Down Among The Bones

by Vickie McKeehan

  “Yeah. Yeah. I get the hint. I’ll go nudge Foley in person.”

  “While you guys do that, Josh and I plan to go through the list of teenage males gone missing.”

  Harry shook his head. “You’d be wasting your time. Bayliss is confident those six males are at least in their twenties, possibly older.”

  “Okay, so I’ll go back through the database and see if we have, on file, six missing adult males. I’m almost positive they’re not listed there, though.”

  “I don’t think they are, either,” Judy piped up. “But we do have approximately fifty teenage males who’ve been missing for several years going back to 2015. That fits this guy’s five-year timeframe. So maybe Bayliss is mistaken. Just in case he is, I already printed out the names.” She handed off the list.

  Skye grinned. “You’re too efficient for me. When did you do this?”

  “Last night. But there’s something else you should see. You won’t like it,” Judy cautioned.

  “I’m piling up points for things I don’t like.”

  Judy clicked the keys on her laptop and then turned it around so Skye could read what was on the screen.

  “Crap. I knew we should’ve acted on those contracts at the mailbox facility Saturday night. I told you so,” Skye said, glaring at Josh.

  Sitting across the table, Josh shifted in his chair. “No, what you suggested was that we break in and go through the documents for ourselves. Cut out Foley and his warrant entirely. What’d you find? What’s wrong?”

  Skye turned Judy’s laptop around to reveal a headline at the local newspaper’s website. It was an interview given by Betty Thomasina, their witness, who had turned her tip she’d provided into a lead story for everyone in Seattle to see. “Now he knows we’re on to him, on to that specific mailbox.”

  “Like he was ever going to use that same mailbox again,” Josh reasoned.

  “You don’t know that. It’s possible. He could’ve made a misstep and showed up there for another payout. He wouldn’t want the money to sit there and go unclaimed.”

  “Come on.”

  “I did use the word possible, but I admit it’s highly unlikely.” Skye looked up at Harry. “Just make sure Foley gets us the go-ahead to go through those files. Today.”

  “I’ll get him on the horn now. I’ll even stay after him until the judge issues the warrant, count on it coming down in a few hours.”

  “Oh, and next time you speak to Bayliss, could you ask him to shoot me a photo of those ligature marks found on the victims’ wrists?”

  “You could sweet-talk him, you know,” Harry challenged.

  “The man is impossible to reason with,” Skye returned. “He also doesn’t like me.”

  Harry rolled his eyes. “Sure, that’s it. I told you not to piss him off. But no, you wouldn’t listen. I’m out of here. Josh, see to it she doesn’t get in anyone else’s face while I’m gone.”

  Josh sent Harry a grin. “Yeah. Like that’s a reasonable request.”

  ****

  Despite the coroner’s best guess about the age of the male victims, Skye got to work using Judy’s list. After eliminating all the younger males because they didn’t fit into his strict age criteria, what remained were five possibilities—two African Americans, one Latino, and two Caucasians. She emailed Bayliss her list of five older teens and attached their photographs, pointing out the males ranged in age between seventeen and nineteen years old but were quite tall, well over five-feet ten inches.

  Twenty minutes later, the coroner sent a reply, a terse response repeating his belief that the male victims were older by ten years. Included in the email was the line, “Stop wasting my time.”

  But Skye refused to give up. Choosing her words carefully, she sent him back a reply that read, “These young adults all disappeared under suspicious circumstances. They at least deserve your elimination in the most professional manner befitting the County Coroner’s office.”

  Unable to do any more than that, she closed her laptop and went to check on the progress of the CCTV they’d acquired from the storage facility.

  Rounding into the study, she saw Josh, Leo, and Brayden doing high-fives. “What gives?”

  “We just hit the motherlode,” Josh explained. “Someone needs to ask Dani why she cleared out Emelia’s stuff on Friday around noon.”

  “In other words, how did Dani know on Friday that Emelia wouldn’t be coming back home?” Brayden put in. “Why is she cleaning out Emelia’s stuff from the apartment?”

  “And we have Dani on camera tossing an assortment of items, probably six boxes, into the storage unit,” Leo provided.

  “Which makes me wonder why she freaked out when I mentioned evidence left at the scene,” Brayden began. “The answer is she wasn’t sure what exactly was in the cartons. As soon as we left, she and Tony hightailed it over there to make sure they’d gotten rid of everything that could bite them in the ass.”

  “Here’s one reason,” Reggie said, moving his laptop so everyone could see the screen. “According to Emelia’s text messages, for months now, Emelia and Dani had not been getting along. They were fighting over Tony. The guy might’ve started out dating Emelia, but it soon becomes obvious that he was also interested in Dani. At some point, Tony must’ve started texting Dani to hook up. Emelia found out what was going on behind her back, then confronts Dani first via texts about the betrayal, and then later, confronts Tony. These texts are proof that the cousins’ relationship was on the brink of splintering into dangerous territory.”

  “The diary basically backs up all the drama going on during the weeks leading up to her death,” Judy reiterated. “It’s sad to read how hurt Emelia was to learn her own cousin betrayed her, sneaking around behind her back, and sleeping with her boyfriend.”

  Skye took the scheme apart bit by bit. “So you guys believe that instead of doing the dirty work themselves, Dani and Tony decide to hire a killer to get rid of Emelia, get her out of the picture over a guy? And we’re assuming it’s a coincidence that the killer just happens to be a serial killer?”

  “That about sums it up,” Josh said. “The trick is getting Dani to tell us how she got in touch with a hitman slash serial killer. She didn’t find him in the phone book. We figure that leaves Tony as the contact. He could’ve known someone who knew someone who put Dani in touch with a killer.”

  Brayden huffed out a breath. “Wait. Don’t go excluding Dani in any of this. That woman is more than capable of finding the right person on her own without any help from anyone. If she needed to do something so evil, Dani could do it in a heartbeat.”

  “That’s true,” Zoe chimed in, teasing. “She got Brayden to get her A in computer science.”

  “I know you mean that as a cut, but it’s true. Dani batted those eyes at me, and I fell for it. I tried to show off my skills. She’s like the narcissist who zeroes in on the weakest guy in the room with a self-confidence problem, the one most subject to flattery. That was me.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” Zoe replied. “I’d say you have a healthy enough ego.”

  “You can bet it’s a lesson learned,” Brayden clarified. “I won’t be so eager next time to help out a struggling classmate.”

  “But I heard Tony admit he suggested Dani get rid of Emelia’s stuff on Friday, permanently tossing it away in the trash,” Josh reminded them as he pushed to his feet. “That tells me he’s as guilty as Dani. But if you’re saying Dani’s the manipulator, I totally agree. That’s why we should focus on Dani and Tony. Dani could easily twist Tony around her little finger, get him to do her bidding.”

  Leo swiveled in his chair. “That’s why I did the deep dive into Tony’s past. Like many things about this case, what I found was a surprise. Anthony Ferretti is a firefighter in the little town of Mill Valley, Snohomish County. Although he did get in trouble as a teen and spent some time in juvie at fourteen, it seems he turned his life around after that by joining the Navy for four years and then becom
ing a firefighter two years ago.”

  “Wait a minute. How old is this guy?” Brayden asked.

  “Twenty-eight.”

  Brayden set his jaw. “So nine years older than Dani. Did you check out Miss Daniela Torres?”

  “You bet I did.” Leo tapped the keys on his laptop. “For one thing, Dani’s not nineteen, but twenty-three. For another, there’s a police report on file where Emelia called the police on Dani June 23rd of this year. She claimed Dani had assaulted her, wanted to take out a temporary restraining order.”

  Judy rested her hand on Emelia’s diary. “That explains why Emelia wanted Dani out of the apartment. The lease is in Emelia’s name, not Dani’s.”

  “Kind of hard to get a TRO when you share an apartment,” Skye noted before narrowing her eyes on Leo. “Is there any way you could tell why Ferretti ended up in juvie in the first place? I know those records are difficult to access.”

  Leo smiled. “Well, it wasn’t easy. But we’re talking about a guy who liked to break into houses when he was fourteen. The reason he made it to juvie is because he attacked a victim he’d burglarized, beat him senseless. Even though the judge deemed him violent, the prosecution didn’t charge him as an adult. When he came out of juvie, that’s when he went straight into the military.”

  “Violent at fourteen, in my mind, doesn’t mean he could change his stripes or his temper,” Skye pointed out. “What I want to know is why this information didn’t come out within the first forty-eight hours? Emelia’s claim that Dani assaulted her should’ve been front and center. Then you have a boyfriend with a violent past. Why didn’t we know this upfront?”

  “Maybe that’s my fault,” Brayden suggested. “I’m the one who brought Dani into the fold barely five hours after Emelia went missing. You guys based your first impressions on what I gave you.”

  Josh went over, stood in front of the kid. “Look, you’re not the first guy who’s ever been fooled by a pretty face or tricked into believing a woman who told you nothing but lies. We’ve all been played at one time or another. No need to beat yourself up.”

  “Thanks for that. But it’s no excuse, I didn’t see the real Dani, didn’t even suspect she might’ve had something to do with Emelia’s disappearance. I think they call that wearing blinders.”

  “No one around here has a spidey sense except maybe Skye and Josh,” Zoe pointed out. “Josh is right, stop beating yourself up and move on.”

  “Don’t forget Sierra,” Brayden reminded her. “I’ve seen that kid say some remarkable things and be dead on.”

  About that time, Skye’s cell phone buzzed. “This is Harry. What have you got for us?”

  “Foley got the warrant. He says he’ll copy the files of all the male patrons, and you can pick up the copies around six tonight at the station or in the morning.”

  “Great. Thanks, Harry. I appreciate it..”

  “No problem. And Bayliss called. The assistant coroner positively ID’d another victim using dental records. Another female named Paige Bennington, who went missing in January 2017.”

  “Bennington? Any relation to Miranda?”

  “An older half-sister.”

  “You don’t think it’s odd that seven months later, Miranda goes missing, too?”

  “Sure, I do.”

  “I’m beginning to see some kind of evil pattern. Okay, thanks, Harry. I’ll pass the information on to the others.”

  “Oh, one more thing. Bayliss also says he’s fairly certain two of the male victims found at the first site were African American. He wants you to know that he’s moving forward using those names on your list as a starting point. What list?”

  Skye smiled into the phone. “Five males who disappeared without a trace like most of the other victims. And by the way, the gang found proof Dani and Emelia weren’t getting along. There’s even a police report.”

  “Ah, that explains a lot. Now we just need to track down the hitman she used. I’m feeling hopeful for the first time in days.”

  “You’re getting maudlin in your old age,” Skye teased.

  “Maybe. But I’m beginning to think we’re making progress. You know what that means.

  We’re bound to be worrying this son of a bitch.”

  “Let’s hope.”

  Thirteen

  For a serial killer to worry, Skye knew they had to keep up the pressure. If he felt enough heat that he feared it all might come tumbling down at any moment, she wanted to slam that moment home.

  But she didn’t have the whole story, at least not yet. Certain pieces refused to fit. It was like a puzzle. And right now, the entire Dani thing was the missing chunk.

  After getting the cameras back in place at the storage unit the night before, she and Josh had dropped into bed, exhausted.

  Now, the alarm buzzed at six-thirty, causing Josh to roll over and hit the button to stop the blaring noise. He tossed off the covers and sat up. Before he could get to his feet, the dogs nuzzled his hand, then Bella hopped up on the bed to lick his face.

  “Yeah, yeah, hey, don’t do that,” Josh said, pushing Bella over toward Skye.

  The dog took the hint and tried to cuddle.

  Skye groaned at the invasion and sat up, pushing her hair back from her face. Then Cody bounded up on the bed, followed by Atka. “Okay. Okay. That’s one way to wake me up.”

  “I’ll go start the coffee. Harry and the rest of the team will be here in…” Josh glanced at the clock. “Less than an hour.”

  “I need to grab a shower. Take these guys and…” Another lick to the face had her moving to the side of the bed. “Come on, guys, down. Now. Are we getting too old for our late-night antics?”

  Josh pushed to his feet, grabbed a pair of jeans, stuck one leg in, then the other. “What we need is more than six hours of sleep. We’ve been blowing and going since Thursday night. It’s catching up with us, that’s all.”

  “Keep telling yourself that,” Skye muttered as she headed into the bathroom.

  Twenty minutes later, she reappeared in the kitchen, hair damp, but much more awake. She went over to Josh, who handed her a cup of hazelnut coffee. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she rested her head on his chest. “I miss Sierra.”

  Josh saw the look on her face and recognized it. “I can see the wheels turning now.”

  “I have an idea. You may not like it, but I think we should go out to The Painted Crow to spend some time with our kid. While we’re there, let’s take some time off. We haven’t done that in a long time. I know we’re in the middle of a case, but my brain is on overload. I need a little break to get my mind sorted out. It might give me the edge I need to get inside this guy’s head once and for all and put an end to this.”

  “Okay. Sure. But we need to brief the others and get them to a good enough place to leave for a few days.”

  “I don’t have a problem waiting to leave until tonight. I just need to be with Sierra for a bit.”

  The doorbell rang. Josh checked the alarm system app on his phone. “It’s Brayden and Zoe. I think we should ask them to stay here while we’re gone.”

  “It’s a good idea. Let’s go for it.” Skye sipped from her mug then headed down the hallway to answer the door. What she saw was a couple of giddy, energetic kids waiting on the porch. “You guys look ready to go.”

  Zoe bounced on her toes and all but floated into the foyer. “We are. Leo’s right behind us with Judy and Reggie. Winn’s picking up Jenny. Harry and Deb are pulling up now.”

  “Have you guys eaten?”

  “We grabbed a breakfast sandwich through the drive-thru,” Brayden answered as he rounded into the kitchen. “But, I could use some OJ.”

  Deborah walked past Skye, carrying a large sack filled with food. “It’s so early Harry insisted on stopping at Country Kitchen. Now I see why. I bet you and Josh haven’t eaten yet.”

  Skye dug into the bag and shook her head. “Nope. But this looks good. He knows how much I love the bacon biscuits there as b
ig as your hand.”

  “Dig in,” Harry commanded. “There’s plenty. I ordered Josh the stack of pancakes and scrambled eggs.”

  “I could kiss you, but I don’t wanna make Deb jealous,” Josh said as he winked at Deborah. He snagged a fork out of the silverware drawer and took the Styrofoam container over to the table.

  “Everybody dig in,” Skye offered as she refilled her mug, then took her food and sat next to Josh at the table. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I smelled bacon. Thanks for thinking of us.”

  Leo helped himself to a container, then plasticware before joining them. Flipping up the lid, he sniffed and dug into a platter of bacon and eggs.

  Judy and Reggie streamed into the room with Winston and Jenny trailing. They each picked out a carton from the sack, making sure they grabbed a coffee before sitting down.

  While they enjoyed breakfast, the group tried to avoid talking business, but soon the topic drifted to the case.

  Skye kicked off the discussion and threw the question to Leo. “Were you able to match up faces from the mailbox facility to the juvenile car thieves?”

  “Nope. Facial recognition was a bus there. No matches, none that were even close. Although I did find something interesting in the background check on Gil Monahan, you wanted me to do. Four years back, the cops got a complaint that your Mr. Monahan held one of his housekeepers against her will, a young woman by the name of Isla Sterling, who had immigrated here from her native Belfast.”

  “Monahan detained her against her will?” She shifted to look at Josh. “Did you know about this?”

  “Gil and I were never joined at the hip. As it stands now, I’m beginning to wonder if I ever really knew the man at all. The same goes for Diane. How did Gil keep from getting charged?”

  Leo stood up to get rid of his trash. “He did what most rich guys do. He paid off the maid to keep quiet and sent her back to Ireland on the first plane. I talked to former members of his staff, who wanted to remain anonymous. They verified the payoff and the part about getting her out of the country before the authorities could act. Without the maid, the case got dropped.”