Harry picked up on that. “Any jealousy there? Did anyone see this departure from the Reservation as a slap in another girl’s face?”
“Perhaps. But what kind of person would take that to extremes and kill her for it? I believe she was murdered as the direct result of a sexual assault. I always have believed that, even though Quade didn’t tell me much at the time it happened. Ever since, he’s been cautious about what he says, what he tells us, if anything at all. How can my own son be so closed mouth about something that happened to his sister? Doesn’t family deserve to know the truth?”
“It’s too personal for him to talk about,” Skye offered. “He’s unable to fully process the horrors of what his own sister had to go through. And he’s not exactly a touchy-feely, sharing kind of guy.”
“He used to be,” Wren explained. “Oh, I don’t mean he shared his feelings easily or teared up at heartfelt TV commercials or anything like that. But now he’s completely reserved, edgy all the time, always on guard as if he doesn’t trust his neighbors.”
“Speaking from a cop’s point of view,” Harry began. “I feel the guy’s pain and I haven’t even sat down with him yet. These type cases are hard enough when it happens, but when it’s a member of your own family, that makes it harder to compartmentalize. Sounds like Quade has learned that the hard way. From my experience, any case that becomes personal to a cop is tantamount to throwing down a challenge.”
“He admitted that last night,” Josh added. “Quade wants this guy, wants to be the one who takes him down.”
Wren chewed the inside of her jaw. “Which brings me back to my original question? Are you certain Quade has given you his full support?”
“As much as he can,” Josh answered. “We sort of thrust ourselves into the mix without giving him much of an option. Short of arresting us, we’re not going anywhere until we find out who’s doing this.”
“Good. You’ll need that kind of attitude when he bristles. And trust me, he will.”
Skye had been studying Wren, wondering how far the woman would go to give them her full support. “It would be nice to have full access to the Reservation. And it would be even better if we had your son’s full cooperation all of the time rather than guess whether or not he’ll block us at any given moment.”
“I’ve just acknowledged how stubborn Quade is. Takes after his father,” Wren clarified with a smile. “You let me worry about my son. Tonight, I’ll sit down with the Tribal Council and let them know why you’re here. Their voice will trickle down to the Police Chief which will make its way to Quade’s desk through the chain of command.”
Skye let out a deep breath and let her shoulders relax. “That would be a huge relief. To all of us. We’re not here to step on toes.”
“Oh, but you will. If you do your job right, you’ll stir up all kinds of painful memories for everyone. But it needs to be done. I want to know what happened to Sara. I want to know who took her. I want to know details. I want to know if I’ve been looking into his eyes all this time and rubbing shoulders with him for ten long years without knowing it. It’s time to holler from the rafters and shake this place up. It’s time I had my Sara back home where she belongs. If not now, then when? The opportunities for solving her case are evaporating by the day. And I’m fed up with waiting. Fed up with getting stonewalled.”
Nine
“Rosa’s death is not part of the series,” Quade screamed at Josh standing just outside the doorway of the County morgue. The two had been butting heads since Quade emerged from the postmortem. “Rosa’s body was found, discarded like trash. That most certainly differs from the others. Someone else must’ve killed Rosa.”
“No, that’s what this guy wants you to think,” Josh shouted back. “Your premise is all wrong. Don’t fall for it, Quade. Think about it. What’s the likelihood that you have another killer out there targeting the same age group as our guy? Two killers in this small geographic area kidnapping and murdering little girls? Use common sense here. You have what, seventy thousand people living here? And you’re trying to convince me you have two murderers with the exact same victim type. I’m not buying it, Quade and you shouldn’t either. Rosa Andreas is part of this. She was killed because the lowlife wanted to send a message.”
Quade whirled with every intent of getting in Josh’s face. He started to spew his own take on Rosa’s death again and then stopped, his mouth left open. He took a step back and scrubbed his hands over his face. For the longest time he said nothing, just left his hands resting on his hips to glare at Josh.
Josh took the opportunity to make his case. “You’re dealing with a cunning individual. To him, this is a chess match and up to now he’s been crowned the winner every time. Someone got into our cabin last night. Yeah. Just walked right in the front door. Who does that around here? Has the lodge had problems in the past with that type of complaint? Break-ins? If not, if this is something that happened now, ask yourself why. Why our cabin? To prove to us he could. To prove he’s in charge and nobody else. To show us he’s not scared of getting caught. But who tipped him off, Quade? Word got out we were coming. Barb Smith knew Memorial Day. Two days later he abducts Rosa. Somebody had to mention in passing that we were breezing into town to take on the case.”
The sun came out from behind a cloud and Quade had to squint to see Josh’s face. “My police chief is beginning to think I’m an idiot. And you know what? I’m starting to think he’s right. If I follow my training every textbook says killers don’t change their MOs. Why would this guy change now? He’s gotten away with systemic murder for a decade. Why leave a victim in plain sight now?”
“Well, she wasn’t exactly left in plain sight, now was she? It took three days to find her. Getting dumped in the water though washed away whatever DNA was on her body. I wouldn’t exactly say he left a trail behind for us to follow. How was Rosa killed?”
“Strangled. Used a ligature, some type of jute rope. Do you think that means he killed the others the same violent way?”
Josh knew Quade was thinking about his sister and played it safe. “Probably. Does that mean you’re considering that this is the same guy?”
“Yeah. What you said makes a lot of sense. Although I need to make sure. I can’t simply assume it’s the same guy and not check out the people in Rosa’s life who were close to her.”
Josh slapped him on the back. “You’re the cop. Get whatever questions you need answered from Rosa’s family and friends and teachers, then meet us for dinner tonight at the Staghorn Grill. At this point, does anyone around Rosa’s inner circle raise a red flag?”
“Not yet. She left home around five-thirty to go to a friend’s house. She never got there. The parents were with the younger sister at Wal-Mart on a grocery store run, time verified by CCTV at checkout. When they arrived home, Janie Andreas started supper, expecting Rosa to come home in time for dinner. When she didn’t, Janie checked with the little friend, who confirmed Rosa never showed up. By this time, it was dark out. You know the rest, the routine. Tanoose has been going through the list of male relatives, and so far, everyone checks out with an alibi for the time she went missing. Same with school employees, including the janitor and several delivery guys.”
“That’s fast work.”
“I asked for help from the Sheriff’s Department. I sent deputies out as soon as twelve hours had passed to talk to the family. I didn’t want another Sara. And yet, here I am, once again, looking at a girl who’d barely left middle school behind and was about to start her summer vacation.”
“Did the coroner find out if she was sexually assaulted yet?”
“She was. Bruises all up and down her thighs. And likely the reason he got rid of her in the Slough.”
“Did the water wash away all the DNA?”
“Looks like.” Quade huffed out a breath. “I’ll try to make it by for dinner. But don’t count on me being there. This bastard isn’t doing this to another girl…”
“It’s okay. W
e’ll likely be there for hours so we’ll save you a seat anyway. And if you get tied up, you can always drop in for a drink later.”
Josh watched the detective get into his patrol car and drive off.
Harry had been listening from a few feet away, taking in the exchange. He sauntered up to stand next to Josh. “I’d hate to be in his shoes. I could feel him cracking under the pressure from where I was standing.”
“Ten years is a long time to deal with this. We’ve been here less than twenty-four hours and it’s already getting to us. Imagine how the community feels.”
As the day progressed, they discovered a lot of people were fed up with waiting for answers.
While Josh had cornered Quade at the coroner’s office, Skye and Judy met with Farrow Sandoval’s father as well as Gabby Knight’s. They talked to the mothers of Julia Newburn, Sonja Lake and Lily Redfern. Kamena McToyler’s older brother, now in his twenties, stopped by to check on updates. And Katie Acoma’s aunt had shown up. Thanks to Barb Smith, Laurel’s mom had organized a meeting with as many parents and family members as she could locate on short notice.
Skye had listened to the same set of circumstances over and over again. Their girls had all left their homes to get to art classes or babysitting jobs or to duck out to the store on some errand. One had even been rock hunting, her parents within screaming distance. Whether it was summer or winter, these girls weren’t out wandering the streets at night. Hell, they didn’t even have a habit of staying out past curfew.
They weren’t on some super-secret mission to fool their parents. They’d been doing ordinary things. Someone had intervened and prevented them from ever making it back home.
Staring at their photographs, pictures the families had brought with them, Skye studied diminutive Nina Blackbird in pigtails and Katie Acoma in a ponytail. She had to admit the girls were all similar in looks—coal-black hair, brown eyes, most were less than five feet in height. The guy had to know they wouldn’t put up much of a fight, or even if they did, they wouldn’t overpower him. How had he gained their trust? How had he talked them into getting into his vehicle?
Barb Smith broke into Skye’s thoughts. “Holly Whitmore’s mother died five years ago. Otherwise, she would’ve been here. I know it. Holly didn’t have anybody else. And Lucy Silver’s parents split up right after it happened. The dad moved out of the area, and I can’t seem to locate a number for the mother. Simone is her name. But I’ll keep trying to find everyone else.”
“I know you’re doing your best,” Skye said as she gathered up the photographs and slid them into a leather case. “Where do you think law enforcement went wrong exactly?”
Barb didn’t have to consider the question for long. “Laurel was like all the others. She vanished into thin air. But we all know that’s impossible. She didn’t just go poof. Some asshole pulled up alongside her when she was walking into town and made her get into his car. I’m not sure the police looked at every viable sex offender.”
“Why do you say that?”
Barb huffed out a breath and ran her fingers through her hair. “Because if this guy didn’t drag my baby into his car, I did my best to tell the cops that Laurel would never have gotten into a stranger’s car willingly.”
Skye looked over at Judy. “But what if he wasn’t a stranger? Would she have trusted someone she knew?”
The horror of that came into Barb’s eyes. “Oh, my God, are you telling me this was someone close to her?”
“I don’t know yet. But it’s a theory we’re exploring. Who do young girls trust without question?”
“Somebody they recognize,” Judy blurted out.
“Yeah. Or somebody with authority, somebody wearing a uniform.”
Skye ran with that idea back to the lodge. She sent Harry to watch over Sierra and Emmadine at their cottage while she assembled everyone else in her crowded bungalow. “Let’s start with Gabby Knight. The girl’s out in the woods gathering rocks or whatever and she can still see her parents in the distance. I can certainly relate. She comes across a man, a stranger, who starts to grab her or make advances. Why doesn’t she scream? Why doesn’t she pitch a fit? The answer is almost too simple. Maybe Gabby fell for a credible ruse, some sob story the guy spouted and made it sound real. It happened to me. When I was abducted Ronny Whitfield told me he had a daughter in the car who was new to the area but shy. She didn’t have any friends. Would I try to get her to come out of the car and play with the rest of the kids in the park? No matter how stupid it sounds now, to a kid, all kinds of stupid stuff sound plausible at the time. An adult, of course, would see through the hole in the story. But a young girl might fall for a weak line that’s similar. Or, our guy wears a uniform and that uniform creates an air of authenticity.”
“A cop could do it,” Judy lamented. “It makes my stomach turn but it’s an angle we should pursue. The thing that gets me is how does this monster appear so normal in his day to day life? We know he’s not. But how does he pull off the everyday routine?”
“We don’t know what he does. Yet.” Skye turned to Leo. “Anything on those other missing girls in surrounding states, especially during the gaps between the years 2016 and 2018?”
Leo handed off a list. “This is all the missing female teenagers I came up with last night in Wyoming, Oregon, Eastern Washington, and Montana that fit the age group.”
Skye’s shoulders dropped. “There must be seventy-five names to check out.”
“Close enough,” Leo stated. “Seventy. Let me ask you this. Are we assuming the latest victim, Rosa Andreas, is the work of this guy?”
“For now. Unless someone here has another idea.”
Zoe shook her head. “It makes sense that he would shake things up when he knew we were coming. He pulled out all the stops to show us he’s in control. Totally bad for Rosa.”
Judy nodded. “That’s the main reason we should let Grayhawk focus on her. I’m with Skye on that. While looking for her killer, it means his job will be about interviewing family members. If he turns up a sketchy family friend or a creepy uncle, then we switch gears, but only then. We stay on task.”
“Which means we should keep out of Quade’s way as much as possible and let him deal with the Q and A until he asks for our assistance,” Skye added.
Josh shifted in his chair. “That might prove more difficult since I asked him to join us at the Staghorn Grill for dinner tonight.”
“Why on earth would you do that? He didn’t even tell us that Rosa was Gabby’s cousin. I think Wren might be right. She knows her son better than we do. We should expect Quade to misdirect us. I wouldn’t put it past him to make out like he’s all helpful when he’s really keeping back important details.”
“All the while we’re supposed to cooperate,” Leo grumbled.
“That’s nuts,” Reggie added. “How are we supposed to be an integral part of this if the top investigator sandbags us every chance he gets?”
“We’ll be fine,” Josh said, trying to smooth ruffled feathers. “Quade won’t be the first cop who made it clear we’re not wanted. We don’t need him to solve this thing.”
“So, we’re still focused on the twelve girls?” Judy prompted. “Or should we branch out to include Leo’s list?”
“Twelve investigations is enough for now. If we do our jobs, our inquiries should take us in the same direction as the ones from out of state, maybe even intersect and bring us around to Rosa. Or so I’m hoping. It’s a tight-knit community. Judy and I witnessed that this afternoon with the victims’ families.”
“Look at this.” Leo stated as he studied his laptop screen. “Some guy online claims he knows who killed Rosa.”
Skye pivoted to read the entire post. “Pass the information on to Grayhawk.”
Josh lifted a brow. “And your reasoning for that is…?”
“It’s a crackpot but it’ll look like we’re doing what we said we’d do. Cooperating.”
Across the room, Zoe swung her legs to the f
loor and frowned. “How can you be so sure he’s a crackpot?”
Skye bumped up the vibes she was getting from Kiya. “It’s not our guy. Let the local cops crawl up his ass when they trace his IP address. We have more important things to do than waste time on media-seeking crazies.”
The rest of the afternoon was spent reading and rereading the police files Tanoose had supplied. They also organized that evening’s canvassing, deciding to spread out and hit the neighbors hard, hoping to catch them home from work. It meant going back to Sara’s neighborhood and knocking on doors.
But no one grumbled about doing it. They went out the door in pairs with their ID tags attached to lanyards and the lanyards dangling around their necks. Wearing navy blue dress pants and white shirts, they carried packets of information that included flyers, and a clipboard with a list of questions to ask at each house. They were prepared to answer curious requests about each girl’s case but had also been instructed to write down any odd behavior from the participants, keeping track of anything that seemed out of the ordinary.
Skye accompanied Zoe while Judy and Reggie stayed together. Josh and Leo made up the third team, leaving Harry to continue his bodyguard duties back at the lodge.
If the six were pumped to get started that waned after the first three hours. From five that afternoon to eight in the evening they must’ve knocked on two hundred doors. Some people were willing to talk, but the majority slammed the door in their faces. A few didn’t even bother to come to the door at all.
A disappointed Zoe dragged herself back to the van to compare notes with the others. “Well that was a total waste of an evening.”
“You’d have thought we were selling timeshares in a Florida swamp,” Reggie moaned.
Judy and Leo were just as frustrated.
But it was Skye’s job to pick up her crew’s spirits. As she settled into the front seat she snapped on her seatbelt. “Why the long faces? This wasn’t a waste of time, guys. We got to see firsthand how the neighbors want this to go away.”
Forgotten Bones Page 13