Mountain of Evidence Read online

  Her picture of the future, with her and her sister distant and himself alone, pained him. “I’m busy with work,” he said.

  “You can’t let work get in the way of a personal life,” she said, sounding about fifty instead of fifteen.

  “I think I can take care of my personal life,” he said.

  “Well, you haven’t been, have you, if you’re not dating anyone.” She sat back in the seat, a sly smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “Besides, if you got married again, especially to someone a little younger, I could have a little brother or sister. I think that would be really awesome.”

  The car swerved, and he forced himself to keep his eyes on the road, Janie’s giggles filling the car. He cleared his throat. “Don’t you think I’m a bit old to start raising another child?”

  “Well, you’re old, but you’re not ancient or anything. Besides, with modern innovations, you could live to be over a hundred. You’ve got plenty of time to raise another kid. But you’ve got to get out there and find a woman to have them.”

  “You sound like you’ve got all the answers.”

  “Just some of them. I read a lot.” She said this with such a straight face he didn’t dare laugh.

  “Tell me about this case you’re working on,” she said. “The one that’s taking up all your time.”

  “You know I can’t tell you about an ongoing investigation,” he said.

  “Dad!” She sat up straight, her right hand in the air, palm up. “I solemnly swear I won’t share anything you tell me on social media or with the press or with any of my friends—who aren’t here and don’t care anyway. Besides, there’s bound to be stuff in the papers already. You can tell me that.”

  She did have all the answers, he thought. “All right,” he said, and told her about Dane Trask disappearing, the accusations against him of embezzlement, and now murder, about TDC Enterprises and the protests at the Mary Lee Mine, and about the frustration of not being able to find a man who was so near yet so elusive.

  “Wow.” Janie shook her head. “I think I’d have to be pretty terrified to crash my truck and live off stolen food from campers in the desert. Do you think this guy has maybe lost his mind or something like that?”

  “I’ve learned not to make too many assumptions,” Grant said. “Anything is possible. We won’t know for sure until we find him.”

  “What if you don’t find him?” she asked.

  That was one possibility he wasn’t willing to consider. “We’ll find him,” he said. “It’s what we do.”

  * * *

  “TDC IS HOLDING a press conference at the Mary Lee Mine this afternoon.” Eve was in the middle of filling their latest round of prom orders Friday morning when Cara’s call came in. “I thought maybe you’d want to go.”

  “I’m too busy with work to go anywhere,” Eve said, passing a spool of purple ribbon to Sarah. “You’ll have to tell me all about it.”

  “We got a fancy invitation in the mail this morning,” Cara said. “Wilderness Conservation, I mean. It says they’re going to unveil the newly mitigated mine property. They’re rubbing our faces in it.”

  “You wanted them to clean up the property, right?” Eve asked.

  “Sure. But I still can’t shake the idea they are up to something shady.”

  “Let me know how the press conference goes,” she said. “Now I really have to go.”

  She hung up the phone and grabbed another stack of clear plastic clamshells to hold the latest batch of corsages and boutonnieres. But she had boxed up only one when her phone rang again. “What is going on?” she complained, prepared to silence the call until she recognized Grant’s number.

  “Hello,” she said.

  She hadn’t meant to put any significant emotion into her voice, but Sarah looked over, eyebrows raised in question. Who is that? her friend mouthed.

  Eve shook her head and turned her back to Sarah. “How are you?” she asked. “How is Janie?” Grant had texted her early this morning to let her know that Janie had arrived safely.

  “She’s still asleep,” he said. “The poor girl is exhausted. I don’t think she slept all that much on the bus.”

  “You’re probably exhausted, too,” Eve said. “You should try to get a nap.”

  “No chance of that. I just heard TDC is having a press conference up at the Mary Lee Mine this afternoon. I’ll need to be at that. That’s why I’m calling, actually. I wondered if you intended to be there.”

  “No. I mean, we’re kind of swamped here at the shop.”

  “I thought maybe since you were at the protest you’d be interested in what they had to say.”

  “I really only went to the protest as a favor to Cara.”

  “The thing is, I need to bring Janie with me. I know that at fifteen she thinks she’s all grown up, but I’m not really comfortable leaving her here by herself, so far out of town, when my job has such unpredictable hours. And I thought this might be a good, low-key way for the two of you to meet.”

  Of course it would. And she was touched that he wanted her to meet his daughter. “I’ll see if I can find a way to be there,” she said. “I’d love to meet Janie.” And to see you again. But saying that out loud felt like inviting a jinx. She was enjoying him now. She didn’t want to develop anything with him that depended on the future.

  She ended the call and turned back to the flowers, trying to ignore Sarah’s stare. Finally, her friend started, “Are you going to tell me who that was or are you going to make me beg? And before you answer, I know that it’s none of my business and I’m too nosy for my own good, but I’m your friend and I really do care about you. I haven’t heard that tone in your voice or that expression on your face in a long time.”

  “What expression?” she asked, startled out of silence. “What tone?”

  Sarah smiled. “You looked all...dreamy. Soft.” She wet her lips. “You’re going to kill me for saying this, but you looked in love.”

  “Oh please! There is no such look.”

  “There is. And I have to say, I’ve never seen it on your face before. Not even with Dane.”

  Eve felt a little sick. Coming from any other person, the words might have been an insult, or a criticism. But Sarah didn’t insult or criticize. She only told the truth, even when Eve didn’t want to hear it. She tried to focus on the bow she was tying on a corsage, but ended up with the ribbon in a tangled mess. She pushed the flower away. “That was Grant Sanderlin.”

  “The Ranger commander?”

  Eve nodded. “He wants me to come to the TDC press conference at the Mary Lee Mine this afternoon so that I can meet his daughter. She’s visiting from DC.”

  “Awww, that’s so sweet.” Sarah slid the snarled corsage over and began untangling the ribbon. “You should go. I’ll handle things here.”

  “Sarah, it’s too much. You know it is. We’re swamped.”

  “Prom isn’t until next Friday night. The kids and their moms won’t start picking up the corsages and boutonnieres and hair flowers until that morning. We’ve got a whole week, and if we work late every night, we can get it all done.”

  The idea made Eve tired, but she knew Sarah was right. “Maybe I can hire some extra help,” she said. “Maybe from a temp service.”

  “That might be good, but when do you have time to interview someone or post ads or anything?” Sarah asked.

  “I’ll think of something,” she said.

  “In the meantime, go to the press conference. Meet Grant’s daughter.” Sarah’s smile turned to a smirk. “So I take it you two have been sneaking around behind my back.”

  The words—and the expression that accompanied them—surprised a laugh from Eve. “Right. Because you’re just too nosy.”

  “Guilty!” Both women laughed, and Sarah leaned over to hug her. “I’m just happy that you’re happy.
And I think Grant is a really great guy.”

  “There’s nothing serious going on,” Eve said. “We’ve only been out a couple of times.” Though one of those times had been spent entirely at her house, and mostly in her bed. So that didn’t exactly qualify as a traditional date.

  “You’ve waited a long time for the right man to come along,” Sarah said. “No sense wasting time when he does.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Eve said.

  “Go to the press conference,” Sarah said again. “You might as well meet his daughter and see what happens from there.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Eve followed a train of cars up the gravel road to the Mary Lee Mine, where men and women in orange safety vests directed them to a level parking area just inside the gate. As when she had been here for the protest, a platform had been set up near the former mine entrance, but instead of a backdrop of piles of rock and broken timbers, now this temporary stage was backed by a row of new saplings and newly sprouted grass.

  Eve searched for Grant in the crowd of people who pressed around the stage, but couldn’t spot him. She recognized some of her fellow protesters, as well as some TDC employees and people from town.

  “Hello, Eve. It’s good to see you.”

  The hair rose on the back of her neck at the words and she whirled around to see Toby Masterson standing behind her. He moved in, uncomfortably close. “I’ve been trying to call you since our date.”

  She had silenced every call. After her night with Grant, she had no wish to see Toby again. Maybe she should have told him that the first time he called, but she’d hoped he would get the message without her having to be so blunt. “I’m not really interested in going out with you again,” she said now. “I’m sorry, but it just didn’t work out for me.”

  His expression darkened. “I thought you had a good time.”

  “I did,” she said. “But I’m looking for something...different in a relationship.” She cringed at the words. There was really no graceful or truly kind way to do this.

  “You’re kidding,” he said. “I think I deserve at least one more chance.”

  She shook her head and tried to turn around again, but he took her arm and pulled her to face him once more. “Is there someone else?” he asked. “Someone you prefer instead of me?”

  “Let go of me.” She tried to tug her arm from his grasp, but he held on tight. “We had one date. I don’t owe you anything.”

  Several people had turned to stare at them now, so he let her go and took a step back. “I’m sorry you feel that way,” he said, and left.

  She faced forward again, a neutral expression fixed on her face, but her knees shook and she felt out of breath. She had turned down second dates from a lot of men, and been turned down herself. None of those encounters had left her this shaken.

  Promptly at one o’clock, TDC vice president Mitch Ruffino mounted the steps and stood behind the podium. “Welcome, everyone,” he said. “TDC is pleased to have you witness the unveiling of the results of our hard work at mitigating the Mary Lee Mine. What was once a toxic waste site is now a nature preserve that will be a model for similar projects to come.”

  He beamed in the roar of applause that followed, though not everyone around Eve was clapping. She noticed Cara standing with Jason, arms crossed, unsmiling.

  Ruffino moved to the mic again. “There are a number of people who were instrumental in making this happen that I need to introduce you to.” There followed a roll call of men and women in suits and ties who paraded across the stage and waved. Eve went back to scanning the crowd for familiar faces.

  Then she spotted Grant moving toward her, a smiling teenager at his side. “Eve, this is my daughter, Janie,” he said, stopping before her. “Janie, this is Eve Shea, a friend of mine.”

  Janie looked from her father to Eve, and her grin widened. She held out her hand. “Pleased to meet you, Ms. Shea,” she said.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Eve said. “How do you like Colorado so far?”

  “Well, I haven’t seen very much of it,” she said. “But what I’ve seen, I like.” She looked around them. “This looks like something out of a movie. Like a mountain man or a bear could jump out any minute.” She slipped her hand into the crook of Grant’s arm. “Dad says he’s going to take me hiking and stuff when he has some time off.”

  “Not very exciting for you in the meantime,” Eve said.

  “No, but it’s not like I’d be doing that much back in D.C., either.”

  “We’re trying to decide what she’ll do while I’m working,” Grant said. “I’m not happy about leaving her by herself while I’m away. But the office really isn’t the place for her.”

  “And I’m way too old for a babysitter.” Janie rolled her eyes. “I mean, really!”

  “I could use some extra help at the shop,” Eve said. “It’s prom time and we are seriously slammed.” She turned to Grant. “Sarah and I were talking about it just this morning. We need some temporary help, but we’re too busy to write out an ad or interview people. Janie would be perfect.”

  “What kind of shop do you have?” Janie asked before Grant could speak.

  “I have a little flower shop in Montrose,” Eve said. “The work wouldn’t be terribly exciting, but you could help fill orders and answer the phone, and you’d learn a little bit about flower arrangement and plant care. It might be interesting for you. And I’d pay.”

  Janie’s eyes widened. “Dad, that sounds perfect!” she said.

  Grant looked skeptical. “Eve, are you sure?”

  “I’m absolutely sure,” she said, beginning to get excited about the idea herself. “It would solve your problem and mine. I wasn’t kidding about needing the help.”

  “Dad, please!” Janie hung on his arm. “I want to do it.”

  “All right.” He turned back to Eve. “If you’re sure.”

  “I’m sure. You can drop her at the shop at nine, or at my house if you need to get to work earlier. If you need to work after we close, she can come home with me and hang.” She turned to Janie. “How does that sound?”

  “It sounds awesome.” Janie hugged her, a quick, tight embrace that sent a surge of happiness through Eve.

  “Thanks,” Grant said. “You’ve taken a real load off my mind.”

  Cara and Jason joined them and Grant introduced Janie. Jason nodded toward the podium, where another man in a suit had taken over the microphone and was droning on about TDC’s great environmental record. “What do you make of all this?” he asked.

  “I think TDC is anxious for good publicity after all the negative news over Dane Trask,” Grant said.

  “They cleaned up this place amazingly fast,” Cara said. “Considering the state it was in only two weeks ago.”

  Jason moved closer and lowered his voice. “It’s possible TDC hauled everything from the Mary Lee to that illegal dump site,” he said.

  “You should test the stuff at the dump site and compare it to the test results we have from here,” Cara said. “If they match, that would be proof, wouldn’t it?”

  Grant nodded. “Do it,” he said. “But we may need more than that to build a case.”

  “Uh-oh,” Janie said, looking past her father.

  Grant and Eve both turned to look at her. “What’s wrong?” Grant asked.

  “There’s a guy over there who is really giving us the stink-eye.” She jerked her head to indicate behind them.

  Eve looked over Grant’s shoulder and drew in a breath. Toby Masterson was scowling at them, and if looks could kill, they might all be dead right now.

  * * *

  JANIE WAS WAITING on the sidewalk when Eve arrived at the flower shop Saturday morning. She held out a to-go cup. “I hope you like mocha latte. It’s my favorite, even though Dad thinks I’m too young to drink coffee.” She rolled her
eyes. “Even Mom thinks that’s silly.”

  “Thanks,” Eve said. “It’s my favorite, too.”

  “See, I knew I liked you.” Janie skipped behind Eve into the shop. “Oh, wow, this place is so cool.” She sucked in a deep breath, eyes closed, chest expanding. “And it smells so good.” She opened her eyes. “I really love flowers.”

  “I hope you still love them after you’ve worked with them all day.” She led the way to the storeroom and showed Janie where to stash her backpack, then gave her a tour of the shop, naming the various plants and flowers they passed.

  “Should I be taking notes?” Janie asked. “I’m never going to remember all of this.”

  “It’s all right,” Eve said. “There won’t be a test.” She switched on the lighted Open sign. “But speaking of tests, why aren’t you in school?”

  “Oh, my school is on this weird quarterly plan—three quarters on, then one off,” she said. “But they’re staggered so that some kids go to school while others don’t. It’s supposed to make better use of resources and keep you from forgetting stuff over long breaks. Anyway, it’s my quarter off.”

  Eve nodded. “All right. I’m going to start you off by going through the loose flowers in the cooler. Pull out any wilted or browning blossoms. Then we’ll have room for flowers that come in this morning’s delivery.” She took the girl to the cooler in the back and showed her how to look for browning leaves and drooping flower heads and set these blooms aside.

  “So, what do you think of my dad?” Janie asked. She twirled a daisy, not looking at Eve.

  “I think he’s a great dad,” Eve said. “I know he was really worried about you, and so happy you’re here now.”

  Janie made a face. “I mean, what do you think about him, you know, as a man?” She cast a sideways glance at Eve. “Like, to date.”

  Eve bit back a smile. Nothing subtle about this kid. “Your dad is a great guy,” she said.

  “Have the two of you been out? I mean, he introduced you as a friend, but I wasn’t sure what he meant by that.”