During the pause that followed, Stella began recording evidence on the skeletons’ board. “I’m going to list the Desert Eagle pistol that Robo found here,” she said as she wrote. “I’ll put a question mark beside it since we don’t know yet if the slug matches the gun. When should we have those results?”
“Sometime today,” Lawson said. “And I was able to get a serial number off that pistol. I started a search for registration through the ATF National Tracing Center. If we’re lucky, we could get a hit off that as early as today, too.”
“Results today would be excellent.” Stella finished recording and looked at Lawson. “Anything else?”
“Teeth were pretty much intact. It’s not much to go on for ID, but my team is researching missing persons from the time period. You can imagine the numbers they’re up against. All of this is going to take some time.”
McCoy leaned forward. “What are the chances that these three were affiliated with each other, or even related?”
“We’re searching for a missing father and son, or two related men and a boy who went missing at the same time. If we turn up a relationship of some kind, it will certainly make the identification easier.”
“That would indeed be fortunate,” McCoy said. “Anything else to add, Agent?”
“That’s all for now.”
Stella walked over to Willie’s board and used her marking pen to point to a column labeled CALIFORNIA PERSONS OF INTEREST as she spoke. “Let’s move on and discuss our first crime scene. Detective Hastings from the Hollywood Detective Bureau interviewed past associates of Mr. Cobb’s, and he’s convinced that they can contribute nothing of value to our case. They haven’t been in touch with our victim for well over six months. With Mr. Cobb, I should say.”
Stella glanced at Mattie before continuing. “I’ve interviewed William’s girlfriend, Tamara Bennett, and I’ve spoken with his employer, Mr. Joseph Quintana. So far, I’ve uncovered nothing new.”
Mattie noticed that Lawson had begun to squirm in his chair, as if growing more and more uncomfortable. When Stella paused, he jumped in with what was bothering him.
“I’m not sure that Deputy Cobb should be a part of this investigation,” he said.
McCoy straightened. “Deputy Cobb and Robo have uncovered a large part if not all of our evidence. I don’t think she should be eliminated from the team at this point.”
Lawson sent a sidelong glance in Mattie’s direction. “I’m bringing in cadaver dogs to search for more gravesites at our crime scene today. If we need a dog for another purpose, I can bring one in from the state.”
“Robo is not just any dog, and he and Mattie aren’t your typical K-9 team,” Stella said with some heat.
Mattie felt like she should speak up and try to diffuse Stella’s temper. “I appreciate your concern, Agent Lawson, but I believe I still need to be involved in this investigation, and I can remain objective. You can speak freely in front of me.”
Lawson turned to McCoy, appealing for a decision.
“We’ll leave the team as it is for now,” McCoy said, his tone indicating he was done with the subject. “What did you want to say, Agent?”
Lawson’s lips thinned as he clamped them shut. He looked down at his papers before speaking. “Both Tamara Bennett and Deputy Cobb believe that William wouldn’t have come to Timber Creek of his own free will. If that is indeed true, it would lead us to believe that he was abducted and brought here before he was killed. But I’m not sure that makes sense.”
“We don’t have a motive for him coming by himself from California either,” Stella said.
“This is awkward with you present, Deputy.” Lawson gave Mattie a pointed look before turning away. “This is pure speculation. Timber Creek has had a drug problem in the past twelve months with a couple of large busts. Maybe Mr. Cobb had become involved with the drug trade. Maybe he was running drugs through town.”
Stella turned to the board to record his theory. “Any comments?”
Mattie hated to consider this possibility, but she was determined to project a neutral attitude. “We need to follow up on that idea. If William hasn’t been back in touch with his old gang, are there new contacts he made lately? Did he meet someone when he was in rehab that he connected with?”
The tension in the room eased somewhat as they all paused to think.
“Any other ideas regarding motive?” Stella jiggled the marker in her hand.
McCoy broke the silence that followed her question. “If there aren’t other ideas about motive right now, let’s discuss whether or not we believe the ram shooting is linked to Mr. Cobb’s homicide.”
Mattie summarized her discussion with Cole. “Someone shot the ram while we were investigating the gravesite. We think this shooter was not a local hunter for a couple of reasons. One, the shooter didn’t pick up his brass, which most hunters do. And two, the shooter didn’t go down to the ram to harvest meat or a trophy; instead, he hid and watched us from the upper part of the ridge.”
“So we can speculate that the shooter was trying to draw you away from the gravesite?” McCoy asked.
“Dr. Walker and I both think so.”
“We should receive word today on whether or not the casing Robo found and the slug from the ram carcass match.” Stella started a new column on the board. “Who might have been up in that area on Sunday? Any ideas on who might have shot that ram?”
Mattie hated to bring up Riley’s father, but she felt like she had to. “Dr. Walker sewed up a horse that got cut on a mountain trail last Sunday. The owner is from California and new to town. His name’s Bret Flynn. He told Cole that he was on a different trail, but one of us should talk to him about it. Check out his hunting rifle to see what kind of ammo it uses.”
“We should also look at Tucker York,” McCoy said. He explained for Lawson’s benefit. “He’s the Wildlife Department supervisor out of Denver. The day Dr. Walker found William’s partial remains, York insisted on going up to the area by himself. He was at the meadow alone for hours before the rest of us could get up there.”
Stella turned to McCoy with a bemused expression. “What about Ed Lovejoy?”
“He wasn’t available to shoot the ram,” Mattie said. “He was riding down the trail with you that afternoon.”
“He started out with us, but then he split off about halfway down, saying he wanted to scout elk in the lower meadow and get a head count.”
McCoy nodded. “Put him on the list. We need to talk to him.”
Ed Lovejoy, Mattie thought. I’ve known him for years. Hard to believe the local wildlife manager would have anything to do with Willie’s death, much less shoot a ram out of season. But it was also strange that he’d split off from the party on Sunday afternoon.
“Any others?” Stella asked.
“This might be nothing,” Mattie said, “but I’m thinking of that California connection. Gibson Galloway, the man we arrested Saturday night for disorderly conduct. He’s from Bakersfield, and I think he deserves some investigation. We released him Sunday morning, and I remember that there were rifles racked in the back window of his truck. All of his weapons should be listed on the arrest report. He and his buddies had a trailer full of horses and ample time to ride up to the Ridge.”
“Any of this could lead to nothing, but we won’t know until we look into it,” Stella said. “What else do we have?”