Sitting in front of her laptop on Thursday morning, Ellie studied the screen, her focus once more on Barbara Meeks. There were dozens of articles written about her. Barbara was a well-known member of Denver society, the wife of the CEO of an important company. With her long brown hair, high cheekbones, and full lips, she was beautiful. According to the articles, she was charming, born into a wealthy family, accepted in the highest ranks of the Denver elite. The couple had no children.

Articles published after her disappearance focused on pleas from friends and family, including her husband, for any information that might help bring her home. After her body was discovered, the articles recapped her disappearance and speculated that she had been murdered. After the autopsy, the assumption was officially confirmed.

Ellie had just printed several photos of the woman when her cell phone rang. She grabbed the phone off the writing desk, recognized the number, and smiled.

“Hey, Zoe, I’m glad you phoned.” It was a FaceTime call. Zoe’s short blond hair and pixie features moved animatedly on the screen. She really did look like Tinkerbelle.

“Hey, girlfriend. How’s ranch life?”

“Kind of feels good to be back in the country after so many years in the city. I’m out of the kitchen now, working the murder case full-time.”

“That should speed things up.”

“I hope so.”

“So here’s what I’ve got. First, the bartender at the Elkhorn, Rance Sullivan? His father’s Irish, and his mother’s Italian. Not Native American at all.”

Ellie laughed. “So now we know Rance is a liar.”

Zoe chuckled. “I’m guessing he’s the kind of guy who’s willing to say anything to get a woman in bed. But aside from a few speeding tickets and a drunk-driving arrest ten years ago, I don’t see anything that looks suspicious.”

“I’m not surprised. He didn’t really strike me as dangerous, or the sort to get emotionally involved enough to commit a crime of passion.”

“You think that’s what it was?”

“That’s the theory I’m currently working.”

“Speaking of passion, you’ll be happy to know I didn’t find any indication of abuse in Heather Logan’s medical records. Your guy doesn’t appear to be a threat.”

Your guy. Ellie felt a pinch in her chest. Kade was hers for a little while longer; then she would return to the life she’d had before. She felt a pang at the thought.

“Kade’s kind of old-fashioned when it comes to women,” Ellie said. “Sort of a white-hat kind of guy, if you know what I mean. I didn’t expect you to find anything, but it’s always better to know for sure.”

“Have you come up with any new leads?” Zoe asked.