‘I’d want to move too,’ said Cliff.
‘This was before the rape.’
‘Ah,’ said Cliff. ‘And did she want to move?’
‘No.’
‘Maybe he hired someone to scare her out of the neighborhood, to make her feel unsafe there, so she’d want to move, but the guy went too far?’ said Colin. ‘Sarvas tracks him down to beat the shit out of him, but the guy gets in first, blows him away?’
Cliff sucked in a breath. ‘You’d have to be seriously desperate to get out of your neighborhood to go that far.’
‘Maybe the man had every reason to be desperate,’ said Gary.
‘Maybe he was boning one of the hot neighbors and she turned psycho on him,’ said Colin.
Ren looked at him. ‘Always quick with the fucked-up scenarios.’
‘Did you get everything from El Paso PD?’ said Gary.
Ren nodded.
‘Split it up between you and see what you can come up with,’ said Gary. ‘No one’s to neglect Gartman in all this. All eyes are on us. And the Gregory Sarvas murder could be a time-consuming tangent.’ He turned to Ren. ‘You’re looking at this as your route to Val Pando? Via Diaz?’
Ren paused.
‘Be careful,’ said Gary. ‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.’
8
That night, Ren and Misty walked out the motel-room door for the last time. Ren smiled.
She thought about that:
Robbie walked behind Ren up the path to Annie’s house. Ren was pulling a suitcase, Robbie had a stack of boxes in his arms. She turned the key in the front door and had to push hard with her shoulder to open it. She dragged the suitcase on to the black-and-white tiled floor. Robbie laid the boxes down beside it.
‘Do you need me to take these anywhere?’ Robbie nodded toward the stairs.
‘Here is fine, thank you.’
‘Can I do anything else?’
‘You have done more than enough,’ said Ren. ‘Will you stay for a soda?’
‘I’d love to, but I’ve really got to go. I think this should be your night with Misty.’
‘You’re a sweetheart.’ Ren gave him a hug and glanced out to the Jeep. ‘I hope she likes it.’
‘What’s not to like?’
Ren walked down the path with Robbie and said goodbye.
Misty sat on the back seat of the Jeep and stared out the window at Ren. Then she wiggled back as far away from her as she could.
‘Please, baby, do not do this,’ said Ren. ‘You have to love what Mommy loves. That’s the deal.’
Misty’s expression was hard to read.
‘You used to live in a shack on the side of a mountain,’ said Ren. ‘Surely a historic dwelling is…’ Ren paused. ‘Oh, is this place too fancy for you?’
Ren leaned in the Jeep door and carefully hugged Misty toward her. ‘Come on.’ They made their way up the path.
Misty paused on the threshold.
‘Hey, get in here, young lady,’ said Ren. ‘This is your new home.’ She crouched down and rubbed Misty’s back. ‘How do you feel about that?’ Ren stood up. ‘Misty-fied, clearly.’
Misty walked into the hallway as if to prove a point. Ren closed the door behind them. Silence. For as long as they stood there, there was no sound. No creaking floorboards, no ticking clock, no rattling pipes.
Since she turned sixteen, Ren had rarely been without a boyfriend. It was one long relay race where one man was always handing the baton over to another. He just didn’t know it. And sometimes, neither did Ren. But something would make her feel safe enough to leave and, if she admitted it, it was knowing that there was a new man waiting in the wings. Even if it never happened with that particular guy, she at least knew he was there. But… it always happened.
Ren’s men never came without drama. The last person she really cared about was a confidential informant that could have gotten her fired. She had forced herself to walk away from him eight months ago, and for the first time in her life, she’d had no one lined up to take his place. No flirtation to follow through on. No cute guy in the diner. No hot agent on a visit to Denver. Ren Bryce had jumped without a safety net. A few months later, she had a week-long fling with an extreme rider performing at the National Western Stock Show.
Ren took a deep breath.
The thought made her feel weak.
Misty came and rubbed up against Ren’s legs. ‘Aw, but I’m not totally alone,’ said Ren. ‘Come on. Let me show you around.’
Misty clung to Ren’s side as she gave her a tour of the house. It was 3,500 square feet; sixteen rooms over four floors. She kept glancing down at Misty.
‘I put too much faith in your vibes,’ said Ren. ‘I have to accept that your reactions are not gospel. It’s not all about you.’ She kneeled down in front of her and rubbed her ears. ‘Even though, really, it is. You are way too cute.’
They got to the bedroom Ren used to stay in as a child. She looked down at the carpet – rose pink, deep and fluffy.
Ren took off her boots and socks and walked barefoot across the room. Annie had left the bedside lamps on; warm light through pink pleated shades. The bed was white wrought iron, covered in a faded pink and gray floral quilt. There were two green pillows thrown on it and an indentation where someone had been sitting. When Ren moved closer she saw why. Her old teddy bear – adopted from Annie – was tucked between the two pillows.
There was also a single bed and a bed for Misty in the corner. Ren brought up her suitcase and took out the new pajamas she had packed on top. She got ready for bed, then slid under the flannel sheets. She turned off the lamp and the room was lit by the moon. She looked around at one of her favorite places in the world.
She picked up the phone and called her brother, Matt.
‘Hey, Renald McDenald,’ he said. ‘How are you? What strange number are you calling me from?’
‘Annie’s.’
‘You’re in?’
‘I am. In my old bed.’
‘Bless your heart,’ said Matt.
‘How are you?’
