The Bone Harvest

by Stacy M Jones

  “Complicated how?” Det. Tyler asked.

  Cooper noticed the edge in Tyler’s voice. He was squinting and rubbing his eyes. The stress and lack of sleep from the night before were getting to all of them.

  Aaron turned back to them. “Lily and I went out a couple of times.”

  “What the hell does that mean? She was barely eighteen years old,” Cooper said agitatedly. He stood and walked towards the man. Tyler was on his feet in seconds, holding Cooper back. Cooper knew losing his temper, right now, wouldn’t do anyone any good, but he wasn’t ready to hear what the man had to say, especially, if he was headed in the direction Cooper thought he might.

  Aaron let out a sigh. “It means, we met for coffee a few times. We had met at a lecture, and we struck up a conversation. That’s all that happened. I was interested. Lily was smart, charming and beautiful, but as you said, she was just eighteen. She wasn’t interested in me.”

  “What did you do about that?” Cooper asked, narrowing his eyes.

  Aaron threw his arms wide open. “Nothing. I didn’t do anything. I certainly didn’t kill her, if that’s what you’re asking. I was with her the night she died. I always felt like I could have done more to protect her.”

  “Could you have?” Cooper asked.

  “No,” Aaron said with defeat in his voice.

  “Tell me about the last time you saw her,” Det. Tyler urged.

  Aaron looked back out the window. Cooper wasn’t sure what he was looking for, and it was a bit unnerving. Aaron was forthcoming, or so it seemed, with information, but there was something Cooper didn’t like about him.

  With his back still turned to them, Aaron finally explained. “I saw Lily that night walking home from a party. I pulled over and we had some conversation. I asked if she needed a ride home. She said no at first, but I cautioned her about walking alone so late at night, particularly on Halloween. I gave her a ride back to the dorm and that’s it.” Aaron cleared his throat.

  “That’s not it,” Cooper said sarcastically. “What aren’t you telling us?”

  Aaron turned around. He started to speak and stopped. He chewed at his bottom lip. “I didn’t bring her all the way to her dorm. We stopped a few blocks before. She said she wanted to see a friend so I let her out. I’ve felt guilty all these years for not making sure she made it into her dorm.”

  “What friend?” Tyler asked. He sat back down and nudged Cooper’s side to do the same. They both took a seat on the couch. Cooper was sure Tyler was hoping it would put Aaron more at ease, but he didn’t care. He wanted Aaron to feel as uncomfortable as he did.

  Aaron shrugged. “I really don’t know. She asked me to pull over. She thanked me and got out. That’s the last time I saw her. I didn’t actually see her meet anyone. She just walked off heading in the same direction as the school, but for whatever reason, she didn’t want me to drive her there.”

  “You did nothing to make her uncomfortable?” Cooper eyed him.

  “No, of course not.”

  Det. Tyler instructed Aaron to run through the situation again, and then a third time. Cooper noticed the man’s answers remained the same. Most would think that was good. For Cooper, and he knew Tyler, it was a sign the man had rehearsed what he’d say if the cops ever came calling. There was no additional detail. He didn’t leave anything out. Aaron told the same story exactly the same way three times. Cooper and Tyler shared a look.

  They didn’t have anything to arrest him, and Tyler didn’t have the jurisdiction even if they had.

  Before they left, Cooper asked one last question. “Why didn’t you ever come forward at the time? People were frantic searching for her. You were the last person to have seen Lily.”

  “I did though,” Aaron indicated. “I told someone in the family.”

  Cooper stared the man down. Cooper knew for a fact no one had heard about this man then. Aaron looked away, wouldn’t hold eye contact with him. Cooper felt a tug on his arm, and let Tyler lead him out of the house.

  Back in Cooper’s truck, Tyler asked, “What do you think was more suspicious – him lying about telling Luke’s family or that he never asked why we were asking those questions about Lily?”

  CHAPTER 32

  Late in the afternoon, after I had spoken to Luke, who had just woken up from a nap, all I had wanted was a little time to relax. I was glad that no one had been taken from the university. I hoped it would give us all a chance to regroup. Luke told me he was going to stay a few more days in Fayetteville because he had more leads to run down, and then he would be home.

  I didn’t think I was going to get the chance to see him before I left for New York, but we’d Skype or something I was sure. Thankfully, we had the kind of relationship that could handle the distance. While we missed each other, neither of us fell apart without the other – especially when the separation was work-related.

  I spent time puttering around the house, not really sure what to do. Emma was busy with Joe and Sophie. Cooper was with Luke. I liked my alone time, but it had been a while since I had any when I wasn’t working. I went to my bookcase and grabbed a spy novel I hadn’t had time to read. I decided to go find a patio, a beer, and dive into a good story.

  Nearly thirty minutes later, I sat comfortably on the patio at Dugan’s Irish Pub in downtown Little Rock. The patio faced two relatively quiet streets. The chair was comfortable, the patio nearly empty, and the beer in front was the right temperature for a Guinness. I was waiting for the very delicious sandwich I had ordered. It was the only place in the city where I knew I could get a good RLT, which was Irish bacon, known as a rasher, lettuce, and tomato, with a fried egg on it, too.

  I opened my novel and got six pages in when Rhoda dropped my plate in front of me. We made some quick small talk. I had gotten to know her with how frequently Luke and I ate there. She didn’t even need to ask my order anymore. That’s how good she was. She left me alone to eat, and I dug in, savoring each bite.

  I lost myself in my novel and my food for quite a long time. Movement from the corner of my eye disrupted my reading. People had joined me on the patio. There were murmurs of conversation but not enough to make out actual words. I continued to read.

  Rhoda brought me another beer and removed my empty plate. A few words from the gathering crowd caught my attention. I put the book on the table and turned my head around to assess. There were several people standing on the patio staring at the television. I couldn’t see it from my vantage point, could only hear it. I got up and moved over to the crowd.

  “What’s going on?” I asked a guy who looked to be in his twenties.

  With shock in his voice, he said, “A girl is missing from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She never went back to her dorm last night.”

  My stomach dropped at his words. On the screen, a local news reporter stood in front of the missing girl’s dorm, discussing the details of the case. The reporter indicated that the young woman had just turned eighteen. She was a freshman and went missing after a night out with friends. It seemed from her friends, that she wasn’t feeling well and went home alone from a bar. That was the last anyone saw of her, at least that they knew right now.

  My phone rang from the table where I had left it. It was Captain Meadows. I answered before the call was picked up by voicemail.

  “Did you hear?” he asked.

  “Do you know any more than what’s been reported in the news?”

  “Not really. I’ve got another detective down there now, but I want Luke. Do you want to call him and break the news?”

  I didn’t, but of course, I would. “I’ll handle it.”

  I hung up and called Luke. He didn’t answer so I left him a message to call me back as soon as he could. I tried to not sound panicked, but I don’t think I succeeded. I searched for Rhoda and thrust more than enough cash at her to cover the bill and a tip, and then I went to find my SUV.

  Once inside, ignition started and seat belt securely on, I called Cooper. T
hankfully he answered. He hadn’t seen Luke all day.

  “Cooper, there’s a missing girl here. She’s a freshman at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. It’s been on our news here already. We need to tell Luke.”

  Cooper let out a string of expletives. “I’ll tell Tyler and we will go meet Luke together. What’s your plan?”

  “I don’t have a plan,” I said, as I navigated out of the parking lot. “There’s nothing for me to do. It’s not like I can jump in the middle of this. Captain Meadows said he wants Luke back as soon as possible.”

  “Trust me,” Cooper said, “he will come racing back after he kicks himself for not being a mind reader. While we were running around Fayetteville trying to stop him, he struck in Little Rock. How could we have been so stupid?”

  “There’s no way we could have known,” I countered but wasn’t sure I believed it myself. We had been duped. We had believed the words of a serial killer. One of us should have had better sense. Luke had enough to worry about so it should have been Cooper or me.

  “I need to go find Tyler.” He hung up.

  Several minutes later, as I was turning onto my street, my phone rang again. It was Luke’s mother. I figured she was calling to ask if I’d heard about the case. What she said nearly made me crash.

  Lucia sobbed, “Spencer found a girl’s body across the street from our house on the Allsopp park trail.”

  CHAPTER 33

  I immediately turned my SUV around and headed back towards Hillcrest. Lucia told me I was her second call. The first was to the police. She explained through tears that Spencer was sitting in his favorite spot on the living room couch, waiting for the cops to arrive. Lucia said he was clutching his chest, and she was concerned for his heart. I could hear her lovingly tell him to take slow, deep breaths. She told me she had to go and hung up.

  I couldn’t even imagine the shock they must be feeling. To have their own daughter murdered and then find the body of a young girl, in the woods, across from their house. I assumed it was the girl missing from the previous night. I hadn’t heard about anyone else. I knew if it was her that it was a sick, twisted message for Luke. It also meant that the killer knew where his parents lived.

  I looked down at my phone wondering if I should call Luke. I picked it up and put it back down, talking myself out of it. I was stalling the inevitable. Luke would be informed, but I was hoping maybe there was a way we could get him back to Little Rock before having to tell him. He had a long drive in front of him. I was concerned about his safety on the road.

  Once in Hillcrest, I turned from Kavanaugh onto Beechwood. I didn’t make it very far down the road. People were congregating on their lawns and standing in the roadway. The road was also blocked by cop cars so there was no way I could drive any farther. Luckily, I found a place to park without blocking a driveway. I grabbed my bag and walked towards Luke’s parents’ house.

  Two cops were standing guard at the barrier that blocked off the road where Beechwood turned into S. Lookout. There was yellow crime scene tape roping off the point where the trail started. Off to the right was a grassy area and then the walking path down into the woods.

  I approached the two cops, fingers crossed they’d let me through. It’s not like I had a badge or anything official to flash at them. They stood talking to each other, both looking pale and nervous. They were young.

  “Excuse me,” I started. “I’m a friend of the Morgan family. Lucia called and explained what happened. Can I get through to see them?”

  “No one is allowed back,” one officer said sternly.

  “The Morgans are Det. Luke Morgan’s parents. He is out of town right now working a case in Fayetteville. I’m his girlfriend. I really need to be there for his parents. Please call Captain Meadows.”

  The one cop who hadn’t spoken looked me over. He stepped away and picked up his walkie. I was too far to hear what he was saying. He looked back at me and then back into the woods. I turned to see what he was looking at. I didn’t see anything, but then a moment later, Captain Meadows appeared at the top of the trail. He hitched his head at me to follow him. I thanked the officers as I passed by.

  “Lucia called me,” I explained. “I thought since Luke wasn’t here, it might be good for me to check on them.”

  “It’s good you’re here,” Captain Meadows said, patting me on the back.

  We didn’t walk back down the trail the way he came. Instead, we walked towards the Morgans’ house. As we moved farther away from the crowds and cops standing guard, Captain Meadows stopped. “I don’t know what kind of game this sicko is playing, but this is as bad as I’ve seen.”

  It was completely unlike Captain Meadows to share information with me or any civilian, not on the police force. I hoped this meant I had gained some of his trust over the last year. Private investigators and cops can either have a cordial or completely adversarial relationship depending on the personalities involved. I went to great lengths to prove to Captain Meadows I was friend, not foe. I hoped this was the turning point in our relationship.

  “Were you able to confirm it’s the missing girl from last night?” I asked, looking beyond him at the trees. Some of the leaves had turned color but not enough had fallen to give me a line of sight.

  “We were. It’s definitely her.”

  “How long has she been dead?”

  Captain Meadows ran a hand down his face. “We can’t be sure yet. Purvis, the medical examiner, is down there removing her body now. He said she was probably killed some time in the middle of the night.”

  I thought back to what the other detectives, back home in Troy and in Virginia, had said. I was hesitant to ask, mostly I was scared of the answer, but I pushed forward. “By any chance was she killed from a stab wound to the heart? Did she have missing fingers off her left hand?”

  Captain Meadow’s eyes grew wide. He gave a curt nod but didn’t say anything. After several moments, he said, “I assume since there’s no other way you could have known those details that you’ve seen other cases like this.”

  It was more of a statement than a question, but I knew he wanted details. “I have. In that stack of cases Cooper pulled, there were cases with similar details. I went through them and stumbled on a couple of cases where they found the body soon enough to do a proper autopsy and collect evidence. They have some commonalities like being stabbed in the heart with a thin blade and fingers cut off from the left hand. One of them, strangely enough, is from my hometown in New York.”

  Captain Meadows stepped back. “There’s a case connected to where you’re from?”

  “Yes, the girl went missing right around the corner from my mother’s house.”

  “You think the killer knew about your connection to Luke?”

  “No, definitely not. The case was from long before I ever moved to Little Rock or met Luke. I was in college and away from Troy when it happened.”

  “That’s one heck of a coincidence,” Captain Meadows said.

  I agreed, but I had no other explanation. “I know the detective that was on the case. I had planned to go to New York, this week, to see what more I can find. The detective on the Virginia case is meeting us.”

  “You should still go. Don’t let this stop you.”

  “What if Luke needs me? This is going to crush him.”

  Captain Meadows put a hand on my shoulder. “I’ve got Det. Tyler informing Luke about this. The best thing you can do is go to New York and work that case while Luke works this one.”

  I hated to admit it, but he was right. “I’m surprised you’re going to let Luke handle this.”

  Captain Meadows cracked the first smile I’d seen on his face since we received the first letter. “You think I could stop him? I’d rather make it easier on both of us and just give him the case.”

  He was right, again, and got no argument from me. I knew Luke would fight to take the case regardless. I followed Captain Meadows to the Morgans’ house.

  CHAPTER 34
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  Luke gripped the steering wheel. His eyes were focused on the road. He was on a mission to hunt down and bring to justice the man who killed his sister, countless other university girls, and made him look like a fool. Luke didn’t care if justice was a guilty verdict in court or a bullet through the brain. Either way, Luke was putting an end to this.

  Earlier in the day, Cooper had come to the hotel to tell him that a student from the university in Little Rock was missing. To say that Luke completely lost it would be an understatement. He had been so angry he was sure that some of the words he had used were completely made up, combinations of curses that would shock most. Cooper had sat in the chair and watched Luke until he wound himself down. Cooper was good like that. He gave Luke the space he needed to lose it, knowing that eventually, Luke would regain his calm, cool and collected demeanor.

  They had been sitting there talking things through when Det. Tyler had rapped on Luke’s hotel room door. He stepped into the room, looking worried and upset. He had stumbled over his words but broke the news to Luke that the girl’s body had been found. Tyler had paused to let Luke absorb the news before adding where the body had been placed. Instead of an outward display of rage, Luke had simply seethed.

  Luke had immediately packed his things and checked out of the hotel. Before Luke left, he had called Gabe to see if he could question Aaron Roberts. Luke had not liked the details that Cooper had provided about that interview. The man seemed a creep at best. Roberts was also unaccounted for and not in Fayetteville during the Little Rock murder, so checking his alibi would need to be done. Luke had not met the man, but he trusted Cooper’s opinion that something was very off with Aaron Roberts.

  Cooper and Det. Tyler were headed back to Little Rock, too. Tyler planned to go with Gabe to speak with the university president again and finalize any last details before they called their surveillance mission a success, in Fayetteville, at least. It was an abysmal failure as far as Luke was concerned.