by Sara L Foust
The camera swung to the news anchor. “Cody Moss is a Caucasian, thirteen-year-old boy, five feet six inches tall, dark brown hair, green eyes. If you have any information that could help locate him, please call 865-771-5246 immediately.”
A disappearance in Annalise’s little town? She would be a mess of emotions. Though she would pretend she wasn’t.
He dialed Kirk. “Hey, man, I need to reschedule our pow-wow for after lunch.”
“Sure thing. Anything wrong?”
“Yeah, maybe. Annalise has a new case, and I want to go make sure she doesn’t need a helping hand.”
“Ah, okay. Tell her I said hi and am still waiting for her yes.”
“Now might not be the time. But I’ll try.”
He hung up with the third member of SMIF and got dressed. The big guys had recruited Kirk from the FBI field office in Knoxville because he had experience not only with investigations and missing persons but also had hiked the entire Appalachian Trail before he turned thirty-five. He was the perfect man to lead their team into this uncharted new territory.
An hour later, Zach zipped off the interstate at the Clinton exit and swung a right. Once he turned onto the road into the small town of Norris, he whistled low. The usually empty sidewalks, save for a few joggers or dog walkers, were crowded with pedestrians all headed the same direction—toward town square.
He found Annalise’s captain fielding a throng of people in front of the post office. What exactly was going on here? He fought through the crowd and shook Captain Brooks’s hand. “How can I help?”
Milton flashed him a half-hearted smile. “Crowd control. Biggest problem right now.”
“What do they want?”
“To help look.”
“Commendable.”
“We intentionally left out details.” Milton raised his left eyebrow. “If you get my drift.”
“I do. No point in them combing the town, eh?”
“We don’t believe so at this point.”
“Recovery?”
“Kidnapping.”
Wow. That hadn’t ever happened here, had it? Not that he knew about.
A news van pulled into the parking lot, inching its way through the people.
As soon as it stopped, Zach climbed over the hood and clambered onto the roof. “Got a bullhorn, Captain?”
Milton tossed one up to him.
“People, may I have your attention please?”
The crowd slowly quieted.
“We appreciate your desire to help, but at this time, more people out looking will only confuse the dogs.” He glanced toward Milton. He hadn’t verified there were any dogs. The captain nodded. “Please return home and do not interfere with our investigation.”
Several people booed.
“We understand your need to be involved, we really do. But this is a delicate matter. Prayers are much appreciated for the officers working this case, but, most importantly, for the boy’s family and for his safe return. Thank you.”
It took another twenty minutes for the crowd to actually do what he requested, and even then a few stragglers stayed behind.
“Was I not clear enough?”
Milton clapped him on the shoulder. “You were. They are concerned. This is their town, and one of them is missing. A child, no less.”
That was true. Zach didn’t really know what it was like to be part of such a tight-knit community. Gatlinburg wasn’t a huge town by any means, but it was much larger than Norris. And touristy, so there was a much higher crime rate and fewer steady locals.
“Thanks for your help.”
“Sure. Where’s Annalise?”
“Headed that way myself. Come on.”
Chapter Twelve
ANNALISE SCOOPED UP the last piece of glass and dropped it into the baggy. It had taken forever to pick each sliver from the carpet, but she was glad she had been blessed with the gift of attention to detail. The dozen or so that had blood on them would be crucial pieces to the puzzle. Hopefully.
Was Celine still on the same stool in the kitchen, alternating her stares between the phone and the emptiness of her home?
Zach appeared in the bedroom doorway. “Hey.”
A half-hearted grin touched her lips. “What are you doing here?”
“Ah, just passing through.”
“Just passing through, huh? You live a half hour from here.”
He shrugged. “Thought you could use a hand.” He opened his arms. “Or a hug?”
She shouldn’t hug him. Not with the way Dave was currently feeling about their friendship, but he was right that she could use one. “How about help collecting?”
“Where do you want me to start?”
“Bed, please.” She smiled. “Thanks for coming, Zach.”
“Of course.”
She handed him some gloves and they worked in tandem, her scouring the floor for anything else important and him picking up every hair he could locate. For the millionth time, the same questions rotated in her mind. Why had someone done this? Why Cody specifically? What did they want? How did they know where Cody was? Had they followed him? Had they watched for a prolonged period of time? Ugh. On and on the internal monologue went. Her head ached by the time she finished with the room.
With Zach’s help, she had a sizeable bag of evidence for the lab. Lord, please help it give us some answers.
Downstairs, they found Captain Brooks talking to Celine. Instead of tears, her face now held an expressionless quality. The glassy stare she cast on the room made Annalise shiver.
“Still no word from Cody’s father?” Captain Brooks asked.
Annalise shook her head.
Celine snapped to attention and drew her hands quickly to her mouth. “I don’t want Brian to learn about this from the news—”
Captain Brooks patted her hand. “I’m sorry, Ms. Moss. That would be a terrible way to learn about the situation, but if that’s what it takes to reach him, so be it.”
Something about his tone seemed to calm Celine. She nodded and sank back onto the barstool.
Zach followed Annalise to her patrol car, where she put the evidence in the trunk and locked it up.
Zach held a somber expression that Annalise equated with deep thought. “What is it?”
“I was just thinking, y’all can’t locate the father, right?”
Annalise shook her head.
“What if he decided he didn’t like sharing custody and took off with the boy?”
“I thought about that. I think it is a good lead to follow.”
“All right then. Good.” He smiled. “Hey, I’ve got a meeting with Kirk. I need to get back.”
“Thanks again for your help.”
“Not a problem. Kirk says hi. And that he is waiting on your yes.”
Annalise chuckled, but disappointment filled her. She couldn’t leave NPD now, not with Cody missing. It seemed, maybe, this door wasn’t one she was truly meant to walk through. Dave should be happy about that. “I need to finish this case, Zach. I can’t just leave Cody’s mom like this. And Milton...”
“I know. Wouldn’t expect you to. But I’m willing to bet Kirk and I can handle this first case alone.”
Her eyebrows arched. “What case?”
“The body in the Little Pigeon. Captain is turning jurisdiction over to us.”
“Oh, good.”
“I know you’re meant to take this job, Annalise. I’m just waiting on you to know it too.”
“Annalise?” Dave spoke from somewhere behind her.
She spun. “Hey. What’s wrong?” Why was he here? Wasn’t he working far away today?
“I saw on the news. Thought you might be taking things a bit personally and need some support.”
Her heart melted. There was the Dave she knew. The one who could read her without even needing to be in the room. The one who cared enough to go out of his way to show her how much. She took a step toward him, arms outstretched. “You’re absolutely right. This stin
ks.”
He backed away from her. “I see you’ve already got Zach. Guess you don’t need me so much, eh?”
“What?”
“I’ll just get back to work then.”
“Dave, I—”
“It’s fine, Annalise. You haven’t needed me in a long time. I’m pretty used to it by now.”
He stomped back to his work truck and slammed the door.
Hot tears stung her eyes. This was all she needed right now. She had work to do. A tough case to focus on and her marriage was falling apart. Just perfect. What was Dave talking about? Of course she needed him. He was her husband. Zach’s tender hand on her shoulder released the tears.
IT WAS A GOOD THING for Dave that Zach knew how much punching him in his fat nose would upset her. His insides quaked from the exertion of holding himself back. The words on his tongue would only antagonize her more, so he held them back too. But one day soon, if he had his way, those words would spill, and Annalise would know what an idiot Dave was.
“You gonna be okay if I go?”
Annalise nodded without turning to face him.
He knew she was crying. How he longed to pull her into an embrace, but that wouldn’t help much either, what with Dave still able to see them in his rearview. “I can stay if you need me to.”
She swiped her hands across her cheeks. “No, you go. I’ll be fine. We’ve both got work to do.”
“I’ll check on you later.” He hated leaving, but Kirk was waiting, and if he knew his Annalise, at a moment like this, she wanted to be alone anyway.
It took the entire hour and a half drive for his blood to stop boiling. Maybe he should reach out to Dave himself. A little man-to-man talk where Zach reminded him just what a precious woman he had by his side. He chuckled. Right. Like Annalise wouldn’t kill him for that.
Kirk waited at a corner table in the dimly lit, buttery-scented Cracker Barrel.
Zach forced a smile as he slid into the seat across from him.
“You hungry?”
Zach raised his eyebrow.
Kirk laughed. “Right. Almost forgot. Well, eat up. We are headed out to that campsite you and Annalise found.”
“Oh, okay. How come?”
“Results came back on the bloody glass you found. Positive match for John Doe.”
He knew it. He leaned back into his chair. “We need to look for more evidence?”
“With a fine-toothed comb. You and Annalise more than likely found the murder scene.”
Hopefully, no one had disturbed the campsite. He’d strung caution tape around the trees, but in hindsight that may have been a terrible idea. It was like a giant red button waiting for some unwitting passerby to want to see why exactly that spot was forbidden.
Not to mention bears. Even if there was just the faintest hint of a food smell, a bear could destroy what evidence might remain. He bounced his knee under the table as they placed their orders. Their bodies needed the fuel, but he’d almost rather just grab some protein bars and hit the trail.
“How’s Annalise holding up?” Kirk asked between bites.
Rough. Zack ducked his head. Her home life was falling apart, and there wasn’t a thing he could do to protect her from the pain. But he couldn’t divulge details.
“That good, huh?”
Zach nodded. “It’s complicated.”
“I saw the rerun on the nine o’clock news. Did she know the victim?”
“She knows everyone in her little town.”
“Good point. Still think she’ll get on this bandwagon sometime soon?”
Zach wrinkled his brow and thought hard before responding. “I do. Something’s telling me she will still say yes. But she’ll have to find the boy first.”
“That could take years.”
Zach knew Kirk was right, but the words still stung. Who knew what the case really was at its root? It could take years to discover the true depths. To find the kidnapper. To find a body. How many missing persons cases were actually solved? He couldn’t remember the exact number, but with children, the rate dropped astronomically after the first forty-eight hours. Lord, help Annalise. Give her wisdom, stamina, and direction.
“Ready?”
Zach chomped his last bite of burger. “Yep.”
A short drive later, he was following Kirk up the trail. He’d agreed to carry the backpack full of evidence-collecting tools and bottled waters because Kirk lugged the metal detector. If he could find that bullet, the one that tore a hole through the tent, it could be a huge lead.
They reached the campsite a few hours later. Other than a few windblown leaves and a large branch that hadn’t been there prior, the site appeared the same. Good.
He started with the metal detector, making careful, sweeping passes in a grid pattern east to west. And successfully uncovered two old soda cans, a beer bottle lid, and some sort of tent spike. None of them looked like they were part of the current site. Kirk had disappeared somewhere, possibly trying to trace a path from the campsite to the creek that would be plausible.
Zach turned his attention to the trees. And sighed deeply. This could take a while.
“I don’t think this was an accident.”
Zach jumped and spun toward the sound of Kirk’s voice. He still couldn’t see him, though he could hear him crashing through the brush. “Why’s that?” He didn’t think it was an accident either.
“No way the rain flooded this little plateau, right?’
“Right.”
“The body was dumped down there.” Kirk finally emerged from the forest, paused, and pointed behind him.
“Agreed.”
“No drag marks, per se. It’s rained too hard to expect that to remain. But I did find this.” Kirk held up a large, clear plastic bag with a blood-soaked sleeping bag inside it.
Other than the blood, it looked practically new. Maybe the killer had shot John Doe inside the sleeping bag and used it to drag his body to the creek. The body had floated away, but maybe the sleeping bag was snagged on something and stayed.
“Good job, man.”
“Thanks. Find anything?”
“Not really.” Zach swung the detector toward the next tree. It pinged. “Aren’t you just the good luck charm?” He leaned the metal detector against the base and pulled the tweezers from his pocket. He separated some ragged-edged bark. Bingo. A round hole the perfect size for a bullet. Thank you, Lord! If they were lucky, maybe they could get another DNA source from the bullet.
Chapter Thirteen
ANNALISE’S PHONE WOKE her from a fitful night’s rest. “Yes?” She heard the anxiousness in her voice, the hopeful expectancy. There still had been no word from a kidnapper for ransom. How Celine must be feeling! Had the poor woman slept at all? At least Annalise could claim a few hours.
“Officer Baker?”
“Speaking.”
“I’m calling from the crime lab. We have some results for you on the weapon.”
She’d completely forgotten about the gun. In light of the newest case, it paled in the list of priorities. “Can you email me the results, please?” She gave her address.
“Of course. Sending it now.”
“Thanks.”
She’d deal with the gun later. Captain Brooks would understand. Speaking of. She dialed his cell phone. “Any news?”
“Not so much as a peep.”
The tone in his voice matched hers. Frustration. Fear. Disappointment. “Thank you, sir. I’m on my way to the station now.” They had to find a way to do something. The dogs had indicated Cody was taken by car from the curb in front of his house. A dead end. No dog could follow that trail. Today’s task had to be one that took them in a new direction. Her head hurt. Her heart too.
She opened a new text to Dave, but her fingers froze when she tried to compose it. What on earth could she say? Should she say? There weren’t any words that would be fitting. She needed the ones that would make everything normal again, and they didn’t exist.
He’d left early. She’d felt the bed shake and heard him in the bathroom, but in her exhaustion, she’d fallen back to sleep. Maybe she should’ve gotten up and hugged him. Kissed him. Told him how much she needed him and appreciated him coming the day prior.
She threw off the covers and deleted the message. She had to get to work. Words for Dave would come later. Hopefully.
CODY SQUEEZED HIS EYES shut as beams of the first light he’d seen in days—had it been days?—shot through a doorway and sliced open his eyeballs. His hand throbbed. He squinted and looked at it. A deep cut lanced his palm. The events of the night before came flooding back. It wasn’t a nightmare, and it hadn’t been days. He didn’t think, anyway. The sound of his window shattering had made him jump clean out of his bed. With his heart pounding, he’d grabbed a shoe. A shoe? Why hadn’t he grabbed the lamp or the bat in his closet?
But it hadn’t mattered. Before he even knew someone was for sure in his room, thick arms had wrapped around him and a hand had clamped his mouth. He’d kicked and squirmed, but, clearly, it didn’t matter since he was here. Why were there no more memories of the attack?
Footsteps stomped closer. He cringed and blinked. Everything was blurry from being blinded by darkness for so long.
“Brought you food.”
Something thunked on the cement beside him, sending the savory aroma of pepperonis and cheese into the air.
He didn’t want to want the food, but his stomach growled. How long had it been since he’d eaten?
“Where am I?”
The man hovering nearby grunted.
“What do you want?”
Another grunt.
Cody opened the box and bit into the first room-temperature piece. It was one of the best things he’d ever tasted. “Look, if it’s money you want, I can call my dad.” Could the man tell he was bluffing?
Before he could take another bite, the man was in his face, piercing him with a cold glare. “You know what I want, boy.”
A shiver ran through Cody. What was this guy talking about?
The man smirked and backed away a few inches. He pulled something from his pocket and tossed it at Cody’s feet.