It took all afternoon to follow Streeter around in his patrol car, a late model sporty Dodge Charger built for speed. The man seemed to never leave his vehicle. They followed him along his assigned route and watched as he used a drive-thru to grab a burger. But the man seemed to avoid going into coffee and donut shops and didn’t get out of his car until he pulled up to an auto salvage yard several miles out of town.
“This is our chance,” Skye noted in a low voice. “I’ll get you as close as I can without getting spotted. While you do the deed, I’ll look up who owns this place.”
“Weird place to take a bathroom break,” Josh muttered as he debated whether or not to go through with it. “This isn’t gonna work.”
“Why?”
“Because Streeter is already coming back out again and he’s not alone. Get out of here. Now! Hit the gas before he spots us,” Josh bellowed as he ducked down in the passenger seat.
Skye obliged, the van spitting gravel as she took off down the roadway. They disappeared around a bend in the road. “I didn’t see a surveillance camera back there.”
“Neither did I, but I’m not taking any chances. We’ll have to think of another way. Maybe Leo could figure out how to listen in on the police chatter, keep track of their movements on duty that way.”
“Would’ve been nice if we’d thought of that before wasting all this time. Look up who owns that salvage yard. It’d be a great place to dump bodies.”
Josh obliged, using his phone to do a search. “Belongs to Streeter’s father-in-law. It’s been in the family for years.”
“Maybe we should come back here tonight and take a look around.”
“Sure, but only after we get this thing settled with Emmadine.”
“To say the least, I’m disappointed in her,” Skye admitted, making a sharp left to head back toward town and the other chore they needed to get down this afternoon—the interview with Weston Powers. “Emmadine seemed so…genuine. She seemed concerned about Sierra’s welfare. Just goes to show…”
“The thing that bothers me the most is that Emmadine knew we were first-timers at this. Nervous about it. She knew we’d made a tough decision to let her come on board. And something else. If Leo did talk to her, it didn’t do much good. Not with that hour-long phone call from yesterday.”
“Maybe she’s being harassed by an ex.”
“Doesn’t matter the reason, Skye. Leaving Sierra alone in another room while she has a very long conversation with someone without bothering to check on a kid is just plain irresponsible. It cannot continue.”
“No argument there. I’m not defending it.”
“And what is this bitching about her salary? She’s not an au pair. We’re paying her the same thing any other nanny would get in Seattle. I checked before we made her the offer. At the time, remember her face when she saw the pay? She seemed blown away by the money. Now, a week in and she’s unhappy about it? What changed? Something is clearly going on that we don’t know about.”
“We won’t know until we bring it up. I’m not looking forward to that conversation.”
“Me either. But it has to be done.”
Confirming what Weston Powers had told investigators back in 2012 also had to be done.
Dog Creek was a wide spot in the road a couple of miles from the Coeur d’Alene Reservation. The town bumped up against a landing dock that saw plenty of fishermen come and go on the Chatcolet Lake, a body of water that gave up trout, bass, perch, and catfish like a vending machine.
Mr. Powers lived in a small blue frame house with a tidy front yard and pots lined up on the porch where he was growing pepper plants. When he answered the door, Skye was surprised at how young he was. Not yet forty, Weston Powers had lived in this house all his life, first with his single mom, then by himself after she died from cancer. Weston had been in trouble with the law only once before, back as a teenager when he’d taken a jar of peanut butter out of a local grocery store without paying for it. He’d been fifteen at the time and trying to help his mom make ends meet. All this Harry had learned about the witness in a background check.
Weston was eager to talk. “I always wondered why nobody came around to ask me about that missing girl, there on the sidewalk one minute, gone the next.”
“Are you absolutely certain that what you saw parked at the curb that afternoon was a police car? Because it’s been seven years going on eight. Anyone might forget the details.”
Weston shook his head. “No, sir. Not me. I know what I saw. I told the cops what I saw, and they didn’t believe me at first. I could tell. Maybe they didn’t believe me at all. But you’re here, so someone must’ve written it down right.”
“Could you describe what kind of car it was? Sedan, SUV, black, white, two-tone, what?” Skye had downloaded photos of a 2012 County sheriff’s cruiser, but she waited for Weston’s answer before prodding his memory.
But Weston didn’t have to think about it for long. “Mostly white cruiser with a stripe running through the body. It had black and gold lettering with a star on the upper left side of the driver’s door.”
Skye showed him the two photographs. “One is a County patrol car. The other is from the State Police. Which one looks more like what you remember seeing that afternoon?”
Weston didn’t hesitate. “That’s it. The County SUV.”
Back in the van, Skye turned to Josh. “Weston didn’t falter. He ID’d the County car without having to think about it. It’s not Streeter. What if I’m wrong about this whole thing, Josh? I look around this entire state and see nothing but woods and water. What if the killer didn’t bury the girls at all on his own land? What if he dumped them in any one of the surrounding lakes in the area? What if he got rid of them somewhere in the woods off I-90 close to Montana? Because he really has his pick of places. He wouldn’t have to use his own land at all, now would he? Look at this landscape. There are fifty places within five hundred feet of where we’re sitting that could be used for a dumping ground.”
“No,” Josh said quietly. “He wouldn’t risk being seen like that, Skye. He just wouldn’t. Risk loading them in his patrol car after he does God knows what to them. Uh-uh. No way. He keeps them close so that he can relive the time he spent with each one of them. And if it is a cop, he damn sure wouldn’t risk coming to a place like this in unfamiliar terrain. Nothing says dumpsite like your own land.”
“But what if it’s not Merrick, Osborne, or Jaynes?”
“What does your gut tell you?”
“That we’re looking for a cop. So, you don’t think I’m wrong?”
“No. I think we’re getting close. His visit the other night proves it. I think he’s getting worried.”
“I hope you’re right because we’ve narrowed it down. Our killer’s either Merrick, Osborne, or Jaynes.”
****
“What we’d like to do is monitor the police radios belonging to Osborne and Jaynes, keep tabs on their chatter. That means their personal cell phone data. Merrick needs an individual touch since his suspension from the force. We’ll need to track his personal calls and maybe keep tabs on his whereabouts the old-fashioned way.”
“Eyes on the suspect,” Harry added. “Nothing old school about surveillance. It sometimes produces the best results.”
“Is it possible?” Skye asked Leo. “You’ve done it before, but not where police officers are involved to this magnitude.”
“Piece of cake.”
Emmadine’s mouth fell open. “Wait a minute. What you’re asking him to do is illegal. You can’t ask Leo to do something like that and break the law.”
Leo rolled his eyes. “You think this is the first time I’ve hacked anything having to do with law enforcement? Get real. I’ve been doing that since I got my first computer.”
“The one Aunt Caroline got for you?”
“That’s the one.”
“You were thirteen.”
“And? What’s your point?”
“Goodness. I d
on’t understand you guys.”
“You don’t understand why we’re trying to prevent this guy from killing another child?” Leo pointed out, his voice lifting in anger. “Isn’t it better to eliminate him, get him off the streets than to sit around and do nothing? What are we all supposed to do, Em, wait for him to grab another little kid? What if he came after one of us?”
Emmadine’s face said it all. “You know what? I don’t need this. I’m out of here.”
“Hold on,” Leo stated. “You’re leaving? Why? You wanted a job for the summer. Josh and Skye gave you one. I went out on a limb for you.”
“This whole serial killer thing is not for me. I’ll pack my bags and take an Uber to the airport. Don’t worry about me. I just want to get away from you guys and back to Seattle as fast as possible.”
Leo huffed out a breath. “I don’t believe this.”
Skye put a hand on his arm. “Let her go, Leo. Her heart just wasn’t in it. What we do isn’t for everybody. She was either a part of the team, or she wasn’t. It’s not your fault.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know she’d leave you high and dry.”
Zoe piped up, “I don’t mind looking after Sierra. It’s not a problem.”
Josh slapped Leo on the back. “Do you ever feel like we’re asking you to break the law?”
“Please. I’ve been a hacker what seems like my whole life. I joined Ander-All Games to get paid for writing code. And when you guys brought me in on this, it was the biggest thrill of my life. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
“As an investigative team, we do what we gotta do,” Harry said. “I’ll do almost anything to see that a serial killer gets caught. I just want that on the record.”
Skye looked over at her longtime friend and smiled. “Wow. That’s a one-eighty. You’re the one who used to lecture me about stepping over the line.”
“Yeah, well, that was then, and this is now. I’ve changed in my old age.”
“If you’re taking a vote,” Judy said, skidding to a stop just inside the doorway. “Skye and I have been victims, held against our will, bound and tied up, sexually abused. I’ll do anything to stop people like this from committing more murders, grabbing more girls, sexually abusing the innocent. I’ll work night and day if I have to because if it wasn’t for Skye and Josh catching Berkenshaw, I might never have left my house. That’s the truth of it. I joined the Artemis Foundation to make a difference, and that’s what I’m gonna do. That’s why I show up every day at my job.”
“Well said,” Zoe stated. “Skye and Josh made a difference in my life. That’s all I know. I don’t care that we listen in on conversations or track people whatever way we can. I don’t care that we sometimes step over the line. Catch the bastard who’s doing this. That’s what matters.”
“Damn straight,” Judy assessed. “I almost forgot why I came in here. It took some time, but I think Reggie found a body listed in the database that fits the criteria, at least I hope he did. Might. Maybe. Anyway, he went through the Doe Network. Twice. On the second scan, he discovered a listing there about a set of remains, young female, found in Clearwater County.”
“Where’s that?” Josh wanted to know.
“Sits to the northeast of the Nez Perce Indian Reservation. The body was found near the Elk River. Seven years ago.” Reggie walked into the room and stood next to Judy at the whiteboard. “The thing I looked for was a young female, a teenager in the right age group. That’s why it took two passes to locate her. This one fits the victim type, the timeframe, and the location. Three for three make it strong. In my opinion.”
“But Elk River is almost two hours from here,” Leo pointed out, already back on track.
Harry shook his head. “That’s just it. Skye asked Reggie to look for other possible victims. This could be one of the guy’s anomalies that took place outside his regular hunting ground.”
Reggie started writing on the board before going on, “They could never ID the body even though the corpse spent a year in the morgue before finally being interned in the County Cemetery in Clearwater in an unmarked grave, assigned a Jane Doe number. Hence the reference in the Doe Network database.”
Skye rested her hands on her hips, stared across the room at the two boards. “It might be an additional victim, or it could be one of ours already listed on these boards.”
Judy chewed her lip. “I hadn’t even considered that. How do we proceed from here?”
Skye began to pace. “Well, jeez, knowing the opposition around here, I’m under no illusion that we could ever get that body exhumed for DNA. Please tell me that maybe the coroner extracted DNA during autopsy, or at some point during the year the body was kept on ice?”
“They did,” Reggie said with a grin. “But it might not have been uploaded to the National Missing Persons Database yet. It happens all the time, a delay in getting the DNA to compare.”
“Find out. We’ll need to take swabs from all the families and make a comparison, see if it’s one of ours. If not, we might’ve found an additional victim. Good work, Reggie. Judy. Very good work, indeed.”
Eighteen
A thunderstorm kept everyone close to the lodge that evening. Which meant Skye got on the phone to ask family members for DNA if they hadn’t already given it. Simone Silver promised she’d take care of it first thing tomorrow, as did Katie Acoma’s aunt. They didn’t ask why DNA was necessary. None of the families did. Every person Skye talked to already knew the drill, knew the reason for the request. A few of the families reminded her that detectives had swabbed them years ago during the initial investigations, but they also reminded her that they’d heard nothing since.
That sad fact, coupled with Emmadine’s announcement created a pall over the evening meal, made worse because Emmadine didn’t bother showing up for dinner.
After they’d finished eating and Josh got up to pay the bill, Skye turned to Zoe. “Look, I thought I’d drive Emmadine to the airport. You know to say, ‘no hard feelings that it didn’t work out.’ Want to come along?”
“No need. When I got back to the room, she’d already packed up her stuff and cleared out.”
“You’re kidding? That was fast. Jeez, she didn’t even say goodbye to Leo. That’s weird.”
“I think something was definitely up with her,” Zoe offered. “Thinking back to the day we got here, her entire behavior changed. From day one, she started acting freaked out or something. Nervous. Distracted.”
“I wished you’d said something sooner.”
“Sorry. But I really didn’t want to butt in. And it seemed like the situation would right itself. I thought she’d eventually settle in. I didn’t expect her to walk off the job, though. I didn’t see that coming.”
“Neither did I,” Skye said after wiping the spaghetti sauce off Sierra’s face before scooping her up. “It’s strange that she left like she did. It’s almost as if Emmadine was looking for an excuse to leave.”
“I thought the same thing.”
“Are you okay staying by yourself in the cottage?”
“I hadn’t thought of that. Sure. I should be fine.” Zoe made a face. “Why did you have to bring that up?”
“Because in about ten minutes, you would’ve realized it yourself. If you don’t want to stay there alone, you can always bunk with Sierra. It’s a queen bed. Just know that you’ll be sharing it with three dogs and a kid.”
“Three dogs and a kid,” Zoe repeated with a laugh. “You’ll have your own zoo soon if the munchkin has her say.”
Skye covered Sierra’s ears. “Don’t even kid around about that. No putting ideas like that in her head. She’s already talking about getting a b-i-r-d and a k-i-t-t-e-n.”
“Spell out the words all you want, but it out won’t change the fact that you have a major animal lover here,” Zoe said, tweaking Sierra’s nose. “I’ve seen her around Dad’s ranch and the horses. Her face lights up like she’s totally in love.”
“Horses. That’s an
other thing. She’ll definitely want to spend more time riding. Makes Dad proud that his granddaughter seems to love horses as much as he does. It’s in the blood, I guess.”
“They sort of scare me. But I don’t tell him that.”
“Lena knows. Don’t worry, she keeps your secret safe,” Skye assured her. “Don’t feel bad, I’m not that crazy about riding either. I’m sure I disappointed him because of it.”
“Family relationships are weird, aren’t they? Which has me circling back to Emmadine. I never, ever thought she wouldn’t be on board with what you guys do. Did you get that when you interviewed her?”
“Maybe a little vibe that she might be apprehensive hearing about murders, but then it’s not that unusual. What normal person sits around discussing horrific homicides as a general topic? So that really didn’t bother me. And nothing else indicated she’d shirk her duties the way she did. She seemed excited about the job.”
“This afternoon, she was so hard on Leo. He hardly said anything over dinner. I think I’ll go check on him.”
Josh came up next to them carrying a cake box. “What’s up? What are we doing now?”
“We’re not taking Emmadine to the airport, that’s for sure. She’s already left.”
“She really couldn’t wait until morning? She was that serious about taking off? I gotta say I didn’t think she’d follow through. I was certain she’d pout a little and then change her mind. Very strange.”
“We plan to go check on Leo. Want to come?”
“That’s not a bad idea. I bought dessert, a cheesecake. It’s Leo’s favorite. I thought it might cheer him up. He seemed a bit broody over dinner.”
“More like embarrassed,” Zoe corrected. “It’s like recommending someone for a job, in this case, family, and then finding out they tanked it.”
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