Truth in the Bones

by Vickie McKeehan

  “That’s right. Those detectives hated to admit they were wrong. One of them contacted me last week with what could be a disturbing piece of the puzzle. It seems a lowly statistician inside the FBI, that analyst I mentioned, has been tracking a string of similar murders that go all the way back to 2012.”

  That got Josh’s full attention. He turned from Sierra’s toy box to stare at Harry. “Define a string of similar murders. You’re suggesting there’s more than the Maldonado family out there?”

  “Yeah. A lot more. I’m talking about a guy who wipes out entire families, cuts them down in one night. The caveat in all, so far, is that one member is usually unaccounted for. That one person goes missing and up to this point, that’s who the police focus on. The missing member gets the blame. To verify what Seattle PD told me, I got in touch with Emmett here locally and asked him to do some digging for me. He called me back three days ago, confirming the information. He’s been aware of the similarity in crimes since 2014. He believes this particular individual goes all over the country, hitting different cities, targeting different types of families, wealthy, poor, doesn’t matter. The analyst uncovered a variety of family backgrounds with no connections to each other. Sound like anyone you know?”

  Josh scratched the side of his jaw and eyed a hole through Harry. “Israel Keyes comes to mind. According to legend, Keyes started killing here in Washington State, even though he lived in Alaska at the time. He took several trips back and forth across the country, hunting people to kill who had no connections to him. Authorities believed he killed in places as far away as Vermont so the murders wouldn’t be linked back to him. As I recall Keyes even owned property in upstate New York where he kept one of his murder bags. They think he killed whenever he wasn’t back in Alaska. They really don’t know how many victims were his exactly.”

  “His mistake was getting greedy in his own backyard. He kidnapped a local girl, which led to his downfall. And didn’t Keyes burglarize houses to pay for his crime sprees?” Skye wondered, clearly interested in how this all related to the Maldonado murders.

  “That’s what he claimed anyway. Now you’re beginning to get the picture as to why this guy should be stopped,” Harry reiterated. “As near as Emmett and I can pinpoint the timeframe, this guy started his crime spree about six months after Israel Keyes was taken into custody in Texas. We know eight months later Keyes took his own life in lockup before the authorities could finish questioning him.”

  Skye had been using her phone to search the Internet. Her forehead creased into frown lines at what she found. “Keyes was captured back in March 2012. You’re saying this killer has been doing this since then?”

  “Emmett believes he started in August of that same year in Brunswick, Georgia. And since then it’s been south to north, east to west, and everywhere in between.”

  “And you believe the Maldonado family fell victim to this guy like the others?”

  “You got it. There’s more, a lot more.”

  Skye shook her head. “There always is. But wiping out entire families is not an easy task. Is Emmett sure about this? Maybe a few of these other murders are the work of a family member. It’s an epidemic these days. Unfortunately, murder/suicide isn’t rare. It’s a tactic people take all the time to get out from under their problems, problems they have a hard time dealing with like debt, foreclosure, depression, or even custody battles. They take out multiple family members. It’s a sign of our sad times.”

  “A few I suppose might fall into that category. But as any behavior analyst would tell you these are piling up in an unprecedented number. Although I understand your skepticism. And I would agree it’s a difficult task taking out an entire family without a lot of timing and precision involved.”

  “Ah, but then so is going to the trouble of kidnapping one of those members just to throw off law enforcement and have them believe someone else committed the crime,” Josh pointed out.

  “Unless he has military training,” Skye noted. “Major hands-on recon experience, courtesy of the armed forces.”

  “I don’t think the military trains soldiers to kill families,” Harry remarked.

  Josh stood up and began to pace. “No, but anyone can snap for a variety of reasons once they get back stateside after serving in the military. Israel Keyes did.”

  “So did BTK,” Skye added. “Rader was in the Air Force. And his first time out he killed a family of four.”

  Harry nodded. “Point taken. In this case, Emmett believes the youngest victim was a four-year-old girl in a suburb outside Boston, shot in her bed, which is where the police find most of the victims.”

  Skye’s mouth dropped open. Horror-stricken, the expression on her face said it all. Her eyes flitted to her own baby girl. The idea that innocence could be shattered like that sent chill bumps running along her arms. She stared at Josh. “I don’t know if I can turn this down. Killing children for me is a low that’s hard to ignore. This man has to be stopped. Now.”

  “Agreed. But we’d have to go back to the beginning of the Maldonado case,” Josh pointed out. “Pick up his trail from there. We’d have to have complete access to the other cases as well, no holding back information.”

  “Emmett’s already agreed to that.”

  “You already knew we’d say yes, didn’t you?” Skye said before going over to sit with Sierra on the floor where the toddler struggled to put together a set of giant Legos.

  “Let’s just say that Emmett and I know both of you well enough to appeal to your weaknesses. Where kids and teens are concerned you’re both easy to read.”

  Sierra climbed into Josh’s lap. “Help, Daddy.”

  Josh grinned at his daughter and began to connect a series of blocks to form a bridge until he handed the project off to Sierra. “We’d have to make sure the grandparents are available for babysitting chores.”

  “And if there are any trips out of town, we’ll need to line up overnight stays here,” Skye pointed out, beginning to think ahead.

  “Add my wife to that list,” Harry offered. “I may have a target on my back with her now, but she’s a real softie when it comes to Sierra.”

  “Good to know. I’m sure we’re covered as far as getting the baby taken care of, but I want to make sure we have nothing short of an army available around the clock in case this guy comes after us. I don’t like the idea of putting Sierra in harm’s way.”

  “Completely understood. I wouldn’t want that either,” Harry said, getting to his feet. “But I doubt this guy will even know we’re coming after him.”

  “You’re leaving already?” Skye asked.

  “I have to get in touch with the people who own the Maldonado home now, get their permission to go inside. I’ll be in contact tomorrow with a timetable.”

  “I’ll walk you out to your car,” Josh offered.

  He followed Harry down the steps to where a pickup truck was parked in the driveway. “Is there anything you’ve left out? Are you being completely honest with what we’re dealing with?”

  “As of this moment, you know exactly as much as I know. But we’ll need to sit down with Emmett to make sure the feds share everything they have. In the meantime, I wouldn’t mind you putting your superpowers to good use and finding this guy for us.”

  Josh bit back a smile. “Superpowers? I don’t know what you mean?”

  “Sure you don’t. That’s fine. Be as secretive as it takes to get the job done. I don’t care. But we’ve worked together too often for me to ignore your ‘abilities’ that tend to spring up whenever you’re around a crime scene. Deny it all you want. Skye has almost the same uncanny skills as you do, just not as powerful, not quite in the same vein.” Harry held up a hand in protest. “Don’t get all indignant. I’m not accusing you of anything. But I don’t want you holding back your powers on my account. If it comes to taking this bastard down, do it. Regardless of what I see or hear, you can count on me for total discretion. I won’t go selling the story to a national g
ossip rag.”

  Josh looked amused. “That’s big of you.”

  “I’ve known Skye was special in some way since the day she escaped from that child predator, a big man who’d overpowered a little girl into his vehicle. Most twelve-year-olds would’ve done exactly what he said. Skye didn’t. She doesn’t get that lucky without some major gut instincts working for her. Whatever Native American spirit guide got her out of that ugly situation, I say, thank God for it.”

  Josh slapped the former detective on the back. “One of the major things I’m grateful for is the fact that you were always there for her…before I entered the picture.”

  “Not always,” Harry muttered. “I have to live with that. I watched her get packed off to those nut jobs in Yakima and did nothing. Travis did the same thing. I’m just glad she found her way back to Seattle when she did. Now once that happened I was determined to keep an eye on her as best I could. She’s an independent cuss, stubborn to boot. No doubt you’ve found that out the hard way.”

  That brought a laugh out of Josh. “You could say that several times over. I didn’t think I’d ever see the day that she’d give up going out at night to patrol the streets. I have Sierra to thank for that.”

  Harry scrubbed a hand over his chin. “I thought she sent you out to walk the streets during that time period?”

  “Oh, she did. But once Sierra came along, that ended too. Imagine my surprise to see how she’s tapered off her street work and poured that focus entirely into the Foundation.”

  “Most city officials I know are impressed with the way she’s the go-to person who locates missing kids. They understand she’s put together this kick-ass investigation team with all the slick bells and whistles. There’s nothing quite like her organization. You guys get funding now because of it. Nothing I know in the country comes close to hitting the ground running like you guys do in a missing persons case. When you hear that kind of high praise coming from a cop, you know there’s something unique about the results. That’s the main reason I want to bring you guys into solving this case.” Harry opened his car door but stopped short of getting in. “Can I ask you something?”

  “If it’s about my superpowers, I’ll have to decline comment.”

  Harry grinned. “Decline all you want, but there is something that concerns me. A killer who’s flown under the radar for so many years like this may look at our investigation as a challenge and up his kill ratio. We’re likely stirring the pot…in a big way.”

  “Probably. No one’s come after him until now. No one’s had a reason to look his way. That’s gonna change. He’s spent all this time in obscurity. It’ll be interesting and alarming to see how he reacts. But it can’t be helped. Although…”

  “What?”

  “We could keep this under a media blackout. No announcement in the press until we’re further along in the investigation and need the public’s help in some way. If we’re able to pinpoint a pattern to his attacks, then maybe we’ll be able to narrow down or even eliminate a section of the country where he’ll strike next.”

  “Is that possible?”

  “Anything’s possible when dealing with data. The more we know, the more information we can enter into a database, the better our chances increase.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  “Skye and I will take care of contacting the team tonight. In fact, we’ll assemble them under the same roof to get everyone on board and up to speed in a hurry. If you could fax us over police reports along with Emmett’s statistics, it would help.”

  Harry looked relieved. “I must be getting sentimental in my old age, but I like the sound of that. Makes me wish I had this kind of resources at my disposal on all my old cases. Think about it. How many could’ve been solved without them going cold?”

  “Focus on the upside. We’re here to help now. But I do have another concern.”

  “What’s that?”

  “If we take this case, won’t we be stepping on toes at the police department? There are certain detectives who already feel we interfere too much as it is and far too often.”

  “Uh, about that. Seattle PD handed the Maldonado case off to the sheriff’s department because of where Christy’s body was found. And I happen to know for a fact, they aren’t actively working the case.”

  “Why is that?”

  “It’s not a high priority. No one believes the Maldonados were victims of a serial killer except for the one detective, Paul Bennington, who’s already been reassigned.”

  Skye had come out of the house holding Sierra on her hip to overhear that last part. “See, this is the reason I’d never make it in law enforcement. Too many politics for me. The musical chairs approach to solving homicide cases would drive me up the wall.”

  “Then it’s a good thing this case is off the radar. It seems the only people who care anything about solving it are standing right here in the driveway.”

  Skye exchanged looks with Josh. But it was Skye who added a final thought. “That’s just it, Harry. With us, you get a team approach, a lot more people than you bargain for. I just hope you’re prepared for the full court press and all that entails.”

  “I am. In fact, I’m counting on it.”

  Two

  Saturday afternoon

  After Harry took off, Josh found Skye sitting quietly watching Sierra play. The toddler had left the building blocks and gone on to an activity center with bright yellow buttons that sent out animal sounds whenever the buttons were pushed. Sierra was making sure she pressed all of them.

  But Josh noticed Skye seemed deep in thought. He broke her pensive mood by tapping her knee with his hand. “Are you having second thoughts about this?”

  An audible sigh escaped her lips. She met his eyes. “That’s tough to answer. On the one hand, I look around this place I’ve come to love and don’t like the idea of leaving it, don’t like the idea of leaving my baby to go after evil. Getting tossed into another murder investigation comes at a bad time for me. But those families who died, that little girl in Boston, didn’t have a choice either. Maybe because I know what kind of monsters are out there beyond the end of our driveway, it spurs me into action. We aren’t given the luxury of insulating ourselves in this peaceful setting to let this guy off the hook. He needs to be caught. But how? Where do we even begin? I’m a little concerned that I might’ve lost my edge over the past year while changing diapers. Although I refuse to apologize for having this wonderful part of my life. I deserve Sierra, Josh. I deserve to have this part of my life.”

  “We both deserve our daughter, Skye. We shouldn’t have to compromise anything to keep her safe. That goes for other families. They should be able to go to bed at night believing their kids are protected from vile creatures. If getting the likes of Israel Keyes and BTK off the streets falls to people like us, so be it. We’ll find this guy, Skye, probably on his own turf. I’m thinking it won’t be anywhere near Seattle.”

  “That’s just it. I know we’ll have to leave Sierra to get it done. We’ll have to…”

  Josh finished her thought. “Leave her with people who love her and have vowed to protect her from these kinds of monsters.”

  She finally gave him a half smile. “So do we send out emails or text messages? The team will need to drop what they’re doing on a Saturday night for this. No wonder these guys don’t have much of a social life.”

  “Text messages are the quickest and easiest,” he said, keying in the first of many to Leo, Reggie, and Winston. “You take care of getting hold of Travis. You should be able to get Lena and Zoe with one phone call to your dad.”

  “I’ll send your parents an email that’ll put them on standby for Sierra duty.”

  “They won’t turn down a chance to babysit their only grandchild.”

  “Let’s hope Travis and Lena won’t either.”

  “Nah. We had dinner with them on Thursday night. Surely they didn’t break up with each other in two days’ time.”

  “
Listen to you. Relationship guru Josh Ander thinks he’s able to predict trouble in paradise. I don’t know why those two don’t just get married and be done with it.”

  The look on his face grew serious. “Don’t butt into their business,” Josh cautioned. “Don’t take sides. When it comes to affairs of the heart just roll with the flow. You should be happy Travis and Lena are together. You couldn’t wait for your dad to dump Chenoa. Now that your two favorite people have finally hooked up, you still aren’t happy unless they’re planning a wedding.”

  She thrust out her chin. “They should think about making things more permanent. After all, there’s Zoe to consider.”

  “Their relationship isn’t hurting Zoe one bit,” Josh argued. “Zoe is the most grounded, well-adjusted sixteen-year-old I’ve ever seen.”

  His phone lit up with a series of return texts from his hotshot development team. “Winston says they’ll be here around six.”

  “Just in time for dinner. What should we fix?”

  “The guys will eat anything, but pizza always tops their short list.”

  “Your parents seemed to like the Pacific salmon.”

  “Mom and Dad have tickets to the symphony tonight. We’ll have to catch them up at a later date.”

  “Okay then, pizza it is. Because Judy, Zoe, Lena, and Travis will eat anything.”

  By suppertime their dining room overflowed with family, or at least the friends they considered extended members of their trusted inner circle.

  Harry had faxed over some of his information obtained from Emmett and they all took turns perusing the twenty-five pages of documents. The exchange of data kept the fax machine busy and in a constant state of spitting out paper.

  Skye stood nearby distributing the material. “Harry promises there’s more to come but his machine blew up at home. He’s making a special trip downtown to use the police department’s. The perks of being a former detective. So before you make any determinations, you’ll need to wait for the rest of the police reports to come in for a complete set of facts, case by case.”