Page 93 of Head Room

He was in court all morning.His receptionist said he might have an opening in the afternoon, but she couldn’t say precisely when because it depended on how long a meeting went.

My schedule sounded similar, since I’d agreed to meet Orson at the KWMT-TV newsroom after lunch for a conversation about how Mike and I envisioned the news department.

Orson had pushed back his departure by twenty-four hours to spend today at the station.

Considering that and since it was part of my official — at least semi-official — job, meeting Orson for as long as he wanted took priority.

I’d decide later whether a stop at Longbaugh’s office looked possible for me and promising for connecting with him.

I was already heading east toward the Red Sail Rock area when I called Connie’s number.

A recording said she’d be busy today at the offices of Burrell Roads, but to leave a message and she’d call back.

My message was to call back if she’d thought of anything she’d forgotten to tell me that might shed light on Frank Jardos or the fire at his cabin.

I didn’t hold out much hope for a call because, knowing Connie, she already would have called if she’d thought of something.

Next, I went back to the fire scene.

I did find proof of one thing — police tape became noticeably more tattered after additional days of Wyoming wind.

Potentially more important, I thought material had been taken away from the site.Not like looters or memento-seekers, but like forensics or arson investigators.

I even pulled up video Diana had taken and compared.I couldn’t see specific things missing, but it strengthened my impression.

My thoughts kept returning to whether Frank Jardos burned the cabin or someone else did.Even more than whether the body was his or not.

Perhaps because the medical examiner would eventually make that determination.But not who set the fire.

I mentally sorted the possibilities.

He was the victim and he set the fire.That meant suicide, almost certainly.But why the fire?

He was not the victim and he set the fire.He committed murder and the fire was to cover up his crime?

He was not the victim and he didn’t set the fire.Then why hadn’t he come forward?I’d heard nothing about him distrusting the authorities, so why would he go into hiding?

He was the victim and he did not set the fire.His murderer wanted to destroy forensic evidence?Or possibly to cause exactly the kind of delay that was happening.

That last one seemed most likely to be resolved by routine law enforcement.

The first one seemed most likely to never be confirmed while still being possible.

If I was hoping for a revelation from that rundown, I was disappointed.

On the other hand, wisps of thoughts coalesced into questions that could line up under Connie’s observation,That’s amazing that it survived and that Hannah thought to look for anything that survived.Not that Hannah’s not a sweet person...

WhyhadHannah thought to look for anything that survived?

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

There was ashortcut from the Jardos cabin site to the Chaney house that Diana would have used, flying over ruts and around turns.

I didn’t trust the state of the roads or the accuracy of the navigation, which didn’t recognize all of Wyoming’s shortcuts as roads.

I went back to the main highway and took the long way around.

That might have even produced a worthwhile stop along the way if the Red Sail Rock fire substation hadn’t been closed up with no vehicles parked outside.