turned up Robert’s driveway.
“Thinking about marriage, how long were Robert and Tiffany together?” she asked, avoiding the conversation that Jeremy seemed adamant to have.
“They’ve been on and off now for the last few years. I can’t tell you exactly how long they were together, though—they eloped in Vegas. Never told my mother. She was devastated when she found out.”
“Where’s Tiffany from?”
“I don’t know...someplace in Southern California, I think. As far as I know, she’s never been too stable. Moved around a lot.”
She nibbled the inside of her cheek. If this woman was like Jeremy said, there was the possibility that they may never track her down. “The soul of a gypsy, huh?”
“I call it unstable.”
So he was the kind who liked stability. Well, that she had in spades. She hadn’t ever moved. Hadn’t ever gone out and experienced the world. She was living the same life she’d always lived; she had just gotten older. Somehow her kind of stability didn’t seem like what he was looking for.
“You try to find Tiffany yet?” he asked.
She nodded. “I’ve been trying her all morning. It’s been going straight to voice mail. I couldn’t find any numbers for her family.”
Jeremy gave a light snort, as if he wasn’t surprised. “They aren’t much better than she is. From what I hear, they are the type that likes to live out of their car.”
They’d need to find Robert’s wife to notify him of his death, but there wasn’t much more that she could do.
She pulled the car to a stop in front of the house and got out. Robert’s cabin was cold as they posted the warrant and walked in. The place carried the scent of stale cooking, man and dryer sheets.
“You hear anything from the medical examiner?” Jeremy asked as she walked over toward the kitchen and stopped at the sink.
She shook her head.
“Don’t you think you should have called them? Maybe we could get a better idea of what we need to be looking for.”
“Look, Jeremy.” She said his name as if it carried a pit. “I thought I made it clear to you when we were in the mine that I know what I’m doing. I don’t need you, or anyone else, telling me how to do my job.”
He stepped back as if her words were lashes. “Whoa. That’s not what I meant,” he said, putting his hands up like he was motioning for her to stop.
She wasn’t a horse. She wouldn’t be commanded.
“Then what did you mean? I’m tired of this. Just because I’ve only been a deputy for a couple of years, it doesn’t mean I don’t know how to function on a crime scene. It doesn’t mean I don’t know how to handle this investigation. When the medical examiner is done, he will call. He doesn’t need me telling him how to do his job.”
Jeremy stepped forward and moved like he was going to take her hand, but then he stopped and just stared at her as if he was afraid she would bite.
“Look, I know how it is—how it always feels like you have to prove yourself, but you don’t have to prove yourself to me.”
She relaxed slightly. Hopefully he meant what he said. She couldn’t fight him, too. She had enough battles on her hands.
“Sorry,” she said with a sigh. “It’s been a long day.”
“What happened?”
She told him about her meeting in Detective Engelman’s office. As she spoke, his face tightened.
“I’m so sick of this crap,” he said, pressing his hand hard against the countertop as though he were squishing a bug. “I just dealt with something like this in Missoula.”
She’d heard about it and had followed the story of a series of arsons that had led to the death of the battalion chief in Missoula’s fire department and whispers of unanswered corruption. In the end, Jeremy had been called to the stand and forced to testify about the incident.
“I don’t think this is the same thing. It’s just normal politics—with a touch of nepotism.”
“Oh, nepotism...” he said, rolling the word over his lips.
“Thinking about marriage, how long were Robert and Tiffany together?” she asked, avoiding the conversation that Jeremy seemed adamant to have.
“They’ve been on and off now for the last few years. I can’t tell you exactly how long they were together, though—they eloped in Vegas. Never told my mother. She was devastated when she found out.”
“Where’s Tiffany from?”
“I don’t know...someplace in Southern California, I think. As far as I know, she’s never been too stable. Moved around a lot.”
She nibbled the inside of her cheek. If this woman was like Jeremy said, there was the possibility that they may never track her down. “The soul of a gypsy, huh?”
“I call it unstable.”
So he was the kind who liked stability. Well, that she had in spades. She hadn’t ever moved. Hadn’t ever gone out and experienced the world. She was living the same life she’d always lived; she had just gotten older. Somehow her kind of stability didn’t seem like what he was looking for.
“You try to find Tiffany yet?” he asked.
She nodded. “I’ve been trying her all morning. It’s been going straight to voice mail. I couldn’t find any numbers for her family.”
Jeremy gave a light snort, as if he wasn’t surprised. “They aren’t much better than she is. From what I hear, they are the type that likes to live out of their car.”
They’d need to find Robert’s wife to notify him of his death, but there wasn’t much more that she could do.
She pulled the car to a stop in front of the house and got out. Robert’s cabin was cold as they posted the warrant and walked in. The place carried the scent of stale cooking, man and dryer sheets.
“You hear anything from the medical examiner?” Jeremy asked as she walked over toward the kitchen and stopped at the sink.
She shook her head.
“Don’t you think you should have called them? Maybe we could get a better idea of what we need to be looking for.”
“Look, Jeremy.” She said his name as if it carried a pit. “I thought I made it clear to you when we were in the mine that I know what I’m doing. I don’t need you, or anyone else, telling me how to do my job.”
He stepped back as if her words were lashes. “Whoa. That’s not what I meant,” he said, putting his hands up like he was motioning for her to stop.
She wasn’t a horse. She wouldn’t be commanded.
“Then what did you mean? I’m tired of this. Just because I’ve only been a deputy for a couple of years, it doesn’t mean I don’t know how to function on a crime scene. It doesn’t mean I don’t know how to handle this investigation. When the medical examiner is done, he will call. He doesn’t need me telling him how to do his job.”
Jeremy stepped forward and moved like he was going to take her hand, but then he stopped and just stared at her as if he was afraid she would bite.
“Look, I know how it is—how it always feels like you have to prove yourself, but you don’t have to prove yourself to me.”
She relaxed slightly. Hopefully he meant what he said. She couldn’t fight him, too. She had enough battles on her hands.
“Sorry,” she said with a sigh. “It’s been a long day.”
“What happened?”
She told him about her meeting in Detective Engelman’s office. As she spoke, his face tightened.
“I’m so sick of this crap,” he said, pressing his hand hard against the countertop as though he were squishing a bug. “I just dealt with something like this in Missoula.”
She’d heard about it and had followed the story of a series of arsons that had led to the death of the battalion chief in Missoula’s fire department and whispers of unanswered corruption. In the end, Jeremy had been called to the stand and forced to testify about the incident.
“I don’t think this is the same thing. It’s just normal politics—with a touch of nepotism.”
“Oh, nepotism...” he said, rolling the word over his lips.
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