CHAPTER THREE
1029 Words
CHAPTER THREE
Bonner County Sheriff’s Deputy Cody Medford wheeled his patrol car off the highway and coasted onto the gravel parking area at the scenic overlook. It seemed as good a location as any to relieve himself. He glanced at the dashboard clock. 3:49 a.m. He still had over three hours left on his graveyard shift. And it hadn’t gone well so far.
Just before midnight, he’d responded to a bar brawl and had sprained his wrist in the process of carting two belligerent drunks off to county lockup. After that, he’d been called to a domestic disturbance where he’d barely managed to escape being punched in the face by yet another drunk. And as he’d headed back on patrol, his phone had slipped from his pocket, landing on the pavement, cracking the screen.
What else would the night thrust at him?
Killing his headlights, Cody hopped out of the cruiser into the chilly mountain air. He stood still for a moment, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness. The shape of the concrete picnic table – where he’d eaten his home-packed dinner on more than one occasion – materialized before him.
The gravel crunched beneath his boots as he made his way past the table toward the edge of the adjacent forest. He ducked behind a large bush and took care of his business. As he zipped his pants, his radio crackled to life.
“We got a stolen vehicle report,” the female dispatcher stated in a flat tone.
He listened to the BOLO (be on the lookout) details – the make, model, color, plate number, and last known location – thankful that he wasn’t being called to a scene.
He wandered toward the overlook’s barrier – a heavy chain strung along a line of wooden posts – and gazed out at the timbered valley below. In the absence of the moon, the stars sparkled in the inky sky like diamonds.
Like the diamond he’d bought for Tessa.
There were still eighteen months of loan payments left before the engagement and wedding rings would officially be their own. Which wouldn’t concern him quite as much if he hadn’t been hit by two unforeseen blows. Over the weekend, their landlord had announced he was raising their rent.
And yesterday, Cody had learned he was going to be a father.
Tessa had peed on the sticks from three different brands of home pregnancy tests just to make sure. The results had shocked him so bad his head had spun. It wasn’t that he didn’t want children; it just felt as though things were happening too fast. They’d only been married five months and he’d only held his job with the sheriff’s department for a little over a year.
At twenty-four years old, the thought of raising a child – of being responsible for molding an innocent human being – terrified him. Growing up without his own father for a role model, he feared he would fall short. That he would somehow end up ruining the kid’s life.
He slipped the gold band from his left ring finger and slid it back and forth against his palm. He’d known Tessa was the woman for him the minute he’d laid eyes on her. Admittedly, he was first drawn in by her big brown eyes and long dark hair, as well as her perfect hourglass figure. But it was her sweet personality and the fact that she was a fan of Monty Python – something the other women he’d dated had never even heard of – that had sealed the deal. He loved her with all of his heart.
But he couldn’t help thinking that she deserved more. Deserved a man strong enough to face the future without fear. He needed to be that man.
For Tessa’s sake.
For their baby’s sake.
He twirled his wedding ring between his thumb and index finger, wondering whether he should try to find a part-time job to supplement their income. His deputy’s salary didn’t stretch very far and Tessa’s cashier position wasn’t full-time, so there was no paid maternity leave. And the baby would need things. A crib. A car seat. Clothes. Diapers. And who knew what else.
A high-pitched squeal erupted from his radio and Cody jumped. His thumb flicked against his ring, sending the gold band flying over the barrier chain.
“s**t,” he cursed aloud.
Some i***t had keyed their mic too close to their cruiser’s radio speaker. When he found out who the culprit was, he’d threaten to wring their neck.
He pulled the Maglite from his belt and switched it on. He had to find his ring. Otherwise, Tessa would kill him. He stepped across the barrier and directed the beam of light into the tall grass. With no idea how far the ring had flown before landing, he dropped to his knees. Moving forward mere inches at a time, he scanned the ground from left to right, parting the grass as he went.
An owl hooted, startling him.
He jerked upright, almost dropping his flashlight. As the beam had bounced upward, he’d caught the glint of metal a few feet in front of him, at the base of a limestone slab. Relief flooded his chest as he lumbered forward and reached for his wedding band.
But as his fingers touched metal, he realized it wasn’t his ring after all.
And the dark shape wasn’t a slab of rock.
Panic struck Cody as he swept his Maglite across the row of gold buttons, ending at the collar of the leather coat. The beam illuminated what he thought had once been the face of a woman. Dried blood caked her skin and clung to her blonde curls. Her cheeks sunk inward and the cartilage of her nose hung limp. Her mouth gaped open, revealing a dark hollow void of teeth. Her chin and jaws melted into her neck. It looked as though her skull had been pummeled with a hammer.
With a shaky hand, he pressed the button on the radio clipped to his shirt.
Cody didn’t need to check for a pulse to know the woman was dead.
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