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Peter Farley was a systems analyst for a tech company in Orange County, an avid mountain biker who tackled the trails into Asteroid Canyon on the weekends. Asteroid was a canyon ru
Farley had parked his vehicle in the wildcat parking lot at the entrance to the canyon. When he did not return to work after the weekend, a search ensued. His bike was found at the base of a short but steep hiking trail leading to a waterfall. Farley was found near the pool at the waterfall’s base, partially eaten and dragged into a hollow under the oak trees, buried under leaves and underbrush, his bloodstained wallet still in the pocket of his shorts.
The wounds appeared to come from a mountain lion. Hunters searched for the lion, but never found any sign of one. Not surprising, since a rainstorm had come through between Farley’s disappearance and the day he was found.
And then the kicker.
“In a cruel twist of fate, Mr. Farley was attacked previously at his home in Los Angeles by a pack of javelinas while walking his small dog.”
He’d saved the dog but was seriously injured in the attack when one of the javelinas bit into his femoral artery.
Tess thought of that day at Credo. Steve Barkman leaning into her space, too close. An obnoxious character with a creepy smile.
Still.
What Steve Barkman lacked in appropriate behavior, he made up for in brain cells. He had figured out what happened to Peter Farley. And he had linked it to George Hanley’s killer.
CHAPTER 25
Walking back to the car from the police department, Michael was silent. They each dealt with Chad’s death in their own way. Jaimie looked mad at the world. Her silence was icy. Brayden’s tearstained face was crumpled up and every once in a while she hiccuped.
Michael was the man of the family. The leader. But he didn’t know what to do. He thought about the enemies he’d made. The cops were sniffing around. He wasn’t worried about that—he was too smart for them. But maybe he’d crossed the line with someone. Could they have gone after Chad for revenge, since Michael himself was too strong? He went over every expedition they’d made, every kill.
His only mistake was Alec Sheppard.
Later, Michael lay on the bed in his room at the resort, staring at the ceiling fan. The women were in the kitchen—he could hear them talking in low voices, occasional sobs from Brayden.
He was stu
Something evil.
Stalking them.
Chad was the baby of the family. Chad was the kid. A sweet, shy boy who never really grew up, whose whole life revolved around his quiver of surfboards and the water in Laguna Beach. There was no reason for anyone to kill him. Maybe it was random, but the detective didn’t leave that impression. He’d said Chad was strangled, but Michael could read between the lines. He could often tell when a person wasn’t telling the whole truth. He guessed there was more to the “strangling” than the detective had let on.
He’d also said: Did Chad have any enemies?
Maybe Chaddy did. But it was doubtful. Michael knew that he himself had an enemy—Alec Sheppard. Those two women cops were no real threat. He wasn’t worried about them. But Sheppard came all the way from Houston. He’d hired Barkman to spy on him.
Barkman’s house would be locked up tight behind the crime scene tape, but maybe…
His chest tightened again. The begi
He needed Martin.
The next morning Tess showed Da
It sounded ridiculous even when she laid it out for him.
Da
“But I’m going on leave, so don’t ask me.”
Tess knew Bo
Tess realized she’d have to lay it out for Bo
Tess printed up what she needed and went down the hallway to the undersheriff’s office. She nodded to Luke Grayson, one of the deputies, who was just going in.
Bo
Tess nodded. She leaned against the wall in the hallway. Aware that her heart was beating hard.
Electricity seemed to branch out through her veins.
I’m right about this.
Still, it would be a hard sell.
She had what she had.
She hoped it would be enough.
CHAPTER 26
Bo
“Orange County. He did go out there. He and Barkman were on the same trail.”
He clasped his hands over his stomach. “It sounds far-fetched to me.”
Tess said, “Look at his itinerary. He pla
The old mining town was at the edge of the Santa Anas, not five miles from the entrance to Asteroid Canyon.
Peter Farley lived there and commuted to his job in Irvine.
Bo
“I think George Hanley thought DeKoven was after him.”
Bo
There was a bond between them. She’d asked him to let her do ridiculous, sometimes impossible, things.
“All right. You go. I’ll put in for one day.”
Tess had been ready for this. “Overnight? That will give me two full days if I get there on an early flight.”
“I don’t know. I’m going to get flak just for the plane fare. We’re going to be shorthanded as it is.”
“I can pay for the motel.”
“That’s not the point.”
Tess said, “What if I find what I’m looking for and don’t have time to pursue it? I’d have to fly back.”
Bo