Maybe she recently moved there. He typed in the name of the company she said she worked for, Clan Firinn. A short article appeared.

Clan Firinn, located outside of Pullman, Washington, offers hope and rehabilitation to law enforcement and first responders suffering from various forms of PTSD and other disorders arising from their work. It is privately owned and funded. Clan Firinn does not accept general applicants but reviews referrals on an individual basis. While participating in the program, members experience therapeutic work, educational opportunities, physical training, a structured schedule, personalized feedback, nutritious meals, and spiritual guidance. Graduates are assisted with career counseling, job referrals, and relocation.

PTSD? Bram sat up straighter. That might explain her reticence. And possibly her limp.

He tried a nationwide search on her name with no useful results. Next he typed in the license plates for the two Washington state vehicles in the parking lot beside Sam’s Mercantile. One came back with a Teodoro Rinaldi of Bellevue. The second was for a Darby Carson, in care of Firinn Farm, Rural Route 3, LaCrosse, Washington.

Carson? She’d been introduced as Graham. Divorced?

His fingers hesitated over the keyboard. He was just following a lead about who might help him with this case. Right. He was snooping, maybe even stalking. This wasn’t healthy. The notes had nothing to do with deception.

He squeezed his hands into fists, then typed Darby + “Washington state.” Three thousand two hundred seventy-seven hits. He randomly clicked on a few before finding a photo that looked familiar. It showed a younger, much longer-haired Darby. She was dressed in a one-piece red outfit and was posed on the side of a galloping horse with only one hand holding the saddle horn and a leg through a loop.

Snohomish County News

Darby G. Bell, a youth champion rider, will be one of the celebrity judges at the upcoming Western Horseback Games Alliance’s O-Mok-See and Trick Riding event . . .

O-Mok-See. He looked up the term.

O-Mok-See: The western term derived from the Blackfoot Indians’ description of a style of riding called “oh-mak-see pass-kan,” meaning “riding big dance.” Most of these youth events are set up to show tight horse-and-rider teamwork, precise actions, and a variety of skills performed at a high rate of speed.

Trick riding: Performing stunts, usually on a galloping horse, such as spritz stand, layout fender (also known as the Indian Hideaway) . . .

When she’d mentioned she was perfectly capable of riding a horse, she wasn’t kidding. She’d competed in timed horseback riding events since she was a child.

The next article was from the Seattle Post Times.

Skagit County, North Cascades

Several people are dead or seriously wounded in a shootout outside a north Skagit County home on Saturday afternoon, according to the Skagit County Sheriff’s Department.

The incident happened around 2:45 p.m. Saturday on Pine Creek Road.