Page 51 of Skin Game

Paul nodded. “True, but the Carlsons are in Mexico until mid-May. Denny Pritchard is the only one between us and the end of this road, and he doesn’t get out much this time of year.”

“Denny is the next stop.” Casey had saved Denny Pritchard forlast, wanting to pump whatever information he could get about him from Paul and Etienne first. Living as close as they did, they knew more about the old man than anyone else Casey could think of.

Pritchard wasn’t that uncommon of a name, but Casey had been wondering if Denny was a relative of Heidi Karne’s, an uncle or cousin maybe. He’d wanted to talk to Denny before mentioning his existence to Gabriel, just to confirm, and having the mystery ofmaybeCalvin’s truck showing up had given him the perfect reason to come up The Valley today.

Denny Pritchard and Calvin Perkins at the top of his to-do list. Casey almost laughed.

They didn’t speakfor a moment, and Paul and Etienne shared some kind of complicated glance. Casey’d been framing his chat with Denny and didn’t know what the two men were contemplating. He wouldn’t have been surprised if they were silently discussing how Denny was not The Valley’s most outgoing person and Casey’s goal of talking to him may not be achievable. In an area populated by people who just wanted to be left alone, Denny was the most alone of all.

“He’s been a bit jumpy recently. Give him plenty of notice, maybe honk your horn or something, so he knows someone is on the way,” Etienne finally said.

Casey nodded. That was a good idea. No reason to risk being shot at.

“Denny’s at least eighty-five now, isn’t he?” Casey asked.

“Eighty-five and his hearing is going. We don’t like him living up there alone, but he refuses to move. Says he’ll die when and where he wants to,” said Paul.

Casey had associated casually with Denny for a few years, but the truth was what he knew about the man was almost nothing, except that his family, a wife and several daughters, had died in atragic accident years ago. And even that fact Casey had heard from the previous ranger. Denny did not invite curiosity.

“Do you know if Denny’s originally from around here?” Casey asked. He assumed Denny was, but the old man just as easily could have been the Unabomber’s unknown cousin who moved to Washington decades ago.

Paul and Etienne looked at each other again. “I have no idea,” Paul said. “He seems to have taken a liking to Etienne. Who wouldn’t though?”

Etienne smiled and added, “He doesn’t say much about himself. We talk about the dogs, the weather. Why do you ask?”

It was Casey’s turn to be vague. “The name Pritchard came up in something else. I’m just wondering what Denny’s history is, if they may be tied together.”

There was a likelihood that Elton knew something about Denny Pritchard. Casey made a mental note to ask him.

“He is one of those who keeps to himself. A loner old man.” A Gaelic shrug punctuated Etienne’s words.

Paul was nodding. “He’s gruff and often rude. A true misanthrope. Etienne and I joke that his retirement account must be stored under the floorboards.” Paul frowned. “But folks here are private. Etienne and I moved here to escape the rat race. I’ve always thought he was a local though.”

Etienne glanced over at Paul. “Remember when we first moved here?” He chuckled and looked back at Casey. “Denny asked Paul about our relationship.”

“I told him it was a don’t-ask-don’t-tell situation,” Paul explained. “Denny nodded and nothing has been said since. What’s this about anyway?”

Casey briefly considered the pros and cons of discussing Gabriel’s personal life with virtual strangers. These men were not longtime Valley residents; they wouldn’t know anything about Heidi Karne aka Holly Pritchard. But Gabriel wasn’t currentlyhiding from anyone as far as Casey knew. What was it that Gabe often said? Act first, ask permission later.

“My—” Casey hesitated. “My partner discovered earlier this week that his mother’s name at birth was Holly Pritchard. As you said, Pritchard is not an unusual surname, but sometime soon after 1978, a teenaged Holly Pritchard chose to go by Heidi Karne instead, which is how Gabe always knew her. Gabe’s trying to connect the dots between Holly in 1978 and modern Heidi. She recently passed away, and her legacy appears to be mystery and conspiracy. I’m just trying to help.”

“You do know it’s only Wednesday, right?” Paul said.

“Isn’t it Thursday?” asked Etienne, then shrugged.

“It is Thursday,” Casey confirmed.

All three of them began to laugh. Who knew what day it was. It was March in the Pacific Northwest.

“So,” continued Etienne when they’d gotten themselves under control. “Are you thinking Denny could be related to Gabriel’s mother?”

“If he’s in his late eighties, he’s old enough to have been Holly Pritchard’s father or some other older relation, an uncle maybe.”

“There’s only one way to find out. You’re going to have to ask him in person. Denny doesn’t have a phone.”

This fact did not surprise Casey in the least. Denny Pritchard seemed like the kind of person to shun modern life entirely. Although from previous drop-ins, he knew the man had a working generator, so maybe he was just allergic to communication with the outside world.

“If you’d like, one of us can ask him about this Holly person the next time we see him,” Paul said. “Etienne has a soft spot for the old coot, takes meals up to him a couple times a week.”