Forgotten Bones

by Vickie McKeehan

  “What about a guy named Warren Lightfoot,” Harry asked. “Our canvassing uncovered him living four houses down from Laurel.”

  “The name’s not familiar to me,” Quade admitted.

  Harry brought out his phone, where he kept his notes. “Lightfoot. Meat inspector. Travels all over the County. Ten years ago, he was arrested for molesting his niece. Charges were dropped by the sister as long as he vowed to stay away from the niece. Runs the church choir at St. Bartholomew’s. Volunteers at the local youth club. Still not ringing any bells?”

  Quade sat there, not sure whether to be impressed or insulted. Was he that out of touch with his community. “I do know the guy. I just didn’t realize he’d been arrested for molestation. That wasn’t on the Rez, right?”

  “Nope. Complaint was filed in Coeur d’Alene because that’s where the sister lives. Lightfoot was arrested by sheriff’s deputies there. You guys weren’t involved.”

  “I’ll make a point to talk to him, though. Today.”

  “That’s been a problem over ten years, hasn’t it? Some of these girls weren’t taken from the Rez, and it involved different jurisdictions.”

  “Not really. Sara’s disappearance happened on the Rez. Same with Holly, Lucy, Nina, Sonya, Lily, Katie, Farrow, Laurel, and now Rosa. All of them in my jurisdiction, on my watch. Why do you think we called it our Wall of Shame? But yeah, one went missing on the fringe—Kamena in Dog Creek, investigated by Nez Perce County. Then there’s Julia Newburn who lived off the Rez by maybe four or five miles. Then there’s Gabby Knight, who went on vacation in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, three-hundred miles from here and was never seen again. Custer County investigated her case. But remember, Gabby lived on the Rez. Which means to me that this guy followed her to that destination with the intent of abducting her. You might be thinking of the other two girls we now know were runaways, Teresa, and Chyna, those two incidents did happen elsewhere. But when Denise took off from the Rez, I was convinced she was a victim.”

  Leo got up to refill his coffee mug. “I guess you don’t want to consider more victims from the surrounding states.”

  “Missing kid alerts come across my desk all the time from as far away as California and Minnesota. You’re talking about the fifteen you mentioned earlier, right?”

  “Yep. Those could belong to our guy, too. Not saying they are, just something to think about.”

  “Leo’s working hard to narrow down a geographic profile for our guy,” Josh prompted.

  “We tried that about five years ago with the FBI,” Quade noted. “It’s not a bad plan, it just didn’t work.”

  “I have my own way of IDing the area and narrowing the field,” Leo explained. “It’s worked in other cases. Granted, this one is a little different, more complicated. Might be harder to find the dumping ground at some point, but hopefully, I’ll be able to pick up on patterns. I’ve taken the location where each girl was last seen and plugged in a probability of where he’d take her. The thing that’s throwing off the data is Gabby Knight down in Sawtooth Lake. You should probably know that I removed Gabby from the quotient entirely.” Before dissent broke out, he added, “That’s not to say Gabby wasn’t taken by our guy. But the database simply doesn’t support the perpetrator’s urge to break his normal geographic area.”

  “Could you make a program for that?” Josh asked.

  “Sure. It would take a few days, but I could do it.”

  Impressed, Quade scratched his chin. “At some point, I’d like to see the work you’ve done. Or planning to do.”

  “No problem. It’s a program I developed early on when I started moonlighting as a crimefighter.”

  Quade grinned. “You guys have this down better than I first thought. So if you added in the girls from the other states, that would really blow up your database, is that what I’m getting?”

  “It would. That’s why I removed Sawtooth Lake. But those are incidents where the guy went beyond his normal pattern. As long as I stick to what he does here locally, using the thirteen victims we know, I’m assured of getting a result that makes sense.”

  “I guess it doesn’t matter what state these girls lived in,” Skye noted with sadness. “They should’ve been able to play in their yards or walk around their neighborhoods without getting taken by a psychopath.”

  “You didn’t use the word murdered,” Quade stated, his eyes drifting around the room for a reaction.

  “I’ve talked to several families. Each one still holds out some degree of hope, but like Farrow’s dad told me, the likelihood that Farrow is dead stays with them every single day. The families aren’t stupid. They know the statistics aren’t on their side. It’s the reason I don’t use the word murder around the families. They know more than anyone else what degree of heartbreak and loss they can handle. They don’t need me piling on.”

  “But the reality…”

  “I know the reality,” Skye replied. “Believe me, I’m aware that we’re most likely looking for a dumping ground. But don’t make me the one who has to break it to the families.”

  “That would be on me,” Quade responded, getting to his feet. “I need to go. Believe it or not, duty calls.”

  They said their goodbyes with a plan to meet later and talk about the next step.

  As soon as the door shut, Skye traded glances with Josh. “What do you suppose caused that turnaround?”

  “I hate to say this, but he’s desperate and we’re the only other game in town.”

  Reggie stood up to go, rounding the counter to take his coffee cup to the sink and rinse it out. Judy did the same.

  Skye stared at both of them. “Where are you guys headed?”

  “Today’s Felix’s day off. We’re meeting him at ten to talk about his list of original suspects.”

  “Really? I take it Grayhawk has no idea about this meetup.”

  “Nope. And Felix would like to keep it that way. That’s why we’re meeting at an out of the way coffee shop in Coeur d’Alene.”

  After putting her cup in the dishwasher, Judy turned to the others. “Unless Quade’s on our side now. Should I mention Quade’s about-face to Felix?”

  “Up to you,” Josh advised. “But keep in mind this is new. Time will tell whether Quade’s change of heart lasts for long.”

  Thirteen

  Felix decided that sneaking around town to avoid being seen by Quade was a waste of time. Somewhere over the past few days, his boss’s mindset had opened up to accepting help, not just local help, but allowing outsiders full access to the cases.

  “Quade took away the list,” Felix explained as he sat down at the table inside the coffee shop. “But don’t get mad. He’s actually planning to meet with your friends later and go over the details. And get this. Something happened this morning at Quade’s place. Janie Andreas, Rosa’s mother, showed up at Quade’s house in bad shape. She’d been drinking. But from what I heard from patrol officers; Janie let Quade have it. She gave him an earful, yelling at him about catching the man who did this to her Rosa.”

  Judy winced. “I am beginning to see why Josh feels sorry for the guy. That’s certainly changed from my first impression. I wasn’t happy when he accused us of lying and threatened to charge us with filing a false police report. And he practically threw us out of the Police Station like we were yesterday’s bad fish.”

  Reggie’s face showed the disappointment of the news. “Without getting a look at the list, what should we focus on? Sitting around in a coffee shop is a waste of valuable time.”

  Felix sipped his coffee and nodded. “I agree. That’s why I brought something else.” The sergeant slid a piece of paper across the Formica tabletop.

  “What’s this?” Judy asked.

  “Some background. Lily Redfern was only thirteen. But she’d been babysitting for two years trying to save up enough money to buy a laptop. I know Lily’s uncle, and he gave me a list of the families she worked for during those two years. Our guy might be on this lis
t. I know it’s a longshot…but…”

  Reggie cracked a grin. “Even better. Felix, you’re a genius. And here I thought we were sunk for today.”

  Judy skimmed the list. “There are at least twenty names on here.”

  “Lily’s uncle told me she would never turn down a job, no matter where it was in the County, even if she had to beg her mom to drop her off, she’d take the job as long as it paid her going rate. She wasn’t cheap. Lily charged ten bucks an hour. According to the uncle, Lily was good with kids, worth every penny. She’d taken a Red Cross safety course at the community center. She could perform the Heimlich thing and do chest compressions. And folks around here are generally good-hearted, so they paid her going rate because they most likely wanted to help her get that computer.”

  Judy sucked in a breath and began to peruse the list. “How sad. Such potential gone. Do you realize I might be looking at the name of our killer right this second?”

  “Let’s check them out first,” Reggie suggested. He turned to Tanoose. “Haven’t you guys done this already? How long have you had the list?”

  “That’s been sitting in the file six months after she went missing. Of course, we checked these people out. But that was four years ago. We weren’t using the same parameters that you guys are. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll be able to spot something we missed.”

  Reggie exchanged a look with Judy. “This could boost Leo’s geographic profiling data.”

  “You read my mind. Let’s get back and get started.”

  ****

  While the rest of the team had their heads buried behind computer screens, Zoe was getting restless. “I might go back to Seattle in a few days.”

  “Why? Is the life of a detective not that exciting for you?” Skye teased.

  “It’s not that. I don’t feel I’m doing that much good here.”

  “That’s not true. Why don’t you do what these guys are doing and hit the databases? Why not search tax records for large parcels of land?”

  “You really think that would be of use?”

  “I do. If you’ve even considered police work in your future for longer than five seconds, you should get used to the frustrations of a case. Answers don’t come easy. It takes persistence and sometimes doing the same things over and over again until you find something you missed, something that jumps out at you.”

  “I’m a pain, aren’t I?”

  “Most of the time, yeah. But I’m used to it. Have you talked to Lena and Travis? Did Jarod get home, okay?”

  “Two days ago. Lena sent me a photo of him.” Zoe handed off her phone. “See how gaunt he looks.”

  Skye studied the picture. “Wow. He looks like he’s lost forty pounds. He doesn’t look good at all.”

  “That’s what living with Dina did to him.”

  “Celia. That’s her real name.”

  “Celia. Dina. What’s the difference? She was out to kill him for the insurance money. Why are people like that, Skye? How do you know when a person is a complete phony or making up lies to impress you? What if they just want what they can get out of you? Will I need to live my life on edge every time I meet a guy who I think likes me?”

  “Not an easy question to answer. But being cautious isn’t a bad thing, especially meeting new people. For Jarod’s reason alone, be careful out there in the dating world. Trust needs to be earned. If red flags surface, listen to your gut.” Skye sat down next to her on the sofa. “But never underestimate someone like Celia Ferndale. She was obviously devious from the beginning of the relationship. Jarod saw what she was too late and didn’t walk away in time. You’re still worried about him?”

  “Yeah. He’s been like a brother to me.”

  “Did Jarod promise he’d help buy you a car?”

  Zoe rolled her eyes. “He did, but that’s not why I’m worried about him. Lena and Travis think this woman will likely follow him to Seattle and stalk him there, too.”

  “I’ll ask Harry to make a call to a few of his friends who are still on the force. Maybe they can keep an eye on Jarod. How’s that sound?”

  Zoe scooted over to give Skye a hug. “Thanks. I’m sorry I haven’t been much help.”

  “I’m glad you’re here. It’s cool that you wanted to spend your summer doing this.”

  “I thought I might be able to make a difference. I’ll go bug Leo and see if he’ll show me his search tricks.”

  “You do that. He’s bound to need an assistant.”

  Skye waited until Zoe had gone to voice her concerns to Josh. “We’re just not as effective this time around as we usually are, which is why the frustration is getting to everybody.”

  “No crime scenes, no bodies, no hard suspects make for a deep hole to climb out of. If only we could nail down a witness, someone who saw the girls get into his car.”

  “Or stumble on the dumpsite. Short of driving up and down every rural road in this part of Idaho looking for freshly dug graves, what are our options?”

  “You’re trying to be funny, but it’s not as crazy as it sounds. I’m not suggesting right this minute we take off. We need to wait until Leo finishes his data, narrows down the possibilities first before cruising around the County. Where are we meeting Quade?”

  “He says his office after lunch. It couldn’t be an ambush in broad daylight, could it?”

  Josh chuckled. “He seemed sincere enough to me when he left. He’s giving off this cooperative vibe that makes us all just a tad suspicious.”

  “Not me. I’m fine with my suspicious nature.”

  “You would be.”

  “Here’s a thought. With Sierra settled in with Emmadine for a while, why don’t we take the car out and make ourselves a lot more familiar with the area. At least get to know the lay of the land, so to speak. What could it hurt? Right? Why not drive around until it’s time to go meet up with Quade?”

  “Fine by me. I’ll let everyone know what we’re doing in case there’s a breakthrough.”

  “A breakthrough? We haven’t even scratched the top layer. I’m beginning to feel Zoe’s pain.”

  ****

  In the van, they spent two hours on a route that took them into the rolling Coeur d’Alene countryside branching out along several of the area’s lakes. They perused through the sandy beaches, and the rocky peninsulas sprinkled in between with docks, public parks, neighboring homes, lodges and resorts, destinations beginning to see a rise in tourists who flood the area in the summer. They ended up near the Coeur d’Alene River as it meets up with the Harrison Slough, where Rosa’s body had been dumped.

  Skye got out of the car to get a closer look at the shoreline, and Josh followed. With the warmth of the sunshine on her face, she lifted her head skyward to see a raven circling overhead. Rife with lush vegetation, the June air held the smell of pine mingled with fern and moss. Wildflowers dotted the shoreline. She spotted a sea of slender purple grass widows bent in the breeze, alongside coralroot and a patch of sunny yellow glacier lilies. Sturdy pink fairy slippers were attempting to spear their way closer to the sun.

  The place seemed to have its own tempo, its own magic. The sound of a motorboat rounding the bend in the distance broke the serenity momentarily as it sped past, the occupants lifting a hand in a friendly wave.

  “It’s beautiful here. I see why so many tourists come here and why so many people make this place their home.”

  “There’s a dark side to it. Kind of like our wetlands around Puget Sound. Back home, it’s oil spills and legacy toxins. Here, Quade told me this area is basically a toxic wetland waiting to happen. Right now, the oxygen level is keeping the toxins in check, but if it ever floods, if the watershed pours in more nutrients and upsets the balance, if there’s ever an algae bloom like the kind that happens in Florida and California, the chemical makeup will change, and the contaminants will start to rise to the top.”

  “But it’s so beautiful.”

  “Oh, yeah. But this area used to be heavy into mining. And after all
this time, that stuff is still hanging around. You wouldn’t know it by looking out over the surface, would you? But the bottom is loaded with contaminated sediment sitting on the lakebed. Stuff like mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and lead. Quade says they have to warn residents who swim or boat along this waterway to take precautions, make sure they clean themselves off before heading home.”

  “Wow. That sounds serious. Does that mean Rosa’s body had those kinds of toxic particles on it?”

  “Yeah. I think the killer did it on purpose, picked this spot because of the pollutant factor. Think about it, you already have a decomposing body. What could taint that even more is for the body to interact with harsh chemicals in the water to erase any DNA that might be left to identify him.”

  “Bastard. I want this guy, Josh, like I haven’t wanted to catch anyone else since Ronny Whitfield.”

  He slung an arm over her shoulder. “You know we’ll get him eventually. It may take longer than we originally thought, but we’ll find him.”

  “Sooner rather than later. What if somebody we knew had been treated this way? We need to kick up our game.”

  “Then, we will. Let’s go see what Quade has for us. Maybe he’ll blow us away with his detective skills.”

  An hour later, they walked past a set of double doors and into an unassuming brick building where they were ushered into a small conference room to wait.

  Quade came in and slapped a thick file folder on the table. “Warren Lightfoot has a rock-solid alibi for the time Laurel went missing. He was visiting family for Christmas in Idaho Falls, arrived that Saturday, and stayed five days. At least a dozen relatives back up Warren’s story. But I didn’t take their word for it. The guy has receipts and there’s CCTV that document where he was. I even went back to summertime and Farrow’s abduction. I asked him where he was for that. Turns out, he was out of town for a bachelor party in Las Vegas. Even though we hit a brick wall with Warren, I brought a list of the original suspects.”

  He lifted open the file folder. “Twenty over the years. I thought we could go through the sex offenders one at a time and give each one weight as to how viable they are, maybe divvy up the names and talk to each one.”