Deadly Secrets

by Margaret Daley

  Rebecca shut the door, exchanging an anxious look with Sarah. “I can’t find Alicia. I’ve called all her friends, Ben, the church, and the beauty salon. No one has heard from her. She’s disappeared.”

  Chapter Two

  Hunter strode to his SUV, slipped behind the steering wheel, then set down his camera and the plastic bag, which held the only physical evidence found at the scene. He glanced toward where Terri Bennett’s body had been only an hour ago. There wasn’t much to go on other than a note lying under her that said, “She’s not the one,” written in red. He suspected blood, but the lab would have to verify that.

  He started his car and drove a couple of hundred yards to the dirt road that led to the highway. When his cell phone rang, he glanced at who the caller was and quickly answered it.

  “I’m just leaving the crime scene,” he said to the police chief.

  “I need you to come to my house ASAP.”

  Before Hunter had a chance to ask him why, Mark Kimmel hung up. It was standard practice to take any evidence immediately to the station and log it in, but from the controlled anger in his chief’s voice, something had happened, and he needed Hunter right away.

  To help with his daughter’s wedding?

  As he neared the Kimmels’ house, Hunter remembered his own wedding fifteen years ago—except his bride never showed up. She’d left town, and he didn’t have any idea where she went. Her family had been very sympathetic and couldn’t understand why she’d left. Sarah’s father, the police chief before Mark, gave him a letter from her. Each word he read had seared his heart, and not even the act of tearing it to shreds had relieved the pain and anger.

  I’m sorry. I’m not the wife you deserve.

  What kind of explanation was that? They had dated for three years, and she’d been the only woman for him.

  When he arrived at his chief’s home, he locked the evidence in his glove compartment, slid his camera into his pocket, then hurried to the front porch and rang the bell. The door opened, and he came face to face with the person who’d broken his heart. Sarah St. John—with the biggest brown eyes and long dark lashes. There had always been something about her eyes that drew him in and held him trapped like an insect in amber.

  He wrenched his gaze away and looked over her shoulder, glimpsing Mark striding from the living room. Without a word between them, Sarah stepped to the side, and he quickly entered and met his boss halfway.

  He’d seen his police chief in tough, tense situations, even life and death ones, but never looking like he did now—with fear dominating his expression, his bearing. “What’s wrong?”

  Mark looked over his shoulder then at Sarah before saying, “Let’s go out on the porch. I don’t want Rebecca and Nana to hear.”

  Sarah moved away from the entrance and started to go around Mark.

  He stepped into her path. “I need your help, too.”

  Her gaze flitted from Mark to Hunter and lingered for several seconds. “Of course. I’ll do anything for Alicia.”

  Alicia? What happened?

  His boss led the way out onto the porch and sat in a white wicker chair, leaving the loveseat for Sarah and Hunter.

  After they were situated with only a few inches between them, Mark leaned forward, putting his elbows on his thighs while he clasped his hands tightly. “Alicia is missing. Rebecca has called everyone and no one has seen her. Her fiancé, Ben Woodward, is driving around and going everywhere she frequents. In the meantime, Rebecca went through her bedroom and discovered that a piece of luggage and some of her clothes are gone.”

  The similarity with Terri Bennett’s case chilled Hunter. He slid a glance toward Sarah. She stared straight ahead. Her posture was ramrod straight, and she clenched her teeth enough that a nerve twitched in her cheek.

  “Earlier, Sarah had found the downstairs door ajar. She’s scoured the area around the deck and discovered a shoeprint near the flowerbed that had been watered yesterday evening. It’s a boot, a man’s size eleven or twelve. Not mine or Ben’s.” Mark lifted his trembling hand and combed his fingers through his hair. “I’ve already taken photos of it. I need you to make a cast. Then search for any others like it in the area. I’m treating my backyard like a crime scene. I need to be here when Rebecca hears that Terri Bennett’s body was discovered in the woods. I…” He cleared his throat. “I need you two to work together. Sarah is a profiler for the FBI and has experience in cases involving a serial killer.”

  “Serial killer? We don’t know that yet,” Hunter said so quickly even he was surprised.

  Sarah rose from the glider and put space between them. “He might not be a serial killer, but after talking with Mark about Terri Bennett’s case, there are similarities. I want to review your notes on that case as well as visit the dumpsite. I understand from Mark, Terri wasn’t killed in the woods.” She leaned against the railing, crossing her arms over her chest. A professional façade fell into place.

  Hunter stared at her for a long moment, wishing she would go away. He didn’t want her here or caught up in the case. “I don’t think you should be involved. Alicia is your niece. I need someone who can be impartial.” I need someone who won’t distract me.

  “You’re right. I have a personal stake in this case, but I’m going to investigate with or without you. I told Mark the same thing, and he sees the wisdom in having me help you rather than working on my own.”

  Mark stood. “I’ll let you two hash it out. I need to get back inside.” He turned away, but not before Hunter saw the tears shining in his eyes. His police chief and friend paused at the front door and swiped his hand across his upper cheeks.

  The second Mark disappeared inside, Sarah said, “I intend to find the guy who did this to my family. I’ve already called my boss and told him I need a leave.”

  The determination in her expression emphasized she would do what she wanted no matter what he said. And he couldn’t blame her. In the past, when Sarah made up her mind, it had been almost impossible to change it. Could he put up with her? He had to stop this guy before he murdered again. If the kidnappings happening in Cimarron City were the result of a serial killer, was this his first time to kill people, or had he done this before somewhere else? Sarah’s connection would help with that question and possibly searching for an answer would keep her busy—and away from him.

  “What if she shows up at the church at five?” Hunter rose but kept his distance.

  “Do you really think that will happen?”

  “No.” He’d thought time had erased the pain of Sarah leaving him to tell their guests that there would be no wedding. But as he stared at her, the anger and devastation he’d experienced inundated him. “She could be pulling what you did.”

  “Personally, I hope she is rather than the alternative, but I don’t think so. We’re wasting time. I’d like to see Terri’s apartment and the dumpsite then read all your notes on that case so far. I need to know everything about Terri. See where she and Alicia crossed paths.”

  “Fine.” He really wanted to ask if she shouldn’t stay and be with her family. “But first I need to search the backyard.”

  “I’ll help you.” Sarah shoved away from the railing and walked toward the front door “I’ll tell Mark what we’re doing.”

  “Good. I’m going to check out Alicia’s bedroom then the backyard.” Stay with your family as long as you need. Those words were on the tip of his tongue as he followed her inside.

  Sarah gestured at the hallway. “In case you don’t know, the stairs down to the lower level are that way.” She bridged the distance to the living room that was connected to the dining room and kitchen.

  When Hunter descended the steps to the bottom floor, he tried to push his emotions concerning Sarah back into a box, but it was too late.

  * * *

  Sarah walked into the kitchen where the family all sat around the table. An eerie silence ruled. In her job, she’d dealt with many grieving families. She didn’t know if she coul
d in this situation. The case would test her as none had before.

  She took a seat. “Where exactly was Alicia going last night? Who was she with?”

  “She went out with her girlfriends to celebrate getting married.” With her head down, her sister talked to the table.

  Just like I had fifteen years ago. The similarity struck her and brought a rush of feelings she couldn’t stop. A pressure in her chest expanded, threatening her ability to breathe. She inhaled and exhaled deeply several times, trying to control the panic that suddenly consumed her. “With who and where?”

  Finally, Rebecca lifted her head, a sheen in her eyes. “Talk with Rhonda. She organized it. I’ll get you her address and phone number.” She started to stand and collapsed back onto her chair.

  “Where is it? I’ll get it.” Sarah pushed to her feet at the same time as Mark did.

  “I can.”

  While Mark crossed to the desk to retrieve the information needed, Sarah came around to Rebecca and squatted next to her sister, putting her hand on her arm. “I’ll get to the bottom of this.”

  “I need to do something,” her sister whispered in a hoarse voice.

  “Honey, the best thing we can all do is pray for Alicia’s safe return.” Nana sat catty-cornered from Rebecca.

  “You’re right, Nana, but I want to do something else, too.”

  Sarah straightened. “Then write down what you can of Alicia’s movements this past week. Who she might have seen. Where she went.”

  “So much of it was with Ben.”

  “Then get with Ben, and you both come up with her movements.”

  Rebecca nodded, lowering her head again.

  “I’ll come and help you and Hunter.”

  Her father’s statement hung in the air for a moment before Sarah could come up with a reason he shouldn’t.

  Mark gave Sarah a piece of paper. “Paul, I’d hoped you would stay and help me go through what’s been done on Terri’s case, and see if there’s anything we’ve forgotten.”

  Her dad frowned. “Fine. Whatever you need.”

  Sarah turned to leave, facing her brother-in-law briefly and mouthing the words, “Thank you.”

  Mark nodded. “Keep me updated.”

  She left the kitchen and took the stairs to the bottom level. She needed to throw herself into the investigation. In the back of her mind, she sensed a clock ticking down. At the most, they had no more than ten days to find Alicia alive, if the disposal of Terri’s body was any indication. And that number might be optimistic. She’d known killers who accelerated their timeline, especially the more they murdered.

  When she paused at the entrance into Alicia’s bedroom, Hunter came out of the connecting bathroom. “Is her room always so neat?”

  “Yes. That’s why the rifling through her dresser drawers indicates most likely someone other than Alicia did it.”

  “Or she was scared, in a hurry, and needed to hide.”

  “If someone had been after her and she knew it, she would have let her parents know. When I arrived last night and came to her bedroom, she hadn’t returned home yet, but she knew I was going to be here.”

  “What time did you check on her?”

  “Eleven. I flew in from Tulsa and drove down here.”

  “Where’s Ben? Did she contact him? After all, they were getting married today.”

  His harsh tone sliced through her. She wanted to ignore it, but he was right. She should have called him on their wedding day and told him rather than leave a note. She’d been so distressed, confused, and ashamed. She couldn’t make the call nor see him in person. He would have known something terrible had happened. She’d fled instead.

  “Ben’s checking with friends and his family, meeting with the pastor, and probably driving to every place Alicia liked to frequent to see if she’s been there.”

  “When you and Rebecca went through her room, did you use gloves?”

  “No, but you can take our fingerprints to rule ours out.” She should have, but when she came in, Rebecca was already going through Alicia’s possessions frantically. She’d calmed her older sister then began helping her. Rebecca had been desperate to find some innocent reason that her daughter wasn’t at the house.

  Hunter removed a pair of latex gloves from his pocket. “Use these while we search outside.” He glanced toward the doorway. “Thanks for coming so fast, officers. I need you to take fingerprints, especially on doors and knobs, the dresser, light switch, the bed, and any place a person would touch,” he said to the man and woman in uniform who entered with the kits they used for collecting evidence. “If I find anything outside, I may need you to process that, too. When you’re through in here, take latent prints from the back door inside and out. Then I’ll need you to make a cast of a footprint by the deck and flowerbeds on the left. I’ll mark it.”

  “I can’t believe the chief’s daughter is gone. I’ll cover everywhere that might have a print.” The young woman opened her kit and started on the opposite side of the room from her partner.

  Hunter moved out of the bedroom. “Call Ben and set up a time to meet him this afternoon at the church.”

  “The church? Any particular time?” Sarah didn’t want to meet there, but she thought she understood why Hunter said that place.

  “If Alicia was taken, it’s possible the person might be watching who shows up and their reaction to the news that the wedding has been called off and why. Some people enjoy seeing the pain the family and friends are going through.”

  “And?” Sarah asked, already knowing what Hunter had pointed out about certain criminals.

  “I want to see how Ben reacts to being there at the time the wedding was to take place.”

  The Hunter she’d known hadn’t been so cold and calculating. But then like her, he’d been in law enforcement for many years. Neither of them were the carefree, optimistic people they had been when they were dating. “You think Ben did this on the eve of his wedding?”

  “It’s possible. I need to rule him out if he didn’t. We both know the eve of a wedding doesn’t have any meaning to some people.” His gaze drilled into her.

  And in that moment, she knew he could never forgive her even if she told him she’d been raped that night and too ashamed to face him or anyone else.

  Chapter Three

  The sunlight beat down on Hunter as he painstakingly processed his share of the grid of the police chief’s backyard while Sarah worked hers—thankfully at the rear of the property. He didn’t want to miss any clues, however small, not only because he knew the woman taken, but in his gut, Hunter sensed there would be more deaths unless he could stop the killer. When he thought about Terri Bennett’s apartment, he remembered the untidy drawers, so similar to Alicia’s. Terri had been a sloppy housekeeper, so at the time, it hadn’t stood out. But now, he realized it probably wasn’t Terri who made the mess.

  Something glinted in the grass in front of him. Evidence? He prayed it was. He stooped and examined what had caught his eye. A quarter. Disappointed, he reached for it and dropped it into an evidence bag. It probably wasn’t the assailant’s, and even if it were, the quarter had been handled thousands of times by different people.

  He peered in Sarah’s direction to see where she was in her search. Their gazes clashed. Earlier, he hadn’t meant to make a reference to their wedding day—or rather lack of it. He’d thought he’d worked through his anger at being left at the altar. Obviously, he hadn’t. The rage swelled to the surface when he laid eyes on Sarah. Her long blond hair had been pulled back in a ponytail like she’d worn it as a teenager. He’d loved the feel of it in his hand. He used to remove her colorful hair band and comb his fingers through the strands.

  He wrenched his attention back to the task at hand. She might be an FBI profiler and probably would be an asset to the case, but he didn’t want to work with her. She still had a pull over him. He would not lose his heart to her again. It only took him one time to learn and not make that mistake aga
in.

  He continued walking his grid pattern, trying to keep his full focus on the ground—not Sarah. But his gaze strayed to her. She squatted and picked something up from the ground then dropped the item into an evidence bag.

  “What did you find?”

  “A wad of chewed gum. It can be processed for DNA. I know it’s a longshot, but it’s possible it could be the killer’s. I don’t think it’s been here long.”

  “It might not lead to the assailant, unless he’s in the system, but it could be a piece that helps convict him.”

  Sarah frowned. “Or have nothing to do with Alicia.”

  “Let’s finish up, grab some fast food, and go to the dumpsite then to Terri’s apartment.”

  She released a long breath. “All before we meet with Ben at five.”

  Twenty minutes later, Hunter had completed the rest of his area and waited for Sarah on the deck while Officer Angel Harris made a cast of the footprint at the edge of the flowerbed. As she finished, Sarah joined Hunter.

  “Not much to go on.” Sarah passed him her evidence bag.

  “I’m hoping this footprint will help. From the tread of the boot, it looks like whoever wears it walks on the inside of his shoe. It’s worn down more than the outside of it. We might be able to narrow down the brand name too.”

  “That’ll help if it belongs to the perpetrator. I think they have someone who mows and does yardwork for them. You’ll have to rule him out.”

  “What if he’s the killer? If this print fits that guy, he’ll need an alibi before I rule him out.” Hunter strode down the sidewalk that led to the driveway. “I wish Mark had a dog. It might not have been as easy to come into the house.”

  “The lower level back door had been locked, although the alarm system wasn’t set. Usually the last person home set it. But this morning, that door wasn’t locked, and none of us went out that way.”

  “What fast food place would you like to go to before visiting the dumpsite?”