by Lara Lacombe
Micah shook his head. Finn noticed the gesture. “Something bothering you?” he asked.
“No.” He shrugged. “Well, maybe. I’m just having trouble reconciling Joey’s death with the other Groom Killer victims.”
“Why’s that?” Brayden asked.
“The whole thing feels staged to me. Why did the killer move Joey’s body into the fitting room of Bea’s shop? And since Tucker Frane suddenly reported seeing Demi kill a man near the bridal salon, then was killed that same night, by the same gun, it makes me think whoever did this was trying to tie up loose ends. Otherwise, why leave our first witness, Paulie Gaines, alive?” He ran a hand through his hair. “Maybe it’s possible Tucker was paid to kill Joey, made up the story about Demi, and he was killed in turn to make sure he never revealed the truth.”
The team was silent for a moment as each member considered his theory. “Why leave Bea alive, then?” Shane asked. He glanced in the direction of the break room, the tips of his ears turning pink. “I mean,” he said, lowering his voice. “She’s kind of a witness, too. Why didn’t Tucker just shoot her on his way out the door?”
That was the million-dollar question, the mystery that had kept Micah up late the past few nights. “From what we know about him, Tucker didn’t seem to be the type of guy who improvised well. It’s possible he saw her and panicked, and since he didn’t have explicit instructions as to what to do, he hit her and fled.”
“Most people shoot first and ask questions later,” Shane pointed out.
“True,” Micah acknowledged. “But if Tucker really was Joey’s killer, he was paid to do it. He’s not—or at least he wasn’t—a killer by nature, so I don’t think his first instinct would have been to kill someone else.”
Carson shook his head. “I’m not buying it. Joey’s murder fits with the Groom Killer’s MO perfectly—shot through the heart, cummerbund stuffed in his mouth. We haven’t released all those details to the public, so the only way someone could have made his death fit that pattern is if they killed the other victims, as well. That makes me think Joey is a true Groom Killer victim, not a staged murder.”
There was a murmur of agreement from about half the team. But as Micah glanced around, he saw skepticism on the faces of several other officers.
“We still need to keep an open mind,” Finn said. “It’s worth looking at the Larson twins, even if we only wind up ruling them out as suspects.”
“When will the autopsy results on Frane come in?” Micah asked. “If he did kill Joey, there should be gunshot residue on his hands.”
“Soon, I hope,” Finn said. When Micah merely raised one eyebrow, Finn sighed. “I suppose you want me to call and light a fire under the coroner?”
“That’d be great, chief,” he said, slapping the man on the back. “Thanks!”
Finn rolled his eyes and let out a long-suffering sigh. “You’d better hope he’s in a good mood. I don’t need an ass-chewing today.”
“He likes you,” Micah said with a smile. Finn shook his head. “Well, he likes you better than he likes me,” Micah amended.
“I’ll let you know what I hear,” Finn said. “In the meantime, everyone, try to do a little digging into the Larson twins with an eye to seeing if they have any connections to our previous victims or witnesses.”
There were nods all around as the group dispersed, leaving Micah and Brayden alone once again. “What do you think?” Micah asked, careful to keep his voice low.
Brayden shrugged. “It’s definitely plausible,” he said. “And it fits with the time line. Demi can’t be in two places at once, and since that FBI agent is positive he saw her in Walker’s Creek around the time of Joey’s murder, she can’t be his killer.”
Micah nodded his agreement. “I think you’re right.”
Gratitude flashed in Brayden’s eyes. Not for the first time, Micah considered how difficult this case must be for his friend. “So, what do we do now?” Brayden asked.
“I’m going to take a drive out to Joey’s house. His fiancée couldn’t think of anyone who had trouble with him, but his neighbors may have seen a different side of things. It would be good to know if Joey had any drama at home he was keeping from Angelina.”
Brayden nodded. “I’ll keep digging into Frane’s past, see if I can find a connection between him and the Larsons.”
“Perfect. Call me if you need me.”
“Likewise.”
Micah walked back to the break room to find Bea making a list. “Doing okay?”
She glanced up with an absent smile. “Yeah. Just keeping myself busy while you work.”
“What are you working on?” It was a nosy question, but he was curious to know what was occupying her thoughts.
She sighed. “Brainstorming, mostly. Trying to come up with ideas to keep my business afloat until you guys catch the Groom Killer.”
A pang of sympathy made his heart flip-flop. “Any luck?”
Her shrug was answer enough. “Nothing that won’t cost money in the short term. And that’s kind of the problem. I don’t exactly have a pile of cash lying around.”
Micah wished he could help her, but he wasn’t exactly flush himself. Still, he did have a little bit saved... “I’ll give you what I have,” he offered. He knew Bea wouldn’t waste the funds or spend them on frivolous things. And if his modest nest egg was enough to keep her business afloat, he’d consider it money well spent.
“No,” she said immediately. She shook her head to punctuate her response. “I love you for offering, but I can’t do that.”
His heart thumped at her use of the word love, even though she’d meant it in a casual way. “I admire your independence,” he said with a smile. “Just know that my offer stands. If things take a turn, say the word and the money is yours.”
Her eyes softened as she stared up at him. “Thank you,” she said quietly. “It means a lot to know you’d trust me, and that you believe in me enough to do that.”
“Of course.” He leaned down, wanting to kiss her. Then he remembered where he was and drew up short. “Uh...” He cleared his throat. “Want to take a field trip with me?”
Bea gave him a knowing smile. “Sounds good,” she said, grabbing her bag as she stood. “Where are we going?”
“Joey McBurn’s house. I want to talk to his neighbors, see if they noticed anything unusual about the activity at his house. They were interviewed soon after the crime, but sometimes people remember things after a few days have passed.”
“And you’re letting me come with you?” She sounded surprised but happy.
“Yeah. I could use the company.” It wasn’t standard procedure to take a civilian along during a neighborhood canvass, but Micah didn’t want to be away from her. Now that they had cleared the air between them, he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. And he was still her bodyguard, regardless of this new turn in their personal relationship. Besides, having a woman with him might make people more willing to talk to him.
At this point, he’d take whatever advantage he could get.
Chapter 13
Joey McBurn had lived in an older neighborhood on the outskirts of Red Ridge. Bea eyed the houses as they drove by—they were on the small side, but most had tidy front yards.
It was easy to spot Joey’s house; the grass was longer compared to the neighbors on either side, and a pile of uncollected newspapers sat in the yard. Even though Joey had only been dead a few days, the home had taken on an air of neglect. Bea shook her head as she climbed out of the SUV. “What a shame,” she muttered.
She rounded the vehicle to find Micah attending to Chunk. The dog waited patiently while Micah wrapped him in a dark blue vest sporting the word POLICE in large white letters.
“I didn’t know he had a uniform,” Bea said.
“Oh, yeah,” Micah responded. “It’s important to
make sure people know he’s an officer and not just a pet. Helps cut down on misunderstandings, especially in a place like this, where other dogs might be around.”
He clipped the leash to Chunk’s harness and helped him out of the backseat. As soon as his paws hit the pavement, Chunk dropped his nose to the ground and began to sniff vigorously.
Micah tried to walk toward the closest neighbor’s house, but Chunk tugged against his leash. Bea frowned; the dog was normally easygoing and well-behaved. It wasn’t like him to resist a signal from Micah.
Micah noticed it, too. “What is it, boy?” Chunk pulled again, his nose still glued to the ground.
“Has he found something?” Bea asked, half afraid of what Micah would say. She remembered their earlier conversation, when he’d told her Chunk’s specialty was cadaver detection.
“Possibly. No one thought to bring a dog out here during the first search of the house.” He gave Chunk some slack on the leash, and the dog sniffed his way across the grass, headed for the gate that led to the backyard.
Micah opened the gate and Chunk darted inside. Bea followed behind them, a little worried at what they might find.
She let out her breath in a sigh of relief when she saw unbroken lawn in the back of the house. Everything looked normal to her eyes, but Chunk walked directly over to a patch of grass in the middle of the yard and sat. He glanced up at Micah expectantly, letting out a low woof.
Micah frowned as he studied the grass. “You sure?”
Chunk snorted, as if he was offended by the question. “Okay, buddy. You know I had to check.” Micah began to circle around the spot, studying it closely. He stopped, crouching down with a nod. “I’ll be damned,” he muttered.
“What?” Bea asked.
“This is a new patch of grass,” he said, not bothering to look up. “It looks like this whole section here—” he gestured with his arm “—is new.”
“How can you tell?” She moved closer, trying to see what he saw.
Micah pointed to a spot. “The seam is there. It’s barely visible, but it’s there. And if you look closely, this section is just a little shorter than the rest of the yard.”
It took her a second, but finally Bea saw the signs. “Oh.” If Chunk hadn’t led them to it, she never would have noticed the difference. Micah probably wouldn’t have, either.
“Good job, Chunk.” He pulled a treat from his pocket and gave it to his partner, then said, “Relax.”
The dog’s posture immediately changed, the tension leaving his muscles as he enjoyed his treat. Micah pulled his phone from his pocket.
“I thought he only detected blood?” Bea asked.
“He does,” Micah replied absently, punching numbers on his phone.
“I don’t see any here.”
“That’s because it’s not here.” Micah held the phone to his ear. “It’s buried.” Someone picked up on the other end of the line and Micah began talking, issuing a rapid stream of instructions and requests.
Bea knelt next to Chunk and scratched behind his ears. He closed his eyes in pleasure, his tail thumping against the grass. “I suppose congratulations are in order?” Chunk didn’t respond, but when she stopped petting him, he nosed her hand in a silent request for more.
After a few minutes, Micah wrapped up his call. He squatted next to them, his gaze still on the patch of grass. “What happens now?” Bea asked.
“We wait.”
* * *
It didn’t take long for the forensics team from the county office to arrive, and soon the small yard was filled with people. Bea wandered off to sit on the porch steps, Chunk by her side. Micah wished he could talk to her, but there simply wasn’t time.
The ground-penetrating radar showed signs of something buried under the grass. “Looks like at least one, maybe two bodies,” the tech confirmed, his tone grim. “We’ll start digging, see what we find.”
They put up a portable awning to shield the spot from view, so anyone looking into the backyard from above—like the next-door neighbors, whose faces were already pressed against the glass of their second-story window—wouldn’t be able to see anything. Then the team began to dig, carefully moving the grass and dirt, checking for any signs of evidence as they worked.
Brayden showed up just as the process got started. “How come you get all the excitement? I thought you were just coming out here to talk to people.”
“So did I,” Micah said, shaking his head. “You can blame Chunk for this one. If it hadn’t been for his insistence, we never would have come into the backyard.”
The pair watched the team work in silence for a few minutes. “You think it’s human remains? Maybe he buried a dog not too long ago.”
Micah cast him a sidelong glance. “You know Chunk only alerts for human blood.”
“Yeah. I guess I’m just holding out hope. We’ve already had two murders in the past week alone. Any more and I’m going to feel downright unsafe.” He grinned, but his point wasn’t lost on Micah. The town of Red Ridge was already on edge thanks to the Groom Killer. If many more bodies turned up, people might start to panic.
“Want to do me a favor?”
“Sure,” Brayden replied easily.
Micah nodded at the house next door. “They have a pretty good vantage point of this yard from that second-floor window. Care to knock on their door and see if they’ve noticed anything going on lately?”
“You think they’re home?”
“Yeah. They were watching the show earlier. I’m surprised they haven’t come over to try to catch a better glimpse of things. They’re probably dying to know what’s happening back here.”
Brayden gave him a knowing smile. “I’ll be happy to fill them in.”
“Use your judgment,” Micah said as his friend walked away. He knew Brayden wouldn’t tell the neighbors anything to jeopardize the investigation. But sometimes you had to give a little to get people to talk. If Brayden told them just enough to satisfy their curiosity, he might get a windfall of information in return.
Micah hoped so, anyway.
Just as Brayden left the yard, one of the techs stopped. “Officer? We’ve got something here.”
Micah walked over to the edge of the dig site and crouched down, peering into the dirt. A hand had been exposed, ghostly white against the dark brown of the earth.
“There’s one on this side, too,” called the other man.
Micah walked around the perimeter of the site to see a torso had been uncovered, still clothed in a plaid flannel shirt. He nodded, grimly satisfied by their discoveries. “So, two bodies, then. Any signs of more?”
“Not right now,” replied the first tech. “It’s possible there are more, but the radar is usually pretty accurate.”
“How long until you’ll have them out?”
“Not long,” the tech said. “We’ll move a little slower now, but the dirt is nice and loose, and these bodies still look fairly fresh. Shouldn’t take more than a half hour or so.”
“Thanks,” Micah said. “I’ll leave you to it. Let me know when you’ve got their faces exposed, yeah?”
The two men nodded and Micah reached for his phone again. Finn had asked for updates as soon as he knew anything, and this was definitely information worth passing along.
“We’ve got at least two, chief,” he confirmed.
Finn swore softly. “Any signs of trauma?”
“Not yet,” Micah said. “But the team said it won’t take long to fully exhume the bodies.”
“This is definitely not the Groom Killer’s style.”
“I agree,” Micah said. “I think we have to assume this is the work of someone else.”
“Wonderful.” Finn’s voice practically dripped with sarcasm. “That means we now have at least two killers at large in Red Ridge.”
“I’m afraid
so,” Micah said.
“Why Joey’s backyard?” The chief’s tone was thoughtful. “Do you think he killed them? Or is this just a strange coincidence?”
“I don’t know,” Micah admitted. “As soon as we can identify the bodies, I’ll start looking for any connections to Joey. But my gut instinct is to say he didn’t kill them. I don’t think they’ve been in the ground that long—it’s quite possible they were killed after Joey’s murder and dumped here because this is the last place anyone would look for them. Not many people would think to explore a dead man’s backyard, and it looked like whoever did this took pains to try to blend in the dump site with the rest of the yard.”
“So this probably wasn’t meant to send a message.”
“No.” If the killer had wanted the bodies to be found, they wouldn’t have gone to the trouble to camouflage the burial location. “I think these people were meant to disappear without a trace.”
“If that’s the case, maybe we’ll get lucky on the evidence front. If the murderer thought his victims would never be discovered, perhaps they got a little sloppy and left something behind for us.”
“I’ve got my fingers crossed,” Micah said.
“Keep me posted,” Finn said. He ended the call and Micah stuck his phone back into his pocket.
Bea and Chunk were still sitting on the steps of the back porch. He wandered over and sat next to her, offering what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “How are you doing?”
Her hazel eyes were wide as she watched the team work. “I’m okay,” she said. “I just never expected anything like this to happen. When you said we were going to talk to the neighbors, I figured that was that. I had no idea Chunk would...” She trailed off, swallowing hard. “Uh, find something.”
“Me, neither,” he confirmed. “Usually, I give him a signal to start searching. But I guess the smell was so strong, he couldn’t ignore it.”
Bea glanced over at the dog, who was placidly watching the activity in the yard. “He’s really impressive. And the way he told you he’d found something—I thought he’d start barking or digging at the ground. But he just sat down with a quiet woof.”