Below the Bones

by Elliot, Kendra

  They’re looking at the wrong man.

  A shudder went through Cate, and Henry felt it against his arm. Her gaze was locked on the officers. Kurt and Bruce had split away from Mike and Tessa, and they went to each side of the house. Kurt took a position where he could see one side and the front of the home, while Bruce went farther down the other side until he had a view of the rear of the home.

  If someone tried to leave the house, they’d be seen.

  Cate’s breathing sped up as Tessa rang the doorbell.

  “I can’t watch.” Cate spun around to leave, and Henry caught her, making her look him in the eyes.

  How could I forget her attack?

  The setup had been similar. A closed door. Two agents. It was to be a simple interview. No one had expected the shots through the door that had injured Cate and killed her partner.

  “You’re okay. And nothing is going to happen.”

  “You don’t know that!”

  She pushed his hands off her arms, but he enveloped her in a hug, holding her tight to him. “No one knows!” she whispered. “No one can see what’s waiting behind that door!” Continuous shudders racked her body.

  She leaned her head against Henry’s shoulder, and he watched the officers.

  Tessa rang the bell again. And waited. Then she knocked, and the door swung open under her knuckles. She and Mike stepped farther to the side, but the door stopped. Her knock had pushed it open.

  “Chris!” Tessa yelled into the house. “It’s Deputy Black. Is everything okay?”

  Cate lifted her head and turned to see. Tessa yelled again.

  After a moment, Mike and Tessa conferred, and then Tessa gestured for Kurt to come to the front of the house and radioed Bruce to continue watching the back.

  “They’re going in,” said Cate. Her lips were pressed into a tight line.

  “It doesn’t appear anyone is home,” Henry said. “The door swung open when Tessa knocked. Can they simply go in?”

  “Yes, if they think something has happened inside.”

  Kurt and Tessa went in to clear the house as Mike waited outside. Shouts of “Clear!” sounded as they checked each room. The house was small. They finished rapidly and reconvened on the front porch with Mike and called Bruce to join them.

  Tessa seemed agitated. She spoke pointedly with Mike for a few moments and kept looking over at Henry and Cate. Mike appeared to relent, and Tessa pulled out her phone and then waved the two of them over.

  “What did she find?” Cate murmured to Henry. “There’s something she’s unhappy about.”

  “Let’s find out.” He took Cate’s cold hand and led her toward the house.

  Tessa looked grim as she stepped aside to make her phone call. All three men on the porch wore serious expressions.

  “What happened?” asked Cate.

  “Tessa and I found something inside I think you should look at,” said Kurt.

  Cate caught her breath.

  “Don’t worry—nothing gruesome,” the older deputy said kindly. He gestured for her and Henry to follow him. The inside of the ranch-style house was well lit, and Kurt led her down a narrow hallway to a bedroom. Inside was a large desk with a desktop and printer along with several tall metal file cabinets. Photos were scattered across the desk. One caught Cate’s eye, and she stepped closer.

  It was a photo of her and Samantha standing behind the bakery. Both of them were laughing. Sam’s head tipped back as she cracked up, and her long red ponytail stretched down her back. Cate had a hand slapped to her forehead, her mouth open in laughter.

  Cate remembered the moment. She’d been telling Sam about a customer, but she couldn’t—

  “What in the world?” The other photos caught her attention. There were a dozen more of Samantha. Her son, Mickey, was in some. Cate lost her breath, and Henry squeezed her hand.

  Today is the fifth.

  “He’s targeted Samantha. She’s his next victim.”

  “Tessa is calling her right now,” said Kurt. “And we’re sending Bruce straight to her home. We’ll move her somewhere safe.”

  11

  After arriving at Sam’s house, Cate squeezed her friend in a big hug. “I’m so sorry. We’ll get the guy.”

  “I know you will,” said Sam. “You two have already proved you can do anything.” She included Tessa with a nod.

  Bruce had watched over Sam and her mother and Mickey as they’d packed. They wanted out of the home as quickly as possible. At first Tessa had suggested the three of them go to a hotel, but Cate—and Jane—had felt Jane’s home would be the most secure. “Logan has already offered to keep watch,” Cate had said. “And you know how protective my grandmother is. The two of them won’t let anything near Sam and her family.”

  “Logan talked to me about it,” Tessa had said. “I agreed because we’re stretched thin. I think it’s a solid plan.”

  Henry and Bruce loaded the family’s things into Logan’s vehicle, and the park ranger drove off as Mickey waved goodbye from his seat. Cate breathed a sigh of relief as she watched them leave and heard Tessa do the same.

  She had no doubt they’d be safe with her brother.

  “Okay,” said Tessa. “Now to find Chris.” She looked at Kurt and Bruce. “Kurt, I want you to check the ferry video from this morning. See if he left the island. Bruce, check the marina and see if his boat is still there. If it is, check with the rental companies to see if he rented a boat. Ask the water taxi too. Everyone keep an eye out for his vehicle.”

  “It’s going to happen today,” Cate murmured. “I can feel it.”

  “I’ll stay here to watch the house and make some calls,” said Mike. “There’s a good chance he’ll show up here this evening.”

  “I’ll stay too,” said Cate as an idea struck her. “I’ll be the bait.”

  Tessa and Mike stared.

  “Explain,” said Mike as Tessa’s face cleared, and she slowly nodded.

  Tessa knows what I’m thinking.

  “With both Samantha’s and Marsha’s cars in the drive, it looks like they’re home,” said Cate. “I’ll stay in the house and try to remain in view from a window. I want him to believe Sam is still here.”

  “You don’t look like her,” Mike pointed out. “Especially your hair. You can’t change your hair to red unless you’ve got a wig stashed somewhere.”

  “I’ll wear a bathrobe,” Cate said. “And put my hair up in a towel, as if I’ve just showered. Sam’s always wearing reading glasses with thick frames. I’ll borrow them and try to keep my back to any windows. From a distance, it should work. We’re the same height and build.”

  Mike exchanged a look with Tessa, who shrugged. “I’ll stay in the house with her. It’s not a bad idea.”

  “All right. I’ll join you inside,” said Mike.

  “Great. It’s settled,” said Cate. She’d worried they’d refuse her plan.

  We’ll get him.

  Two hours later the sun had set, and Cate had been pretending to read a book at the table in the kitchen. Her senses were on high alert, but she was bored. She’d made five cups of tea and rewrapped the towel around her hair at least a dozen times.

  She’d talked to Henry, who was in his car down the street, watching the comings and goings of the neighborhood. The review of the ferry tapes hadn’t shown Chris’s vehicle, and no one on the island had rented a boat to him. His personal boat was still tied up at the marina. Bruce had boarded and found it empty. So now Kurt sat in his own truck at the end of the street, the county vehicles too noticeable for surveillance. Bruce sat with Henry, because his own orange muscle car was highly recognizable on the island. Henry’s silver Explorer was not.

  The wait was excruciating.

  Tessa and Mike continued to research and make work calls from inside Samantha’s home, staying out of sight.

  Cate’s phone beeped. Tessa was calling from a back bedroom. Cate answered and found herself on a three-way call with Mike.

  “H
ey, guys,” said Tessa. “Did you know that Chris’s mother died when he was seven?”

  “No,” Mike and Cate said in unison.

  “Yeah. She was found murdered in a park not far from their home. Death was from a ligature.”

  “Where was Chris that day?”

  “In school.”

  “Was the murder solved?” asked Mike.

  “No. Still open,” said Tessa. “I don’t like this.”

  “A seven-year-old isn’t going to murder his mother,” said Cate.

  “True, but it will leave a lasting effect on the child.”

  “Are you saying Chris might kill mothers because his own mother was murdered?” asked Cate. “I don’t quite see the logic there . . . and besides, it’s Jeff Lamb who started all this. His victims were the young women with children—oh, my god.” Cate’s mind shot down a tangent. “Tessa, how old was Jeff Lamb the year Chris’s mother was killed?”

  “He would have been twenty-three.”

  “Where did both of them live when this happened?” Cate asked, struggling to breathe normally.

  “Give me a minute,” said Tessa. Sounds of typing came through the phone.

  “Is it possible?” Mike muttered.

  “They both lived in Kent,” said Tessa. “I’m looking up the location of their addresses—holy shit. Their homes were one street apart.”

  “They were neighbors,” breathed Cate. “I don’t know what a twenty-three-year-old man would have to do with a child, but I think there’s a good chance that’s where their relationship started.”

  “And Lamb may have killed Chris’s mother,” said Mike. “It fits with his other victims. Mothers with young children. But for some reason he didn’t do the burial part of his routine.”

  “Maybe he hadn’t added it yet,” said Cate. “I wonder if he’d done the surveillance part. Was she married?”

  “Divorced for four years when she died,” said Tessa. “Her ex was a primary suspect for a long time. Chris lived with her parents after the murder, not his father. Oh . . . looks like his mother’s parents lived in the same house. So that means he didn’t move after her death.”

  “That means Jeff Lamb was still in his neighborhood,” added Cate. “I wonder if they had much contact.”

  “This is an odd twist,” said Tessa. “But it does give us a logical connection between the men. It can’t be a coincidence.”

  Cate checked the time. It was nearly eleven. “I’m going to give Sam a quick call. See how she’s doing.” Logan or Jane would have called immediately if there’d been a problem, but Cate still wanted to hear Sam’s voice.

  Cate’s phone rang and rang as her grip grew tighter on her cell.

  Dammit, Sam. Answer.

  “Hello.” Sam was out of breath.

  “Is everything okay?” Cate asked as her heart pounded in her chest.

  “Yes. I was putting Mickey to bed, and my phone was in the other room. Has anything happened yet?”

  “No. I’m just checking in.” Cate paused. “Logan’s still awake, right?”

  “Is that a serious question? I think he’d stay awake for three days if needed.”

  “Sorry. The responsible Logan of today doesn’t line up with the teenage brother I remember.”

  Sam laughed. “I get it. I knew him then too.”

  “I’ll let you go. Stay safe,” said Cate.

  “You too,” Sam answered in a serious voice.

  Cate returned to her book, fully aware that there was only one hour left until midnight.

  Maybe he is waiting until next month.

  She would be okay with that. It would give Mike and Tessa more time to investigate and build a case. And it would mean she wouldn’t have to immediately worry for Sam.

  Time slowly ticked by. Kurt and Bruce checked in every fifteen minutes, and Cate chatted with Henry occasionally.

  “What will you do if nothing happens by midnight?” asked Henry.

  “Breathe easier? Actually I won’t until we—they—make an arrest.”

  “Are you having doubts about Chris?” he asked.

  She’d been thinking of nothing else for the past several hours. “After everything we’ve learned and seeing those photos of Sam on his desk, I’m positive we have the right person.”

  “Agreed.”

  Tessa’s voice sounded from the bedroom and then grew louder as she walked toward the kitchen, talking on her cell.

  “I’ll call you back in a bit,” Cate told Henry and then ended the call, wondering what was up. Tessa hadn’t stepped out of the bedroom all evening.

  A new female voice sounded in the kitchen as Tessa entered and switched over to speaker. Mike was right behind her. “I can connect the call,” the female voice said.

  “Please do,” said Tessa.

  “What’s going on?” asked Cate.

  “It’s county dispatch. They got a call from a child that her mother is missing.”

  Cate froze. “What? Who?”

  “I have the police on the phone with us now, honey,” said the female voice. “Tell them what you told me.”

  “He made Mommy leave,” said a child’s voice. “She didn’t want to go.”

  We’re watching the wrong house.

  “What’s your name?” asked Cate, with her heart in her throat.

  “Abby.”

  “Abby Dean?” Cate exclaimed. Emma’s daughter? She stared at Tessa with wide eyes.

  “Yes.”

  “This is Cate Wilde, Abby,” she said in a shaking voice. “Tessa is here too. We saw you today at your mom’s work.”

  “I remember.”

  “Did Chris take your mom? Was it her boss?” Cate held her breath.

  “Yes. She argued with him, but he made her go, and then I think I fell asleep, but I just went in her room, and she’s not there.” Her little voice cracked. “She’s not anywhere in the house.”

  “Hang on a minute, Abby.” Tessa muted her phone. “He wasn’t planning to take Samantha. He wanted Emma.”

  “Or he was planning on Samantha but realized we were with her,” said Cate. “Dammit.”

  “Call Kurt for me,” said Tessa, her phone still connected to Abby and dispatch. “Tell him to get to the Dean house and get Abby.”

  “He can take her to Jane’s,” said Cate as she dialed Kurt’s number.

  “I’ll send Bruce to Chris’s home,” said Mike. “We’ll meet him there.”

  Cate pulled the towel off her head, her phone to her ear. “Let’s move. Now. We’ve got to find Emma.”

  I hope we’re not too late.

  “The house is still empty,” said Bruce as Cate, Mike, and Tessa arrived at Chris’s home.

  “It appears no one has been here since we found those photos,” added Henry, who’d driven Bruce to the home.

  The group looked at one another.

  Where would he go?

  “The rock,” breathed Cate. “Why didn’t I think of that first? He’s taken her to the rock.”

  “Let’s go,” ordered Tessa.

  12

  The five of them tracked into Bishop State Park at a jog. It would take forty-five minutes to walk to the clearing, and Cate hoped to cut that time in half. At first they’d had light from the nearly full moon, but as they entered the trees, it was little help. They rotated three flashlights, keeping an eye on the rocky trail.

  Cate felt as if they were running in a spotlight, creating perfect targets.

  Kurt had stayed with Abby at Jane’s home, keeping watch with Logan. Trekking through the woods, Mike, Bruce, and Tessa were armed; Henry and Cate were not. At least they had ballistic vests, but the extra weight made the jogging all the more difficult.

  “There’s a tire mark.” Tessa stopped and pointed with her flashlight. It was narrow like a bicycle tire and weaved between the rocks. “He pulled her in on something.”

  Cate wished they could have used ATVs, but the trail in was cramped and rocky. Somehow Chris had found something to m
ake his journey a little easier. “He probably crafted something to get around the rocks. I’ve wondered how he physically got the women in. I’ve assumed they were drugged and needed to be carried somehow.”

  They kept moving, their breath showing in the cold air.

  Don’t let us be too late.

  “What’s the plan?” Bruce asked Tessa as they jogged around a boulder.

  “Get Emma.”

  “No. Really.”

  “Really,” panted Tessa. “I’ll figure out a plan when I get there.”

  None of them knew what they were running into. Cate forced the thought out of her mind.

  Keep moving forward.

  “Almost there,” said Mike, after what felt like hours of running. “Let’s regroup.”

  They slowed, breathing heavily. Ahead between the firs, glimpses of the clearing gleamed in the moonlight.

  Something flashed, lighting up the meadow.

  “He’s taking pictures,” whispered Cate. “He’s definitely here.”

  “And Emma must still be alive,” said Tessa. “All the women were alive in his photos.”

  “He’s only a few hours ahead of us,” said Bruce. “That’s not enough time to dig a grave.”

  “We finished up here two days ago,” Tessa pointed out. “He could have done it at any point during that time.”

  Mike crouched and picked up a stick. “The rock and graves were close to the edge of the clearing.” He drew a square and placed an X close to one edge. “We’ll assume he’s here. Half of us can come straight across the clearing, get his attention, while the rest of us circle through the woods and come in behind him, right by the graves.”

  Tessa nodded. “Bruce and I will come across and confront him. The three of you go behind. We won’t be able to see you, so stay out of the way at two or ten.”

  So they can shoot if needed.

  She looked at Cate. “You should be armed.” She removed a handgun at her ankle. “My backup.”

  She’s right.