Hermit's Peak (29 page)

Gabe couldn't resist the impulse. “Ask his girlfriend.”

“I want a twenty-four-hour tail on Bernardo Barela, starting now,” Kerney said.

Captain Garduno winced. Even with Russell Thorpe's recent assignment to the district, he was still four officers shy of a full complement. “What have you got going, Chief?”

Kerney handed Garduno a microcassette tape. “I have no proof that Barela is our murderer, but everything I've learned about him points in that direction. I think he may have targeted another victim, a woman named Kerri Crombie. She's a waitress at a bar he frequents. Crombie's five-year-old daughter made a positive ID. She saw Barela near the family's residence. As far as I can tell, he had no legitimate reason to be in the neighborhood.”

“I'll have the tape transcribed and give hard copies to the team.” Garduno said. “Is Crombie at risk?”

“Barela may not think she's a good target. She's married and her husband is always home when she gets off
work. Bernardo may be just sniffing around, but you never know. I've warned her to be careful. Now that Bernardo no longer thinks he's under suspicion, I want to see what he does.”

Garduno ran down the district duty roster assignments in his head. He had three officers scheduled for court appearances, two attending advanced training courses in Santa Fe, and one on maternity leave. “I'm strapped for manpower, Chief,” he said. “Can I get some help out of headquarters?”

“Not for a couple of days,” Kerney replied. “Have Ben Morfin take the lead. Aside from Gabe Gonzales, he's your most experienced investigator. Put two uniforms in plain clothes to work with him.”

“I'll have to assign Thorpe to the detail. I've got nobody else.”

Kerney nodded his approval. “Make sure he's brought up to speed on surveillance tactics by Morfin. Have him ride along with Ben on the first shift.”

“That means they both work double shifts.”

“They can handle it. Tell Ben I don't want Barela spooked. Keep it low key all the way. Have the team use their personal vehicles, handheld radios, and cell phones. All radio transmissions on secure undercover channels only. Restrict operational need to know to your senior commanders. I will personally fire any supervisor who leaks the operation to line staff.”

Garduno nodded, wrote himself a note, and waited for more.

“If he goes near Crombie, I want to know about it immediately.”

“If we get anything on Barela, do you want the collar?” Garduno asked.

“I want him watched, not busted. Barela is to be picked up only if he poses a clear and present danger.”

“Understood.”

“Is Gabe Gonzales on his way back to the district?”

“It may be a while,” Garduno answered. “He's booking Santistevan into the county jail.”

“Give him my compliments on a job well done, and my congratulations on his promotion.”

“I'll do that.” Garduno tapped his pencil on the desktop and gave Kerney a searching look.

“What's on your mind, Captain?”

Garduno smiled uneasily. “That disciplinary report you asked me to write to Chief Baca—I'd like to forget about it. I'd rather not start my new second-in-command off with a reprimand.”

“I ordered you to censure me for policy violation, not Lieutenant Gonzales.”

“I know, but it would still smear egg on Gabe's face.”

Kerney gave Garduno a tight smile. “You can drop it. A word of advice, Captain: When you have to chew butt, do it behind closed doors. Otherwise you humiliate your people, and it makes you look petty.”

Garduno swallowed hard before replying. “Thank you.”

“Tell Morfin to stay in close contact with me.”

Garduno watched Kerney limp out of his office. Ouch, he thought to himself.

 • • • 

The dispatcher tapped on the glass partition to the radio room as Kerney walked by. He stuck his head inside and the woman gave him a pile of telephone messages. He started scanning through them on his way to the outer office. About every third message was from Ruth Pino.

“You're a hard man to reach, Chief Kerney.”

He looked up to find Professor Pino standing in front of him. Her tone carried a note of displeasure and her expression wasn't cheery. He waited for more.

“I've made an appointment for you to meet with Reese Carson at the Nature Conservancy tomorrow morning.”

“That's not possible, Professor,” Kerney said as he returned his attention to the phone messages to hide his irritation at her pushiness. “Is the Nature Conservancy interested in the land?”

“Reese has been exploring options. Several possibilities have been discussed, including an initial purchase by the conservancy for resale to the Forest Service, or a joint purchase under the Natural Lands Protection Act.”

“I'm not familiar with that law.”

“It's a state statute that allows a nonprofit organization to purchase land with ninety percent public money. The conservancy would pay the remaining ten percent and manage the preserve. Isn't there some way you can free up your schedule?”

“Not tomorrow.”

“We must move quickly, Chief Kerney. There are many legal issues to be ironed out before probate is settled. It is to your advantage to meet with Reese.”

Kerney thumbed through more of his phone messages.
Nothing appeared urgent. “I should have some time this weekend.”

Pino sighed in exasperation. “I suppose that will have to do. Reese will be with me and a group of volunteers on the mesa this weekend.”

“What's that all about?” Kerney stared at the last message. The brief note read “Call home. Sara” It had been logged in before noon.

“We're continuing the field survey and putting up temporary fences to protect the cactus.”

“What did you say?”

“The plant and habitat assessment must be completed and protective fencing needs to be done. Nestor Barela has agreed to provide materials.”

Kerney nodded, his mind sixty miles away in Santa Fe. “I'll come up to the mesa this weekend.”

“When, this weekend?” Pino's voice was tinged with irritation.

“Either Saturday or Sunday,” Kerney said, no longer willing to hide his exasperation with the woman.

“Very well,” Pino said. A frosty look matched her chilly tone.

Kerney nodded a curt good-bye to Pino and left the building. He considered calling to see if Sara was still waiting at home for him, and decided against it. If she had already come and gone, he didn't want to get slammed by that reality.

As he gunned his unit out of the parking lot, the events of the day faded. All he could think of was Sara and what she might have to say to him when he got home.

 • • • 

Kerney saw Sara's Jeep and all of his uncertainty about her sudden departure rushed through his mind again. He got out of the unit not knowing what to expect, and moved slowly up the walkway to his house. He was halfway there when the door opened and Sara stepped out.

Kerney froze in his tracks. “Did you stop off to say good-bye again?”

“Where's your dog, Kerney? What happen to Shoe?”

“I sent him to an eight-year-old boy in California who desperately wanted him back.”

“You didn't.”

“I had to. I wasn't about to lie to the kid and keep his dog.”

“But Shoe was abandoned, abused.”

“Lost is more like it. The boy called me at work after Shoe arrived to thank me. Shoe is safe and his owner is happy.”

“Then you did the right thing.”

“It wasn't easy.”

“You really liked that dog.”

“You can't always have what you want. What do you want to tell me, Sara?”

“We need to talk.”

“About?”

“Things. Can we talk inside?”

“Okay.”

Sara stood aside as Kerney approached the front door. The expression on her face looked dead serious. He ducked past her, sat on the couch, and waited for her to join him.

She sat on the floor across from him, a good six feet away, and tucked one leg under the other.

“I didn't come here to say good-bye, Kerney. If I wanted to kiss you off, there are much easier ways to do it.”

“What do you want?”

“First, I want to apologize for the way I left. But I had to get my head straight. I was feeling shy, frightened, wary, and confused.”

“About what?” Kerney asked.

“You.”

“I thought we were getting along well.” His body felt stiff. He tired to relax, but couldn't.

“We were. Look, I came here thinking it would be great to see you and that it would just be a lot of fun. Then I wound up realizing that I couldn't treat this lightly.”

“This?”

“You and me. My feelings about you aren't casual.” Sara's gaze drilled into Kerney. “What do you want, Kerney?”

Kerney opened his mouth, closed it, and rubbed the back of his neck. “I don't want to lose you.”

A faint smile crossed Sara's lips. “My friend Susie says I should hit you with my best shot.”

“Which is?”

“A straightforward question: How do you feel about marriage?”

Kerney's felt the muscles in his shoulders loosen up. “The woman would have to be very special.”

“Don't be glib.”

“I take it back.”

“I'm not going to give up my career.”

Kerney nodded glumly. “I know that. And I can't see myself following you around from post to post for the next ten or twenty years.”

“I wouldn't ask you to.” She threw up her hands in frustration. “See? It's too damn impossible. Only a complete fool would jump into a part-time, long-distance marriage.”

“I've been called a lot worse.”

“I'm not talking about you.” Sara studied Kerney's face. “Why are you grinning at me?”

Kerney's got off the couch and sat next to Sara. “I don't know. Maybe I'm feeling foolish.”

Sara pulled away when Kerney tried to touch her, and got to her feet. “Don't do that.” She looked down at him.

Kerney froze and the tension in his shoulders returned. The frosty look in Sara's eyes kept him from speaking.

“Tell me how you really feel,” Sara said.

Kerney stood, his stomach churning. “As confused as you. I don't know what I'm doing.”

“That's it?”

“No. I'm scared I might lose you, and right this minute that's all that matters. What are you feeling?”

Sara sighed. “That it's so right to be with you.”

“Then let's be together, as much as we can.”

Sara's eyes searched Kerney's face. “Does that mean you want a relationship with me? Something more than time together every year or two, when we can fit it in?”

“I want as much of you as I can get.”

“Seriously?” Sara asked quickly.

Kerney swallowed hard. “I'll do whatever it takes to keep you in my life.”

Sara's hard look faded, replaced by a soft smile. She moved to him, put her arms around his neck, and rested her head on his chest. “That sounds like a plan. Take me to bed, Kerney. We can work out the details later.”

Kerney grasped Sara's waist and pulled her close. He could feel a smile spread across his face. “Is that the relationship you have in mind?”

“Partially.”

 • • • 

In the bedroom, Sara snuggled against Kerney's shoulder.

“That was lovely,” she said.

“Exceptionally lovely.”

“Maybe we should just stay lovers,” Sara said. “We could see each other as time allows, write, vacation together.”

“Sort of a nonnuptial agreement?”

“You don't like my idea.”

“It doesn't feel right.”

“So marry me,” Sara said.

“Seriously?”

“If you're game.”

“Just like that?”

“Say yes before I back out, Kerney.”

“Yes.”

“I want to get married at my parents' ranch,” Sara said. “We've got three weeks to pull it off.”

“Have you ever been to Ireland?” Kerney asked.

“You want a honeymoon trip, too?”

“Why not?”

“This is scary, Kerney.”

“Let's do it anyway.”

“I bought you a present.”

“What is it?” Kerney asked.

Sara turned on the bedside lamp, got up, and walked to the dresser. Kerney forgot about the gift as Sara moved across the room. She was incredibly sexy.

She came back and handed him a package.

“What is it?” he asked again.

“Open it.”

Kerney pulled himself into a sitting position, unwrapped the package, saw the drawing of Hermit's Peak, and knew it was Erma's work. “My God, it's beautiful. She did it from the mesa.”

“You think so?”

“Absolutely. I love it.”

“Isn't it exquisite? That reminds me. You owe me a camping trip to the mesa.”

“This weekend?”

“That's fine by me.”

He put the drawing to one side and reached for Sara.

“What are you doing?”

“Come here.”

“Don't distract me, Kerney. I have to call my mother.”

“That can wait.”

“No it can't. Once I tell my mother we're getting married, there's no backing out.”

“Call her right now.”

“I'm going to keep my maiden name.” Sara leaned over and kissed him. “I love you.”

“And I love you.”

 • • • 

The answering machine message light blinked at Gabe when he got home. He hit the play button and listened to three calls from Orlando's boss at the burger joint, each more agitated than the last. Orlando had not shown up to work his shift.

It wasn't like Orlando to treat his job lightly. Unless he was sick, Gabe couldn't remember a time when Orlando had missed work. Even though Orlando's car wasn't in the driveway, Gabe went to the bottom of the stairs, called out, and got no response. To be doubly sure, he checked Orlando's room and found it empty.