Shanks turned around and jogged over to the car. To the uniform, he said, “It’s okay. He’s with me.” He turned to the kid. “You’ll have to park down the road. You can’t block any access for the equipment.”
“Got it.” Ben found a place about a quarter mile away and as dark as death. Ro clung to his arm as they carefully stepped over earth and roots until the reflected beams of the klieg lights pointed to a spot down the mountainside.
Sam was waiting near the trailhead. He said, “You brought a friend?”
“Dorothy Majors, Detective Shanks. She found the area where the police are now digging.”
Shanks said, “Congrats, Ben. You finally found someone to feed your obsession.”
“I’m not feeding it,” Ro protested. “I’m trying to stop it. But like any good therapist, first I’ve got to establish rapport.”
Shanks smiled. “Are you okay, honey?”
Immediately her eyes watered. Ben put his arm around her shoulder and she nestled into his chest. “If you need to talk to us, we’ll be spending the night at my grandparents’.”
Shanks said, “How are they all doing?”
“My grandparents? They’re fine, and that’s from firsthand knowledge. I just saw the clan this past Thursday for Thanksgiving.”
“How many showed up this year?”
“Sixty-eight.”
“Is your grandpa still building rockets?”
“A man needs a passion.” Ben turned to Ro. “My grandpa worked in Huntsville when he was young.”
“I have no idea where that is.”
“Alabama. Marshall Space Flight Center. It’s part of NASA. He’s always worked for the government, but I think that time down south was his favorite. The space program is still in his blood.”
“Is this the Vicksburg grandparent?”
“No, this is the Weil. The Vicksburg side was originally from Mississippi.”
“That makes total sense.” She hit her head. “Duh.”
Ben stuck his hands in his pockets. He shifted from foot to foot. “Are Margot and Alan here?”
“Farther down the mountain. Ortiz called them . . . didn’t want them to hear it on the news. He has the dental records. All we need is a body.” Shanks rubbed his gloved hands together. “One part of me really hopes it’s her. I can’t stand the idea of making them go through all this without any results.”
“Where is Detective Ortiz?”
“With the Doogans.” Shanks rocked on his feet. “I told them you might be coming.”
“Do they want to see me? It seems that everyone is looking at me with a wary eye.”
“They know you by now. No one is seriously thinking of you as a suspect. Not even Ortiz. I saw the videotape.” He looked at Ben with squinty eyes. “Which means I know what you’ve been doing in your spare time and I’m really pissed at you. How long have you been sitting on piles of data?”
“Awhile.”
“How long’s awhile? One year?” Silence. “Two years?”
“Whatever.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit. Why didn’t you come to me?”
“I told him he should show everything to you,” Ro piped in. “He’s got a lot of stuff.”
Shanks turned his eyes to her. “You knew about this?”
“Don’t blame me, sir. You can lead a horse to water, et cetera.”
Shanks shook his head. “I want to see what you have now, Ben. Come in Wednesday after school. Not a request, an order. No excuses, no bullshit.”
“I’ll give you everything I have.” A pause. “What about Ortiz? I prefer to keep it between us.”
“Not going to happen, especially if this turns out to be Katie Doogan.” He stared into space. “How many cases have you, in your mind, tied to Ellen’s case?”
“Maybe a couple of others.”
“One, two, three?”
Ro said, “At least two. I promise he’ll be there Wednesday.”
“Good to see someone is on my side.” Shanks exhaled swiftly. “Three p.m. sharp! Now let’s go see Margot and Alan.”
There was a path of footlights to follow, adding just enough illumination to see one foot in front of the other. Wet detritus had been tamped down by the unexpected foot traffic. It took them twenty minutes to hike to the spot. The area had been roped off with yellow tape and there were personnel all over the place. About a half dozen officials were digging by hand. From what Ben saw, it appeared as if they had barely scratched the surface.
Ro was shivering, rubbing her shoulders and arms. Ben went into his backpack and pulled out a box of hand and toe warmers. “Put these in your boots and these in your gloves. They’ll keep you toasty.”
She placed them in her gloves. “I’ve used these for skiing.” She started to unlace her boots. “Thanks.”
He dropped packets in his boots, and within five minutes, his feet went from frigid to hot. The Doogans were standing as close to the crime scene as they were allowed. Margot was wearing a thick down-filled coat. Alan had on a leather bomber. They were holding hands. Ben didn’t see Bryan but he saw Kevin. The kid was a little bit older than Haley. Katie had been the only daughter.
“Let’s get this done.”
Margot saw the kids coming and dropped Alan’s hand. “Ben!” She gave him a tight bear hug. “Oh my!” She sniffed back tears and pulled away. A quick glance to Ro, then back at Ben. “I suppose I should say thank you.”
“Maybe we should wait for that one. This is my friend Ro.” When Margot gave her a cool appraisal, Ben said, “We were hiking together, looking for anything, and she was the one who actually found the spot. We bonded because she lost a sister from cancer at the same time I lost Ellen.”
Margot hugged Ro. “Thank you for coming.”
“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Doogan.”
“Margot, please.” Her wild red hair was tamed under a knitted cap.
Ben shook hands with Alan and his son. “How’s it going, Kev? Are you driving yet?”
“He’s only fifteen,” Margot said. “Please don’t rush things. As if I don’t have enough anxiety.”
“It’s a part of life.” Alan was wearing a cap. For the most part, the man was bald except for a gray ponytail hanging down from the nape of his neck.
“Got a car in mind yet?” Ben asked Kevin.
“I like Beemers.”
“Dream on,” Margot said.
“Can you talk to my parents for me?”
“I’m not your best advocate. I still don’t have my own wheels. I’m borrowing a jalopy from my grandparents to get back and forth to Albuquerque.”
“What are you doing down here?” Margot asked.
“Taking some classes at UNM. I’m also going to be interning at Circuitchip.”
“That’s great, Ben,” Alan said. “Good for you.”
Ben asked, “How’s Bryan?”
Alan said, “He wanted to come down. We told him to wait. They’ve been digging for two hours. They haven’t gotten too far. They’re trying to be careful.”
“To the point of ridiculousness.” Margot walked away for a moment and then came back. “I’m a wreck.”
“I’m sorry you have to go through this,” Ben said. No one spoke for the next ten minutes. About fifteen feet away, Ortiz and Shanks were deep in conversation, occasionally glancing in their direction.
Ben said, “Excuse me for a moment.”
Ro followed. They walked over to the cops. Ortiz said, “So we’re all meeting this Wednesday?”
“That’s a fact.”
To Ro, Ortiz said, “You too?”
“No, not me. I’m done playing Nancy Drew.”