the balloon?”
“This is really starting to cross the line for me. Did we check the balloon for what?”
“I don’t know. For anything that looked … suspicious.”
Wade glared. “Course we checked it, Dani. Teams of people who know what the hell they’re doing have been over it all day. The outer fabric is pretty much a burnt-out mess. And what are we looking for anyway? A rip? A tear? If what you’re suggesting is true, some person sure went to an awful lot of trouble and risk to cover up the death of a basically broke, adrenaline-junkie, joy rider.”
“What about a bullet? That could have caused it, right? It could have torn right through.”
“You’re starting to sound crazy now.”
“All I’m asking is if anyone heard what may have been a shot going off nearby?”
Wade stood up again, came over to her, and sat himself on the edge of his desk. “What the hell is it about this, Danielle? This has gone too far. I know he was a friend. I know there are parts of all this that don’t somehow add up to you. But no one else is seeing it that way. What they’re seeing is a guy who may have gotten a bit too reckless and maybe misgauged how much water there was out there, which is exactly what the investigator the Parks Service sent agreed it was today.”
“I know that river, Wade. No one knows it better than me—”
“But you’re not a cop, Dani. You’re a river guide. A smart one, maybe, but you’re way overreaching here. And when you say silly things like you just did, about bringing in the press, more than they already are, it’s starting to strain my patience to even listen to you. There are families coming here to retrieve their loved ones and there’s zero tangible evidence to get everyone riled up that says it’s anything other than two tragic, but unrelated events.”
Dani stood up. Frustration ran heatedly through her blood, too. It all made sense to her, at least to a point. But Wade had one thing right. One thing she couldn’t answer. Trey wasn’t exactly the type to have enemies, so why, why would anyone want to do this to him?
Wade’s shoulders sagged and he let out a resigned breath. “I tell you what …”
“What?”
“I’ll talk to Allie.” Trey’s wife. “I’ll see if there was any reason anyone would want to do him harm. Not that I believe there was, you hear me saying. But that’s a start, right?”
Dani looked at him. The blood eased out of her face. She nodded. “You could check out those tire marks, too,” she added. Then finally she gave him an accepting and contrite shrug, even a smile. “Yes. It’s a start. Thanks.”
“All right then. But the only reason I’m even agreeing to this is for you to stay out of it from this point on. No more detective, okay? It’s getting people riled up. Especially
me.
We’re opening the river back up tomorrow. Please, get your ass back on it.”
Dani nodded again, against her better instincts. “Just ask her, okay?”
“And I don’t want to hear any more threats about taking this to someone. Or I’m gonna have to figure out something else, Dani. To keep you out of it. We agree?”
“What do you mean by something else, Wade?”
“I don’t know. Just don’t. Understand? I need you to promise me.”
She looked at him. “Rooster wasn’t drunk, Wade. He knew what Trey was wearing. He saw something. He just didn’t feel he could bring it to you.”
“I said I need you to promise me, Dani …”
Her face was still flushed and red. She kept looking at him and he didn’t know what she was going to say. Then she finally nodded, the air going out of her cheeks. “All right. I promise.” She reached for the helmet.
Wade put his hand on it. “Where do you think you’re going with that?”
“Trey’s wife. It was his. She may want it.”
“Sorry.” He pulled it over to his side of the desk. “That’s evidence. It stays with me.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Later, in an oversize Bowdoin T-shirt and
“This is really starting to cross the line for me. Did we check the balloon for what?”
“I don’t know. For anything that looked … suspicious.”
Wade glared. “Course we checked it, Dani. Teams of people who know what the hell they’re doing have been over it all day. The outer fabric is pretty much a burnt-out mess. And what are we looking for anyway? A rip? A tear? If what you’re suggesting is true, some person sure went to an awful lot of trouble and risk to cover up the death of a basically broke, adrenaline-junkie, joy rider.”
“What about a bullet? That could have caused it, right? It could have torn right through.”
“You’re starting to sound crazy now.”
“All I’m asking is if anyone heard what may have been a shot going off nearby?”
Wade stood up again, came over to her, and sat himself on the edge of his desk. “What the hell is it about this, Danielle? This has gone too far. I know he was a friend. I know there are parts of all this that don’t somehow add up to you. But no one else is seeing it that way. What they’re seeing is a guy who may have gotten a bit too reckless and maybe misgauged how much water there was out there, which is exactly what the investigator the Parks Service sent agreed it was today.”
“I know that river, Wade. No one knows it better than me—”
“But you’re not a cop, Dani. You’re a river guide. A smart one, maybe, but you’re way overreaching here. And when you say silly things like you just did, about bringing in the press, more than they already are, it’s starting to strain my patience to even listen to you. There are families coming here to retrieve their loved ones and there’s zero tangible evidence to get everyone riled up that says it’s anything other than two tragic, but unrelated events.”
Dani stood up. Frustration ran heatedly through her blood, too. It all made sense to her, at least to a point. But Wade had one thing right. One thing she couldn’t answer. Trey wasn’t exactly the type to have enemies, so why, why would anyone want to do this to him?
Wade’s shoulders sagged and he let out a resigned breath. “I tell you what …”
“What?”
“I’ll talk to Allie.” Trey’s wife. “I’ll see if there was any reason anyone would want to do him harm. Not that I believe there was, you hear me saying. But that’s a start, right?”
Dani looked at him. The blood eased out of her face. She nodded. “You could check out those tire marks, too,” she added. Then finally she gave him an accepting and contrite shrug, even a smile. “Yes. It’s a start. Thanks.”
“All right then. But the only reason I’m even agreeing to this is for you to stay out of it from this point on. No more detective, okay? It’s getting people riled up. Especially
me.
We’re opening the river back up tomorrow. Please, get your ass back on it.”
Dani nodded again, against her better instincts. “Just ask her, okay?”
“And I don’t want to hear any more threats about taking this to someone. Or I’m gonna have to figure out something else, Dani. To keep you out of it. We agree?”
“What do you mean by something else, Wade?”
“I don’t know. Just don’t. Understand? I need you to promise me.”
She looked at him. “Rooster wasn’t drunk, Wade. He knew what Trey was wearing. He saw something. He just didn’t feel he could bring it to you.”
“I said I need you to promise me, Dani …”
Her face was still flushed and red. She kept looking at him and he didn’t know what she was going to say. Then she finally nodded, the air going out of her cheeks. “All right. I promise.” She reached for the helmet.
Wade put his hand on it. “Where do you think you’re going with that?”
“Trey’s wife. It was his. She may want it.”
“Sorry.” He pulled it over to his side of the desk. “That’s evidence. It stays with me.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Later, in an oversize Bowdoin T-shirt and
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