“Appreciate the offer but I’ll be fine. I’ll see you tomorrow, Paul.” I dismiss him with a smile he doesn’t return as I slip past him to my office.
Grabbing my phone and my purse from the bottom drawer in my desk, I head outside to my car. I quickly scan my phone for messages and note a missed call from a number I don’t recognize other than the prefix: San Antonio, Texas. No message, but this may be the contact Calder mentioned.
It rings only twice before a woman answers the call.
“Hi, my name is Meredith Carter, I see you tried to reach me?”
“Yes. Casey Shea, I’m an entomologist. Calder Stonewall gave me your number. I’m sorry I didn’t leave a message but I thought I’d try to catch you in person tomorrow.”
“In person?” I echo.
“I’m flying into Durango first thing tomorrow morning. I actually happen to be guest teaching at Fort Lewis College starting Tuesday, as part of their Forensic Studies program. I was going to stop by your office, but now I have you on the phone, maybe you can explain what you’re looking for? Calder said you needed some feedback from an entomologist, but he didn’t elaborate.”
I’d been hoping to be able to pick someone’s brain, but being able to meet in person—letting them have a look at the samples I collected—would be even better. Especially at such short notice.
I tell her about the discovery and condition of the remains, and the conflicting timelines suggested by the difference in development of the larvae I secured. It seems to pique her interest and she immediately offers to meet at my office after she checks into her hotel.
A frustrating morning turns a little more hopeful as I start my car and aim it home to where I’m sure Beau is already waiting by the door.
The last thing I expect to see is Jay’s truck parked in front of my house.
Jay
I know she’s home when I hear the crunch of car tires.
The dog hears it too. He’s been keeping a close eye on me, alternating between dozing and watching me work from behind the glass sliding door. At some point the kitten—the little thing would fit in the palm of my hand—had wandered over and was curled up between Beau’s front paws. I’m guessing that’s the reason he’s not jumping to his feet but instead is craning his neck to see the front door.
Guarded surprise is evident on her face as she rounds the corner, just as the hint of disappointment had been last night when I dropped her off here.
I’ve had a long time to think about how it would play out when I finally made a move on Meredith. We might not work together all the time, but our paths cross regularly and whatever happens in our personal lives may well flow over into our day jobs. That’s why, when Joe gave me a hard stare last night, I thought it might be a good idea to show my face at the station. Prove my work wouldn’t be affected, especially after just getting my detective badge.
“What…?” she starts but doesn’t finish.
“Hope you don’t mind I got a head start.” I indicate the few rows of deck boards I’ve been able to put down.
“I…no. It looks great, but…it’s just unexpected.”
An impatient Beau barks and scratches at the sliding door.
“Someone wants out.”
“Right,” she mumbles, as she turns on her heel and heads to the front.
I watch until she disappears around the corner before turning back to the stack of lumber, selecting the next length of board to start the next row.
A few minutes later the door slides open and Beau comes bounding outside, coming straight for me. There’s no growling today, just a vigorous sniff before he jumps down and finds a tree to relieve himself against.
“Coffee?”
My head swivels to where Meredith is leaning against the door opening, absently stroking the kitten she’s holding.
“Mushroom?” I ask tentatively, and she barks out a laugh.
“I have regular, if you prefer. It’s organic and carries a kick if you’re up for that.”
“Sure.”
She disappears inside with the cat just as Beau saunters back, shoving his massive head against my leg. Maybe it’s time to make friends. I drop my hand and brush my fingers through the bristly hair on his neck. He allows it for a few seconds, even leans his weight into me for a bit, before he moves away and drops down beside the woodpile. With his head propped on his crossed front paws, he eyes me closely as I get back to work.
This is the easy part; laying the boards. First thing this morning when I got here, I replaced some of the joists that were rotten. Meredith had the foresight to buy a few replacement beams, it took a bit of maneuvering to manage those by myself. Luckily the posts still looked solid in their footings, because to replace those I would’ve needed equipment I don’t have.
Another hour, maybe two, and I’ll be done. I’d slow down my pace just so I could stay longer, but I told Joe I’d be in this afternoon.
I hear the door slide open and Meredith walks out with two travel mugs.
“That’s going fast,” she comments, handing me one of them. “What can I do?”
“Keep me company while I take a break.”
What the hell, Joe never mentioned a time.
I take a seat on the lumber and Meredith leans against the edge of the deck across from me.
“I spoke with an entomologist this morning,” she starts, as I take a sip of the strong coffee. “She had to be in Durango and offered to stop by my office. I’m hoping she can give us some insight on those larvae I found on the leg.”
Body parts and maggots wasn’t exactly the topic I was hoping for, but I guess it’s common ground we share.
“That’s great. We could use some answers. This second find yesterday didn’t exactly net us with much new evidence.”
“I’m afraid I can’t give you definitives, but I’m relatively sure the remains are from the same victim. The bones look to be a similar age and I found tool marks on the severed joints that look similar if not the same, but the CBI lab will have to run their analysis to confirm. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get fingerprints but I did send the lab a series of samples to see if they can extract DNA. I was going to type up a preliminary report for you guys this afternoon and send it over.”
I realize I’m not the only one for whom talking about work is a comfort zone. It’s where we feel confident, clear on who we are. But as much as I appreciate we can relate on that level, I’d like to see more of the personal side of her. I want to learn about the woman underneath and I’m hoping the way to get there is to expose a little of myself.
I tilt my head slightly and catch her eye.
“I like you, Merry. Do you mind if I call you Merry?”
She seems a little taken aback and a minute passes before she responds.
“No, I don’t mind.”
“Doc seems too impersonal and somehow Meredith feels too professional. I like Merry. It suits you.”
“My dad used to call me that.”
“You lost him.” I conclude from her words and the hint of sadness in her voice.
“Both my parents, yes. They died within months of each other about ten years ago.”
“I’m so sorry. That must’ve been hard.”