Page 27 of In Cold Blood (High Peaks Murder, Mystery and Crime Thrillers #1)

C allie nursed a cup of dark roast coffee.

Steam spiraled above as the caffeine jolted her to life after a long night.

She was a bag of nerves that morning but not for the reason she should have been.

Every few minutes she glanced up to see if he’d arrived.

She’d chosen the High Peaks diner because it was public — plenty of people, young and old — big windows that opened up to a main road that ran through the heart of town.

He wouldn’t cause a scene here.

“Have you made a decision, hon?” Nora asked, sidling up beside her.

Nora Masterson was an old-school friend of hers. A woman in her late-thirties, with long, curly hair, caramel in color. Her eyes were framed by dark lashes, but looked tired, as if she’d witnessed too much and smiled too little. Despite her exhaustion, there was a natural beauty to her.

Even though she’d settled for a low-paying position as a waitress, Callie never once saw her complain.

She carried herself with an air of confidence and pride.

Callie admired that. Over the years she’d heard the way some of the assholes in town spoke down to her.

It reminded her that when things were tough to realize others were going through far worse.

“Um. Just toast. Thanks. I don’t think I can stomach anything more right now.”

“Everything okay?”

“Ah, you know. Can’t complain.”

“Be right back.” She topped up her drink before walking away.

Callie was just checking her text messages when the Adirondack Daily Enterprise newspaper was tossed down in front of her. Her napkin slipped off the table from the draft. Noah Sutherland sank into the seat across from her.

She groaned, closing her eyes. He was the last person she wanted to see.

“Uh. Noah. Not now.” She glanced past him.

“It made front page news. Still, a few things are missing from the article.”

Callie scanned it. She hadn’t seen it until then. Hell, she didn’t even know word had leaked out but it was to be expected, word traveled fast in town.

Body of Missing Game Warden Found

A hiker found the body of a missing Fish and Game warden Wednesday, ten months after he vanished during his shift, officials said. No further information has been released on where Keith Erikson was found or how he might have died.

More than 300 searchers, several helicopters, and rescue dogs were brought in to look for Erikson, 33, in the vast and rugged expanse.

He told dispatch on September 16 that he was responding to suspicious activity near High Peaks Lake.

Hikers told officials they saw Erikson that afternoon on the southern side of the lake.

But when Erikson didn’t show up for his shift the next day, search teams were sent out to locate him.

The area Erikson had been patrolling was vast with many designated trails. Forty-two of the forty-six peaks are in an area of over 300,000 acres known as the High Peaks Wilderness Area. Temperatures in September can drop into the low 40s.

Erikson had been a game warden for six seasons and was an experienced mountaineer and outdoorsman who had previously worked as a ski patroller at the nearby Whiteface Mountain Ski Resort.

Fish and Game officials said Erikson was carrying a radio and a backpack with enough gear to survive overnight. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Adirondack County Sheriff’s Office.

Callie looked up at him, slightly frustrated. “What am I looking for here?”

“The name of the hiker. The location of where his body was found.”

“That’s because we didn’t release it. Erikson was only found last night.”

“Then how did this get out so soon?”

She glanced down and tapped the newspaper. “Maybe you should speak to your ex-wife. She wrote the piece. Now if you don’t mind, I’m a little busy this morning.” She pushed the paper back toward him.

Noah tilted to his right and glanced past her. “Parish in the restroom?”

“No, Noah.” She looked over his shoulder at the main door to the diner.

“Huh. I figured you would be in Parish’s shadow. ”

“And I thought you would have left town by now. Look, if you don’t mind, I’m meeting someone this morning.”

“Then I’ll keep this short. Who was the hiker?”

She took a sip of her coffee, feeling it awaken her senses. “You know I can’t tell you that. Shouldn’t you be on your way home by now?”

“C’mon, Callie. A name. That’s all I’m asking for.”

“People deserve privacy.”

“Then where was he found? I know where his truck was abandoned. Was he nearby? In the lake?”

She groaned again and pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a tension headache coming on. “If I tell you, will you leave me be?”

He smiled but before he could answer, the waitress returned. “Noah Sutherland. Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?”

“My words exactly,” Callie muttered under her breath, clutching her cup.

Noah leaned back. “Nora Masterson. Well, look at you. You really did turn into a swan.”

“Oh, stop it,” she said, setting the plate of toast in front of Callie.

“I’m serious. You look good, Nora.”

She beamed. “You always had a way of buttering people up. Can I get you some coffee?”

“That would be lovely.”

“He’s not staying, Nora.”

“And there was me thinking you had a new beau,” Nora replied.

Noah’s eyes darted between them. “You know each other?” he asked.

“Family friends,” Callie replied.

“And college. Not that it helped me. ”

“Huh. And there I was thinking you had only gone to the police academy.”

“Oh no, Callie was studying to become a teacher. Isn’t that right? Quite the shift of profession but hey, beats serving grumpy locals in a greasy spoon diner.”

Noah smiled, looking at Callie.

“Decided it wasn’t my thing.”

“I’ll be right back with that coffee.”

“Thanks, Nora.”

Callie opened her mouth as if to try and say something but it was useless. She’d already gotten the impression that Noah was going to be like gum on the bottom of her shoe. She regretted saying she would answer some questions. It was not the first time it had gotten her in trouble.

“The McKenzie Mountain Wilderness,” Callie said.

Noah furrowed his brow. “That’s north of the lake. Quite a distance. Why would he have parked on the south?”

“Noah, you’re asking questions we don’t have the answers to right now.”

“But you’re sure it’s him?”

“Ninety-nine percent sure. They’ll identify him by his dental records today. Not much else there but the uniform and other items point to it being him.”

“And yet this article ran before you had confirmation?”

“We don’t control the press. I think you of all people know that by now.”

Nora returned with his cup of coffee. “Thought you might like some toast too. No charge.”

“Ah, you’re a sweetheart, Nora.”

She chuckled, walking away.

As Noah emptied some cream into his coffee and began to stir, Callie could tell he was connecting the dots. “It was Jack Grayson who found him, wasn’t it? He’s the only one who would have leaked it out this fast to his sister.”

“Don’t go speaking to him, Noah.”

He took a sip of his coffee. “Why would I when you’ve got Parish?”

“So you’ve finally come around to leaving it in his hands.”

“As much as it pains me. Yes.”

“Will you be heading home soon?”

“End of the week. Look. Did he say how he came to find him? I mean I know he hunts but he’s also friends with Cyrus Keller. Doesn’t that strike you as a little odd?”

“Right now everything in this town strikes me as odd.”

“Any idea how he died?”

“Well, it wasn’t from hypothermia. His backpack had plenty of gear inside to get him through the night. Nothing was taken out. If it had been an animal attack, I think we would have found more of his bones spread out, along with his clothes torn. They were pretty much in one spot.”

“So he was murdered?”

“Well let’s not jump to that conclusion.”

“I’m not jumping to any conclusions. It just seems to me, based on what my brother’s files suggest, that he had stumbled onto something.”

Callie’s brow furrowed. “Brother’s files?”

He stared back at her. “Yeah, it’s another reason why I’m here. I’ve been meaning to tell you. My brother has a collection of files that he was looking over. Persons of interest. Theories and so on.”

“And where are these?”

“At a cabin not far from where Erikson’s truck was found.”

“Did you tell Roberts about this?”

“I’m telling you. ”

She grinned. “Of course. You were wading through it all.”

“Listen, if you want to come and pick them up you can do that or I can box it all up and drop it off at the Sheriff’s Office.”

“Anything significant?”

“Mostly related to Operation Heat Wave. I don’t know if he created it beforehand to keep track of people or after, but he felt that the bust was just the tip of the iceberg of something far bigger running through these streets.”

“That is?”

“I don’t know. You’ll have to see. Photos, names, a lot of it is just a mishmash. He seemed to think that Cyrus Keller, Jack Grayson, Dax, and Harry Carter were connected but the information was more the scribblings of an obsessed man. Like he was trying to crack something that maybe wasn’t there.”

“Is that what you think?”

“Doesn’t matter what I think. We deal in facts, right? It’s yours now. With a little time, you might be able to connect the dots. As it stands, it’s just a lot of paperwork to wade through, incident reports, random photos, theories, and so on.”

Callie heard the shrill of the bell above the door and saw him walk in.

“Hey uh, Noah, you should get going.”

Noah glanced over his shoulder as a tall fella approached.

He had a strong build and was physically imposing.

If he was a local, Noah hadn’t seen him before but then the town was full of new faces and a continual revolving door of former tourists putting down roots.

He was in his early forties. He had donned a baseball cap, sported a beard, and was wearing a tight red T-shirt that accentuated his muscular physique.

It was clear he took his health seriously.

“Huh, so you’ve replaced me with the dead guy’s brother?”

“Excuse me?” Noah asked, looking sideways .

Callie was quick to handle it. “Brett. He’s just a friend.”

“Sure he is.” He thumbed over his shoulder. “How about you take a hike, pal? I want to speak to my wife alone.”

“Wife?” Noah looked at her.

“Ex,” Callie was quick to interject.

“Not until these papers are signed,” he said, dumping them in front of her. “Maybe next time you don’t send your errand boy to serve them.”

“That’s how it’s done, Brett.”

“Yeah, well I’m not signing anything until I get my lawyer to look it over.”

“That’s what our meeting was meant to be about today.”

“And you pick here of all places to have that conversation?”

“I did it because of the way you’re acting now.”

“I have every right to!” he said, stabbing a finger dangerously close to her face. She felt emotions spike, a mixture of adrenaline and anger.

“Hey, fella, how about you dial it back a notch,” Noah said, rising from his seat.

“And if I don’t?!” he said loudly, causing others in the diner to look their way. Brett noticed. “What are you all looking at? Huh? Mind your business.”

“All right. All right,” Noah said.

Noah eased Brett back just a little so he could slip out of the booth but Brett must have thought he was trying to control him.

He shoved Noah back. “Get your hands off me.” He went to follow through by stabbing a finger into Noah’s chest. Instantly, Noah reacted.

He grabbed his wrist, twisting and forcing him back against the counter closest to them, his other hand clasping his shirt tightly.

“Noah. Stop,” Callie said, quickly intervening.

Noah stared down at Brett who he had bent backward over the counter. His eyes bulged. Anger or fear? Who knew? Before he could react, Marlo, the owner of the diner, appeared behind the counter. “Take it outside.”

“Go!” Callie said.

Noah released his grip and backed up.

“My apologies,” he said before heading out under the watchful eye of bewildered patrons.