Searching for Winslet (Fallport Rescue Operations #5)

Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

The first day on any job was like—well, Jett didn’t know. He didn’t consider any new position with the Army or Special Forces a new job. It was simply advancing his career.

Working as a ranger was something completely different. Some might consider it boring as hell, especially after coming from Special Forces, but Jett found it to be exactly what he needed.

Peaceful.

Refreshing.

He stood outside his post and stared out at the mountains and smiled.

He could get used to this.

The afternoon on the trails had been quiet. Not much had happened. Of course, it was April. The air was crisp and chilly since the temperature had shifted drastically in the last twenty-four hours. Not too many people ventured out this time of year—not yet anyway. Those who did find themselves hiking were diehards. They came out rain, shine, or snow. They wanted the exercise, the exhilaration. They wanted to push their bodies to the limit and come back for more. It wasn’t about seeing the sights. Or sharing the experience with friends or family.

It was about the adrenaline rush.

That was something that Jett understood.

But his days of chasing that rush were over. He could appreciate watching others chase it for themselves. While he absolutely enjoyed hiking, which is why he took the job, he knew his body had more limits than he cared to admit. Like jumping from a perfectly good airplane. Those days were out of the realm of possibility, at least for the pure pleasure of it.

He supposed that if it came down to a life-or-death situation, he could.

But his role in life dictated that he didn’t have to at all. And he had to admit, he liked it that way.

He set his water bottle on the railing and leaned against the wood, staring out over the vastness of Virginia. The massive mountaintops lingered in the distance, calling to his heart. The thumping of his pulse hit the center of his throat.

Yesterday, he’d gone to Zeke’s barbeque alone. Winslet had opted to go to her sister’s and spend time with Tammy and her family. While he understood, and supported her decision, he’d still found himself feeling a little lonely at the party.

Worse, when she’d opted not to show up at his place later. But he understood her reason. She hadn’t graded any of the papers or prepared for her lectures. He didn’t want to be a distraction from her career. He wanted to support it. That thought made him chuckle. When he’d first met Kiki, she worked as an office manager for a local marketing firm. To her, it was a job, not a career. Something she did to pass the time until she had children.

Jett didn’t have an opinion one way or the other about whether his wife worked or not after kids came. Although, he wasn’t in as big a rush as she was, but back then, he did want one or two. Once he and Kiki married, she surprised him by quitting her job. That had been quite the shock. He made decent money, so it wasn’t as if he couldn’t support his family.

But her income would have been nice. However, that wasn’t even the biggest issue. It was the constant pressure to start a family and how she treated him. It was like they had walked right into a black-and-white movie set.

He sucked in a big breath, enjoying the fresh air.

This was the life.

The first two hours he’d spent between meetings and walking the terrain. Now he was lucky enough to spend the rest of the day out on the trails or in this post.

He was going to like this job. And Fallport.

A couple raced up the trail toward the hut.

“Hello?” The man waved his hand frantically.

Jett jogged down the steps. His new knees carried his weight with ease and no pain. But he felt a few twinges ripple up his back.

The doctors told him those would never go away. That some pain would be part of his DNA for the rest of his life.

All he had to say about that was it reminded him he was alive.

“Is everything all right?” Jett asked.

The woman held a good-looking dog on a leash. A mixed breed. Maybe American bulldog and shepherd, but Jett wasn’t sure. He loved dogs and wanted to get one now that he was out of the military. He missed the one he’d gotten Kiki. Damn thing had been too stinking cute, but Kiki hated it and rehomed it.

“We’re not sure,” the man said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. “Our dog, Boomer here, has this terrible habit of digging.”

Boomer inched closer, sniffing at Jett’s feet.

He leaned over and patted the dog’s head.

“We’re trying to break him of the habit, but it’s not easy,” the woman said. “Especially out here.”

“Anyway, he was going nuts. When we got close to the area he was going crazy over, we saw something disturbing,” the man said.

“And what was that?” Jett asked.

The woman hugged herself. “Bones and I just hope it’s not human ones.”

“Why don’t we go take a look.” So much for a quiet first day. “My name’s Jett McCoy.” He stretched out his hand.

“I’m Jon Montgomery, and this is my wife Harley,” Jon said. “I know Boomer should have been on a leash, but he’s a good dog. Friendly. He doesn’t run off too far and there wasn’t anyone on the trails.”

“I’m not going to cite you for the leash law,” Jett said. “But understand it’s not just about the safety of others when it comes to pets being leashed. It’s also for their safety. We have bears, cougars, and other animals that might see Boomer here as a threat or as food. He’d lose in that fight.” Jett snagged his radio. “Ranger McCoy to base.”

“This is base, go ahead,” Chuck’s voice crackled over the device.

“I’m headed south from my post on the red trail to check out a possible unearthing of bones.”

“That sounds exciting,” Chuck said. “I’ll have the locals on standby and send Andy in your direction.”

“Thanks.” Jett clipped his radio on his belt. “Are you two camping or just out for the day?”

“Camping. It’s our anniversary weekend and we do this every year.” Jon took his wife’s hand. “We had just packed up and were going on one last hike.”

“Congratulations. How many years?” Jett had learned that in any high-level stress situation—though he wasn’t sure he’d call this that—small talk was a great way to make people feel at ease. While Jon appeared to be somewhat unfazed by what had happened, his wife was as white as a ghost.

“This is five years, and we got lucky this year with the weather,” Jon said. “Last year it rained, and it was freezing. My bride was not happy. I think she would have rather spent the weekend at a hotel, instead of here.”

“The second night wasn’t so bad,” Harley said. “But next year, we won’t be doing this.” She glanced toward her husband and lowered her chin. “Camping will be saved for the middle of the summer when it’s nicer. And we will be bringing the baby.”

“Are you expecting?” Jett asked.

“She sprung that one on me last night.” Jon pointed to an area off the path as he tugged at the leash.

Boomer wasn’t happy. He yelped and dug his paws into the ground.

“Not that it was a total shock, but I was surprised,” Jon said. “Boomer, knock it off.”

“Congrats again.” Jett stepped in front of them. “I’m going to need you to hang back while I go take a look, but before I do that, I have to ask a few questions.”

“Okay,” Jon said.

“What exactly did you see?” Jett glanced toward where the dog had been digging and obviously wanted to get back at it.

“We were coming up the trail. Boomer was ahead of us. Something had gotten his attention,” Harley said. “When we got closer, he was digging like crazy. We tried calling him, but he wouldn’t come.” She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath.

Jon wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “It’s okay, honey.”

She blinked.

“We both strolled off the path and Boomer lifted his head, all proud, and he had a bone in his mouth. I’m no expert. Hell, I’m a math teacher at the local middle school, but it definitely looked human to me.”

“I have to ask. Did you touch it?” Jett would have been weirded out by that too.

“No.” Jon shook his head. “I yelled at Boomer to release and lucky for me, he did. I leashed him right away and we came and got you.”

The sound of boots hitting the hard dirt path caught Jett’s attention. He glanced over his shoulder and waved at Andy. “Here’s a colleague of mine. We’re going to go check things out. Stay right here, okay?”

Boomer barked and tugged at the leash.

Jett met Andy about ten feet from the couple and explained the situation before trekking through the brush. “Damn, that dog can dig.” He stared at a large hole in the ground. Next to it was the dropped bone. It looked like it could be a forearm.

He wasn’t an expert either, but his best guess: human.

“We need to call this in.” Andy took off his hat, scratched his head, and took a step back.

Jett leaned a little closer, but he couldn’t see anything else.

“Our local police department won’t be able to handle the forensics on this. They will call in either the Feds or State.” Andy readjusted his hat and unclipped his radio. “Base, this Ranger Andy Wilber. We definitely have a bone. Appears to be human at first glance. If Weston Campbell is on duty, get him out here. Or his wife.”

“Andy, this is base,” Chuck said. “Weston is standing in my office and will head your way now. He’s already called Police Chief Hill, who will contact Morgan with the State forensics team.”

“Thanks.” Andy clipped his radio back on his belt. “I bet this is not how you wanted to spend your first day.”

“I could think of worse ways,” he said. “I better get back to that couple and let them know what’s going on. Weston’s going to want to get their statement.”

“It’s going to get dark in less than two hours. It will take them one to get back to the parking lot. I’m sure they can do it down at the station.”

Jett checked the time on his cell. He pulled up Weston’s contact information and tapped the green button.

“Hey, man. I’m just about to hop on an ATV. ETA about twelve minutes,” Weston said.

“Quick question. What do you want me to do with the couple that found the bone?” Jett had been prepared for a million different things that could have happened while on the job as a park ranger. Cuts. Scrapes. People who fell and sprained something or even broke something. Missing people. Fires. Any number of problems.

But this was not something he ever expected.

“I’ll get their information when I get there, and then they will be free to leave,” Weston said. “But I do have a bit of bad news. Morgan said removing any remains would be impossible because of how early it gets dark. He’s not even sure he can get here before the sun sets, but he’s going to try. That means we need someone to stay out there.”

“I’ll volunteer, no problem,” Jett said. “I don’t have a wife or kids, so it’s no sweat off my back.”

“State will put a couple of uniformed officers out there. We just don’t have the manpower.”

“I’ll take what I can get. See you soon.” Jett motioned to Andy, who was kneeling closer to the hole in the ground. “I’m going to radio Chuck and let him know that I can stay out here tonight.”

“Thanks, man. My wife’s eight months pregnant. She’s uncomfortable as hell and I don’t think she’d handle me being gone all night.” Andy took a stick and poked at the dirt.

It was going to be one hell of a first twenty-four hours on the job.

Winslet closed her laptop, leaned back, and rubbed her temples. She loved teaching. Most of her students honestly wanted to be in her classroom. The study of anthropology—at least to her—was about as exciting as a roller-coaster ride. Add in forensics, and it really got her blood pumping.

Bones told a story, and it wasn’t just about the person to whom the bones belonged, though that was an important piece of the puzzle. But when human remains were found, and the authorities had no idea what had happened, the bones had to be used as the key ingredient in finding those answers.

A tap at the door startled her. She glanced up. “Hey, Emory.”

“Hey, yourself.” Emory set a soda and a muffin from the cafeteria on the desk. “Thought you might be hungry.”

“I’m famished. Thanks.” She twisted off the cap of the beverage and brought it to her lips, guzzling down half of it before ripping open the package of the chocolate treat filled with preserves. “One of these days, my eating habits are going to find my hips.”

“I seriously doubt that.” Emory plopped herself down in the chair across from Winslet. “Guess who Sarah spoke to earlier today.”

Winslet groaned. “If you’re going to tell me she got a call from Shamus, I don’t want to hear about it.” Winslet had finally taken the time to look at the rest of the guest lectures, and Shamus had been on her calendar since the beginning of the semester, something she should have taken a closer look at. But it didn’t matter. Nor did it change how she taught her course because, generally, each guest would talk to the entire department in the lecture hall, affecting everyone’s schedule.

Shamus would be no different.

“She called him.” Emory arched a brow. “She is the department head, and she confirmed his schedule. She’s bristling with excitement over his arrival. She asked him about the dig the two of you were on and suggested that you present something together.” Emory raised her hand. “I told her that you know what it’s like to be the guest and you wouldn’t dream of taking away from his talk, since he’d be focusing on a different aspect. As in his specialty, not yours. I also mentioned that we already covered it.”

“Thanks for that.”

“She scowled and mentioned he stated he preferred to give this set of lectures alone. She was hoping I’d speak with you and talk you into reaching out to him, suggesting he change his mind.” Emory shook her head and laughed. “Remind me why we invited her out with us last weekend?”

“Because she’s currently our boss. She’s not the worst person in the world. And she overheard you, me, and Julie talking about it and felt left out. Besides, we’ve known Sarah for eight years.” Winslet shuffled a few papers around on her desk. “She’s pushing me hard to take a full-time position here. Sweetened the deal by saying you and Julie have jobs—outside of your role with me—and it wouldn’t be a problem for me to work criminal cases as they came across my desk. She wants to set up a meeting within the next week or so to discuss the specifics.”

“I heard ever since she got married, she’s itching to have babies and be a stay-at-home mom.” Emory patted her flat belly. “I got nothing against women who make that choice. My mom stayed at home and loved every second of it. She never got bored or felt trapped. But that shit is not for me. Wouldn’t be surprised if Sarah’s searching for her replacement—in you.”

“I’d be an idiot not to entertain a department head position. That’s a big freaking deal.” Winslet clasped her hands together and rested them on the top of the desk. If her parents didn’t make her so fucking crazy, she wouldn’t even have to think about it, if that’s what Sarah was offering. “But living in this town would be hard. Turns out, my father is screwing a girl who is only five years older than me. I don’t know if I could be around that all the time.”

“Jesus, that’s gross.”

“It’s made worse by the fact her husband died six months ago and she lives in my parents’ neighborhood.”

“How do you know he’s fucking her?” Emory asked.

“Because I saw them this morning, and then I got to hear a few people whispering about it. He also did his best to ignore me. As in pretend he didn’t see me. He’s so not discreet. It’s pathetic. I can’t even feel sorry for my mother anymore. And the worst part is, all it does is bring up all the stories about my grandfather. Did he murder my grandmother? Was he having an affair with Hannah? And then there’s Cooper. He totally believes my father did it. When I was little, Cooper would sometimes come at my dad in town. But he never said the words out loud. Never actually accused him in front of me or my sister. Cooper would waggle his finger at my father and say something like eventually, the truth will come out. Or how does your uncle not know what you are? ” Winslet sighed.

“It’s still hard for me to believe that your great-uncle Xavier never really spoke out publicly.”

“After the murder, Xavier focused his attention on two things. Dealing with my father and making a pest of himself at the police station. I’ve heard he might have been worse than Cooper. But he didn’t accuse anyone. He wanted answers. I remember speaking with my uncle at length about the whole thing when I was working on my dissertation. He’d been devastated. His brother disappeared without a trace. His sister-in-law may have been murdered by his own flesh and blood. And he was left with a teenage boy who hated him because of the rumors.” She chuckled, shaking her head. “My uncle and father never got along. I can’t understand why because it wasn’t my grandmother who was having the affair, but my grandpa.”

“Neither one has ever given you a straight answer, have they?” Emory asked.

“Not really. Before my uncle’s memory went, he would tell me that my dad struggled because of what happened. That he’d been traumatized and needed to direct his anger somewhere. My dad maintains that my uncle wasn’t a nice man. That living with him was hell and the second he turned eighteen, he moved out. It’s just weird. But it’s like everyone in this town is waiting for history to repeat itself.”

“It amazes me how quickly that case went cold,” Emory said.

“You and me both.” Winslet opened one of her drawers and pulled out a thick file. “This isn’t even everything I have on what happened. There are more articles and theories written about the murder. But the evidence does point to my grandpa killing his wife. His prints were on the murder weapon. He disappeared. But the only thing that points to the affair between him and Hannah was that note.” Winslet let out a long breath. “However, lots of other rumors surfaced about him being a horndog just like my dad and now I’m no better.”

“Stop that. You’re nothing like your dad and you know it.” She arched a brow. “And just because you enjoy men and don’t want a serious relationship in your life right now, doesn’t make you a player.”

“I want to fucking strangle Shamus. He could have said no to speaking at this university. He knows I grew up here and damn it, I confided in that man about my dad. He knew my issues about cheating, and he didn’t have the decency to come clean. Nope. He had sex with me twenty minutes after I told that fucker.”

“Yeah. He’s a dick.”

Her cell buzzed.

The caller ID was the state police.

“Hello. This is Winslet Payne.” She tapped the speaker button.

“Miss Payne. This Morgan Rock with the State forensics team. You came highly recommended by my colleges over with the FBI and we have a case that we need your help on.”

“Please call me Winslet, and I’m listening.” She leaned forward, catching Emory’s gaze.

“About two hours ago, a couple hiking just outside of Fallport found what we believe are human remains. It’s too late now to dig them all up, so one of the park rangers and few state troopers will be securing the site and staying the night. But would it be possible for you to come out here first thing in the morning and give us a hand? And then work your special magic and help us find out who this is and what happened to them? I understand you’re a professor at the local?—”

“It’s not a problem. My assistant can take over my classes.”

Emory nodded.

“Thanks. A park ranger will meet you at the base at eight and bring you up to the location.”

Quickly, she pulled up Julie’s contact. “I’ll be bringing one of my team members. Her name is Julie Hammel.”

“Perfect. See you then.” The line went dead.

“I see how this will be now that I’m pregnant.” Emory waved her hand in the air.

“If you’d rather come, I can always have Julie handle my classes,” Winslet said.

“God, no. It’s fine. There will be enough to do once you get the bones back to the lab. I’m happy to go over the finer points of human evolution and other topics.” Emory stood. “And perhaps I can get some intel on the Shamus situation. Like where he’s staying and for how long.”

Winslet nodded. “That might be helpful. That way I can avoid him at all costs.”

“More like you can spend all your time with your sexy neighbor.”

“Don’t make me regret telling you.” Winslet wadded up a piece of paper and tossed it at her best friend.

“I wonder if he’s the one spending the night up there. Wasn’t he working today?” Emory gripped the door handle.

Jett had texted asking her to call as soon as she could. But she had been in the middle of a class and needed to finish some paperwork.

“Today was his first day. He may be involved,” Winslet said. “When is Oscar coming back?”

“He’ll be here on Thursday, and thankfully, he’s got a few weeks of no travel.” She pursed her lips. “I really don’t want to bring this up in passing, but it is something we need to talk about.”

“You’re going to do that to me while standing at the door, ready to leave? You know I hate that.”

Emory nodded. “It’s just, now that I’m pregnant, I have to think about stability.”

“You mean staying in one place.” Winslet leaned back and sighed. “Where is it that you want to settle?”

“Oscar and I don’t care where we live. His parents live in England and that’s never going to change, and he doesn’t want to go back. My parents are gone, and I have no siblings.” Emory smiled. “You’re the closest thing I have to family. But it would be nice to buy a home to raise this little one. We both like Fallport. It’s a nice town. A great place to have a family.”

“You want me to take the job.” Winslet shouldn’t have been surprised. It wasn’t the first time she and Emory had this conversation. Only, in the past, it was a discussion of someday, way in the future.

Well, the future just smacked her in the face.

“I didn’t say that. But right now, there are no other offers on the table. It’s possible that in two years, one might open up in Colorado. We could stay here temporarily until that happens.”

“I do have my name on a couple of lists.” Winslet understood Emory’s position. She had a family to consider now, and moving around all the time might not be horrible for a baby or a toddler, but it wouldn’t be the greatest for a school-aged kid.

Now that Winslet had a major breakthrough with her sister, things did feel different.

And Fallport was her childhood home. She could admit that it still gave her a warm fuzzy feeling whenever she returned.

Until a rumor, or her father, mucked it all up.

That was always the thing that got in her way of taking this damn position, which would be a good career move.

“You know what, let’s sit down and talk about this next week. We’ll go over all the pros and cons and I’ll really give it a real consideration.”

“Winslet, I know you. And I love you like a sister. But don’t offer to discuss something that in the back of your mind you know you’re never going to do, even if the pros outweigh the cons. Thing is, I had to tell you what I was feeling, especially if Oscar and I decide to make a change.”

Winslet’s jaw fell open. She never expected to hear that from Emory’s mouth. It was one thing to express concern and ask Winslet to consider a full-time job—anywhere other than Fallport. “Are you saying you’d quit?”

“I have a child to consider, and both Oscar and I are tired of living in rentals. We want a home. We want to plant our feet firmly in the ground and give our kid stability. So, yeah, quitting is an option.”

Winslet pressed her hands on the desk and pushed to a standing position. She made her way across the office and took Emory’s hands. “I want you to know that I heard every word. I really did. We’ve been through a lot together. I know I’m a little lost right now and this whole thing with Shamus has thrown me for a loop. But you, me, and Julie. We’re a team. I will sit down with both of you and fully open my ears to what you think about this job offer and what you think the three of us should do next. I swear to you I won’t make this all about me.”

Emory leaned in and kissed her cheek. “That’s all I ask.”

“Have a nice evening. I’ll call you from the bone site tomorrow.”

“Be safe out there.” Emory pulled open the door and strolled down the hallway.

Winslet made her way back to her desk and picked up her cell. Her chest tightened. Her heart thumped in her throat as if it were trying to jump out of her body. If she lost Emory, it would be like losing a body part.

No, it would be like losing her soul.

But damn, fucking Fallport?

Could she do it?

The truth was she could deal with the rumors about her grandparents. It was an unsolved murder, and people were going to whisper about it. She could join the conversation. Ask what everyone else thought. That’s what Weston did and he always told her it brought insight and color to the case.

But what she struggled the most with was her father and the constant reminders of how her life had turned out.

She tapped her screen and found Jett’s contact information. Meeting him had been both a blessing and a curse. He was kind. Sweet. Sexy as hell. He was a good listener. He didn’t judge.

But he made her feel things she didn’t want to feel. He grabbed her emotions, put them in a blender, and let the top pop off, leaving her with a pile of confusion splattered everywhere.

Even though he could be warm and caring, he had this cold side to him. As if a big brick wall had been built around his heart.

That she could understand, based on his history.

She had one too. But he’d already chiseled his way inside. She wasn’t sure there was anyone who could hammer their way through his.

So, why was she calling him now?

“Hey, Winslet. I was hoping I’d hear from you soon,” his voice boomed through the speaker. The sound rippled across her skin like warm ocean water on a hot summer day. She told herself it was only because of the sexual attraction. Part of her felt bad, because she didn’t like using people, and that’s what she was doing.

She needed comfort. A safe place to land. Normally, that would be Emory. However, right now, she was part of the conflict that swirled in Winslet’s brain.

She could call Tammy. Their relationship had grown, and Winslet enjoyed the woman her little sister had become. But reaching out about all this might be too much and she didn’t want to strain their delicate bond.

“Sorry it took so long for me to return your call,” she said.

“No worries. I figured you were busy. I don’t know if anyone has contacted you yet about the discovery out here.”

“Yeah. The state police called.”

“Weston told me they would and that you and your team would probably be out here in the morning. I was hoping you could stop by my place and bring me a couple of things since I’m going to be stuck out here all night.”

“Text me the code and a list of things.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“It’s going to be chilly tonight.” When she’d been in high school, one of her favorite things to do had been camping. Even on a cold night. She moved toward the window and glanced toward the white moon. It wasn’t completely dark yet, but the stars had begun to dot the evening sky.

“I’m used to it,” he said. “Sorry I have to cancel our plans for tonight, but I’ll make it up to you.”

Perhaps she’d make it up to him.

“I’ll see you later.” She ended the call and snagged her bag from the back of her chair. She’d never minded being alone, but tonight, she didn’t want to.