Page 50 of Capture the Moment
How so?
Bible-thumping. I might cut it short. Thinking we should head back to Denver so I can start job hunting.
Maisie felt panic. She didn’t want to leave Pops and the park! Her week had just begun.
Give it a chance, Mom. Remember, Rebecca Woodbine treated you to this retreat. If you leave early, she’ll probably want you to pay her back.
Long pause.
Good point.
Long pause.
I’ll give it another day.
Over the radio, Sally Janus had told Coop to come to her office as soon as possible. When he asked why, she bristled. “How ’bout you find out when you get here.”
That was an uncomfortable end to a public call with the acting chief ranger that every other ranger was listening in on.
Frankie gave him a look. “Aww, man. What’d you do wrong?”
“Nothing that I know of.”
Thirty minutes later, after dropping Frankie off at the Jenny Lake Stables to help the shorthanded handler clean out horse stalls—a task Frankie was not happy with, but what else was new?—Coop stepped into Sally’s office, immediately sensing an unusual tension in the air. She gestured for him to take a seat, and as he settled in, the door clicked shut behind him, sealing them in the uneasy atmosphere. She folded her arms against her chest.
“Tim said you came across evidence of poaching activity.” Her tone was sharp, cutting straight to the point. “What information did you gather?”
“Just what I told Tim,” Coop said, trying to match her seriousness. “Pretty sure it was a wolf.”
“Did you see any sign of the poacher that we can go on? Snares, traps, bait? Tire tracks?” Sally fired off questions like bullets from a gun.
Each time Coop shook his head, he felt the weight of Sally’s disappointment in him settle in the room.
“Broken branches, trampled vegetation? Any clue that might have indicated the path he took?”
“Pretty sure he went through the creek,” Coop said, feeling a twinge of frustration at his own lack of findings. He should’ve done a more thorough investigation.
“Any sign of human activity? A gum wrapper. A tissue.”
“No. I filled out the report. Here, I have a copy.” Coop opened his notebook, but she waved it away dismissively.
“I read it,” she said, her expression conveying her dissatisfaction with both the report and Coop’s detective skills. “Coop, hon, you aren’t giving me much to go on.”
“There wasn’t much to go on. Other than the shell casing which, by the way, Frankie the intern found. So at least we know the make of the rifle.”
“It was a rifle that would be common for any hunter.” Sally leaned forward, her eyes probing. “What were you doing up there, anyway? You’re assigned to the valley.”
“It was my day off.”
Sally narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “I askedwhatyou were doing up there. It’s off-limits.”
Coop hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. He settled on a half-truth. “I assumed that meant off-limit to public access. You see, it’s one of my favorite day hikes.”
Sally wasn’t buying it. “So did you see 399? Any signs that she’s emerged from hibernation?”
“No. I didn’t see her. We didn’t get as high up as I had hoped to. The gunshot interrupted the hike.”
“Coop, do you think she didn’t make it through the winter?”
