Dead Canyon by Jeff Carson

Author:Jeff Carson [Carson, Jeff]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-11-10T16:00:00+00:00

The drive back to Rocky Points was uneventful, but as Wolf coasted into town, he felt like he had whiplash from checking the rearview mirrors.

“And you think he’s hot?” Luke was talking to Brooke in the back seat, looking at a picture on Luke’s phone. “Ugh. But what’s with the blue hair? And so many tattoos.”

“That’s what’s chill nowadays,” Brooke said, explaining the world and how it really was to an out-of-touch adult.

Wolf smiled with a side eye to Brooke’s father in the passenger seat.

Hawkwood heard none of it. As far as Wolf could tell, he hadn’t blinked in the last hour. Just like Wolf, his eyes flicked constantly, checking the next vehicle rounding every corner outside.

The dead fisherman had been a man named Joseph Peralta. His missing vehicle, the one presumed taken by Ruiz, was an early-2000s black Toyota Tacoma. Hawkwood didn’t know these details, however, which made his constant vigilance for an incoming threat that much more disturbing to Wolf.

Ginger Hawkwood rode with Patterson in the SUV ahead of them, while Yates and Rachette followed in their SUV behind them.

Wolf wanted to tell Hawkwood to relax and that he was in safe hands, but with Brooke in the car he decided it was best to keep off the subject. That, and he knew there would be no relaxing for anyone until Juan Ruiz was either behind bars or dead.

A few minutes later, they pulled into the County Building parking lot. It was packed with vehicles, and Wolf scanned them for the black Tacoma.

Of course, there was the possibility that Ruiz had simply stolen another car—murdering another person and taking their vehicle—and was now waiting to pick them off. And that’s why Wolf had called earlier and had Deputy Nelson come out to patrol the lot on foot for the last half-hour.

Nelson was still making his rounds, slipping between cars, as they pulled up to the sidewalk outside the rear automatic doors.

Wolf picked up the radio. “Yates, you and Luke will escort them inside.”

“Copy that.” His voice scratched through.

Patterson stopped, put it in park, and got out, scanning the parking lot as she walked around to open the passenger door.

Wolf followed suit, parking, getting out himself, then rounding the vehicle and opening the two passenger doors for Hawkwood and his daughter.

The family huddled on the sidewalk, reunited again after the drive, and Yates and Luke ushered them into the building.

Wolf’s watch read 5:35 pm.

“You coming?” Patterson asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be up in a minute.” He pulled out his phone and dialed Piper’s number.

She answered after the first ring. “Hey.”

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

“Listen, something came up. I can’t make it over tonight.”

“What happened?”

“Just more complications in this case. I can’t break away. Not now.”

“Okay.” He listened to her voice intently. The sincerity in her tone made him want to be with her more. To hold her. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. You know I was a cop once, right?”

“Okay,” he said. “How are you doing?”

“Better. And I’ll be much better once I see the doctor tomorrow.

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