was late in the day when Weber finished taking Carin Hatton’s report of the attack on herself and the shooting of Gabe. Weber told her to get some rest and that he would be by to see her in the morning. As he was walking out of the room, he saw Doctor Patel and she approached him, saying, “Were you able to talk to Mrs. Hatton, Sheriff?”

“Yes, ma’am. She’s sure been through the wringer.”

“I know,” the doctor said. “When I was in Chicago, I wanted to raise my son in a quiet little town where we could live safely.  I never expected to see the things I have here.”

“There are a lot of good people here, Doctor. Unfortunately, we have our share of bad ones, too. But I truly believe the good outweighs the bad by a wide margin. And then there are the crazy ones. I don’t know if Gabe Hatton was crazy or just evil. What do you think, Doctor?”

“I don’t know, Sheriff. I’m a medical practitioner, not a psychiatrist. I will say that I think that Mrs. Hatton is going to need a lot of counseling to get through this.”

“No doubt about that,” Weber said, then asked, “What can you tell me from her examination?”

“Her external injuries are superficial, fortunately. We were able to obtain samples of semen internally and externally.”

“What about trauma from the rape itself?”

“There was not much, which is not uncommon. Mrs. Hatton said that she was somewhat passive while it was happening.”

“She mentioned that to me,” Weber said. “How long to you think you’ll have to keep her here?”

“As you know, we are limited on space,” the doctor said. “Barring any unforeseen complications, I plan on discharging her tomorrow. She said she doesn’t know if she can ever go back to her house, which is understandable.”

“At this point it is still a crime scene, so I can’t allow her to go back, anyway,” Weber said. “Her husband’s brothers are coming up in the morning. They are very supportive. So at least she’ll have them to lean on.”

“That’s good to know. She’s a strong woman but having them here will help.”

“You’re right, Doctor. She is a strong woman,” Weber said. “But even the strongest have a breaking point.”

***

When he got home, Weber called Patrick again and gave him an update on Carin’s condition.

“Thomas and I are both coming up tomorrow morning,” Patrick said.

“All right. You can’t get in the house because it’s a crime scene,” Weber said. “Please stop by my office when you get here.”

“Will do, Sheriff. I still can’t believe this. Where the hell was Gabe hiding out all this time?”

“We don’t know for sure where he was,” Weber said, “but tracks show he came from the house directly behind your brother’s and in through the back door of the garage. By the way, do you know if that door was locked when you all left here to go down for Jerry’s funeral?”

“It was. I checked every door and window myself on the way out. This is sick. Killing Jerry was bad enough, but why the hell would he do that to Carin? Who has that much hate in their heart?”

“I wish I had an answer for you, Patrick, but I just don’t.”

Weber thought of the old saying that dead men tell no tales. Whatever deep secrets Gabe held had died with him.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Sheriff.”

With Robyn working the swing shift, Weber reheated fried chicken in the microwave for dinner. He was putting his dish and silverware in the sink when his phone rang.

“Is this Sheriff Weber?”

“Yes, it is. Who’s calling?”

“Sheriff, this is Dayna Barreiro. You called and left a message about something happening to our house up in Big Lake? My phone battery was dead, so I left it at home when I went to work this morning and just got the message. What’s going on?”

Weber told her his suspicion that Gabe Hatton might have been hiding in their summer home, but there had been no evidence of a break in.

“When we heard about what happened up there on the news, Curtis and I were both shocked. Jerry and Carin are two of the nicest people we ever knew. We just couldn’t believe it.”

“You knew the Hattons well?”

“Yes. When we were up for the summers, we would spend a lot of time together. You know, cookouts and things like that. Curtis and Jerry would go fishing together sometimes and Carin and I are both into crafts, so we always had some project going on between the two of us. You said there was no sign of anybody breaking into the house?”

“No, ma’am,” Weber said. “So we really don’t know if he got inside or not. I know it’s a long drive, but would there be a possibility that you or your husband could come up and bring us a key so we can check inside?”

“We don’t need to do that, Sheriff. Carin has a key to our house.”

“She does?”

“Yes, they would check it for us when we were gone for the winter. You know, in case the heater died or a pipe broke or things like that. We were never comfortable leaving it alone, but knowing they were right behind us and checked on things for us was a big comfort.”

“Mrs. Barreiro, could I have your permission to get the key from Carin and go in the house and check it out so we can determine if Gabe was hiding there or not?”

“Of course, no problem at all. I’m sure she’s rattled with everything that’s happened, but if she can’t remember where the key is, Curtis also put another one in one of those little hide a key things on the front porch. It looks like a little garden gnome, but when you pick it up, there’s a place for the key inside. I called and left a voicemail for Carin after I heard about what happened to Jerry, but she never got back to me. I know she’s got a lot going on.  I don’t know how she could process losing him like that. Would you please tell her that Curtis and I love her very much?”

“I’ll do it,” Weber promised, then asked, “How well do you and your husband know Gabe?”

“Not much at all. He pretty much kept to himself. Carin said sometimes she had to drag him away from his computer and out of his bedroom when it was time to eat. Curtis didn’t like him at all.”

“Why was that, Mrs. Barreiro?”

“I honestly don’t know, but Curtis and I have been married for over twenty years, and if there’s one thing I can tell you about him, it’s that he’s a very good judge of character. The first time we met Gabe, he said that kid was squirrely. That’s the word he used for him, squirrely. He said there was just something about him he didn’t like. Jerry and Curtis tried to get him to go fishing with them a couple of times, and he never wanted to do it. It seemed like he was just happy staying in his room with his computers. I’ve got a cousin who’s got a son like that, really into computers and playing games and such, but you can hold a conversation with him. Not with Gabe. If you asked him something, half the time he wouldn’t reply at all, or if he did, he’d just make a grunting sound and walk away.”

Weber thought about what he had been told was Gabe’s reaction when people in school talked to him or bullied him. It seemed like that same attitude carried on when he was at home.

***

Weber parked on the street in front of the Barreiro’s log house on Badger Drive, directly behind the Hatton house. Using his Explorer’s spotlight, he illuminated the driveway and front of the place. In the days since the shooting, people had been up and down the sidewalk, and the latest storm had obliterated any footprints that might have been left leading up to the house. Getting out with his flashlight, he walked onto the front porch and found the garden gnome Dayna Barreiro had told him about. He retrieved the key and went inside. Turning on the light switch just inside the door, he saw that the electricity was working, and he could hear the hum of the furnace, though it was turned down low enough that it was cool but not cold inside.

Going room to room through the house, turning on the lights, it didn’t take long to realize this had indeed been Gabe’s hideout. There were discarded soda cans, potato chip bags, and several containers from microwavable meals strewn about on the floor. He opened the doors of the side-by-side Samsung refrigerator/freezer and noted that the only things in it were some bottles of Coca-Cola and an orange box of Arm & Hammer baking soda. The inside had been emptied and wiped clean before the owners left for the winter. The bed in the master bedroom was unmade, and the toilet seat was up, the water yellow from unflushed urine. Obviously, Gabe, besides being an unwelcome tenant, had also been a sloppy one.

“You little bastard,” Weber said aloud. “How the hell did you get in here without anybody knowing about it?”     

“Sheriff, are you in here?”

“Back here, Berto.”

His deputy came to the bedroom and asked, “What’s going on? One of the neighbors called and reported all the lights on in the house, and they knew that the owners were gone for the winter.”

“Yeah, I talked to Mrs. Barreiro and she gave me permission to come in. It looks like they had a visitor.” Weber showed him the unmade bed, the bathroom, and the trash on the kitchen table and living room floors.

“Gabe was here all along?”

“It would seem that way,” Weber said.

“But how? We checked every summer place. There was no sign of forced entry anywhere.”

“As it turns out, these folks are friends with the Hattons,” Weber said. “Such good friends that they left a key with them so that Jerry Hatton could come and check on the house during the winter for them.”

“So, he’s sitting here in the dark all the time while we’re turning the town upside down trying to find him?”

“Yep. I don’t know exactly when he got in here or how he got here, but that second snowfall would have covered any tracks he made. If a deputy went by and saw the tracks, he would just think another deputy checked on the house already.”

Berto’s radio crackled and then the dispatcher asked if everything was okay at his location.

“10-4,” he replied. “I’m here with the sheriff.”

“Do we need to get Buz and Dolan out here to go over the place?”

“We do, but not tonight,” Weber said. They’ve been working twelve-hour days as it is. Let’s lock the place up and tape it, and they can do their thing tomorrow.”

They went through the house, turning the lights off again, then went outside and locked the door. Standing on the sidewalk looking at it, Weber shook his head.

“He was here all along.”

“Hiding in plain sight,” Berto said. “If we could have found him here, we could have saved poor Mrs. Hatton from what she went through.”

“I know,” Weber said. “It’s nobody’s fault, and it’s obvious that Gabe planned all of this out very well in advance. But it still pisses me off.”

While they were talking, Robyn’s unit pulled up and stopped. Getting out, she asked, “What’s going on?”

Weber filled her in, and she said, “Unbelievable.”

“From what I could tell, Gabe stashed food in here ahead of time.”

“How could he have done that, Jimmy? How could he have slipped past us and got back here, and been hiding here all along?”

“I don’t know, Robyn. But I aim to find out.”

Chapter 35

The office was a melee of activity when Weber got there the next morning. Three out-of-town reporters were set up in the parking lot and began shouting questions at the sheriff as soon as he got out of his vehicle. Inside, the telephones were ringing with calls from people who had heard rumors about another shooting at the Hatton house, and US Marshal Helms was at a desk with Dan Wright.

“Jimmy, you need to see this,” Dan said.

Weber walked over to the desk and nodded at Helms, then asked, “What have you got?”

“Our people were able to get into those locked files on Gabe Hatton’s hard drive,” Helms said. “There’s some stuff here that blew my socks off.”

“What kind of stuff?”

Dan clicked on an icon on his computer’s screen and said, “This kind of stuff, Jimmy.”

Weber looked at the screen and then Dan clicked the mouse to advance to the next item, and Weber said, “Are you kidding me?”

“No. See for yourself,” Dan said as he opened a third file.

“How in the hell...?”

“I don’t know. You tell me,” Marshal Helms said.

“There are probably three hundred of these,” Dan said, showing Weber another picture of Carin Hatton lying nude on her bed.

“How did he get these?”

“I don’t know,” Dan said. “She’s naked in some pictures. In others she’s wearing different lingerie. Sometimes she’s partially undressed, sometimes she’s getting dressed.”

“Do you think the husband took them? There are plenty of couples who enjoy a little erotic photography. There’s nothing wrong with it if that’s their thing.”

“I don’t think so, and neither did one of our photo experts,” Helms said. “If you notice, they’re all taken from the same vantage point. The camera is never moved to show a different angle. And there are videos, too. Whether she was dressed or nude, I don’t think Mrs. Hatton posed for these pictures. Her posture is different, more candid looking than if someone knew they were posing for a photo. Look at this one, where her leg is moved in such a way that it makes her butt and thigh seem overly large, like someone posing with a fish held toward the camera to make it look bigger. There’s not a woman in the world who would pose herself in such an unflattering way. I’m thinking hidden camera.”

“So, he was watching her all the time?”

“It seems that way.”

“We knew he was sick, but this takes it to a new level,” Weber said.

“It makes you wonder if he killed his dad because of the money in the trust fund, or if he had some kind of weird obsession with his mother,” Dan said.

“He was kind of a techno geek. I guess it wouldn’t be hard for him to figure out how to bug the place,” said Weber. “I wonder if there are more hidden cameras in that house.”

“That’s not all,” Helms said. “Show him, Dan.”

Dan clicked on another icon and it opened to files on how to obtain fake passports and identification, others on countries with no extradition treaty with the United States, and several e-books on getting lost and not found, starting over with a new identity, and how to alter fingerprints.

“Carin told me that when Gabe was attacking her, he told her that the two of them were going to go away together and start over with the money from his trust fund,” Weber said. “This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment type thing. He had been planning this for a long time.”

Nodding her head, Helms said, “Looking through this stuff, this wasn’t just some kid with a fantasy. I’m surprised that Mrs. Hatton is still alive, Sheriff.”

“She wouldn’t be if she hadn’t been able to get to her gun when she did,” Weber said. “There’s no question in my mind about that. Were there any more surprises to be found?”

“Lots of pictures like the ones you saw,” Helms said. “He had been invading her privacy for a long time. There are pictures of her getting dressed, sitting at her computer working, talking on the phone.”

“Just of her? None of the dad?”

“None we have seen.”

“How did this kid live this long without anybody realizing how screwed up he was in his head?”

“It happens every day, Dan.” Helms said. “People say, ‘Oh, he’s just odd or weird.’ But they never realize just how far past that someone actually is.”

“Did Dan tell you about breaking the code?”

“He did,” Helms said. “It didn’t make sense to me until I looked at some of the messages and realized it’s like one of those word search puzzles, where letters go in different directions to make a word, except these are just on one line with no spaces between the words and no punctuation. It’s actually simple once you look at a line of letters and break them up one word at a time.”

“That sounds like a lot of work, but apparently Gabe and his buddy Alan Sawicki had it down to a science.”

“Kind of like what Jennifer said before, Jimmy. Once you learn a foreign language, it’s not that hard to do,” Dan said. “This was his own private foreign language. Jennifer and I haven’t had time to go through the hundreds of texts and decipher them, but we have got a bunch of them done. Especially the most recent one, working our way backwards. Here, look at these from the day of the shooting.”

Weber read the messages and said, “I need to talk to Alan right now, and I’m taking a deputy with me, since his father made it very plain he didn’t want me to come back.”

***

Weber didn’t have to go far to find Gabe’s friend, because just a few minutes later, the door opened and Alan and Buster came in. The father’s face was red, and his jaw was tight when he said, “Sheriff. We need to talk.”

Expecting the man to go off on him again, Weber said, “All right, but let’s keep it civil.”

“Can we talk in private?”

“Sure, let’s go down this hall to the interview room.”

Dan and Marshal Helms got up and followed them, and Buster said, “We don’t need your help.”

“They stay,” Weber said, closing the door to the room once they were inside. “What’s up?”

“Tell him, Alan.”

His red eyes showed Alan had been crying, and when he didn’t say anything, his father slapped the side of his head and said, “Tell the man, damn it!”

“There won’t be any of that, Buster,” Weber warned him. “I said this was going to be a civil conversation.”

There were tears in Alan’s eyes when he said, “I was helping Gabe. I didn’t know he was going to kill his dad. I honestly didn’t. When I found out what he did yesterday and that he’s dead, I just didn’t know what to do!”

The anguish in Alan’s face left little doubt he was sincere.

“Stop whining like a little bitch,” his dad said. “You brought this on yourself!”

“Okay, enough,” Weber said harshly. “One more word out of you, Buster, and I’ll have Deputy Wright remove you. Understood?”

Buster nodded his head but didn’t reply.

“Alan, before you say another word, I’m going to read you your Miranda rights.”

Once he had read his rights and Alan confirmed that he understood, Weber said, “Start at the beginning.”

“The code, it’s a thing than Gabe and I...”

“We already know about the code, and we know how to read it,” Weber said.

“Gabe sent me a message the morning of the shooting, before he killed his dad. He said his dad was beating his mother again that morning. He could hear her crying and screaming from the bedroom. He said he was going to put a stop to it once and for all. I told him not to do anything crazy.”

“Then what happened?”

“I didn’t hear anything from him for a while. When I did, he said to meet him on Cherrywood Street. He said to get there fast. When I did, he jumped in my Blazer and laid down on the floor in back and told me to get the hell out of there. I took off, and that’s when he told me that he shot his father. He said his dad was beating his mother and doing bad things to her and he just couldn’t take it anymore.”

“So, he had a phone that we didn’t know about?”

“Yeah,” Alan said. “I’m sorry I lied to you. I was just trying to help my friend.”

“Where did you guys go after you picked him up?”

“I drove out of the neighborhood as fast as I could and then we went over by the high school and parked behind it, where that loading dock is. It’s hard to see unless you’re looking right at it. We waited there for a while and it started snowing again. That’s when Gabe said to take him to a house over on Badger Drive. I asked why he wanted to go right back to almost where he lived, and he said he had a plan. But first he had me use his phone to call 911 and say I just saw Gabe at one of those summer cabins off Honeycomb Lane. Those are on the other side of town from where he lived, and he said it would get everybody heading in that direction. When I called and told them, they asked for my name, and I just hung up and Gabe turned the phone off. He was still lying down in the back of my car and I drove up in front of the house that’s behind his and he got out. I told him he was crazy going back there, but he kept saying he had a plan.”

“Yeah, he had a plan all right,” Weber said. “Alan, did Gabe ever tell you anything about wanting to run away to another country?”

“No, sir.”

“What did he ever tell you about his mom? Did he seem like he hated her as much as his dad?”

“No, never. He always said she was the only adult that ever listened to him and understood him when he tried to talk about things. Aside from me, I think she was his best friend in the world. Probably his only friend. That’s why he was always mad about the way his dad beat her up all the time. That’s why it doesn’t make any sense to me that he would do what they said he did to her. I just can’t believe that!”

“Did he ever say or do anything that gave you the impression he was in love with her?”

“No. God, that’s sick. She was his mom.”

“You say you didn’t have any idea that he was going to kill his father?”

“I swear, I didn’t.”

“Why did you do it, Alan? Why did you help him, and after you found out that he had killed his dad, why did you still keep all of this a secret?”

“Because he was my friend. My only friend. I had to help him. I couldn’t tell you because he told me that he had already shot one cop, and he would shoot any others that tried to catch him. That’s why I told you I hoped you didn’t catch him, because if you did, somebody else would die.”

“What else? Is there anything else you’re not telling me?”

“No, that’s it.”

“You said he told you he had a plan. Did he tell you what that plan was?”

“No. I thought maybe he was just going to hide out until everything settled down a little bit and then get out of the area.”

“While he was hiding, did you do anything else to help him? Did you take him any food or anything like that?”

Shaking his head, Alan said, “The last time I saw or heard anything from Gabe was when I dropped him off there on Badger Lane.”

Weber handed him a yellow legal pad and a pencil and said, “Write it all down just the way you told me, right from the start.”

After Alan had written out the details of his collusion with Gabe, he was arrested and booked for being an accessory after the fact of a homicide, and aiding and abetting a fugitive.

After he was locked in a cell, his father said to Weber. “I owe you an apology, Sheriff. Alan lied to his mother and told her he was home all that day and I believed him. I believed everything he said. When he finally confessed this morning after hearing about what Gabe did to his mother and about him getting killed, I couldn’t believe it. I really thought we had raised him better than that.”

“Don’t beat yourself up,” Weber said. “I know you were just looking out for your son. I’d have probably felt the same way in your place. What matters is that when you found out the truth, you brought him in. That says a lot about your character, Buster. Remember that I was in your position with my sister once. I know how hard it was to do it.”

Then Buster Sawicki, the hardworking man who drove a massive mining truck that would dwarf some of the summer cabins around Big Lake, surprised Weber by breaking down and crying unashamedly. The sheriff put his arms around the man as the tears flowed, dampening both of their shirts. Buster’s reaction to the events of the morning wasn’t the only surprise the sheriff would soon get.

Chapter 36

Three hours later, when Weber and Robyn got to the Medical Center, they found Carin Hatton dressed and ready to go.

“How are you feeling today, Carin?”

“I don’t know, Sheriff. Kind of like I’m dead inside. I don’t know why Doctor Patel hasn’t discharged me yet. The nurse said she thought there was some kind of paperwork delay. I don’t know if it’s about insurance or what’s going on. And once they let me out of here, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I assume I can’t go back to the house yet. Not that I think I can ever step foot in there again after all that’s happened.”

“Thomas and Patrick are here,” Weber said. “They’re at my office. I’ll take you there.”

“Thank you. Those guys are a blessing.”

“I can understand you not wanting to go into the house again,” Weber said. “But you still need some clothes. Deputy Fuchette and I took the liberty of stopping at the house to bring you some things.”

Robyn handed her a bag with shoes and socks, fresh underwear, jeans, and a heavy sweater, saying, “I hope these are all right.”

“They’re fine, thank you.”

“I’ll just step out in the hall while you get dressed so you have some privacy,” Weber said.

When Robyn told him it was all right to come back in, he said, “Carin, I talked to Dayna Barreiro last night. She told me you had a key to their house. Is that right?”

“Yes. Why?”

“That’s where Gabe was hiding out all this time.”

“No way,” she said, shaking her head.

“Yes, ma’am. His friend Alan picked him up, and they drove out of your neighborhood right after the shooting, and then when we were looking everyplace else for him, Alan drove back and dropped Gabe off at their house. I believe before all this started, he took the key from the rack where it was hanging in the kitchen.”

“My God. He was right there all along?”

“Yes, ma’am. Gabe told Alan that your husband was beating you that morning. He told him he could hear you crying in the bedroom.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head adamantly. “I told you before, Jerry never laid a hand on me. He was the kindest, sweetest man ever. I don’t know why Gabe would say that.”

“I don’t know, either.”

A strange, almost horrified look came across her face, and she said, “I wonder if...”

“What, Carin?”

“He said he heard me crying and making noise that morning?”

“Yes.”

She took a deep breath and said, “Jerry and I were making love that morning, before all this happened. Could Gabe have been listening to us and thought Jerry was hurting me? God, is that why he killed Jerry?”

“It’s possible,” Weber said. “But that doesn’t explain what he told you about his plans to run away with you with the money from the trust fund.”

“Could he have come up with that in desperation while he was hiding out?”

“That may be the case,” Weber said. “Desperate people do desperate things. We need to show you something, Carin, and I hope you won’t be offended.”

“What’s that?”

Robyn showed the woman her phone, with a picture of Carin lying on her bed nude, posing provocatively. “What can you tell me about this picture?”

She looked at it in shock and asked, “Where did you get that?”

“Is this a picture Jerry took of you?”

“No, absolutely not!”

“It’s okay if you did, Carin,” Robyn told her. “Lots of couples take pictures and even make videos of them playing.”

“No,” Carin said, shaking her head. “Never.”

“We’re not trying to invade your privacy,” Robyn assured her. “You probably know that the sheriff and I are married, right? Sometimes I dress in something sexy for him to spice things up. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Yes, I would dress up for Jerry once in a while. I’m not ashamed to say we had a good sex life,” Carin replied. “But there were never any pictures taken. I had a friend years ago whose fiancée took pictures of her. Then they broke up, and he posted them all over the internet and sent them to her family and friends, even to her boss. It really messed up her life. I would never pose for something like that. What happened in our bedroom was between just me and Jerry.”

“Carin, Gabe had this picture in a locked file on his computer. And it’s not the only one. There are a lot of them,” Robyn said, showing her more of them.

“This is impossible. How could Gabe have taken these?”

“We think he had a hidden camera in your bedroom.”

“He was filming us all this time?”

“There are hundreds of images, but none of them show Jerry, just you,” Robyn told her. “It’s obvious he deleted any of his father.”

“He was obsessed with you,” Weber said. “My deputies spent over an hour looking for that camera in your bedroom before they found it. It’s a tiny little thing, not much more than an inch wide. But as you saw, the image quality is amazing. So is the audio.”

Carin put her head down in her hands, visibly shaken, and she said, “This can’t possibly be happening.”

“How about you tell me about the phone?”

“What phone?”

“The phone that you gave Gabe that Jerry never knew about.”

“I never...”

“Stop lying,” Weber said. “We know you gave Gabe the phone. We know he was texting you. He even taught you how to read his code. We’ve read the texts between the two of you.”

“I don’t know where you got that crazy idea, but...”

“Save your breath, Carin. It’s all over,” Weber said. “You planned this right from the start. How long have you been grooming Gabe?”

“I never...”

“Here’s a text from a week before the murder, where you tell him how much you wish Jerry was like Gabe. How tired you are of him abusing you. Here’s another where you say sometimes you want to run away and start over, asking Gabe if he could ever be happy with an old woman like you. Here’s one where he says he’s in love with you, and you wrote back telling him that your love can never happen with Jerry still in the picture. How you wish something would happen to him.”

“I don’t have to sit here and listen to this after all I’ve already been through,” Carin said, starting toward the door of her hospital room.

Robyn stepped in front of her, blocking the way.

“Like I said, Patrick and Thomas are here,” Weber said. “You told me that you didn’t know anything about the trust fund, but that was another lie. You said an old college friend of Jerry’s set it up and you had no access to it. But it was really his cousin, Daniel. You know, the one that works for the investment firm. I talked to Daniel this morning here. He told me that you and Jerry had joint control of the trust fund until Gabe turned 21.”

“I never knew...”

“Sure, you did, Carin. Two days before the murder, you logged onto the account. You saw that there was a little over $700,000 in there now. Apparently, Daniel is pretty good at investing, isn’t he? He made that money from the settlement grow. Daniel also told me that with Jerry and Gabe both gone, you are the beneficiary of all of that money. Not to mention Jerry’s life insurance. How much was that again, $350,000?”

She was crying and said, “This is so crazy. Gabe had to have set this up to make me look bad. Why would he do that to me?”

“Gabe was as much a victim as Jerry was, in his own way,” Weber said. “We’ve read the text messages where you say how much you loved him, too. You joked about him not wanting to be with you, that it was just an infatuation on his part, but it was real on yours. Then that morning you and Jerry had sex, and you told Gabe he had beaten you again because you didn’t want to do it. You said you’d rather be dead than to ever let him touch you again. That you were feeling suicidal.”

Carin wasn’t responding, just crying and shaking her head no.

“After he killed his father, you helped him hide out at the Barreiro house. And when you got back from Phoenix yesterday, you told him it was safe to come over, and you two had sex.”

Finally, Carin said, “This is crazy. Gabe killed my husband. Why in the world would I have sex with him?”

“Because you needed him to have sex with you, Carin. You needed his semen in your body and his DNA under your fingernails to substantiate the rape story and killing him in self-defense. That’s something else. We looked at Gabe’s body again. You said you scratched him so badly while he was raping you that you broke your fingernails. But you didn’t scratch him until after you shot him. There’s something about bodies you didn’t think of. They don’t bleed very much once the heart stops beating. Gabe had those deep scratches on his face, but there was no blood.”

“You don’t understand...”

“Stop it,” Weber said sharply. “We’ve got the video, Carin. We found Gabe’s spy camera. It shows you and Gabe getting undressed. It shows all the things that you two did together, and none of it was forced.”

Carin was crying and shaking her head.

Weber said, “At least you were kind enough to do that before you killed him. I hope it was worth it to Gabe.”

“That’s sick. I never...”

“You did, and now you’re under arrest for the murder of Gabriel Hatton, for conspiracy to commit murder, and for the murder of Jerry Hatton. And we’ve got a bunch of other stuff that probably isn’t worth wasting time with,” Weber said, as Robyn handcuffed her and read her her Miranda rights.

Then they walked her out of the room between them, past Doctor Patel, past the staff of the Medical Center, and out the door, taking Carin to the start of her new life, much different than what she had expected when she launched her evil plan.

Turn The Page For A Sneak Peek at Big Lake Parolee,

The Next Book In The Big Lake Series

Chapter 1

Pete Caitlin took out his pocket watch, looked at the time and said, “I reckon they’ll be pulling in any minute now, Jimmy. Suppose we’d better get out there?”

“Yeah, I’m ready if you are,” Sheriff Jim Weber said as he pulled on his Carhartt jacket. “Let’s just hope there’s no trouble.”

Pete made a harumping sound and replied, “We can hope, but I’m not betting on it. I told the boy at the parole hearing that I really hoped he didn’t come back here. Those Hudsons have got a long memory.”

The two men walked out of the Big Lake Sheriff’s Office together through the slushy snow across the parking lot to the street. Weber noted several citizens standing around in spite of the chilly day and said, “Looks like the local folks turned out to see the show.”

“It’s a small town, Jimmy. People gotta find their entertainment where they can.”

“There’s Fawn,” Weber said, nodding at a woman wearing a pink and white nylon ski jacket that belied the lithe figure under it.

She saw them coming, and her face, which had looked somewhat drawn, seemed to relax a bit. Brushing her flaxen curls from her face, she said, “I can’t believe this day has finally come.”

“You waited a while, no question about that,” Pete said. “I still wish you guys would have agreed to go somewhere else.”

“I appreciate everything you did for us, Sheriff Caitlin, back then and now. But this is our home, and we’re not going to let anybody run us out of it.”

Big Lake’s former sheriff nodded his head and said, “I understand that, Fawn. I really do. But it’s not going to be easy. We all know that.”

“Nothing about this last eight years has been easy, Sheriff.”

“I know that, honey,” the old man said kindly. “I just don’t want to see nothing happen to you, or him.”

“What more can they do to us than they already have?”

Listening to the conversation, Weber didn’t want to tell her all the possibilities that had been running through his head since he got the word that Carlos Espinoza had been paroled and was coming home to Big Lake.

His portable radio crackled, and then the voice of senior deputy Chad Summers said, “Big Lake One, we’re three minutes out.”

Weber pushed the transmit button and said, “10-4.” As he spoke, he saw a black GMC Yukon pulling to the curb across the street.

“Pete…”

“I see it, Jimmy.”

Fawn saw the big SUV at the same time ,and said, her voice tight, “I was praying they wouldn’t show up, even though I knew in my heart there was no way they would stay away.”

“Just relax and let us handle it if anything starts,” Weber told her.

He watched as two brawny men wearing Stetsons got out of the front of the GMC and one opened the rear door on the driver’s side. A woman with frosted hair, wearing a red flannel shirt over jeans and boots, stepped out, and the trio walked across the street.

As they approached, Weber said, “Mrs. Hudson, we don’t want any trouble here today.”

“It’s a free country, Sheriff,” one of the men with her said.

“You’re right, Barry, it is,” Weber told him. “That means it’s free for everybody, including the man that’s going to be getting off the bus.”

“If the damn fool had any sense, he’d stay on the bus and keep riding it on out of here,” said the other man standing beside him.

“If the son of a bitch had any sense, he wouldn’t have got on the bus in the first place,” the woman said harshly. “And if you had any sense, Pete Caitlin, you would have killed him way back when. I couldn’t believe you had the gall to go down to the parole hearing and say the things you did about that murdering bastard! I blame you that he’s still alive, and I blame you for the fact that they let him out.”

“Adele, we’ve been over this a hundred times,” Pete replied. “Carlos didn’t resist when I arrested him, and he didn’t give me any reason to do anything but take him into custody, which I did, because that was my job.”

“Your job was to protect the people of this town,” the woman said sharply. “You didn’t do it back then when you should have shot him, and you damn sure didn’t do it when you went down to that parole hearing. I don’t know how you can even show your face on the streets of this town.”

A lifetime of small town police work had given the gray-haired old sheriff broad shoulders that he let everything run off of, so instead of taking offense, he just smiled at the old woman and said, “That’s a difference of opinion that I guess we’re never gonna agree on.”

“Here it comes,” someone said, and all eyes turned to see the bus making its way down the street, with a Big Lake Sheriff’s Office patrol car behind it.

“You gave them a police escort?”

“If they were an escort, they would be out in front of the bus,” Weber said. “But yes, I sent a deputy to meet them when they turned off the Y heading into town. Like I said, we don’t want any trouble.”

“If that’s the truth, then you get on the bus and you tell that greaser to keep on going and never step foot in this town again. Because that’s the only way there’s not going to be any trouble.”

“Wayne, I think that you and your mother and your brother should get back in your vehicle and leave.”

Wayne Hudson, who was hardened by a lifetime of ranch work and fearless whether he was dealing with a bucking stallion or a man who stood in his way, took a step forward and said, “Why don’t you try to make us leave, Weber? We pay our taxes like everybody else and we’ve got a right to go anywhere we want to and stay as long as we feel like.”

“Suit yourself,” the sheriff told him. “But I’m warning both of you right now. If you do anything at all that violates Carlos Espinoza’s rights, or if you try to harm him in any way, you’re going to have to go through me to do it.”

“You’ll have to go through both of us. And I don’t think either of you wants to try that.” Standing beside Weber, Pete Caitlin was an imposing figure, despite his age. Everyone around Big Lake knew that he was not a man to trifle with when he was the sheriff, and that characteristic had stayed with him after his retirement.

“Mother, please just leave us alone. That’s all we want,” Fawn said.

“Shut up, you little turncoat bitch,” Barry told his sister heatedly. “You lost your right to say anything to this family the day you took the side of that good-for-nothing wetback over your own flesh and blood. You’re as bad as he is.”

The big Prevost bus stopped at the curb and the driver opened the door, nodding at Weber. The sheriff could feel tension going through the assembled people like electricity as they waited. A moment later, a man with black hair and caramel colored skin stepped off the bus and Fawn rushed into his arms.

“I missed you so much! Welcome home.”

Weber watched the Hudson brothers carefully to see what they might do, but they just glared at the couple embracing as the driver closed the door and the bus pulled away from the curb. Their mother shook her head in disgust, jaw clenched.

When they finally stopped hugging, the man looked at Pete and said, “Hello, Sheriff.”

Extending his hand, Pete said, “Welcome home, Carlos. This here is Sheriff Weber, he wears the badge now. He’s a good man, Carlos. You can trust him.”

They shook hands and Weber was impressed that the man looked him in the eye and had a firm grip. Then he looked toward the older woman and her sons and said, “Hello, Mrs. Hudson. I’m kind of surprised to see you here.”

“If you think we’re a welcoming party, you’re wrong. I just wanted to see if you really had the guts to come back here after what you did.” The venom in her voice made Weber think of a rattlesnake ready to strike.

“Ma’am, I’ve apologized over and over for what happened. I don’t know what else I can do.”

“I’ll tell you what you can do, you spic son of a bitch. You can turn tail and get your ass out of this town while you still can! Because if you don’t…”

“That’s enough, Barry,” Weber said sharply. “We’ve already had this conversation. You folks need to get on out of here.”

“Make me,” the angry man said, taking a step forward.

Weber blocked his way and said, “Don’t push me, Barry. Because if you do, it’s not going to end well. And don’t be threatening people if you know what’s good for you.”

“Ain’t nobody threatening nobody, Sheriff,” Wayne said. “He was just giving this asshole some advice. This isn’t a healthy place for you, Espinoza. Bad things can happen to a guy like you. All kinds of bad things. So why don’t you take this no-good whore of yours that you managed to brainwash and hightail it out of here?”

Weber could see a vein throbbing in Carlos’ forehead and the man’s body had gone rigid, waiting for the attack they all expected to happen.

Pete pointed a finger at Wayne, and when he spoke, there was steel in his voice. “Okay. Now I’m going to give you some advice, dipshit,” the old man said. “This fellow has paid his debt to society. He’s got a right to come and go wherever he wants to. What happened was a terrible thing, nobody’s denying that. But it was a long time ago and you need to let it go, because no good is going to come of anything you’re thinking. That goes for both of you, and for you, too, Adele.”

“What am I supposed to let go of go of Pete? The fact that he seduced and brainwashed my daughter? The fact that he tore this family apart? Or the fact that he murdered my son? Which one, Pete? Because I’ll tell you right now, I’m never going to forget any of that. You say he paid his debt to society, but my son is still dead. Did you think him sitting in a prison cell was going to bring Chuck back? No,” the woman said bitterly, shaking her head. “There’s no price he can pay to roll back the clock to before he murdered my son. And I’ll tell you something right now, Pete Caitlin. I’ll tell you and I’ll tell Sheriff Weber, and I’ll tell that murdering bastard standing there, one way or another, I’m going to see that he pays. He’s going to pay just like my son did!”

“Mother, please…”

“Don’t you dare call me Mother. You stopped being my daughter the day you sided with this animal. I regret the day you were born, and if I had to do it all over again, I would have smothered you before you took your first breath.”

“That’s enough. You three get in your vehicle and get the hell out of here, or I’m going to arrest you all for creating a public disturbance,” Weber said.

Wayne balled his fists as his brother’s hand went into the pocket of his coat, and Pete pulled his jacket back and put his hand on the butt of his Colt Python .357 magnum revolver.

“You’ve already lost one son, Adele. Now you’d better tell Barry that he needs to take his hand out of his pocket, and it needs to be empty. Because if it isn’t, you’re going to be burying another one.”

The standoff continued silently for several seconds, then Adele Hudson said, “Let’s go, boys. We’ll deal with this another time.”

They turned and walked across the street and got back into the Yukon and drove away. As Weber watched the black SUV disappearing around a corner, he was relieved that no blood had been shed. But he had a terrible feeling that it was only a matter of time.