“I’m here for you, Pops.”
Together they strolled over to her grandmother and mother’s graves. Juniper got up and followed them.
Maya placed the flowers at her grandmother’s headstone, and then her mother’s. She stepped back. “I wish I could remember my mother better,” she said.
“You look a lot like her. She was a good person. Had a kind heart, but a wild one too. I should have been there more for her.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Pops.”
“I’ll give you the files,” Wayne said.
“What files?”
“The files pertaining to your grandmother’s death. I know you wanted to see them and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t. Just know that there are pictures of the crime scene. It may not be how you want to remember your grandmother. You’re an amazing law enforcement officer and I trust your judgment. I would love to have you look over the investigation. If you tell me that it looks like suicide, then I’ll leave it alone. There are a few discrepancies I’ve noticed about the crime scene. I’ve spent hours staring at the photos. I want to see if you see the same things. There’s another thing you should know.”
“What?”
“The gun she used matches the ballistics to the gun that killed your mother.”
Maya stared at Pops. Dizziness washed over her and she closed her eyes to stop the sensation. When she felt better, she opened them again. “Tell me more.”
“I didn’t want you to know that, but your mother didn’t just OD. She was shot too. We never found the weapon. The coroner ruled your grandmother’s death a suicide, but I’ve continued investigating on my own. I don’t think your grandmother killed herself, especially with the ballistics matching, but I want you to look over the file and tell me what you see.”
“I don’t think she would have taken her own life either. I think that was one of the reasons I didn’t come home. Nothing about her death seemed right.” Maya took a deep breath. “And thank you. Thank you for letting me help.”
They stood together until the sun started to set. She knew her grandfather was getting tired, and she helped him to the car to drive back to his house. As soon as she could, Maya would read the files.
Maya assisted her grandfather going into the house. He went and lay down on his bed, and a few minutes later he was asleep. She fed the horses and then put wood into the outdoor fire pit. She lit the fire, pulled up a chair, and let Juniper out of the house. They sat down and watched the flames slowly crawl up the wood.
She shivered in the cool night air, and put on her jacket and rubbed Juniper on the head. Maya reached into her pocket and pulled out the letters from Doug that she had read so many times. The letters had brought so many emotions with them—anger, fear, and regret. If she wanted to start the healing process, she had to start letting go of the past. These letters would only keep the past alive, but she needed to move on.
One by one, she tossed them into the fire. She watched as the flames engulfed the paper and the words disappeared.
I’ll always remember you, Doug. We both changed, but I forgive you.
With that, Maya threw the remaining letters in the fire.
She tilted her head back and took in the night sky with the moon shining down through the aspen grove while petting Juniper on the head. Picking up the file about her grandmother, her hands shook. She had to pretend that this wasn’t about her nana, but rather look at it as another case. Plain and simple.
Maya had to find her killer.
Juniper slapped Maya on the arm with her paw and whined.
“I know, girl. I need to ask for help with this, but you know that’s tough for me.”
Juniper barked.
“Not so loud, you’ll wake Pops. Do you think I should callhim?”
Taking her paw off Maya, Juniper spun a circle, whined and stared at Maya longingly with her golden eyes.
“Okay. Okay.” Maya pulled her phone out and unlocked the screen. She paused and then called the one person she could trust to help her—other than her grandfather. She needed a friend. She missed him. She needed strength to be able to open the file.
“Hi, Josh. It’s Maya. Will you come over?”
