Cold Case Manhunt

by Jenna Night

  “It’s hard to believe we’ll ever get the charred smell out of here even after we remove all the burned items,” Cassie said, looking at the fire-blackened sofa where she’d sat and had countless conversations with her crew and clients over the years. When she’d first met Ramona, they’d sat on that couch, talking, after several thugs had tried to kill Ramona in the dark forest at the edge of a local campground.

  “You’ll have fun decorating this place after everything’s been repaired,” Ramona said, wrapping her arm around Cassie for a bolstering side hug before walking over to grab another garbage bag. “Once everything is in place, and the guys spill coffee on your new couch and get pizza grease on your new desktops, it’ll feel just like home.”

  “Hey,” Leon called out, “it’s not just the guys who make a mess.”

  “True,” Cassie said, managing a laugh. “I have nobody to blame but myself for a desk chair that always smells like French fries.”

  “I’m throwing out everything in the break room,” Ramona said as she headed down the hallway in that direction. “Even the packages of coffee and snacks that are sealed and look like they’re okay. It just don’t think it’s a good idea to keep them.”

  “Of course,” Cassie replied, turning around in the main area of the office for one more good look. Her priority had been to collect everything she’d wanted to keep, and she’d done that. Most of the garbage was now in the big container out back. Just a few more bags to go. Harry would return to the office in an hour or so to help Leon move the few larger pieces of furniture worth saving and repairing. And that would be that.

  Leon walked past her with the attachment he’d just removed from the desk he’d been working on and headed for the back door to put it into the truck that would take it to storage. Cassie tracked him with her gaze as he passed by, unable to look away.

  He was the same Leon who’d worked for Rock Solid Bail Bonds for four years now. He looked the same. He calmly took care of things just as he always had. But things felt different between the two of them. Like something below the surface had shifted.

  Yes, they’d been through some very intense moments these last few days. But they had been in dangerous situations together before. So why was this strangeness happening now? And where did she want it to go? If anywhere? Could this new attraction be something temporary that would vanish as soon as they captured whoever had been trying to kill her? And, hopefully, solve Jake’s murder?

  Her phone pinged. It was probably Harry, texting to let her know he was on his way to the office to help Leon with the furniture. Cassie had offered to help, but Leon had pointed out that she still had some sore joints and muscles that needed healing. And Ramona was busy helping with the cleaning.

  She pulled out her phone and glanced at the screen. It was a text from an unknown number. She tapped on it.

  You told my coworkers and neighbors you’d offer me anonymity and protection.

  Cassie’s heart began to pound so hard that the phone shook in her hand. She immediately thought of the cards and messages she’d left with people in Montana. Had one or more of those people passed her message along? Could this truly be Seth?

  Seth? Is that you? she texted.

  She called out to Leon as he walked into the office and told him what was happening.

  A reply text came in.

  I need help. Cops and other people are after me.

  I can help you, Cassie quickly texted. When and where can I meet you?

  It seemed like forever before her phone chimed with a reply.

  Tell no one about this. If you comply, I’ll be in touch.

  “I don’t want to wait for him to be ‘in touch,’” Cassie said to Leon. “Assuming this is really Seth, he might decide to disappear again.”

  “Remind him that you can help him,” Leon suggested.

  I want to help you, Cassie texted. The sooner, the better. Where can we meet? Your choice. I’ll come alone.

  “You mean you’re going to let him think you’re alone,” Leon muttered from beside her.

  Five minutes passed and there was no response.

  Getting edgy, Cassie decided to call the number connected with the text. It rang multiple times before a robotic voice told her that no voice mailbox had been set up with that phone number.

  A couple of minutes passed and she received another text. Leon looked over her shoulder as she read it.

  Don’t try that again. I’m ditching this phone right now. You’ll have to wait.

  Great. She might have scared him off by trying to call him.

  “He said ‘other people’ are after him.” She turned to Leon, thinking of her phone conversation with Sergeant Bergman yesterday morning. “What if those ‘other people’ get to him before we do?”

  He shrugged. Obviously, he didn’t have an answer.

  Anxiety turned her breaths shallow.

  She didn’t want to wait to hear back from Seth. But what other choice did she have?

  ELEVEN

  An hour after Seth sent the message telling Cassie to wait, he finally sent her a text from a different number with the words she’d been waiting for.

  If you keep me safe, I’ll tell you all I know. Dangerous people involved.

  She and Leon had left the office and were on their way to North Star Ranch when the message arrived. She read it aloud and Leon pulled over to the side of the road.

  Why not tell the police all you know? Cassie texted back.

  The reply was immediate. No cops!

  Cassie didn’t want to risk scaring him off for good this time, so she let that topic go, telling herself she’d inform Bergman of what was happening when the time was right. Instead, she asked Seth where and when they could meet.

  Will give directions along the way. Start heading toward Montana. Now. Next message in an hour.

  Since he was from Montana, it made sense he’d set up a meet in a location familiar to him somewhere in that direction. Gray clouds hung low in the sky. This wasn’t the best time to head through the mountain passes, especially since it was already late in the afternoon. But Cassie texted him back to tell him she’d be leaving Stone River shortly. She could be risking another ambush driving through the pass again, but this might be the only opportunity she’d ever have to find out who had murdered her husband. It was a chance she had to take.

  Come alone, the next text read.

  “No way,” Leon said, peering over her arm to read her phone screen.

  Not a chance, Cassie shot back in her reply.

  Seth couldn’t possibly believe she’d agree to traipse to an unknown Montana location by herself. And maybe, by being up-front, she’d earn some credibility points with him.

  Long minutes crawled by with no response. She thought she might have blown her chance at meeting with him. But then a message finally came through.

  One person with you. NOT A COP! Next message in one hour.

  “All right. He says bring one person. I say I’ll bring three.” She glanced at Leon, who nodded in agreement.

  “I’ll be the plus one you’re admitting to,” he said with a slight smile.

  She called Martin to tell him and Daisy what was happening. It didn’t feel right to put them on the spot by directly asking them to go with her. A personal situation like this wasn’t part of their job description. But she was relieved and grateful when they immediately volunteered to accompany her and Leon on the trip.

  “I don’t know what Seth is going to do or ultimately where he’ll send us,” Cassie said into her phone with both Daisy and Martin on the other end. “He could have somebody in town watching to see if I have another vehicle traveling with me. Or he might just send me in a big circle that directs me back here to Stone River. So I want you to wait and then head out for Montana thirty minutes after Leon and I leave town, unless you hear other
wise from me. I’ll keep you in the loop as I get updated directions from Seth.”

  Martin and Daisy reminded her to be careful before ending the call.

  After gassing up Leon’s truck, they hit the highway beneath a cloudburst that seemed determined to travel with them. Roughly an hour later, after they’d passed from Idaho into Montana, another text from Seth arrived.

  Look at the next highway road marker and tell me what the number is.

  As soon as their headlights hit the next reflective sign in the dusky light beside the highway, Cassie noted the number and texted it to Seth.

  He replied with a mile marker number fifteen miles ahead.

  Just past this point is a turnoff for an unpaved county road on your left. Turn there. Text me when you’ve made the turn.

  “He’s sending us to Rubyville, the ghost town,” Leon said after she read aloud the text. “Or the campground that’s nearby.”

  “I’ve never been to Rubyville,” Cassie said. “I’ve heard of it. Wasn’t sure exactly where it was.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Leon said. “I’ve camped there. It’s pretty desolate. Not exactly a tourist attraction.”

  Cassie made a quick call to update Daisy and Martin. The call seemed to take a long time to go through. When it finally connected, and Daisy answered, her voice was overlaid with static.

  “Directions are to turn north on the county road that leads to Rubyville,” Cassie said. “Are either of you familiar with the area?”

  “I am,” Daisy said. She added something else, but her words kept cutting out.

  “You’re breaking up,” Cassie said.

  “I said I went hiking around there a couple of times with my family back when I was a kid.” Her voice came through a little clearer, but it still sounded choppy. “Man, this is quite a storm. The rain is really coming down,” she added, though Cassie had to concentrate to fill in the blanks to understand what she’d said.

  “I’ll call you when we get further directions,” Cassie told her.

  The call dropped before she heard Daisy’s response.

  Cassie turned to Leon. “Tell me about Rubyville and the campground. I’ve heard the facilities are primitive, so I’ve never been interested in going. Give me my comfy bed and a hot shower and a decent meal instead, thanks.”

  “Primitive is the word, all right,” he replied. “The campground is just a patch of public land beside the county road that’s kept clear of brush so you can pitch a tent. Maybe car camp if you want to. It would be a reasonable place for a fugitive to hide. No one is likely to bother you there. But there’s no fresh water spigots, no shower facilities, nothing like that.”

  “You said you’ve been camping there. Why would you want to do that? If you want to be all outdoorsy and rugged, why not set up camp in a beautiful section of forest away from it all?”

  “Not the best time of my life when I used to go camping out there,” he said. “Though I tried to kid myself at the time that I was enjoying myself.” Leon sighed heavily. “It’s not an area that cops patrol. At least, it wasn’t back then. That made it a good place to party with friends. I was stupid. I was lost. Obeying the law, doing the right thing, doing good, didn’t cross my mind.” He shook his head. “I don’t claim I was very smart at the time.”

  “Well, you didn’t exactly see good examples growing up,” Cassie said. He’d told her a little about his parents, who’d apparently not really been in to parenting.

  Leon rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not making excuses. I knew what I was doing, even though in a lot of ways, I didn’t.”

  “You’re not that person now,” Cassie said. “You’re different.”

  “I know that. I know I’m forgiven. I know I’ve been redeemed. And I am truly grateful for that. More than words can say. ‘Thank You, Lord’ never feels like enough. But I do pray those words at least once every day. Usually a lot more often than that.”

  “He knows what’s in your heart,” Cassie said. “And that’s what matters.”

  “I made a lot of stupid decisions that impacted my future and will continue to impact my future,” Leon added. “Those realities aren’t going to go away.”

  “All I know is that every step you’ve taken in your life has made you the man you are right now. And there’s no other man I’d rather have by my side,” she said.

  Hearing those words come out of her mouth made Cassie’s stomach flutter and she felt a twinge of panic. Because they were true. But she hadn’t meant to give voice to them. And acting on them would be impossible. Leon was her employee. She couldn’t, and wouldn’t, play games with that. Working for her was his livelihood, and she didn’t want him to feel like he was risking that. Not for her. Not for anybody. She certainly wouldn’t want to ever be put in that situation.

  The moment hung in the air between them, heavy, like something bold needed to be said. And Cassie, who liked to think she had some backbone, chickened out and changed the subject. “So did you hike over to Rubyville and check out the actual ghost town when you were camping or partying nearby?”

  “Yeah. It’s mostly a few abandoned houses and storefronts and a church. Plus some old barns and stables and storage buildings. Somebody found gold in a nearby creek in the late 1800s and people hustled here from all over the West thinking they’d strike it rich. A few of them made some money. The town had nearly a thousand residents at one point. But after about five years, the gold played out. There was a harsh winter that, sadly, some of the residents didn’t survive. People left as soon as the passes cleared and, within a couple of years, the town was abandoned.”

  “Sounds like a good place to explore sometime. But right now, it looks like Seth is hiding there. And I’m hoping we can talk to him. Find out who killed Jake. Finally get everything that’s been happening resolved.”

  A short time later, they spotted the road Seth had told them to watch for. Leon slowed and made the turn. Cassie sent her text to Seth.

  We just made the turnoff from the highway.

  Her heart rate sped up at the thought that she was finally about to talk face-to-face with the man who apparently knew the details of Jake’s murder.

  Leon’s recently repaired truck rocked from side to side after he left the even asphalt of the highway and turned onto the unpaved county road. It was still raining, the road was muddy, and Cassie thought it a very good thing that Leon drove around on big, fat, deeply treaded tires.

  Her phone pinged and she looked at the screen to see the newest text from Seth. Or at least the person who was leading her to believe he was Seth. This could be a trap laid by the people trying to kill her. She’d had to consider that from the moment she’d received the first message.

  She read the text to Leon. “‘You’re going to see a maple tree on the right and just beyond it is a narrow dirt road. Turn there.’”

  “Yeah, he’s taking us off the county road that leads to the campground and having us take the old road toward Rubyville,” Leon said. He made the turn, leaving the county road to drive up what was little more than an overgrown path with deep grooves worn into it, likely originally put there by wagon wheels.

  “Keep an eye out for fresh tire tracks. Like, from a vehicle with an internal combustion engine and not one drawn by mules,” Cassie said.

  “Copy that,” Leon replied. “Though the rain has probably washed away any tracks Seth left behind if he’s been here for a while.”

  Cassie tapped her phone screen to call Daisy to tell them it was confirmed they were heading to Rubyville. The call went through, but again the reception was staticky. It sounded like Daisy said something about a rockslide and the road being blocked.

  Cassie repeatedly tried to explain where they were, but the call obviously wasn’t clear on Daisy’s end, either. Eventually, Cassie was fairly sure she’d made her point. She believed Daisy had told her that M
artin thought he could make his way around the rockslide, but that they would be delayed.

  When the call dropped, Cassie sent Daisy a text asking for an estimate on how long she and Martin thought they would be.

  Martin doesn’t think it will take too long. Hold off the meeting for an hour. We should be there to back you up by then.

  “If we can hold off for an hour, we will,” Cassie muttered to Leon after she’d read the text to him.

  The rain slackened and the bumpy road curved around a cluster of towering Ponderosa pines before straightening. In the beams of the truck’s headlights, Cassie could see two rows of dilapidated wooden buildings facing each other from opposite sides of the street. The road she and Leon were driving along continued between the rows of grayed buildings then dead-ended a few yards ahead where a wide turnabout had been worn into the ground.

  Leon stopped just before they reached the faded buildings.

  “Do you see anybody, or maybe a parked vehicle anywhere?” Cassie asked.

  “No,” Leon replied. “But I feel like a sitting duck just waiting here.” He turned off the truck’s headlights and interior lights.

  Cassie gave her eyes a few moments to adjust to the deepening twilight. Though the cloud cover made things dimmer, it wasn’t full night yet. The winds that buffeted the truck, rocking it slightly, were also breaking up the clouds overhead. It had been predicted to be a fast-moving storm.

  Cassie rolled down her window to listen. “Maybe we got here ahead of him. Maybe he’s back where we turned off the highway, watching to see if we brought cops with us.”

  “That’s what I would do if I were him,” Leon said. “Why don’t you let him know we’re here?” he added.

  Cassie’s phone pinged just as she started to compose a text. It was an incoming message.