Holly frantically tapped her foot against the table, causing her coffee to spill onto Robert’s sleeve.

“Damn it” He growled out of shock.

He grabbed a wad of napkins and cleaned the sleeve.

“Holly, you need to calm down.”

“I am doing my best, but she’s an hour late.”

“If she isn’t here soon, I need to put out that APB. The more time we waste, the more time we stand to lose this guy-”

“Robert!...Try not to think of this a regular kidnapping. If he has Westly, he isn’t going to run.”

“Or he kills Westly and we have nothing.”

“I don’t think he will. I think Westly has his way of making sure he stays alive. I can’t explain it but that is why I think he called you.”

“Excuse me?”

“He needed someone to put pressure on the Elk King. He knew I would just be a concerned coworker, same as Oliver, but you have the backing of the state police. It raises the stakes.”

“Alright, let’s say you’re right. If she can find anyone and Westly knew he was going to be captured why didn’t he call her and save us all some time?”

Holly bit her lip as she grabbed the coffee and took a long gulp.

“Because he knew she wouldn’t answer. She hasn’t answered a call from him in over a year.”

Robert rubbed his eyes.

“So why do you think she’ll help us?”

“Cause they have history. Trust me, she’ll help.”

Holly returned to tapping her foot nervously, staring around at the small town of Carbondale. Quaint as any little southwest village could be. She and Robert had taken a table outside. The hard wire frames of both the table and chairs were starting to warm in the mid-afternoon sun. The coffee shop she and Robert stopped at was just off the main street that served as both the road leading in and out of the town. The town was a halfway point between Aspen and Glenwood Springs. Given that Glenwood Springs was the nearest town to I70, Holly guessed that she was traveling east and wanted a shorter drive back on the interstate. She read the note up and down again to give her any clue as to who the “Elk King” was and what he wanted. She found herself frustrated at Westly’s lack of faith and arrogance that most definitely got him captured. Crumpling the note again, she shoved it in her pocket, trying to channel all of her anger into the thrust. As she turned back to her coffee, Robert pointed past her shoulder.

“I think this is her.”

Holly turned her head to see a familiar maroon red Chevy Suburban with the right mirror missing turn onto the main street. The SUV slowed to a stop outside of the coffee shop. Pushing open the door, a tall woman stepped out onto the sidewalk. She had strawberry blonde hair cut into a shoulder length bob with silver highlights woven in and out of the layers. Her hair was almost completely covered by a wide brimmed gambler’s fedora that rested firmly on her brow. If it were a few shades lighter, it would have matched the SUV’s red exactly. She wore a white tank top stained with sand and dirt nestled into her dark navy-blue jeans that were fasted with a black leather belt mirroring her black combat boots. Her face was mostly covered by round mirrored aviator sunglasses pushed to the tip of her nose. Yet the most noticeable aspect of her appearance was her right arm which was painted with a sleeve tattoo of an assortment of desert animals including a bobcat, scorpion, fennec fox, rattlesnake, mountain lion, barn owl, coyote, jackrabbit, and antelope squirrel. She clicked the key fob on her ring and lowered her tinted windows down slightly. Holly jumped out her chair and the two women embraced.

“Thank you for coming Tanya.”

“Well, I know it’s serious if you callin me for help,” Tanya responded in a masked Boston accent.

She pulled up a chair and sat in between Holly and Robert.

“Robert this is Tanya Carver. She’s one of the founders of REI and a great detective in her own right,” Holly said, trying to keep the conversation light.

“Pleasure” Robert said sternly.

Tanya stared at him, resting her chin on her knuckles.

“You look awfully familiar, where have I seen you before?” She said thoughtfully.

“I am not sure how to answer that. I am well acquainted with Westly Gibbons, perhaps he mentioned me when you were in his employ,” Robert responded, confused.

Tanya took off her sunglasses to reveal cold pale green eyes. She tossed the glasses carelessly on the table.

“He said I work for him?” She responded gruffly.

Holly shook her head.

“I don’t thank Westly ever mentioned you to Robert,” Holly interjected.

Tanya rolled her eyes to Holly and then back to Robert.

“Okay, just so’s you know, REI wouldn’t exist without me. Tell me what you got; I gotta get back on the road in like n hour.”

Holly inhaled and extended her hand to Tanya.

“Tanya, Westly’s been kidnapped, I don’t think anyone but you could find him.”

Tanya shifted her weight to face Holly.

“Yeah, but as I told you on the phone Holls, I am passing threw on my way ta Garfield County jail. I help you, I don’t get paid.”

“Get paid?” Robert inquired.

Tanya fished her key fob out and rolled the back windows down to reveal three men and a woman all handcuffed to each other in the back seats. Robert’s jaw dropped at the sight of them.

“Is that the Farmington family? Their kid jumped bail like twelve hours ago. Where do you pick them up?”

“Well, ya see genius with the goatee over there, he thought it would be smart to hit the dispensary before crossing into Utah. Cashier at the dispensary was most helpful to mention that not only did they steal shitty weed they were constantly making dinosaur sounds. I figured where would a bunch of lit dumbasses go before entering Mormon country, Dinosaur, Colorado. Found them laughing around the one with the black eye as he attempted to screw a T-Rex statue like an unneutered dog.”

“How’d he get the black eye?”

“Oh, I would love to take credit for that, but the little punk decided to run and close-lined himself on a stegosaurus tail. Seriously I can’t believe they were able to escape your jail.”

The young kid with the black eye pulled on the handcuffs, attempting to break free.

“Officer! She’s nuts she has us locked in this hot car against our will and-”

Tanya clicked the key fob and window rolled up with just a little crack showing.

“Act like a dog Dillan and I’ll treat like you like one!” She shouted back.

Robert stared at her in dismay.

“What? They got a bowl of water and chew toy for entertainment. I ain’t cruel. So Holls, can I get the details about Westly so I can have time to get my car cleaned?”

Robert seemed to be coming out of his shock and coughed slightly into his coffee.

“You are bail bondsman I hope.”

Tanya smiled at him.

“I prefer the term bounty hunter. Sounds more badass, less government lackey.”

“Tanya please. I need your help,” Holly said.

Tanya sighed.

“Holls, I ain’t full-time REI. Haven’t been in years. I consult when I can, but I got another thing going and I can’t just drop it cause Westly decided to be careless, sorry.”

Holly bit lip to control her emotions.

“Tanya, you can’t hold onto what happened in Casper. Westly did his best. Eventually you-”

Tanya shook her head at Holly.

“Don’t bring up Casper. I can still hear Star’s laugh in my skull. I know Westly told you he did his best, but he was too consumed know what his best was!”

She sighed bringing her tone down.

“But to answer your condescending question, you should know I wouldn’t screw Westly because of what he did to me, give me some credit. When Westly and I split REI, Westly and I agreed to stay out of each other’s way. Which is why I don’t think he called me. Just like when you were hogtied by Zackary Pike, he didn’t bother calling me.”

The table fell silent. Robert leaned forward.

“What if I took the Farmington boys in? You could assist and I could collect your bounty for you.”

Tanya rolled her eyes and shot a glare at Holly.

“Your Johnny Law friend thinks I don’t know how this works. The county clerk ain’t gonna pay you my collar, and given you are state police I’m guessing they will count it as a blessing.”

“A personal favor. Not for Westly but for me,” Holly blurted.

Tanya shook her head.

“‘Personal favors’ have a bad habit of slipping away.”

“I won’t call and collect, Westly will. If you help us find him, I assure you he will do any favor you ask.”

Tanya’s eyes lit up and she leaned into Holly.

“You’d guarantee that?”

“I will use my joint owner status to forfeit Westly’s payment to you if he refuses. He can either owe you a favor or he can kiss the money he was making on this job goodbye. Whoever his client is they are mostly likely an Aspen fat cat.”

Tanya folded her fingers and nodded. Her face turned upwards to a large smile.

“Alright, I could use a favor from him.”

She continued to smile as she made her way over to her SUV.

“Well Robert, you still up for taking the dino breeders back to jail?”

Robert nodded, standing up from his chair, quickly shooting a glance at Holly.

“Charming,” he said under his breath.

He walked across the street to his squad car and pulled it up next to Tanya’s SUV. The three of them transferred the family between the cars with minimal effort. The only trouble came when Dillan tried to headbutt Tanya. He received another black eye, forcing him to calm down. Robert slammed the door shut as the Farmingtons shouted profanities at him. He turned back to them.

“I’ll return as soon as I can.”

He started to get into his car when he turned back to Tanya.

“Oh, before I go, I gotta ask why that tattoo?”

Tanya extended her arm out to him.

“Camaraderie, they’re all nocturnal desert animals. I do my best work in the desert at night.”

As Robert leaned in to take a closer look. Tanya saw his name tag that read “R. Estevez.”

“Estevez…Estevez…That is why you look so familiar! Oh…” she blurted out.

Robert’s face turned stern. Without another word he slammed the door and drove off.

Holly looked at Tanya.

“What the hell?”

“I am surprised he is helping you find Westly.”

“Albuquerque?” Holly inquired.

“Yeah.”

“Care to share?”

“Westly still hasn’t told you?”

“No.”

“Sorry Holls, really not my place to share personal stuff. You gonna have to hound Westly.”

Holly nodded, bitter that Westly refused to share the details of what happened in Albuquerque. Every time she asked, he would just say “Can’t change it now.” The two of the them stepped into Tanya’s car and continued down the highway. Holly kept the window down to take in some of the crisp air as autumn was starting to layer upon them. They wove out of the plains, traveling upwards back into the alpine. As they were passing the Aspen airport, she looked over at Tanya who seemed at ease given everything. Tanya tapped the steering wheel.

“Why don’t you tell me about this case and this crazy guy who took Westly,” she said comfortingly.

Holly nodded.

“Well there was the guy in the cabin-”

“Right you mentioned him strung up like marionette. Prissy or something.”

“Piercy, he’s an investment banker from Los Angeles. Hotel key card showed he was staying at the Cozy Hollow.”

“Thought you said he was in the nude? Where was he hidin the key?”

“We found it in a pile of his clothes outside of the cabin.”

“Huh, what else?” Tanya said, grinding her teeth.

“Well, I told you about the arrows and the car.”

“Yeah, where did you find Westly’s car?”

“Off the side of 82 in a ditch. It should still be there.”

“Holls, I’m sure finding out about Westly made you go into panic mode. The pile of clothes wasn’t suspicious to you?”

“Yes, but I thought Westly might have left them there as a clue while he went into Aspen to find out about this guy.”

“Perhaps, I just wonder if this whole thing ain’t a setup.”

“How do you figure?”

“Well this guy who kidnaps Westly sets up the crime, possibly leaves a clue to send you to Aspen, then leaves Westly’s car where you can find it and boom you find his note. Seems like you’re playin right into this guy’s hand.”

“Except I called you. He couldn’t have prepared for that.”

“True. So, let’s think about if I wasn’t here. What would you have done?”

Holly tapped the windows thoughtfully.

“I think I would have let Robert put out his APB and gone to Aspen to look up what Piercy was into and…I don’t know, figure out who hired Westly.”

Tanya tapped the wheel, running her teeth across her lip.

“You said Westly called the cop, right?”

Holly nodded.

“Does that sound like him?”

Holly continued to tap.

“No, it doesn’t. What do you think that means?”

“Maybe he thought he needed one. Cops create problems no matter which way you slice it and this Elk King guy would have to respond one way or another.”

Tanya continued to drum on the wheel.

“Where in the wallet did you find the key card?”

Holly shook her head.

“In his running shoe. Westly taught me that trick. When you go running, you store your keys in your shoe.”

“Everyone knows that trick. This guy knew how capture Westly, sure he knew also.”

“But he didn’t know I did. Westly knew I would find it there.”

“Alright. What was the name of the hotel?”

“The Cozy Hollow”

Tanya punched “The Cozy Hollow” into her GPS just as highway 82 began to blend into Aspen’s main street. The tight road and expensive cars lining the street made it difficult for Tanya to maneuver her SUV. Turning off the main drag she wove the SUV around a series of bicyclists, in her frustration flipping them off as the road wound back into the trees, following a tight one lane road that curved into the a small half moon parking lot that lay in front of a gray stone hotel built into the side of the mountain. It was four stories, flush with the shale. From the top of the mountain a waterfall cascaded down the right of the hotel into a series of pools that lay just to the right of the hotel entry. Tanya pulled her SUV right up to the door. Two men dressed all in gray came and greeted her. They stepped out as Tanya tossed her keys to the valet.

“If you want there’s a chew toy in the floorboards.”

The valet stood there not sure how respond.

“Tanya!” Holly growled under her breath.”

“Don’t want it to go to waste. Maybe he’s got a dog.”

The two women headed for the door as the valet still stood there in shock. Pushing through the door, they entered a lobby entirely made of white marble. All of the furniture was also white marble, blending seamlessly with the floor. The ceiling was short only reaching about nine feet, but that, coupled with the dim lighting and the roaring marble fireplace, made it feel as if you just walked into a gemstone.

They walked up to the front desk where a young man dressed in white suit stood.

“Welcome to The Cozy Hollow. Checking in?”

Holly handed him the key card.

“Can you tell me what key room this key goes to. I think of friend of mine dropped it.”

“I can look it up, but I can’t tell you who is in the room, company policy. But I might be able to give you the room number and you can tell me if it is your friend’s room.”

“Sure.”

He ran the key through the system and his eyes lit up.

“Miss Yan?”

“Yes,” Holly said, confused.

“Yes Mr. Gibbons is expecting you, do you need help with your bags?”