Game over. Time to move on to John.
Stella wrapped up with Violet, determining that the woman needed a public defender. Stella told her she would need to wait while they tried to reach him.
Out in the hallway, Stella clasped Mattie’s arm and drew her close, speaking in a quiet voice. “Our research into Harold Cobb didn’t bring up a brother as an associate.”
“Neither of them served time for gunrunning. They must have stayed ahead of the law.”
McCoy joined them in the hallway. He’d been watching the feed from the recording. “Found a California driver’s license for Virginia Carson. Photo looks like her and prints are a match. She told the truth about not having a record. John Cobb does have a record for serving time for drug possession and dealing, but still no affiliation with Harold Cobb.”
Stella acknowledged the information with a nod. “Mattie, are you up to talking to John Cobb now?”
“I have several questions for him.”
“Let me take the lead.” Stella opened the door of the next interrogation room, and Mattie followed her in.
John Cobb sat at the table, his hands in cuffs and chained to a steel eyebolt set in the floor. Deputy Johnson stood at the wall, keeping guard. A bright red cut adorned the top of John’s nose where Mattie had kicked the mask, and bruises darkened both his eyes and his throat. The EMT that cared for prisoners at the station had wrapped his arm with a bandage where no doubt Robo had left his mark.
It pleased Mattie that she and her dog had been able to get in their licks.
The recorder had been running since they’d put John in the room, so Stella repeated the Miranda warning and began the interview. “John Cobb, are you willing to answer a few questions?”
He eyed Stella before giving Mattie an insolent smile. “Depends.”
Stella placed her palms on the table. “We’ve spoken to Violet, also known as Virginia Carson. She wants to work with us. We’ve got your identity and your record, and we know you were responsible for William Cobb’s death.”
John shrugged, his cold eyes locked on Mattie.
“How did you find William Cobb?”
He gave Stella a scornful look.
“We know you killed him.”
His snake eyes traveled back to Mattie and fixed on her.
Mattie wasn’t afraid of him, and she wanted some answers. She leaned forward to take over. “Let’s talk about the three skeletons we found up on Redstone Ridge then. The weapon involved in those deaths has been traced to your brother, Harold Cobb.”
John tipped his head in acknowledgement. “Harold killed them. Three Mexicans that got caught up in his deal. I don’t know their names.”
“One was just a child.”
He lifted one shoulder. “That’s too bad, isn’t it?”
“Were you there?”
He shook his head slowly in denial, but Mattie doubted that was the truth.
“What else do you know about their deaths?” Stella asked. “Why did Harold kill them?”
“Like I said. They got in his way. They were at one of the checkpoints at the wrong time. Saw too much. Had to get rid of ‘em.”
“What town were they from?”
“Don’t know. Can’t say.”
“What else do you know about their deaths?” Mattie asked.
“Harold set the forest on fire that night.”
“So he was the cause of the Redstone Ridge fire, huh?” If true, this little bit would give them a date to search for missing person reports. “And what is Ramona Cobb’s maiden name?”
With a sly smile, he shook his head.
She was just about done with him and doubted anything more he might say would be useful. “Tell me, how does it feel to have murdered your own nephew and to have tried to kill your niece?”
The look he gave her was pure disgust. “You’re not my kin.”
“Oh yeah? So you’re not Harold Cobb’s brother?”
“You’re not his daughter, you cocky little bitch.”
The room looped around her, along with a wave of dizziness. How could this be true? Harold Cobb had been a lousy father whom she’d grown to hate, but he was the only one she could remember.
Stella picked up the questioning. “What do you mean by that?”
“Just what I said.” John glared at Mattie and she met his black look straight on. “You and your brother are no kin of mine. Harold picked you up that same night when he picked up Ramona.”
“What do you mean by picked up Ramona?” Stella asked.
“She was part of the bunch he took up to the ridge that night. He had to have her, and she begged to keep her kids. In spite of all her faults, Ramona was a real looker. And Harold was a fool.”
Mattie thought of the vivid image of the burning child that had flashed into her mind when they exhumed the child’s bones. She found her voice. “Are you saying that I was up on the ridge that night? I was there when those people were killed?”
John made derisive sound. “I’ve said all I’m going to say. I’m done talking.”
Her mind tumbled with fragments of childhood memories. Riding horseback in front of a man she feared. Hearing the blast of a gunshot and her mother’s scream. Watching the bodies burn until she turned away and buried her face against her brother. This man had been there. No matter what he said, she remembered that he’d been there, too.
Did Willie remember all this before he died? Did he remember being there the night the men burned the bodies up on the ridge?
Overwhelming fatigue washed through her, so heavy that she had to fight to keep her head up. She could barely hear Stella as she peppered John with follow-up questions, which he refused to answer.
Mattie braced against the table to push herself to stand, saying to Stella, “Excuse me for a minute.”
She exited the interrogation room, closed the door, and leaned against it, looking down the hall to her office. First Robo and then Cole appeared at the doorway.
“Are you all right?” Cole asked, concern etched on his face.
She recognized that she’d hit the wall, and she had all she could take. She took the few steps needed to reach the security of Cole’s strong arms, and she held him close, pressing her face against his chest. “I’ll go with you now to see Dr. McGinnis,” she said.
THIRTY-SIX
Cole lingered at his bedroom door, observing Mattie from across the room. She slept soundly on his bed, her dark hair flared against his pillow, her breathing steady and regular. Robo lay beside her and he raised his head to stare at him, ears forward and alert. Even though he knew the dog would take his arm off if he approached, he’d never been so thrilled to see a protection dog on duty. Robo would guard her to his dying breath.
A breeze lifted the sheer, white under-panel away from the heavier, open draperies. Mattie had requested he open the window and leave the door open before she collapsed under the bed’s comforter.
Assured that she was all right, he turned to pad downstairs on socked feet. After taking Mattie to see Dr. McGinnis and then setting her up to rest where he could keep an eye on her, Cole had dozed the rest of the day on his couch.
Dr. McGinnis had performed a thorough physical exam and then run an EKG to make sure Mattie hadn’t suffered heart damage from the drug or her episode without oxygen. He decided the dosage of the antidote that Cole gave her was enough and didn’t want to inject her with anything more, so he’d recommended sleep, nourishing food, and replenishment of electrolytes to help with her recurrent bouts of dizziness. Robo was making sure she received the first prescribed item on the treatment plan, while Mrs. Gibbs was taking care of the last two.
When they got home from the doctor’s office, Mattie had showered and changed into a pair a sweats that Stella retrieved from her car. Then she’d gone to bed and fallen asleep.
Mattie’s house was still surrounded by yellow tape, but Stella had promised she’d release the scene and clean up by evening. He knew that Mattie would want t
o move to her own home, though he planned for her to stay here where he could keep an eye on her, at least for one night. The thought of her returning to work gave him a chill, though he knew it was unreasonable to hope that Mattie might retire from her life as a K-9 officer.
Could I handle being married to a police officer? The thought startled him, and he paused at the bottom of the stairway to consider. To be honest, he’d examined the question a couple times recently, but not with the horror of last night’s experience behind it.
Marrying Mattie would be a big step, and he wondered if any of them were ready for it. It would mean bringing her and Robo into his home and family. The kids already loved them both, and Cole figured their bond would only grow stronger if they all lived under one roof. But was it fair to expose them to the risk of losing Robo while on duty, much less the possibility of losing their new stepmother?
He cautioned himself not to overreact. Sure, police work was dangerous business, K-9 work even more so, but more officers retired from duty unscathed than those killed on the job. And this time danger had come out of Mattie’s past rather than from her current law enforcement duties here in Timber Creek.
He didn’t plan to let this incident change his future. Last night’s terror had convinced him that he didn’t want to live his life without Mattie in it.
* * *
Mattie’s body jerked and startled her awake. She raised her head to study her unfamiliar surroundings. Pressed against her on the bed—where he wasn’t typically allowed—Robo warmed her side. He gazed at her, ears pricked, as if anticipating her next move. Instead of her own bedroom, she was in Cole’s, where everything was big. King-sized bed, heavy oak furniture, large-screen television.
Safe.
She relaxed back on the pillow and cuddled against Robo. He rested his head on his paws while she stroked his silky fur, gently checking his rump and leg for sore spots. His lack of flinching reassured her that he must not have any significant tenderness. For her own part, she felt like she’d been caught in a cement mixer.
While she stretched her legs under the warm, fluffy comforter, she noticed movement at the doorway. Cole peeked around the jam, raising his hand in greeting when she looked at him.
He carried a tumbler of blueberry vitamin water and set it on the bedside table. “Do you feel any better?”
“I’ll feel better tomorrow after I work some of the soreness out.” She sat up, and Cole handed her the glass. The first few swallows hurt her throat but then felt soothing as she leaned against the headboard and sipped a bit more.
Cole sat on the edge of the bed, and Robo moved to position himself between them. Cole’s dark eyes twinkled. “This dog gets the best of me every time.”
“Will the kids be home soon?”
“In about fifteen minutes.”
“I need to go. I can’t let them see me looking like this—Frankenstein’s bride.”
He smiled. “They can and they will. It’s not the first time they’ve seen a few cuts and bruises, although the redness in your eyes will create lots of questions from Sophie. Let’s just tell her it was from being so close to the fire.”
“I can go home now.”
“Stella called. Your home isn’t ready for you to go in there yet.”
“What’s taking so long?”
He made a vague gesture with his hand. “Not sure. She’ll get to it when she can. I told her you were staying here for the night.” He continued on with a rush, as if to stave off argument. “She also said to tell you that John Cobb shut down and asked for an attorney. Interrogation over.”
“I doubt he’ll provide us with anything more.” Pain radiated from Mattie’s chest as a coughing spasm gripped her.
Cole leaned forward to pat her on the back. “Remember Dr. McGinnis said to go ahead and cough. Your lungs weren’t functioning at full capacity there for awhile and you might need to decongest.”
When the spasm ended, she wiped moisture from her eyes, caused not only by coughing. Sometimes this man seemed too good, and she didn’t want to sully his world with her dirty baggage. She pushed the comforter back so she could get up. “Cole, listen. It’s really good of you to offer a place for me to stay, but it’s not necessary.”
“Wait,” he said, taking her hand.
Robo stuck his nose between them, nuzzling her palm. He drew away to sneeze and then pushed his wet nose back between their hands, doing his best to separate them.
“Geez, Robo. Ick.” Cole pulled a tissue from the box on the bedside table and wiped her palm, which she allowed, even though she didn’t really care. “I don’t want you to leave now, Mattie. We’ll all rest better tonight if you stay here. Please do Mrs. Gibbs, the kids, and me this one favor and let us pamper you. At least for today.”
She blinked the wetness from her eyes and turned away. “I’m not used to it.”
“I know. You’re always the strong one.”
“I mean, I’m still trying to wrap my head around things. Everything I thought I knew about myself has been tossed into the air. I don’t know what’s real and what’s not. I don’t want to bring that into your home. I need time to sort things out.”
“No, you don’t. It’s all in the past, Mattie. It doesn’t matter in the present. There’s nothing you can learn about yourself that would change the way I feel about you. Not a thing. I love you the way you are. I love the person you are. There’s nothing out there that could change that for me.”
Tears streamed, wetting her cheeks, and a sob racked her chest as Cole leaned forward to take her in his arms. Robo squirmed his way between them, and Cole embraced them both, her dog sandwiched in the middle. She gave up on trying to maintain control and sobbed unhindered until Robo’s persistent nose nudged her arm and made her laugh while she cried.
“Robo. Move over, buddy. Give a guy a break.” Cole tore more tissues from the box with one hand while he continued to hold her with the other, giving her several before he wiped his eyes and nose with another. “Okay. I know that finding out about yourself and your family is important to you, so here’s what I think we should do. We’ll send your DNA to an ancestry database to see if we can find your mother. Maybe she’s trying to find you. Or maybe we can find other members of your family. No telling who’s out there looking for you.”
Her throat swelled, and she buried her face in a tissue. “Maybe no one.”
“But maybe someone.” He pulled her toward him, and Robo held the line resolutely, wedged between them. “The important thing for you to remember, Mattie, is that we’re in this together. No matter what you discover, I’m with you.”
It was a lot to take in, a lot to think about. The noisy bustle of the kids coming home from school drifted up the stairway, and Cole looked toward the open door. He leaned back slightly and looked into her face.
Unable to meet his eyes, she gazed down at Robo. It was too much emotional turmoil—love, sorrow, the joy of being alive and being with him. She might start crying again.
“I need to go downstairs and talk to the kids. A lot has happened since they left for school this morning. Are you okay on your own for a few minutes?”
She’d been on her own most of her life. “Sure.”
“Will you feel like visiting with the kids later?”
All of sudden, everything came clear. Being with Sophie and Angela would be like medicine to her soul. There was nothing she would like better. “I’ll splash some water on my face and get ready. Could you ask Mrs. Gibbs if she can loan me a scarf to put around my neck? The kids don’t need to see this mark.”
“Okay, but Stella wanted you to give her a call.” He handed her his cell phone as he leaned forward and kissed her.
The kiss felt warm and gentle on her lips, loving but not demanding, normal and like it should be.
Cole straightened. “I’ll get you a scarf and you can come down whenever you’re ready.”
She dialed Stella after he left. Her cell phone had never been found; it was probab
ly smashed somewhere along the side of the road.
Stella answered. “What’s up, Cole?”
“It’s Mattie.”
“Ah, glad to know you’re awake. How are you feeling?”
“I’ll be all right. Do we have any more information?”
“We sent John Cobb’s rifle and ammo to the lab. We’re certain he shot the ram, but we’ll let ballistics prove it for us.” Stella paused for a moment. “I tried to get a possible lead for Ramona out of Violet, but I don’t think she knows anything about your mother. The good news is that after she talked to her attorney, it looks like she’s decided to testify against John Cobb for William’s death.”
“That is good news.” Mattie remembered her certainty that John Cobb had been on the ridge the night their three John Does had been killed. “Stella, do you think we can charge him for the deaths of our other three victims?”
“I think it’s entirely possible. We can tie the murder weapon to Harold Cobb, and despite his denial, our taped interview gave us enough to place John Cobb at the crime scene that night. He knew too much. And the fact that he used the same MO and place to bury William is also damning. That has to be more than pure coincidence.”
A thought crystalized in Mattie’s mind, making her realize how happy she should be. “The discovery that I’m not related by blood to the Cobb brothers is a huge bonus.”
“I hoped you would come to see it that way.”
Cole returned with a green silk scarf in hand, which he waved at her before placing it beside her on the bed. “Join us when you’re ready,” he whispered as he left the room.
“Lab results were negative for recreational drugs in William’s samples.” Stella paused, and Mattie knew the other shoe was about to drop. “But they were positive for thiafentanil oxalate.”
“So Cobb used the same drug on Willie that he used on me.” She remembered how ill she’d been and realized that Willie had endured even more torture. It made her heart ache.
She wrapped up the conversation with Stella and then went to the bathroom to splash water on her reddened eyes. Her image in the mirror didn’t look as bad as it had a few hours ago. Her physical wounds were already starting to heal, and the fiery redness from her cuts, scrapes, and bloodshot eyes had diminished.
Burning Ridge Page 27
