Page 243 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“All right, get some rest, but we need to get together for a hike.”

“I’d like that. Call or text, and we can compare schedules to see when we both have off,” Emily said.

“Will do.”

They said their goodbyes. Emily microwaved her frozen dinner then settled in to watch the news. When it ended, she trudged up to the bathroom for the hot bath she’d been longing to take.

Emily rolledover for the umpteenth time, twisting the sheets around her legs as she did. Thoughts of the torture their Jane Doe might have undergone swirled around in her mind.Was Nora out there somewhere buried in an unmarked grave?

Memories flooded in of times when Nora would tag along with her everywhere. She’d even followed her on dates. It’d been annoying, but she missed those days. Her mind wandered to Wade and those piercing blue eyes that seemed to see into her soul.

Their breakup was so long ago it was like a bad dream, but the moment her eyes met his, the pain was as fresh as the day he strolled out of her life.

Her parents hadn’t gone anywhere, but they’d grown cold and distant. It was as if they’d disappeared along with Nora and Wade, leaving Emily alone in the world.

Something clunked, and she ignored it, pulling a pillow over her head. Her weathered house made strange noises, and her frayed nerves were getting the better of her.

She needed a dog. A dog would alert her of danger and make her feel safe. She hadn’t adopted a pet because of her long hours,but now it felt like a fine idea. Morning couldn’t come soon enough.

Emily smackedher alarm clock to stop the incessant noise. Why she’d considered it cute to set the alarm to crow like a rooster, she couldn’t say. It didn’t appeal to her at 5 a.m.

She dragged herself from bed after a few hours of sleep, dressed in running gear, and pulled her hair into a ponytail. A run before work should clear her head enough to help her focus on her job. If her ankle could handle it. She hopped on it to see if there was any residual pain. A slight pang, but it should be good.

As she stepped out her front door, she spotted Bob watering his garden. The man took meticulous care of his plants. Maybe she should consider going out with him. A man who gave that much attention to a plant had to be a good guy, didn’t he? He was far too odd for her. She couldn’t see herself with him. Objectively speaking, he was attractive, but she wasn’t interested in him at all. She’d heard love developed over time, and she believed that to be true, but she’d experienced chemistry before, and sizzle couldn’t be manufactured no matter how much time you gave it. It might be unnecessary, but it sure was nice.

She picked up her pace and shook off thoughts of her neighbor. Her musings turned to Wade. There was no denying the spark was still there, but what remained of her heart after his departure from her life was not going to be served up on a silver platter for him to devour.

No. She would focus on work and forget she ever ran into Wade Brunner. Thoughts of the case consumed her for the remainder of her run.

When she rounded the corner onto her street, she observed Bob with a pair of binoculars. The next time she talked to him, she’d have to ask if he’d been birdwatching. He had several bird feeders scattered around his yard and interesting birds frequented them. As she reached her front door, she waved and headed inside to shower and get ready for work.

Pushing open the storm door she discovered an envelope taped to her interior door, she pulled it free and brought it inside. Sinking onto a stool at her breakfast bar, she examined the label with her full name printed in large typeface. She slipped a finger under the flap to open the envelope. A chill crept up her spine as she read the crude poem printed on the single sheet of paper.

Keep away from Boulder Field

If not, please know

My knife I’ll wield

Her hands shook as she set the note on the counter. She reached for the house phone to call the police, but set it back down. It might be an idle threat, and even if it wasn’t, if she called the cops, she might make herself an even greater target. As a law-enforcement ranger, there was no reason she couldn’t defend herself, but it couldn’t hurt call Austin and get his opinion on the matter.

Crime scene tapesurrounded his disturbed burial grounds. He stalked away from the site with a scowl and found a stump from which he could watch the area. Pulling out his binoculars he searched the parking lot.

Unless he missed his guess, Emily wouldn’t be able to resist returning. Women like her thought they could do whatever theywished without repercussions. He would make sure she learned a valuable lesson. Choices had consequences.

He’d planned his date for tonight well in advance, so Emily would have to wait, but toying with the female ranger was impossible to resist. Maybe he would speed up the timeline for his next conquest. He saw no reason to delay another whole year. A month in between women seemed reasonable.

A sedan pulled into the lot, and a curvy dark-haired beauty slipped out. She was captivating. Lovelier than the park ranger and making her way toward him. He stood and brushed off his slacks. It was time to make her acquaintance.

Emily patrolledthe campgrounds and tried to dismiss the threatening note she’d received. Maybe it was somebody’s idea of a joke. Austin had told her to report it to the police, so she had, but she hoped it wouldn’t get back to Wade. She didn’t feel comfortable bringing her troubles to him, but he was the detective on the case, so he’d hear about it eventually and it would result in a conversation with Wade whether she wanted one or not.

As she drove around the next loop, she spotted a throng of campers encircling the dumpsters. When she slipped out of her SUV, a distinct odor greeted her. Bear. She spotted the large black bear grabbing an easy meal. It devoured a discarded pancake breakfast. Her stomach tightened in knots when she spotted three cubs ten feet from the sow. The crowd surrounding the bear family could spell trouble.

She picked up her radio and requested assistance before grabbing a megaphone. “I need everyone to make your way back to your campsites. Move slowly and quietly. If you learned bearsafety and were told to make yourself appear bigger and make a lot of noise, don’t do that now. These bear have nowhere to run until the campers surrounding them are dispersed. We’ll scare them off once the area is cleared of people. Sudden movements may provoke the sow.”

Some of the campers backed away, but nearly half of the onlookers ignored her instructions.

Another park SUV pulled up beside hers, and Pete opened his door. He slid out, grimacing at the scene before him. “Why are these people here?” He narrowed his eyes in her direction. “Didn’t you tell them to get lost?”