“You’re assuming she left the state. I was thinking she drove, sticking closer to home.”

Terra shrugged. “I guess you need to find out what she did for Star Oil Company.”

“She was a consultant,” he said.

“What does that even mean?” Consultants could be hired for numerous reasons, including under-the-table kinds of reasons.

Jack sidled up to her. “If we’re going to look around, we’d better get to it.”

“Did the detective have any information for you?”

“Just preliminary pictures, to establish the scene, and main evidence areas, which include only the kitchen and her bedroom. I’ll follow you through the house to look for clues, and then we’ll get out of the way so the evidence techs can find the invisible-to-the-naked-eye kinds of things.”

“Right. You’re right.” Terra had a feeling that at some point other agencies might want a piece of this investigation. This could quickly outgrow Jack’s county and her national forest. But they weren’t there yet.

She led the way down the hall and stopped at a coat closet. With a gloved hand, she opened the door and peered inside. Interestingly empty. Then into each bedroom. Only one room had an actual bed, and it was covered in a beautiful teal-colored duvet. The color instantly brought to mind the colorful Native American headdress they’d discovered in Jim’s cabin. A suitcase lay opened on the bed, revealing a few of Neva’s neatly folded clothes. Slacks and blouses suitable for a business trip.

“Well, either she was just getting home from a trip, or she was heading out,” Terra said.

“Or maybe she was running scared.”

Terra opened the closet door to find a few business clothes, along with pumps. “We have a picture of her in the woods near that cabin with Jim. We should find hiking boots in here, or at least something besides pumps. She didn’t hike up that trail in heels.” Terra turned to find Jack staring at her. “What do you think?”

“That we’ve only scratched the surface.”

“If that.” She shared a look with Jack, and together they finished walking through the home.

“What do you see?” Jack asked.

“I see an oddly empty place.”

“I agree.”

“No love for art or family.” That in itself was a mystery that begged to be solved. “I don’t think this was her real home. Just a stopping-off point.”

“We’ll be looking into everything we can learn about Neva Bolz, but I’ve seen all I need to see here for now,” Jack said. “We need to talk to her family, friends, and work and business associates. Get her phone records and her computer. Unfortunately, I didn’t see a cell, a laptop, or a desktop computer here, which is odd.”