Beautifully Broken Pieces (Sutter Lake, #1)(56)

Tuck’s meaty palm came down on my shoulder. “You gonna be able to keep your head straight with all this?”

“Yep,” I said through my clenched teeth.

“Good. We need you on your A-game.”

As we headed out to Tuck’s truck, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

Taylor: Want to brave dinner at my place tonight?

Emotions warred within me. Part of me wanted to beat my chest in victory that she had reached out to make plans. The other part felt guilty as hell for any bit of happiness I might be experiencing currently.

Me: I’d love to, but I have to warn you, I might be shit company. On my way to a tough call-out.

Within seconds, there was a reply.

Taylor: Zero pressure, but maybe I can take care of you for a change. You don’t have to talk about it. Just come eat. Hopefully I won’t give you food poisoning.

I let out a bark of laughter, and Tuck’s gaze jumped to me. He raised an eyebrow, and I just shook my head.

Me: Sounds perfect. I’ll text when I have an idea of when this might wrap up for the day.

Taylor: Great. See you later.

Me: Tonight, Short-stack.

Tuck didn’t press me for details when I climbed into his rig, and I was grateful. I did not want to venture into the land of feelings with Tuck. I soaked up the silence, attempting to get my mind focused on the task ahead.

The trailhead was littered with law enforcement vehicles when we arrived. As Tuck threw the truck in park, I spoke up. “I sent an officer to Frank Pardue’s cabin. There was no answer. His truck is there, but no signs of life. I told my guy to stay put till Frank comes back.”

Tuck ran a hand through his hair. “That fucker’s slippery. I doubt he’s going to come waltzing home when there’s a squad car parked outside his front door.”

“If he doesn’t come back by the end of the day, we’ll get more creative, okay?”

Tuck opened his door. “All right, but I’m telling you, he won’t show.”

I rolled my eyes as I climbed out of the rig. Tuck always wanted to play commando. If he had it his way, he’d be stationing men around Frank’s property in full camo gear with night vision goggles. Sometimes, waiting a guy out worked just as well.

Tuck and I hiked up the trail, each of us training our eyes on the surrounding underbrush, looking for any signs of a struggle or clues to what might have happened. It took us over an hour to reach the place where our people had set up shop.

Greg spotted us coming up the trail and headed right over. “It’s another bad one. What the hell is going on, Walker?”

I forced my body to stay relaxed, to not show any outward signs of distress or anger. “I don’t know, Greg. But we’re going to find out.”

“I hope we can do it before anyone else gets killed,” he said with a shake of his head.

I swiped at my brow. Though we had headed into fall, it was mid-day and still warm outside. “Do we have a positive I.D.?”

Greg paled. “I thought you were notified. It’s Caitlin.”

My gut burned, but I fought to keep my mask of composure. “I knew it was likely, but I hadn’t heard for sure.”

Greg’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “The, uh, body is pretty fresh,” he said, wincing. “I was able to identify her. It’s pretty bad, boss. Are you sure you want to see it?”

My eyes narrowed on him, and he took a step back. I appreciated my officers having my back, but I didn’t want any of them questioning my ability to handle a situation.

Tuck stepped forward. “He’ll be fine. Could you point us in the right direction?”

“S-s-sure,” Greg stuttered, and I felt a little bad for the kid. “Scene’s that way, about half a mile.”

I jerked my chin at Greg, and Tuck and I moved away from the trail. I let my mask slip for just this half mile. Let my jaw tighten, my fists clench. I would have let out a scream, but I didn’t want the people around us to hear. Life was so fucking unfair sometimes.

I caught sight of a group of people fanning out around a roped-off section. Techs were scouring the area, looking for evidence. Carly and her assistant were bent over what I assumed was the body. I steeled myself for the worst. I still wasn’t prepared.

The first glimpse of Caitlin knocked the air right out of my lungs. Her neck was bent at a horrifying angle, her hair spread around her like a halo. Her skin was a sickly grayish color and had a sheen to it. This was nothing like the girl I knew. So full of life, even if that came out as anger at times. I fought the shudder that wanted to course through my body.

I was thankful when Tuck spoke because I was still struggling to find my words. “Hey, Carly. Got a time of death for us?”

The medical examiner’s head turned at the sound of her name. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this, boys. Still not firm on T.O.D., but I’m guessing sometime in the last twenty-four to forty-eight hours.”

I cursed under my breath, and Tuck went on alert next to me. Carly straightened from her crouched positioned next to Caitlin’s body. “There something I need to know?”

Tuck ran a hand through his hair roughly. “We were not far from here yesterday. Less than twenty-four hours ago. We were looking for Walk’s, uh,”—he eyed me—“girlfriend, I guess you’d call her.” Carly’s brows rose, her eyes sparkling with humor. Tuck continued speaking, and the humor soon fled Carly’s gaze. “She got lost while on a hike on Creek Line trail. Then she got shot at. Took a tumble down the ravine.”