- Hard Fall (14 page)

Not that he'd ignore one of his deputies, but my priorities about my beat weren't always his priorities for the whole county. A death rated pretty big all around.

Didn't talk to the Sheriff direct, but instead to Diamond, one of the other deputies who'd just come on shift herself.

Got to hear an earful about her kid and the hospital. Little fella was real sick, been that way for about a year. Told Diamond about the camera and she promised to tack a note on the file for me.

122

Hard Fall

by James Buchanan

From there I figured we'd drive into Ruby's, see if I could pull a favor outta Jessie Dane. As I recollected, she worked the photo lab for them this season. Ruby's got it all: grocery, gas, food, hunting/fishing licenses. As we walked into the lobby of the main lodge, Kabe thumped my shoulder with his knuckle. "Hey, Joe, I'm thirsty. Want anything?"

"Yeah, root beer'd be good." I fished some bills out of my pocket. "Get what you want."

He waved me off. "I've got it. Where will I find you?"

"Down that hall." I pointed through the lobby and past the high-end gift shop. "You'll see the signs." Kabe and I split, him going left off into the general store and me along where I'd pointed. Passed the hair salon and business center—like I said, Ruby's got it all—and stepped through the door into the little photo outfit they had. All along the walls, vistas of the canyon were framed and for sale. Jessie Dane stood behind the counter, dressed like most of Ruby's folks in western gear, with her back to me. Wasn't so much a uniform as an atmosphere they tried for. "Hey miss, can I get some service here?" I teased.

She turned, the service smile bright across her too red lips. The moment she caught it was me, the smile faltered.

"Joe!" For the first time in a long time, Jessie looked shocked to see me. "What are you doing here?"

"Came looking for you." It was my day off. I didn't usually swing by Ruby's out of uniform. Likely the person and the place didn't line up quite right for her. I leaned on the counter. "How's everything?"

123

Hard Fall

by James Buchanan

"Okay, I guess." She swallowed and tried to keep the smile going. That smacked of odd. Normally, if I told Jessie I was looking for her, she'd have sashayed to the counter before fishing for a date. Instead she leaned against the big photo machine and rubbed her hands on her thighs. "I was talking to Ramon earlier, he called me."

Maybe someone'd gotten on her about work and personal time. She never could tell the difference between the two.

Setting the camera in the stuff sack on the counter, I kept up my end of the conversation. "He's still on after you, huh?"

"Sorta." She shrugged. "What are you doing here?"

"I need your help." I pulled the drawstrings open and tugged it off the plastic bag. "Need some pictures off the SIM

card in this camera." The baggy and its contents, with my ID

and badge number scrawled in permanent marker, must have caught her attention. Jessie stepped about two steps nearer the counter. Still not like leaning all over it, her normal attitude, but not buck shy either. "It's evidence, so I need to stand here and watch it happen. Can you do that for me?"

I heard the movement behind me, and kinda half-checked over my shoulder. Kabe wandered in chugging one of those over-priced, over-hyped energy drinks. Plunking my soda on the counter, he cocked his hip against it and said, "Hi," to Jessie. Then to me, "One root beer, just like the gentleman ordered."

As I picked it up and popped the top, Jessie asked, "Who are you?" I ain't never heard the tone outta her mouth like I did then. Made me look up right quick. Checked to see if there was anyone but the three of us.

124

Hard Fall

by James Buchanan

Jumping in, before she let that snide tone loose again, I made the introduction, "This is Kabe, a relative of T and Sandy. Staying up there with them."

"Kabe?" She repeated his name real slow, studying him like he might bite her if she came too close.

Well, I had no idea what burr'd gotten under that filly's saddle and didn't have the time to work it through neither.

"Yeah," I huffed out. Then I picked up the camera, in the plastic and kinda shook it in front of her face. "Can you do it for me?"

Instead of answering, she snapped, "Where'd you get the camera?"

Somebody needed to give that girl an attitude adjustment, but I figured it wouldn't be me. I took a moment to push it down so I wouldn't throw any sour back. Kabe just rolled his eyes like he thought she'd done lost her mind and kept his mouth shut. "Up on one of the cliffs around T's property." I explained it all reasonable like. "Kabe and I been out all yesterday and most of today looking for it. It's part of an investigation."

"You and him?" All three words got separate emphasis.

What? Now she not only thought I was the one for her, she was going to throw her issues around on my choice of friends? "No, me and the Easter Bunny." I sassed back,

"Yeah, Kabe and I."

"You spent the night out there?"

"Camping, people do it all the time I hear." I was done sick of playing twenty questions. "Look, can you do it or not?"

125

Hard Fall

by James Buchanan

"Ahh," She chewed her bottom lip a bit before stuttering out, "processor's broke."

"The processor's broke?" Darn thing seemed to be working fine to me, at least from the sound of it. "Don't look broke to me."

Jessie pulled herself up. Crossing her arms over her chest, she repeated, "It's broke. I can do regular film, but the thing for hooking up digital ain't working." Then she seemed to sag a bit, like she weren't quite sure of herself. "I ... I can't help you."

"Sure about that?"

"Yeah." She dropped her eyes, not looking at me. Why, I didn't know. "Nothing I can do for you." She mumbled out the last of it. "You have to go somewhere else."

Kabe snorted and walked out into the hall, where he stood fingering some of the prints they had in a bin. "Well, alright."

I shrugged and bagged up the camera. Before I walked out, I added, "You take care, okay." No sense in everyone being ornery.

"Joe..."

I paused at the door. "Yep?" Kabe'd already walked down a ways, looking in at some of the displays and such.

"You camped out last night with that guy?" There was a world of loss in her voice.

"Yeah, me and the coyotes and Kabe." I didn't snap at her this time. I didn't know what was going on, but something was up with her right then. I wished I could figure it out. "Is there something wrong, Jessie?"

"No, I'm fine." She smiled. "I'll be fine."

126

Hard Fall

by James Buchanan

"Okay then, see you 'round." Well, if'n Jessie didn't want to tell me about it, not much I could do to force it. I finished bagging the camera in the tote as I walked to where Kabe waited. Much as to myself as him, I said, "Something's up with her."

"Why do you say that?" He fell into step beside me.

Dodging around tourists at the reservation desk, I headed toward the front door. "Normally, that little gal is like a cat on fish when I'm about. Got to pry her hands out of my pockets."

"Couldn't have told that by this time."

"I know." Not expecting to see nothing, I looked back from where we'd come. "Wonder what happened?" Then we were outside on the porch, watching the cars come in and out of the parking lot. "Maybe she got another righteous talking to."

Kabe tossed his can into one of the trash bins nearby. "A what?"

Darn it, I realized I'd left my soda on the counter back in the photo lab. Didn't much feel it was worth the buck or so to go retrieve it. "Counseling by the Ward's Bishop, telling her that throwing herself at men ain't the best way to be thought of as a proper lady. She always goes a little strange right after." That was likely it. Had to be, didn't seem any other reason Jessie'd turn cold so quick. "Give it a week and she'll be back to Jessie."

"Are you telling me," a little teasing light crept into Kabe's eyes, "that she likes you?"

"Look, up here, people get married early." I ran my hand over my scalp and shrugged. "So, you ain't spoken for by twenty-three, twenty-four, well, the pickings get slim."

127

Hard Fall

by James Buchanan

"I cannot imagine you hooked up with someone like that."

"Tell you the truth, neither can I." A big rig pulled into the lot, engines going like gangbusters. Watched it pass the little fast food place over across the way and that started my stomach rumbling. Hadn't had much beyond some trail bars, jerky and water for most of the day. "Look, you hungry?"

"Fuck yeah." Kabe sounded like he'd just found Jesus.

"Could you just," I started walking, assuming he'd follow,

"for my benefit, lay off the profanity for a bit? Come on, we'll grab an expensive burger while I think of where else I might get this chip run."

He jogged to catch up and asked, "Don't you have a crime lab?"

"I can send it out. Couple different ones in big cities." I yanked open the door. The smell of fry grease and burgers hit me, making my stomach rumble. "And it'll get right in the line up behind more political cases, people with more pull." Late afternoon, not quite dinner, no line yet to speak of; Kabe and I headed straight to the counter. "Maybe, sometime next month, I'll get my evidence processed."

"Wow, that sucks."

His profanity, such as it was, caused two boys in white shirts and black pants to turn a bit. Even if you weren't raised LDS, Mormon missionaries stood out. Especially up here where everyone was all about jeans and flannel shirts. Didn't recognize either of them. 'Course I wasn't all that up on who'd been called into our Ward. "So," I smiled just to break the tiny bit of tension, "where you boys from?"

128

Hard Fall

by James Buchanan

The slightly bigger boy, with dark hair and dark eyes, spoke first. "Elder Wake from Bosie." He used his title instead of his first name. Then he nudged his missionary companion, who seemed the younger of the two.

"California." The boy added, a little red creeping into his freckled face. "Elder Jackson." He held out his hand.

I shook it and then that of Wake. "What'cha up to? I mean here." I added the last, 'cause it was pretty obvious they were out doing their proselytizing, dressed like they were.

"Just getting a drink." Wake spoke again.

"You hungry?" Then I hit my forehead with my fingertips like I was trying to fire up my brain. "What am I saying, you're teenagers, 'course you're hungry." I leaned in toward the gal at the counter. Pointing at the missionaries, I told her.

"Whatever these boys want, put it on our ticket."

Wake again. "Thank you, brother." Maybe Jackson was the shy type.

As Kabe ordered, I minimized. "No problem." I slapped Jackson's shoulder, easy like, just friendly. "I remember, it's hard." Then I and both boys told the counter gal what we wanted. Sodas, sandwiches and chips ... nothing requiring cooking really, we rounded it all up and found a table.

While we were sliding in, Jackson finally spoke up. "Where did you do your mission?" That question was meant for me.

"Uruguay." Two years spent sharing an apartment without running water and biking some of the hardest miles I'd ever slogged. At least my Spanish was beyond functional.

"Wow." Jackson's green eyes went big. Then he turned toward Kabe, "And you."

129

Hard Fall

by James Buchanan

Kabe stared at him in wide-eyed horror. "Huh?"

Lordy, Kabe doing a mission, even my brain couldn't quite process that. "Oh, that's funny!" I tried not to choke up my pop. When I managed to breathe again, I corrected him, "No, boys, he's one of the cowboys up here, Taylor Harding's family." Wasn't sure they'd been up here long enough to get beads on people, but you always introduced folks 'round here by who else they knew or were related to. "He and I, we're friends."

More red came on as Jackson studied his cup, real intensely. "Oh." The table fell quiet for a bit while we all wolfed down some food.

Kabe sucked on his soda, playing with the straw like he was trying to come up with something to say. Finally, he looked up and asked, "So what do you guys do on your days off?"

"Off?" Wake laughed. "Laundry, write home on our free day."

"That's it?"

"Well," Jackson bit off half a sandwich in one go and mumbled around the food, "we went for a hike the other day."

Wake swallowed most of his without chewing. "Nice, until we ran into the domestic thing."

"Domestic thing?" That perked my ears up.

"Yeah," eating and talking at the same time, Wake fleshed out the story. "We're hiking along the edge of a bike trail.

Came 'round the bend and there's this couple screaming at each other. Weirdest thing, the guy'd scream at the woman 130

Hard Fall

by James Buchanan

and she'd put her camera in his face and snap his picture.

Massively pissed him off."

"Screaming at each other?"

"In German." Jackson added that.

"How do you know it was German?"

"My Grandpa, he speaks German." Shoving a chip in his mouth he thought for a moment, "I don't speak a lot, but enough to know he's telling her she's stupid and ugly and she's saying stuff about how he's not, you know, not quite a man?"

"I don't quite follow you there."

"You know, like that he's like real little, down there." He scrunched up his eyes and scratched his head like he had to think on it. "At least I think."

A snort from Kabe ... yeah that would rightly amuse him. I kicked him under the table. Not hard, but enough to tell him not to be ornery. "She said he had a tiny pecker?"

"Something like that." Jackson blushed again.

I prodded their memories a little more. "Hear any names?"

Wake nodded. "I think he called her Anna or Anni or something. I don't think she ever said his name."

"No," Jackson confirmed, "she didn't." Then he mumbled,