Here to Stay (38 page)

Forcing himself to lie back down, Zach tipped the Stetson over his eyes again, but sleep eluded him.
I’m losing it
. Sharyn Pajeck had had every reason to run scared, and there might be a perfectly rational explanation for her failure to send for her kids. Maybe she’d never contacted them because she was terrified her husband would find her. Or perhaps she’d had no education or training, which forced her to take a menial job that didn’t bring in enough income to support two children. That made more sense than the murder plot he was cooking up in his sleep-deprived brain.

The next morning as Zach strode up the arena hallway to the tack room, he stopped to stare at the concrete flooring. Four inches thick, impervious to wear, it had held solid for more than ten years and would probably hang tough for another thirty. He’d built it to last, reinforcing the cement with rebar. Over time, fissures had developed in the surface, but the only way the walkway would ever fall apart was if he took a jackhammer to it. If a man wanted to hide a terrible secret, covering it with cement would certainly do the trick.

Zach’s attempts to focus on work were invaded by visions of murder, grave digging, and the silent gloating of a man who knew he was beyond the law. He couldn’t push the thoughts from his mind.
Who do I think I am, Sherlock Holmes?
Murder scenarios weren’t part of his usual thought processes.

After putting in several hours with the horses, he broke for lunch at the house. While eating a turkey sandwich in his office, he called his uncle Hugh, a state cop who’d been based in Crystal Falls for most of his career. Hugh sounded surprised to hear from his nephew, which made Zach feel guilty for not calling or going to see him more often. The two men exchanged pleasantries, and then Zach got around to his reason for phoning.

“Do you remember back fifteen years ago when Mayor Pajeck’s wife disappeared?”

“
Disappear
is a strong word,” Hugh replied. “Sharyn Pajeck left her husband.”

Zach frowned. “Are you sure of that?”

“Pretty damn sure. According to Tobin, they got into a horrible fight the night before, and she said she was going to leave him. The little girl, I can’t recall her name now, verified that she’d heard her mother say that.”

“So the authorities took it at face value and never searched for Sharyn?”

“We had no reason,” Hugh said. “She was a grown woman. There’s no law against skipping out on your husband and kids. Tobin called to report her missing, but he wasn’t really interested in filing a missing-person report. The marriage was rocky; he didn’t want her back. No signs of violence were seen inside the house, end of story.”

Zach sighed. “Did you see the house yourself, Uncle Hugh?”

“I did, actually. I was on duty when he called. Tobin acted as if he had nothing to hide. Her closet was empty, her suitcase was gone, along with all her personal things.”

“Did you happen to notice any freshly turned earth in the backyard?” Zach inquired.

Hugh laughed. “No, son, I didn’t. What are you suggesting, that Tobin knocked her off and buried her out there?”

That was precisely what Zach was suggesting, but he could understand how outrageous it might seem to his uncle.

“Why are you asking about this?” Hugh queried.

“I’ve met his daughter. Tobin is now in prison for trying to kill her. The story of Sharyn’s disappearance doesn’t add up for me. I was just curious to learn what kind of investigation ensued after she vanished.”

“There was no real investigation.” Hugh sounded troubled by the admission. “At the time, we weren’t aware of Pajeck’s abusive patterns; his story made sense, and the daughter backed him up on it. We figured Sharyn had just left him.”

After chatting for a few more minutes, Zach ended the call, feeling completely unsatisfied with the answers he’d gotten. No investigation? Now that Pajeck’s vicious nature had come to light, Zach believed that had been a huge oversight on the part of the police. Determined to rectify that, Zach got on his computer to search old public records. Tobin Pajeck’s former celebrity status as mayor made him an easy fellow to find. Within only minutes, Zach located the address of the home where Mandy had grown up. He didn’t need to jot it down. One look and it was burned into his brain.

After working with Rosebud and spending some time whittling outside Tornado’s stall that afternoon, Zach hunted down Cookie. He found the old fart in the arena office.

“I need the rest of the evening off. Can you button it up around here for me?”

The foreman had doffed his hat. He looked like a mad scientist when he glanced up from the paperwork, his flyaway gray hair poking out in all directions. “Sure. What’s up, a date with Tornado’s lady friend?”

Zach propped a shoulder against the doorjamb. “Not tonight. I just have a hunch I want to check out, and I’d like to do it before dark.”

“Anything special you need taken care of here?”

“Nope, just the usual.”

Zach lifted a hand in farewell. Once outside the arena, he opted to drive his Ford diesel truck. The engine, left to sit for days on end, sputtered and coughed before it started to rumble. The drive into town passed swiftly, Zach’s mind spinning faster than the truck tires. Was he nuts to be doing this?
No
. Sharyn Pajeck had taken countless beatings over the years and had always, without fail, protected her children. To Zach, that spoke volumes, creating an image in his mind of a devoted mother who would have made any sacrifice for her kids. Why would she suddenly decide to take a hike, leaving them behind? Zach couldn’t shake the gruesome suspicion that she hadn’t. He wanted to see that entertainment area. How he meant to get into the backyard, he didn’t know. Sneak, maybe? The residents of the home would think it a little strange if he knocked on the door and asked for a guided tour.

Fourteen fifty-six Montrose Place was located in an older area of town. As Zach drove along the street, he noted that most of the large houses were still elegant and well maintained, but Mandy’s childhood home, a once impressive two-story with gable ends and dormer attic windows, had gone to seed, the exterior in need of paint, the yard weed infested and overgrown. Zach parked at the curb, his gaze drawn to a warped For Rent sign on the front grass, which was yellow and almost a foot tall. The house, once white with green trim, now looked almost gray, with chips and peels in the paint. Some of the shingles on the roof had curled at the edges.

For several minutes, Zach sat in the truck, the chug of the diesel engine a drone in the background as he tried to envision Mandy skipping up the front walkway to the double front doors. Had a jack-o’-lantern ever sat on that porch? Had Christmas icicles ever been taped to the windows? He doubted it. Even now, all these years later, the house emanated a cold, formal aura.

Zach cut the engine and swung out of the truck. The place looked uninhabited. Just in case the present occupants had given notice to the landlord but were still in residence, Zach made a beeline for the front door. The hard rap of his knuckles on the wood roused no one. He approached a dirty front window. Cupping his hands at the corners of his eyes, he held his breath so as not to fog the glass and peered into an empty living room. No furniture. Tobin Pajeck’s precious hardwood floors were scratched, worn, and littered with debris, the kind of stuff tenants didn’t bother to pick up when they moved out. No one was living here.

Okay. Coast clear
. If a snoopy neighbor asked Zach what he was up to, he’d just say he’d seen the For Rent sign and might be interested. Wading through the tangle of tall grass, he circled the house. The backyard was enclosed by a six-foot-tall cedar fence that had long since lost its moorings. When Zach opened the arched back gate, the adjacent posts wobbled. No matter. He was willing to bet Tobin Pajeck’s elaborate outdoor entertainment area had weathered the neglect far better.

As Zach entered the enclosure, he heard Mandy’s voice playing like a recording inside his head. She hadn’t lied. It was at least twice the size of the backyard she had now, maybe even three times larger. Zach’s gaze shot to the left corner, where a large cement pad had been poured and then trimmed with a massive brick barbecue and perimeter benches.
Damn
. The center area was big enough to accommodate a ten-foot-long picnic table and still leave room for thirty people to line-dance.

A chill prickled over Zach’s scalp as he walked closer. Was it only his imagination, or did the air feel colder? He’d never been a fanciful guy, and he didn’t believe in ghosts, but this place gave him the heebie-jeebies. The patio slab was extra thick, exceeding the usual four inches by two more. Zach was willing to bet the concrete had also been generously reinforced to prevent cracking. Tobin Pajeck had built this sucker to endure over time, not to mention that he’d sunk so much money into it that anyone who owned the house would be reluctant to get rid of it. Zach wondered if that had been Tobin’s intent. By the time the patio needed to be replaced, Tobin would be dead. A deceased individual couldn’t do time for murder unless he served the sentence in hell.

Zach tested the concrete with a whack of his boot.
You under there, Sharyn?
He went still, listening, breathing slowly. He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear anything, and he was even less sure what he’d do if he did. He didn’t believe the dead could communicate with the living—never had. But he had the creepy feeling that Mandy’s mother was close and wanted to be found.
I’m losing it. This is nuts.
But even as Zach told himself to leave it alone, he knew he wouldn’t. Tobin Pajeck had done plenty to damage Mandy and Luke emotionally, but the most serious injury to them had resulted from their mother’s defection. What if Sharyn hadn’t left them by choice? Tobin could have carefully lifted the sod and then replaced it over the grave so the police wouldn’t see freshly turned earth. What if Sharyn rested here in a shallow grave under this concrete? If Zach found her body, wouldn’t it go a long way toward healing both Mandy and Luke? At least then they’d know their mom hadn’t willingly abandoned them.

Zach stood there for at least five minutes, absorbing the ambience of this place. It felt like a frigging cemetery to him, and he reached a hard decision: He was going to rent this house, and before the ink had dried on the contract, he’d be out here with a pick and jackhammer. If he found nothing, fine. He’d just cough up the bucks to have the entertainment area reconstructed. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t afford the expenditure.

And if he found a body? Well, then, Sharyn Pajeck would be vindicated. Mandy and Luke would be set free. And Tobin Pajeck would rot in prison for the rest of his life.

As he returned to his truck, Zach stopped at the For Rent sign and entered the contact number into his cell phone. He no sooner got into his vehicle than he called the landlord. The thought of leaving the house up for grabs until morning didn’t sit well with him. He wanted to secure the place tonight.

An old guy with a gruff voice answered the phone. While talking with him, Zach learned that he’d had a minor stroke a few years ago, had moved to a high-end retirement community with assisted-living services, and hadn’t been able to sell the house because the market had gone sour. He’d been renting the place out ever since.

Two hours later, Zach had leased the house, paying a large damage deposit as well as the first and last months’ rent. He’d hated to sign on for an entire six months, but the old fart who owned the place had been adamant. Apparently prior tenants had been inconstant, and the landlord wanted a guarantee that he’d have a monthly stipend rolling in for at least half a year.
No big
. Zach would never miss the thousand he’d have to cough up each month. In fact, for that area, the rent was actually far less than he expected.

As Zach drove back to his ranch, he mentally circled the situation. Should he inform Mandy of his suspicions? Granted, learning that her mother might have been murdered wouldn’t be one of her happier moments. But what if his hunch was correct? She’d gone all these years with a broken heart, and she had confessed to Zach that her mom’s betrayal had left her unwilling to trust anyone but herself ever again. Learning that her mother hadn’t abandoned her might help her put the past to rest.

On the other hand, what if Zach was wrong and put Mandy through that kind of trauma for nothing? Wouldn’t it be better to follow through on his suspicion without her knowledge? If he found only dirt under that slab, he could just rebuild, and Mandy would never be the wiser.

Zach tried to imagine how he would want it to play out, and he decided he’d want to be in on it from the start. Mandy had been so young when her mother vanished that she probably hadn’t been able to conceive of her father doing something so horrible. Zach wasn’t young, and he wasn’t innocent. He believed Pajeck had offed his wife.

Zach spotted a wide spot off the shoulder of the two-lane road and whipped the truck into a fast U-turn. Mandy might think he’d lost his frigging mind if he showed up on her doorstep at this hour, babbling about murder and treachery, but this wasn’t something he could keep from her.

It was half past eight when Zach parked the diesel truck in Mandy’s driveway. He strode up the steps and rapped his knuckles on the door before he could change his mind. Inside he heard the soft pad of bare feet on carpet. The porch light flared to life. Then came the rattle and click of the doorknob being turned. A chain guard snapped taut as the portal opened a scant six inches. Mandy’s delicate countenance appeared behind the breach.

“Zach?” Surprise flitted across her face. Then her soft mouth curved in a pleased smile as she fumbled to disengage the chain. “I didn’t expect you. I’m in my PJ’s.”

“Sorry. I should have called. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing.”

The door swung open, and Mandy stepped back to let him in. The living room was dark, the only light coming from the television, which washed the walls and furniture with flashes of muted color. Mandy wore a Mickey Mouse nightshirt over a pair of black sweatpants. Her hair was clipped at the top of her head, clumps of reddish brown poking up every which way. She looked adorable.