The Cave

by Amanda McKinney

  “Yeah.”

  She nodded. “Okay, but you’re coming to my neck of the woods this time.”

  “As you wish.”

  They stepped to the bridge and crossed together with the same intimacy as the night before, but this time, she let her fingers linger on his muscular back before gripping the back of his T-shirt, and to her shock, forgot to have a panic attack.

  They walked the short distance to the camper in comfortable small talk, and Sadie couldn’t remember the last time she’d enjoyed a man’s company so much. Maybe, in the most ironic twist of all ironic twists, the fact that he’d already seen her at her worst gave them a comfort level that usually took months, if not years, to obtain. He’d been there for her—multiple times—already. And she wanted to prove to him that she could be there for him, too.

  “Welcome,” she said as they walked up to her camper. “To my humble abode.”

  “Wow what a beaut,” he said as they stepped inside.

  “Not bad, huh? The lab just got it this year.”

  “Nice. And yeah, a heck of a lot better than the back seat of my extended cab.”

  “Now you’re just rubbing it in.” Sadie pulled her laptop from the counter, sank into the small couch and powered it up. She clicked on her email as Owen tinkered with some bells and whistles she didn’t even know were there.

  Loading, loading, loading…

  With each new email she was reminded how much work she had to do and how behind she was.

  “Ah. Okay, here’s an email from Dr. Perez.” Owen walked over as she scanned the message. “Damn, it just tells me to call him. Geez, okay. Grab the SAT phone from my bag, will you?”

  Owen tossed her the phone and began pacing. Sadie dialed the number.

  “Perez here.”

  “Hey, it’s Sadie.”

  “Sadie, hey, how’s the dig going?”

  “Found a part of a finger this morning, but that’s it. Got your email asking me to call. Have you been able to analyze the teeth yet?”

  “I have, and I’ve got your results.”

  “Wow, great. Give it to me.”

  “The teeth on the skull match the dental records of Ray Grayson, the records you sent over this morning.”

  Her eyes shot to Owen, and she nodded—it’s him.

  “Okay, thank you so much Dr.—”

  “But there’s something else…”

  Perez’s tone had her back straightening.

  The doctor continued, “There were a few loose teeth you provided as well.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Four to be exact. So, three matched the skull, as well as Ray’s records.”

  “Three?”

  “That’s right. The fourth tooth is a left, second premolar. Both of Ray’s were still attached. So, I scanned the tooth and ran it through the system, with no hits. Then, just for giggles, I ran a quick check to see if any of our cold case files within a thirty-mile radius of Crypts Cavern noted missing a left, second premolar—not expecting much. And bingo.”

  “Bingo?”

  “Case number 7370. The woman that was found dumped in Otter Lake a few months ago. Her body was found fully intact, only missing a left, second premolar—”

  “Yes, I know the case well. The tooth is missing from a presumed blow to the head, based on the fractured maxilla…” Her voice trailed off as she stared at Owen, who was laser-focused on her.

  “Exactly. Thought that would interest you.”

  “It does, yes, very much. Thank you, Dr. Perez.”

  “Not a problem. You made my job a lot easier by sending over those dental records, so really, I should thank you.”

  “No problem. Let me know if you find anything else.”

  “Will do.”

  Sadie clicked off the phone. “I’m so sorry, Owen.”

  He nodded and ran his fingers through his hair. “Thanks. I should be surprised but I’m not. I always knew it didn’t add up. I knew it was him, in my gut.” He began pacing. “You’ve still got to officially report that you believe it was a homicide, right?”

  “Yes. And I can’t do that until I get back to the lab. Will be a few days.”

  He stopped, turned to her, his eyes as cold as steel. “But you are certain, Sadie, aren’t you? I could see it in your eyes when you said it. You’re certain, aren’t you? You’re certain my uncle was murdered.”

  She slowly inhaled and nodded.

  He nodded, his thoughts running overtime. He didn’t tear up, didn’t need a second to gather himself. No, Owen was not the type of man to wallow in misery. Owen was a man of action.

  “Okay... this changes everything, then. We’ve got to reopen the case.”

  She lightly grabbed his arm. “There’s something else… There was another bone found mixed with your uncle’s.”

  “What? From someone else? Someone else’s bone?”

  “Yes. A tooth.”

  “Who?”

  “Well, we don’t know. But what we do know is the bone is possibly—very possibly—linked to a cold case that I’ve been working on.”

  “A homicide.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Tell me everything.”

  She grabbed her computer as Owen slid next to her.

  Her fingers flew over the keyboard. “Dr. Perez linked the tooth found with your uncle to cold case 7370. Ah, here it is.” She clicked open the file. “7370—this case number was assigned to a body found buried in a shallow grave next to Otter Lake five months ago.”

  “Five months ago?”

  “Yes.”

  “Two months after my uncle went missing, or was killed, I guess.”

  “Exactly, and the ME estimated she’d been deceased around two months. The body was in pretty bad shape when it was found, decomposed. Completely unrecognizable. I analyzed the bones personally and determined the body belonged to a Caucasian woman, mid-forties. Long story short, an identity was never discovered, and the case went cold.”

  “My uncle was forty-three.” Owen pushed off the couch and began pacing, again. “Is that all you know about her?”

  “Other than her stature and height, yes, that’s all I could tell. No dental records to compare, and no fillings or implants or anything like that to trace. I’ve got her on a list to analyze her isotopes, but that takes a lot of time, and there’s kinks—”

  “Isotopes?”

  She waved her hand in the air. “Not now. Anyway, she had a fracture on her skull just above the missing tooth that suggests foul play.”

  “Whoever killed my uncle killed her, too. In Crypts Cavern.”

  “It’s possible, Owen.”

  A moment slid by. “Wait… did they send the case file to you to review?”

  “Who?”

  “The police. This would have been before I started on the force.”

  Her eyes popped. “Yes, they did. Oh my God, good thinking.” She clicked through a few more files. “Here it is.” Owen hovered over her. “Blah, blah, blah. No one reported missing. No trace evidence at scene, of course… oh… wait….”

  “What?”

  “Apparently someone called in an anonymous tip that Lieutenant Colson noted may, or may not be related. Said they’d seen a woman hitchhiking and sleeping in various places all over town.”

  “A homeless woman.”

  “That’s what this person said. And it might make sense considering no one has come forward with any information. Especially in a small town like this. If one of their own went missing, they’d be all over it. Anyway, the reports say that woman was last seen down county road 3228…”

  “They interviewed someone about it.” Owen leaned in. “Holy shit.”

  “What?”

  “Katrina Silva.”

  “Who’s Katrina Silva?”

  “That’s Ray’s ex-girlfriend.”

  Chapter 17

  “Ray’s ex-girlfriend?”

  “Yep.”

  “How long ago?”

  �
��A few years… before she re-married.”

  “Do you know her?” Sadie climbed into the front seat of Owen’s truck. Owen jogged around, slid behind the steering wheel and started the engine.

  “Kat. Everyone around town calls her Kat. Fitting, really.”

  Sadie noticed a hint of disdain as he said her name. “Fitting, how so?”

  “Kat’s just…” Rocks spun from his tires as he backed up. “She’s one of those women, ya know? Sneaky. Been married three times and dated every man with a pulse and savings account in town. She’s the type of girl to underhand you in a game of pool. Cheat her way through life with a wink, smile, and fake boobs like a pair of bowling balls…”

  “And Ray and her dated?”

  “Yeah, not for very long.” He turned onto the narrow dirt road that led them out of no man’s land. “Shocked me, to be honest. She’s the absolute opposite of his type.”

  “What’s his type?”

  “Earthy, hippie, kind soul. Not a whiskey guzzling gold digger who had a throat as wide as the Mississippi.”

  Sadie cocked an eyebrow. “You speaking from experience, hot rod?”

  “Uh, no. I’ve heard the stories. Trust me, you hang around town long enough, you will, too.” He paused, then glanced at her with a grin tugging at his lips. “Hot rod. I like it.”

  “Well, I’m happy to know that the top of your checklist isn’t bowling-ball-boobs and a wide throat.”

  A full grin now. “Nope. I like my women independent and au naturale. Someone who enjoys getting their hands on big bones is a bonus.”

  She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Subtle, Owen.”

  He winked. “Witty sexual innuendos are one of my main talents.”

  “Impressive.” Sadie shook her head and returned to the subject. “Okay, so Ray dated Bowling Ball Throat, then what happened?”

  “The expected. After the lust wore off, he said he couldn’t stand her, and they never spoke again.”

  “So he was just in it for the sex?”

  Owen shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “So, let’s lay this thing out. A teenage boy, Brian Russell, finds a human skeleton in Crypts Cavern, calls it in—”

  “And winds up dead.”

  “Ah, you’re finally admitting it. Good. So there is no question it’s related. That whoever killed him didn’t want him going back into that cave.”

  Owen cut her a glance. “Which is why I want you guys out of there as soon as possible. Which is why I stayed the night last night.”

  “Why didn’t you just come clean when we talked about it? I told you I heard the conversation between you and Crawly.”

  “You didn’t need to know all the facts.”

  “Well, between your uncle and my cold case, we’re in this thing together now, Rod, so you better start being open with me.”

  “Rod sounds like someone with a handlebar mustache, playing pool at two in the afternoon in some hole-in-the-wall bar with a box of cigarettes rolled up in the sleeve of his discount Hanes undershirt that he thinks passes as a traditional T-shirt.”

  “You missed the plastic rebel flag wallet chained to his belt loop.”

  “Nice. Anyway, it’s not Rod. It’s Hot Rod.”

  “It’ll be Rod as long as you keep shit from me, okay?”

  “I didn’t keep shit from you, just didn’t openly tell you the facts.”

  “Semantics. Anyway, so the kid who finds your uncle gets shot, then we find a rogue tooth mixed in with your uncle’s body. The tooth belongs to an unidentified homeless woman who was last seen walking down the only dirt road that leads to big-throated Kat Silva’s house, who happens to be the former girlfriend of your uncle.”

  “Exactly. And we know all the same things now, Sadie. I won’t keep from you; you won’t keep from me. Got it? My family’s involved now. This is serious.”

  “All my cases are serious to me.” She held up her pinky, and as he wrapped his around hers, he kissed the top of her hand. Warmth spread over her body. He smiled, winked, and released her pinky leaving her feeling like a little girl who wanted just one more lick from the lollipop.

  Sprinkles dotted the windshield as she peered out the window at the manicured pastures and freshly painted wooden fence line. “Are you sure Kat’s not going to mind us just dropping in like this?”

  “Well, it’s official police business, isn’t it? She’ll just have to get over the inconvenience.”

  “All this land is hers?”

  “Yep.”

  “Kat’s got a lot of money. It costs a lot to keep land up and running like this.”

  “You have a lot of land?”

  She snorted. “About eight hundred square feet.”

  “An investment property?” He asked sarcastically.

  “An apartment. No, no land, but it’s not a stretch to imagine… and look, horses.” Sadie counted ten horses grazing in the field.

  They came to a large iron mailbox at the end of a freshly paved driveway that led to a large, colonial style mansion.

  “Hope the new husband made her sign a prenup,” Owen muttered as he rolled to a stop next to the curved front steps. He turned off the engine. “Here goes the first step in finding out what really happened to my uncle.”

  They pushed out of the truck, scaled the steps and rang the doorbell. A moment slid by before a woman in a fifties-era maid uniform opened the massive wooden door.

  “Hello, there. How may I help y’all.”

  “Hi, I’m Officer Owen Grayson with the BSPD, and this is Dr. Sadie Hart. I was hoping to speak with Katrina, if she’s here?”

  The maid’s polite smile faded to concern. “Um, just a moment, let me see if she’s available. Please… come in.”

  Owen and Sadie stepped inside as the maid scurried off.

  Sadie let out a low whistle as she looked around the massive marble foyer. A double staircase flanked the sides, leading up to a second floor just below the biggest chandelier she’d ever seen. “Maybe I should do some throat stretches.”

  “I can help with that,” he smirked.

  “Mrs. Silva will be down in just a minute. Let me show you to the sunroom.”

  As the maid led them through the house, Sadie whispered, “If she’s married, she didn’t change her name.”

  “Never has.” Owen whispered back. “Probably didn’t want to deal with all the paperwork when the marriage fell through.”

  Sadie laughed.

  “Can I get you some tea?”

  “No, thank you.” They replied in unison.

  “Okay, please have a seat. Mrs. Silva will be right down.”

  Sadie sat on the edge of a Victorian-style antique couch as Owen remained standing next to sweeping windows that overlooked the fields. The mint and cream colored room had a dated, antique feel with multiple ticking grandfather clocks, a mismatch of old paintings, and hundreds of knickknacks covering the surfaces.

  “Well, well, well…”

  Sadie turned toward a sugary-sweet voice at the doorway.

  “When I woke up this morning, I sure as hell didn’t expect one of BSPD’s finest to grace me with his presence this afternoon.”

  Katrina—Kat—sauntered into the room, sparkling with platinum blonde hair and a starched white jumpsuit that glowed against faux tanned skin. Fire-engine red lips curled behind a puff of smoke streaming from the Marlboro hanging out of her mouth.

  True to her nickname, the blonde’s eyes skimmed Owen like a Kat about to pounce on her prey. Then, she cast a quick once-over to Sadie before returning to her interest. The woman knew who she had power over—men.

  “To what do I owe this pleasure?” Kat exhaled a steady stream of smoke into the room and flicked the cigarette against a gold ashtray.

  Kat remained standing with Owen, making Sadie feel like a little kid that had been cast aside on the couch. On purpose? No doubt in hell.

  “Mrs. Silva, my name is Owen Grayson, and this is Dr. Sadie Hart—”

  A perfectly
-pointy eyebrow raised. “Doctor?”

  Sadie stood and released a what-the-hell snort, earning her a lightning-quick stop-it glance from Owen.

  Owen continued, “We’re here to speak with you about the woman who was found trespassing on your land seven months ago. Do you remember this?”

  Kat took a long drag from her cigarette. “I do. She’d been hanging out on our land for a few days. I’d catch her petting the horses from time to time. Fired a few warning shots into the air one night…” she batted her long, black eyelashes. “But that’s not illegal is it?”

  Her question was met with silence.

  She smiled, laughed, the faint smell of whiskey on her breath. Something was off with that woman, and it wasn’t just her left breast, which was considerably larger than her right. “It bothered me, but it wasn’t until the day she was screaming like a maniac that I called the cops.”

  “Screaming?” Owen looked at Sadie, and she gave a subtle shake of her head—this wasn’t in the file.

  “Yeah, damn lunatic. I grabbed my gun and went out on the front porch, told her to get out. Crazy bitch kept running toward the house, so,” she flippantly raised her eyebrows. “I pointed my gun at her and told her I’d shoot. That stopped her in her tracks.”

  “What was she screaming?”

  “She was hysterical. Couldn’t make out a word. Well, something about calling the cops. Oh, and she kept screaming something about a flag.”

  “A flag?”

  “Yep. A flag.”

  “What kind of flag?”

  “That I don’t know. Anyway, that was it. Once I told her I was going to shoot her ass, she started backing away. I went back into the house, and when I looked out the window a minute later, she was gone. Never saw her again.”

  Sadie glanced at Owen.

  “Did you recognize her?” He asked.

  “Nope.”

  “Did you say anything to her other than telling her to get away?”

  “Hell no. I’m not in the habit of conversing with homeless people.”

  “Not without your shotgun, huh?” Sadie asked, not bothering to hide the attitude in her voice.

  “That’s right,” Kat sneered back.

  Owen took a step forward to defuse the heating tension between two women that were as different as oil and water. Well, cheap whiskey and boxed wine.