Time of Death

59

Ren walked into Gary’s office before allowing the knock on the door to register with him. He jumped.

‘God…I’m sorry,’ said Ren. ‘I wouldn’t normally just barge in.’

Gary looked up at her. ‘It’s not that.’ There was a struggle behind his eyes.

Ren sat down in front of his desk. ‘Is everything OK?’ she said.

Gary slid open the top drawer and pulled out a pamphlet. He threw it down in front of her. ‘Take a look at this.’

There was a horse on the front, rearing up on its hind legs. And above it was written in curly script: Can You Rise Up To Your True Height?

Bizarre.

Ren opened up the folded card. There were several photos of pretty, smiling teenagers. Across the top of the page was a banner that read Who you are is what is right.

Ren looked up at Gary. ‘It’s the Messiah of the Most Wanted? Jim-Jams?’

‘Jonah Jeremiah Myler,’ said Gary, nodding.

‘Well, he hasn’t lost his creative touch,’ said Ren. ‘He is truly nuts. Why do these kids respond to such insane images and language? Is this what the disenchanted youth is looking for?’

Gary struggled to speak. ‘Do you want to know where I found it?’

‘Yes. Where?’

‘Claire’s book bag…’

Oh my God. ‘Your daughter Claire?’

Gary nodded.

Holy shit. ‘But…people are always handing out fliers,’ said Ren. ‘She probably just-’

‘Let me skip your niceties,’ said Gary. ‘There’s a cell phone number on the bottom of that. Claire has called it. Four times. And texted a boy called Ruben five times.’

Whoa. ‘Did you confront her?’

Gary was staring into space. ‘So,’ he said as if he didn’t hear her, ‘it looks like sometimes the disenchanted youth is sitting across the breakfast table from you.’

‘Did you say anything to her?’ said Ren.

‘I would have had to defuse years of landmines to get close enough.’

‘Oh.’

‘Yes,’ said Gary.

‘But…what are you going to do?’ said Ren.

‘Start by bringing down this fucking freak,’ said Gary, taking the flier back. ‘Sick son-of-a-bitch…’

‘Teenage girls can be so innocent,’ said Ren. ‘Even these days. They’re oblivious to danger. She was probably flattered by the attention. Teenage girls-’

‘-should be happy and secure enough not to be sucked into…this,’ said Gary. ‘And it’s my responsibility to take care of that. It is a father’s job to make his daughter feel loved and respected and safe, so she isn’t looking to some dirtbag older man to do it in the wrong kind of way.’

‘It wouldn’t have come to that,’ said Ren. ‘She wouldn’t have got that close to him. Claire’s a smart kid.’

‘She’s a kid, period,’ said Gary. ‘And having this pamphlet in her book bag is already too close.’

‘I know. You’re right,’ said Ren. ‘What are you going to do?’

‘Kill him if we find him. Kill him.’

‘Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that…’

‘I would have no problem doing it.’ Gary shook his head. ‘You see me here. I’m not exactly…I’m not an emotional person. I…’

‘But-’

Gary looked up at her. ‘Ren, it’s not like I come home at night and turn into Wonderdad, OK?’

‘Gary, you’re not this horrible father,’ said Ren. ‘You know that. Kids need to accept that parents are people too. They have their own shit going on. It’s just that my parents’ generation or yours gave the impression that everything was OK in the world and that they had no problems.’

‘My father slept with two of my friends’ moms and asked me to cover for him on three separate occasions…’ said Gary.

‘Alrighty, then.’

He smiled. ‘But thanks anyway. So, you knocked on my door. What did you want?’

‘I was just coming in to ask you for some of those giant rubber bands to flick at Robbie.’

‘And the fate of the nation rested with one woman…’

‘Do you have any?’

Gary shook his head slowly. ‘On the filing cabinet.’

‘Thanks,’ said Ren, waving a handful at him.

‘There’s one more thing,’ said Gary. ‘There is one little undercover job I’d like you to take care of.’

‘Uh-oh. What?’

‘I told Claire you might help her with her Spanish…’

‘Ah…’ said Ren.

‘She won’t talk to her mother about boys or anything like that. But she might talk to you. To someone like Claire, you would appear cool.’

‘What do you mean just “to someone like Claire”?’ said Ren. She nodded. ‘Sure, I’ll do that. No problem.’

‘I appreciate it,’ said Gary.

‘But she still knows you’re my boss, she mightn’t say a word.’

‘I don’t know — be conspiratorial. Make up something shitty I did to you.’

‘“Make up”?’ Ren smiled.

Gary’s phone rang. Ren took it as her cue to leave.

That evening, Ren pulled into the parking lot of the Jefferson County Cold Case Unit and dialed Janine Hooks’ number.

‘Janine? Hi, it’s Ren Bryce. I’d just like to apologize again for everything.’

‘There really is no need,’ said Janine.

‘I know, but still…I’d like to…make amends. I’m outside your building and-’

‘What?’ said Janine.

‘Yes,’ said Ren. ‘Can you spare a minute?’

Janine paused. ‘OK, but-’

‘If you could come out to the parking lot, I’d like you to meet someone.’

‘You can bring them up to my office,’ said Janine. ‘That’s not a problem.’

‘I can’t. Please, it’ll only take a minute.’

‘OK,’ said Janine. ‘This is a little strange.’

‘That’s how I roll,’ said Ren.

Ren got out of the car when she saw Janine crossing the lot. Janine was already looking into the car. She frowned at Ren.

‘She’s on the floor,’ said Ren. She opened the back door and Misty stood up.

‘Wow,’ said Janine. ‘She’s beautiful. Hello, girl. You are beautiful,’ she said, crouching down. Misty threw herself at Janine.

‘I saw the dog photos in your office,’ said Ren. ‘All over your office.’

‘What, and you bought me a dog?’ said Janine. ‘You must be riddled with guilt.’

Ren laughed. ‘Yes. And no, I did not buy you a dog, I brought you a…colleague.’

‘What?’

‘Meet Misty,’ said Ren. ‘She’s my cadaver dog. A warm friend to cold cases. We are at your service. If you’d still like to search those possible burial grounds you mentioned.’

Janine stood up. ‘Are you serious?’

‘Yup.’

‘Do you think she’d be any use?’

‘You bet,’ said Ren. ‘She’s very well trained.’

‘Thank you so much,’ said Janine. ‘I’ve always wanted to work with a cadaver dog.’

‘Well, here we are.’

‘I really appreciate it,’ said Janine. ‘I might take the hex off you, now.’

Ren laughed. ‘OK, well, we better get going. Send me an email and we’ll go from there.’ She turned to put Misty back in the car.

‘Ren,’ said Janine. ‘My first case here, there was this woman, she was eighty-two years old, one of the nicest little old ladies you could meet. And I believed that her son had killed his pregnant girlfriend in 1972. He had disappeared the same day the body was found. No trace of him since then. So I called to this lil ol’ lady’s door, pretending I had gotten lost in the neighborhood. She was so blind, she thought I was about nineteen years old. She brought me in, made me tea. I called back with flowers, I took her grocery shopping another day…’ Janine paused. ‘Look, her son’s in jail now because of my finest efforts. He had gotten back in touch with her when the dust had settled. He would call her, visit if he could. And I took him away. I get what it’s like to do what you have to do-’

‘Wow,’ said Ren. ‘You played an old lady? You are one mean bitch. Stay away from my dog.’

They laughed.

Ren’s cell phone rang. ‘It’s my boss,’ she said. ‘I better take this.’

‘Sure,’ said Janine. ‘I’ll be in touch.’

‘Cool,’ said Ren. She hit Answer.

‘Ren, get into the office. Now.’ He hung up.

Half an hour later, Ren was walking down the hallway registering the barely contained fury on Gary’s face as he stood in his doorway with his arms folded.

Oh shit.

Ren paused in front of him. ‘What’s this ab-’

‘Grab your coat. We’re going to Stout Street.’ Stout Street was the FBI’s federal building in downtown Denver.

‘Why?’ said Ren.

‘A man called James Laker has just walked in there with footage of Javier Luis’ murder, saying Domenica Val Pando was responsible.’

Oh my God. James Laker is alive?

‘Aren’t you going to ask me why you’re coming with me?’ said Gary.

‘I guess we both know why I’m coming with you.’

‘I don’t think you know. Laker is saying he was forced at gunpoint to falsify information about Special Agent Ren Bryce on the same tape. He wants to make a sworn statement to the contrary.’

Oh, thank God. Thank God.

Gary glanced at her. ‘I don’t know what’s on this tape. All I know is that you have nine lives, Ren Bryce. And you are running through them faster than anyone I have ever met.’