Cold Case Reopened

by Caridad Piñeiro

  Coward! Rhea wanted to scream, hating that he’d put the onus on her to decide where she’d spend the night because, well, she was feeling as craven as he was. With a curt nod, she stomped up the stairs, annoyed. Anxious. Needy. Despite knowing what was happening between them was so uncertain, she still wanted him. She wanted to not waste a minute with him because once the investigation was over...

  She wouldn’t think about that.

  She wouldn’t think about what she would do if Selene...

  No, I won’t think that. She’s out there. Somewhere, she told herself and walked to the guest bedroom to get her nightshirt. A nice hot shower was bound to relax her and buy some time until Jackson came up and then...

  She hurried into the shower, but took her time luxuriating beneath the rain showerhead, working shampoo into a thick lather. Soaping up and running her hands across her skin. Letting the heat of the water sink into her bones. Thick steam gathered in the room, warning her she’d been in there for quite some time.

  Reluctantly she shut off the water, grabbed a towel and dried off. Her skin seemed sensitized as the touch of the terry cloth across her body roused memories of the feel of the sheets beneath her, and Jackson above her, his big body driving into her.

  The warmth on her skin from the water morphed into a different kind of heat deep within.

  Rushing into Jackson’s bedroom, she didn’t even waste a moment to turn on the light. She slipped beneath the sheets and pulled them tight about her, the bed feeling empty without him. Her senses hyper, tuned to the slightest noise until she heard the first footfall on the steps.

  She held her breath, waiting for him. Eager for his body next to hers.

  The footfalls came closer and paused at the door. A breath seemed to burst from him, almost as if he’d been holding it in anticipation. A rush of steps came before his weight settled on the edge of the bed.

  “Rhea,” he said softly. Hesitantly.

  She glanced at him. His face was in partial shadow, the only light that from the hallway. It made it hard to gauge what he was thinking. But then he cradled her jaw and tenderly ran his thumb across her cheek. Drifted it down to her lips, where he traced the edges of it, as powerful as any kiss. Stirring awake desire.

  “Touch me, Jax,” she said and covered his hand with hers. Urged it to her breast where her nipple pebbled beneath his rough palm.

  “Rhea, this is crazy,” he said, but he strummed his thumb across the hard tip and then reached beneath the sheets to find the hem of her nightshirt and draw it off her body.

  With eager fingers she undid the buttons on his uniform shirt, baring his chest to her. Sitting up to drop kisses across the expanse until she tongued his masculine nipple and he groaned and held her head to him. With a little love bite, she brought her hands to his sides and urged him down to her, wanting his skin against hers. Wanting his hands on her.

  “Please, Jax. Please,” she pleaded.

  Jackson moved away from her only long enough to remove the rest of his clothes and slip beneath the sheets with her.

  She had her hands on him instantly, cupping him and stroking his hard length.

  “I want you in me,” she said and pressed him close.

  “Bossy, aren’t you?” he teased, drawing a chuckle from her as he fumbled in the nightstand for a condom. He had barely taken it out, and she was shifting, urging him to his back and taking it from him. She tore it open, took out the condom and, with delicious leisure, rolled it down over him, and now it was his turn to plead.

  “Rhea. I need you,” he said, and she didn’t disappoint.

  She straddled him and sank onto him, slowly.

  He laid his hands on her hips. Guided her to move on him, riding him. Thrusting into her forcefully, driving until the release washed over them, stealing their breaths.

  Rhea wrapped her arms around him and laid her head against his chest. His heart beat rapidly beneath her ear, and his skin was damp. He smelled of man, leather and Jackson. She inhaled that aroma to commit it to memory. To remember it long past when this moment was done. He made her feel loved, but she told herself not to think too much about that.

  There was still too much to do. Too many unknowns.

  And when the morning came, it might be the beginning of the end depending on what the drone footage revealed. Much like the end of the investigation would reveal if whatever she was feeling for Jackson was real.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The drone sitting on the ground before them in the bright morning light was nothing like the small drones Rhea had seen at various events in Denver. The drone was easily a good three feet or more across, with large propellers to lift it high into the air. It sat on two upraised legs and nestled at the center was something that looked like a camera, but she guessed was the LIDAR device, whatever that was. Projecting above the body of the drone, almost on antennae, were some pod-like pieces.

  Jackson and the drone operator had gathered by the police cruiser, where Jackson had spread out the map of the mountain area above. He instructed the other man on what they wanted to survey. As she approached, she heard the drone operator issue a low whistle, look up toward the mountains and rub his head.

  “Lots of dense vegetation, but hopefully the laser will be able to get through to get the data we need for Robbie and Sophie,” the man said.

  “What if there isn’t enough data, Rick?” Jackson asked, taking the words right out of her mouth.

  With a shrug, Rick said, “Robbie and Sophie are miracle workers. They can probably download topographical maps of the area and work them into any analysis to fill in gaps.”

  “Will it take long?” Rhea asked.

  Rick peered up at the mountains again and said, “Your cousins sent me the specs for several flight plans. I’ve programmed them into my tablet, and once we send up the drone, it will fly those plans on its own to collect the data. My guess is a couple of hours.”

  “And then you send the data to my cousins?” Jackson said.

  Rick nodded. “I’ll transmit it to them, and they’ll use their programs to get whatever images you want.” Knowing what question would come next, Rick added, “With their supercomputers, it shouldn’t take too long to process the data. You’d probably have it tomorrow if they jump right on it.”

  “Sounds good, and thanks again for doing this,” Jackson said.

  “Anything I can do. I can only imagine how hard it must be for you, Rhea. Hopefully we’ll be able to help you find your sister,” Rick said and walked to his tablet and remote controls. He picked up the controls, and a second later, the propellers whirred to life. With some swipes on the tablet, the drone lifted off and sped toward the mountains.

  Jackson and she leaned against the cruiser and watched the drone disappear up the mountain, but the hum of the propellers gave testament that it was still there, working its way along the first of the flight plans that Jackson’s cousins had programmed. Rick walked back toward them, his gaze locked on his tablet. As he neared, he held it up for them to see the images that the drone was capturing.

  “Lots and lots of trees,” Rhea said, slightly worried that was all the imagery would capture.

  Rick nodded, but seeing her concerns, he explained. “That’s what our eyes and the camera see, but the LIDAR is getting a lot more. Trust me.”

  “We do,” Jackson said and laid his arm over her shoulder to draw her near with a reassuring squeeze.

  “We trust you, Rick,” she added, almost in apology for having any doubts.

  “Great. Let me get back to watching, just in case,” he said and walked away to keep an eye on the drone’s footage, the remote control nearby. She assumed that was just in case there was a problem with any of the flight plans.

  The chill of morning faded as an hour passed, and then another, as the drone flew flight plan after flight plan. Jackson and she sat
on a blanket spread beneath the shade of a large aspen, sipping coffee from the large thermos they’d brought with them. Taking over some coffee and breakfast pastries to Rick while he monitored the drone.

  It was almost lunch hour when the drone came whirring back and landed just yards away from them. They approached as the blades stopped whirring, and Rick walked over to the machine. He worked quickly to remove the LIDAR device and store it in its protective luggage.

  Jackson helped him with packing up the rest of the equipment, and once they were done, Jackson said, “What do you do next?”

  Rick gestured to the luggage with the LIDAR device. “I’m going to connect that to my computer and get the data uploaded to the cloud. Once that’s done, I’ll let Robbie and Sophie know so they can generate the information for you.”

  Jackson nodded and shook the man’s hand. “Thanks again. If there’s ever anything we can do for you—”

  “I’ll let you know. Maybe help me score some BBQ from Declan’s place. I hear it’s the best in the area,” Rick said.

  Jackson smiled. “It is. Whenever you want to head over there, I’ll let him know you’re coming and it’s on me. Whatever you want.”

  “Thanks, Jax. And good luck with everything. Rhea,” the man said with a deferential nod.

  Jackson and Rhea helped Rick load all the equipment containers in the back of his van. After another handshake from Jackson and hug from her, Rick drove off.

  Rhea hoped that they’d gotten what they needed. With Matt virtually eliminated as a suspect, they had to focus on whether the two men at the pub had possibly had a part in Selene’s disappearance, the attacks against her and the destruction at Jackson’s home.

  Jackson laid a hand on her shoulder and drew her near, comforting her. “This will work,” he said with a playful nudge, trying to lighten the mood.

  “It will,” she said with more confidence than she was feeling and with anticipation. His cousins’ supercomputers couldn’t work fast enough as far as she was concerned, but she knew everyone involved would work as quickly as possible.

  But in the meantime, they had little to do and she was too antsy to just sit around. She was even too antsy to sketch, which rarely happened. Jackson must have sensed her mood, since he said, “It’s a beautiful day. Feel like a walk around town?”

  She’d love a walk, but didn’t want to deal with having other people around. She wanted something more private where it just the two of them. “Anywhere it can be just the two of us?”

  Jackson peered at her and nodded. “I know just the place. How about we pick up a picnic lunch?”

  She smiled. “That sounds nice. Thank you.”

  In just over fifteen minutes, they had a picnic lunch from one of the restaurants in Regina and were back on the road. Not far past the lake and nearby spillway, Jackson turned off onto a side road that ran parallel to the lake. Every now and then he’d look back, as if to check if anyone was following, but apparently satisfied they were alone, he continued on their trek. To the right of the paved road was what looked like a hiking trail that ran for some distance.

  Less than a quarter mile from the turnoff, they pulled up in front of a large cabin that faced the lake. It reminded her of Jackson’s home, and when they pulled into the driveway, she noticed the mailbox with the owner’s name: Whitaker.

  “Is this your family’s place?” she asked as Jackson parked the cruiser.

  “Mom and Dad’s place. While they’re in Florida, I come up here every week or so to make sure everything is in order. It’s got nice views of the lake. I figured we could have lunch up on the front porch and then do a short hike along the trail. If you want, that is.”

  “I’d like that,” she said. She also liked that he asked and didn’t assume, unlike her last boyfriend. An artist like her, it had started off well at first, but then he’d become more and more demanding. More controlling until she had finally put an end to the relationship. In the couple of years since then, she’d stayed out of the dating game, focusing on her artwork and building her business.

  She wasn’t sure she could call what was happening with her and Jackson dating, or call him her boyfriend. It was way more than that.

  He grabbed the bag with their food from the back seat and swung around to open her door, ever the gentleman. The comforting touch of his hand came at her back, the pressure gentle as he guided her up the long set of steps up to the generous front porch for the cabin.

  The porch wrapped around the cabin. In the front there were two large rockers and between them a small circular table where he set the bag with their lunch. As Rhea swept past him to one of the rockers, Jackson removed their sandwiches, chips and soda from the bag and laid it all out on the table.

  They settled on the rockers to sit and eat, their words few as they satisfied their hunger, but maybe also possibly because they were both thinking about what had happened that morning and where it might lead.

  For Rhea, there was no doubt the end was near. If the images found nothing, the investigation would go cold again. If there was something on the images...it would help them find her sister, and she refused to give up hope that Selene was alive.

  Jackson took a last bite of his sandwich, scooped up a handful of chips and popped a few into his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully, swallowed and said, “I think it went well this morning.”

  “I think so, although I’m not really into tech. Not a Luddite, mind you, but I like doing things hands-on.”

  He raised an eyebrow and fixed his gaze on her. It was hot, so hot. “I like that you like that.”

  Rhea’s cheeks burned with the heat ignited by his look. She shook her head and chuckled. “I’ll have to remember that.”

  “And me? Will you remember me?” Jackson said, his mood growing more somber.

  Remember him? How can I ever forget him? She reached over and laid her hand on his forearm. With a tender stroke, she said, “I could never forget you, Jax. What we have...it’s complicated, isn’t it?”

  “It is, but you’re very special to me, Rhea. Whatever happens...” He wagged his head in an almost defeated gesture, laced his fingers with hers and offered her a sad smile. “How about that hike?”

  “Sounds nice,” she said, eager to move away from a discussion that could only bring sadness.

  Hand-in-hand they walked down the steps and across the one-lane road to a small path that led to the trail by the lake. Sunlight frolicked on the surface of the lake, glittering like silver and ice-blue confetti against the cerulean blue waters. Waters that lapped softly along the reeds at the lake’s edges.

  Ducks and geese swam here and there on the surfaces, dark shapes against the light dancing on the lake. Far ahead of them, wading in the grasses on long sticklike legs, a great blue heron stood still, patient. Waiting to snare a meal. They carefully walked past so as not to disturb the bird and pushed on, voices silent. Thoughts loud, but calming slowly thanks to the beauty of the nature around them. A little farther up the trail, the sudden and loud flap of wings alerted them to a large bird taking flight.

  A bald eagle soared into view over the lake, majestic and immense. With a few flaps of its wings the eagle climbed ever higher, then glided on a burst of breeze, reveling in its freedom.

  JACKSON WATCHED THE regal bird soar and dance on the wind. Its flight graceful, but filled with strength. In some ways, Rhea was like that bird. Elegant. Powerful. Free.

  He had to remind himself of that. Free to choose her own path. Free to leave when the time came, but much like the bald eagles who left in late winter, sometimes a pair would stay behind to nest and build a family.

  They walked together for a good hour, enjoying the many sights along the lake. The spring weather was perfect for their walk, with a slight breeze to combat the heat building from the bright sunlight. In the shade of the trees on the trail, it was almost a little chilly an
d when Rhea shivered, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and drew her close.

  Hips bumping, they finally turned around and strolled back toward his parents’ home, peace filling him. Funny, really, if you thought about it. He was in the middle of an active investigation. Someone was trying to hurt her, maybe even kill her, and yet what he felt was a peace that he hadn’t experienced in years.

  His heart was huge with that peace, with love for her, as they got back into the cruiser to head back to the police station for another look through their notes and to see if anyone needed his help on any other cases. The chief had warned him about how the investigation was taking too much of his time and the town’s resources. With some downtime until his cousins came through with the information from the LIDAR footage, he had to give his attention to other cases his colleagues might be working on.

  Back at the police station, he did just that, leaving Rhea comfortably tucked away in his office sketching while he checked in with the other officers on the force. He assisted one with recreating the scene of a hit-and-run. At another desk, an officer asked for advice about a burglary and that officer’s version of the entry into the building.

  Pleased with being of help to his colleagues, he was returning to his office when his police chief walked back into the station. If he remembered correctly, his boss had had a meeting with the mayor and some members of the town council about the police budget for the coming year.

  “How’d it go, Bill?” he asked, hoping for positive news.

  The police chief lifted his meaty shoulders in a careless way. “It’s too soon to know, but at least it wasn’t an immediate rejection.”

  Jackson heard the tone of worry in his chief’s voice. “Which might happen if they get a whiff of any issues. Like Selene’s case, right?”

  His boss glared at him. “Like that, Jax. I told you that when you first decided on this lunacy. Have you made any progress?”

  Jackson clenched his jaw, biting back his anger. With a cleansing breath, he said, “We have. We’ve pretty much eliminated Matt Davis as a suspect. I’ve called Avalon PD to let them know that. We have photos of two possible suspects and a witness who saw their vehicle by the victim’s sedan the night of her disappearance. Once we have the results of some drone imagery, we may know their whereabouts.”