Page 48 of In Cold Blood

After returning to the cabin, Noah high-tailed it up into the attic to fish through boxes, searching for any folders, paperwork, police reports, or anything that covered the disappearance of Keith Erikson. It didn’t take him long to find them. Pushed far back, buried below a stack of boxes, he found one marked with his name.

Inside was a copy of the police report from the day of Cyrus’ arrest.

Based on the incident log, Luke had found Cyrus lingeringin a location that was known for drug deals. According to him, Cyrus Keller became combative when asked for his license and registration and the reason why he was parked in the area. The contact with the driver ended when Luke called for backup after Axel found traces of narcotics in the back of the vehicle.

How did that get thrown out?

And how had Luke managed to connect him with Erikson’s disappearance?

Beneath the incident report were multiple clippings from local news articles about the heavy hand of game wardens. Their rules and regulations were related to prior arrests by none other than Keith Erikson.

Minor hunting infractions, one for poaching where Cyrus lost his hunting license for three years and received a hefty fine. Another was of Cyrus’ family speaking out to the media after Erikson shot their dog, claiming he’d received complaints from neighbors about the dog acting aggressive and harassing wildlife. Then there was another about Erikson being investigated and potentially being charged with allegedly planting drugs during traffic stops. One of those stops was Cyrus. The charges were tossed.

The headlineBully with a badgestuck out in Noah’s mind as he read them.

Strangely enough, while browsing through more papers, Luke had detailed the defendant’s lawyer who was involved in dropping those drug-related charges.

Doug Grayson — his ex-wife’s father.

No wonder Luke was looking into the Graysons. Noah thought back to what Dax had said about Luke believing the cases were being dropped and covered up. How deeply had they been involved in getting Cyrus’ case tossed? And was it because of his friendship with Jack? Were they covering for him?

His mind spun from one theory to the next.

Noah noted down the cell number for Cyrus from the incident report. He glanced out the window into the evening, contemplating what he would say. He didn’t imagine Cyrus would give him the time of day but he’d known many who’d been in the hot seat with the law to be forthright if it meant being left alone. He expected it to go to voicemail or be picked up. It did neither. Noah’s stomach sank.

The phone number was no longer in service.

He glanced at the address for his home and did a reverse address. Noah had used them in the past when he had an address but no landline.

A few seconds later, he managed to find one. But when he tried it, that line was no longer in service. It was possible he’d moved or simply had it disconnected. It wasn’t unheard of for numbers found on incident reports to no longer work if the person didn’t want to be hassled by the cops. Many didn’t update it. Some purposely changed it.

Dax had been the first to mention Cyrus. Perhaps he would have his number. Noah tried Dax but it went to voicemail.

“I’m not here right now but if you leave a name and a message after the beep, I’ll decide whether to call you back.” He heard Dax chuckle then it beeped.

“Call me, Dax. I need Cyrus’ number.” He was about to ask him one more question about Erikson when he heard his brother outside.

“Hello!?”

Noah hung up and called out. “Up here, Ray.”

Footsteps bounded up steps. The steel ladder to the attic rattled. Ray’s mug appeared. “Ah, there you are…” He trailed off as his gaze fell upon the boxes and crazy wall. Like a child mesmerized by a room full of gifts, Ray climbed up and approached one of the walls. “So this is what you wanted to show me.”

“Uh-huh.”

Ray was wearing jeans, black sneakers, and a faded red T-shirt that looked as if he was stitched into it. He was the one person in their family that kept himself in impeccable shape. “Does any of this make sense to you?” Noah asked.

Ray pulled a photo of Lena, Doug, and Jack. “When Luke said he was on to something big, I didn’t think it was to this extent. What the heck did he get himself involved in?”

“Drugs, coverups, murder, and missing people from what I’ve been able to find out so far. It seems you were right about this town. It has changed or maybe we were just too young and naïve to see. Here,” Noah handed him the police report about Cyrus. “Did he ever talk about him?”

“No. You have to understand, Noah, Luke was tight-lipped about his work. Even though I work for the local PD, unless he thought I could help or unless it involved someone in town, he didn’t come to me. Probably for the best by the looks of it. Shoot,” he said, handing back the report and turning toward the wall again.

“When you heard about Luke’s death, where were you?” Noah asked.

“On-shift. Tanya called me. Said that I needed to phone dad. He filled me in and asked me to get over there. I floored it, hoping to get a look at the scene, but it was a media circus. They had everything taped off. They wouldn’t let me through.”

“And no one said anything?”