After visiting the vandalized memorial site, the three had been mostly silent. The atmosphere somber. When Mom was killed, Terra was fourteen going on twenty-five, so she, Alex, and Erin spent a lot of time there at the ranch. On the horses. Hiking trails. Anything to move beyond their despondency.

“Okay, look. We’re all dancing around the elephant in the room,” Alex said.

“Dancing?” Erin sank deeper into the sofa and crossed her arms. “I don’t see any dancing, Alex. But if you’d like to entertain us, go ahead.”

“Funny.” Alex frowned.

Yep. They were like siblings. Family. Terra would have soaked up the warmth of the moment if they weren’t all so miserable. “Okay, kids. Now isn’t the time. I hear you, Alex. The memorial got vandalized on the very evening we were going to hike out to see it. Coincidence? Intentional?”

“What do you think, Erin?” Alex asked. “You’re the criminal psychologist.”

Erin sat forward and rubbed her eyes. “I’d like to know more. Like were any other memorials destroyed? That would tell me something, like if there is some sort of political ideology behind it. What I saw—that damage was no child’s game. That was malicious. Violent.” She shuddered, then rubbed her arms.

“What about revenge?” Alex asked.

“Revenge?” Erin studied him. “What makes you suggest that?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. This year is the fifteenth anniversary. Maybe there’s something about what happened that we don’t know.”

Terra found herself staring at Alex, along with Erin. “It was an avalanche, Alex. An accident.”

“I would think if it were some sort of message or revenge,” Erin said, “whoever was behind it wouldn’t have waited fifteen years.”

“It just seems like a weird coincidence.” Alex steepled his hands against his lips.

Unfortunately, Terra agreed.

His gray eyes bored into her. “What cases are you working on now?”

She bolted from the sofa. “Okay, enough. Jack is going to handle it. Let’s let him do it. Frankly, I can’t add one more thing to my plate.”

“And you trust him to figure it out?” Alex asked.

“Yes. Of course I do.”

He leaned back, a smirk on his face. “I want to hear that story. Since when do you trust Jack Tanner? You haven’t said much at all about him. In fact, I knew nothing about his being back.” Alex glanced at Erin. “By that look on your face, I can see that you knew.”

“There’s nothing to tell,” Terra said. “I’m working an archaeological crimes case that’s connected to Jack’s murder investigation. Oh, and the sheriff deputized some of us for the foreseeable future. We’re pooling our resources, that’s all.” Time to redirect. “I just hate that this happened. It’ll be all over the news tomorrow.”

Alex sighed. “Will it? I’m not sure anyone cares anymore.”