“You’re kidding me!”
“The timing made me wonder if it’s related to our case.”
Stella was silent for a few moments. “Our victim’s killer should be long gone. Why would he hang around to shoot a ram?”
“But how many people go up to that area to begin with? Outside of the wildlife team, you could probably count them on the fingers of one hand,” Mattie said.
“This is one of those strange things that makes me crazy at night. We need more information about it.”
“Cole wants to ride to the other side of the ridge in the morning to try to do a postmortem on the ram and see if he can retrieve a slug. He’ll contact Ed Lovejoy this evening, and maybe he’ll go along. After all, it’s Ed’s responsibility.”
“Maybe you should go, too.”
“Actually, I’d like to. Robo and I searched all around the gravesite without finding a thing this afternoon. Maybe we can find some piece of evidence up there. Something the shooter left behind.”
“I’ll talk to the sheriff and clear it. We’ll meet here at six in the morning to be ready to leave by seven.”
“Got it. I’m a mess and headed for the shower.”
Stella’s reply carried a smile. “By all means, don’t let me get in your way.”
“Oh, one more thing. While we were up on the ridge taking a look at the ram, Cole and I spotted some indentations in the soil at the far side of the meadow, where it meets the trees. The grass is a darker green. They might be places where elk bed down, but the grass wasn’t smashed and they didn’t look typical. I think these spots deserve a closer look.”
“Well, we have the right people joining us to cover that. We’ll have them check it out. Try to get some sleep, Mattie. It’s going to be a huge day tomorrow.”
“We’d better pack some extra clothes in case we stay up there tomorrow night.”
“Good point.”
They said their goodbyes as Mattie reached the edge of town. She turned toward home, noticing that Robo was sound asleep on the cushion she kept for him in his compartment. He must be exhausted. Typically, he spent several hours per day asleep at the station while Mattie did routine computer searches and paperwork.
When she parked in front of her house, she spotted Riley on the front porch, once again tossing pebbles into Robo’s bowl, a game that seemed to be turning into a habit.
“Hey, Mattie,” Riley called out, a smile lighting her face.
Although Mattie wasn’t sure it was a good idea for Riley to hang out at her house, she couldn’t help but return the girl’s smile as she exited her car.
“Hey! I just got your message a little bit ago. I was up where I didn’t have cell phone service most of the day.” Mattie went around to the back where Robo had awakened and was shoulders down in a long stretch, his mouth open in a huge yawn. The thought of her missed yoga lesson flitted through her mind as she viewed his version of downward dog.
Riley came out to the car, and Robo jumped down from the back, greeting her with wagging tail. She bent to pat his sides. “I was hoping we could grab some dinner together. My treat.”
“You don’t have to buy dinner for me, silly. When we go out, we’ll go Dutch. But I’m sorry, I’ve already made arrangements for dinner tonight.”
Riley’s face fell before she tried to cover her disappointment. But then she sniffed, took a step back, and lifted her hand to her nose to smell it. “Yuk! What’s Robo been into?”
Mattie realized she’d adapted to the odor of death and forgotten how much the two of them must stink. “Geez, Riley. I’m sorry. Come into the house and wash up in the kitchen while Robo and I take a shower.”
Robo trotted ahead and Riley followed as Mattie went to the house, unlocked the door, and let them all into her small living room.
She pointed toward the doorway that led to the kitchen. “You can wash up in there. I’ll be out in a few minutes. Go ahead and grab a soda from the fridge if you want.”
Mattie took Robo into the bathroom with her and shut the door. He loved to watch her shower and get ready for work in the morning, but he wasn’t so fond of hopping into the tub himself. She took off his collar, and he knew what was coming. He tucked his tail and hung his head while she ran warm water into the tub.
While the water ran, she took a moment to text Cole to see if it was okay to bring Riley to dinner, and then she put her cell phone up high on the medicine cabinet to protect it from splashes. When she turned off the water, Robo’s brow puckered with concern.
“You need a bath, sweetie. Go ahead, jump in here.” He turned and faced the door, staring at the knob. She snapped her fingers. “Robo, come. Don’t be such a chicken.”
He hugged the door with his whole body.
Mattie bent, grasped him under the chest to pick up the front half of his body, and lugged his one hundred pounds over to the tub. “Get in there now,” she said as she placed his front feet into the water, and then reached to lift his hind half in, too. He started to pant, and she stroked his head. “That’s right. Now relax, big guy. This will all be over in a minute.”
She made short work of the bath, lathering and rinsing his luxurious coat. Even though he looked like a whipped pup, he cooperated for the most part. He tried to shake a couple of times while still in the tub, so Mattie was pretty well drenched by the time she drained the water and toweled him off.
“Now you wait in here with me so you don’t get the whole house wet.”
She hurried to finish her own shower, wrapped a towel around her wet hair, and slipped on a terrycloth robe. Robo rushed out of the bathroom, shaking and grinning as he trotted over to greet Riley, who was sitting on the floor in front of a bookshelf. Mattie didn’t have a television, so the girl must have resorted to books for entertainment.
Riley hugged Robo against her. “Ew, you’re wet,” she said, crinkling her nose and then burying it in his damp fur. “But you smell better.”
Mattie left the two together while she dressed and combed out her hair. After tucking the wet strands behind her ears, she reached for her cell phone and saw that Cole had answered her text. “Bring Riley, too,” it said. “What was it Mama T used to say? Little piggies eat better when there are more at the trough.”
He’d remembered Mama T’s words from when she’d told him weeks ago. Hard to believe he cared enough to recall such a trivial thing.
When she went back into the living room, Riley had moved onto the sofa and was looking at one of Mattie’s old high school yearbooks. Robo wriggled gleefully on his back on his dog bed.
“I see you were a jock,” Riley said, lifting up the book to show Mattie a picture of herself holding the state championship cross-country trophy she’d won her senior year.
Mattie shrugged and then allowed herself a grin. “I could run … so I did.”
“I saw your picture at school.”
“Yeah?” She knew Riley was referring to one of the photos in the school trophy case, but decided that was enough talk about her. “You have an invitation to dinner now.”
Riley’s face brightened. “You’re free?”
“Sort of. Do you know Angela Walker?”
“I met her in band. She’s a year older than me.”
“We’re both invited to dinner at the Walkers’ house. You wanna come?”
Riley snapped the yearbook shut and stood to put it back on the shelf. “Sure,” she said, looking like she was trying to control her eagerness.
“Do you need to call to see if it’s okay with your dad?”
“Nah, he left early this morning with the horses. Said he was going on a ride.” A shadow of sadness crossed the girl’s face. “I think he has a girlfriend. Anyway, he said he wouldn’t get home until late. I’ll text him to tell him where I am.”