Nelson took out his phone and began punching his way to his email.
“These are satellite images,” Nelson said, his voice filled with awe.
“From space?” Leslie said to tease Nelson. She added, “Oooh.”
“I know!” Nelson said, unaffected by her ribbing.
Everyone laughed.
“I asked for anything they had,” Seth said. “They sent me what they had on file and said they’d take more when the satellite flew overhead tonight. That’s okay, right? We don’t need daylight shots.”
“We have the drone shots,” Nelson said with a nod. His face glued to his phone, he added, “These are perfect. They give us a comparison. You know — has anything changed since these were taken in . . . uh . . .”
He looked at the date on the images and added, “2003.”
He gave Seth a wide smile and nodded. Everyone laughed. Maresol set a plate of beef and vegetable stew and a thick slice of bread in front of Seth.
“Why doesn’t Seth get something good?” Fran asked.
“He is still quite ill,” Maresol said. “Dr. Quincy has the same, without the beef.”
Dr. Quincy nodded. She looked at Maresol. They had agreed that Dr. Quincy would tell the team that she was ill. She gave Maresol a quick shake of her head. She couldn’t do it.
“Dr. Quincy has colon cancer,” Maresol said.
They collectively sucked in a breath. Fran got up to give Dr. Quincy a sideways hug. No one knew what to say, so they just looked at Dr. Quincy.
“She will be staying with us for a while so that she can get some rest,” Maresol said.
“She needs to do some good work,” Seth said. “But at her own pace, you understand.”
Everyone nodded and made agreeing noises.
“I will go with her to consult the doctors,” Maresol said.
“I’m happy to look over any treatment plan,” Nelson said. “Scans, whatever. I’d be happy to go with you.”
“Me, too,” Leslie said.
“We’re all happy to help,” Fran said.
“Thank you,” Dr. Quincy said in a soft, embarrassed voice.
“Whatever you need,” Ava said. “If we can help, we’re happy to.”
Ava looked at Maresol.
“Is she staying in our room?” Ava asked.
“I settled there this afternoon,” Dr. Quincy said. “It is very lovely. I spent a few hours with a pot of tea, sitting on the porch, watching the bees in the flowers. Seth was right.”
Dr. Quincy gave Seth a soft smile.
“This — the room, you people, the work — it is exactly what I need,” Dr. Quincy said. “But you understand there will be days that I . . .”
“Not a problem,” Bob said before she could finish her statement. “You are on our team. We’re at your service, whether you like it or not.”
“Be sure to tell us when it’s too much,” Ava said. “We can be . . . a lot.”
“Thank you for saying that,” Dr. Quincy said. She nodded. “Now, if you don’t mind, I would love it if we could talk about our case?”
Everyone looked embarrassed.
“The stew is really wonderful,” Dr. Quincy said.
“It’s good,” Seth said. He caught Maresol’s eyes. “Thank you.”
Embarrassed, Maresol nodded at him.
“Where you able to look at the physical evidence?” Dr. Quincy asked Fran and Leslie.
Fran nodded and pointed to her mouth. She finished chewing and took a drink of water.
“We went through everything,” Fran said. “We have her clothing, everything except her purse and one shoe.”
“I think I found a shoe and a purse at the scene,” Ava said.
“The shoe looks like a match to the other,” Fran said.
“That’s wonderful,” Dr. Quincy said at the same time Seth said, “Awesome!”
Seth and Dr. Quincy looked at each other and grinned.
“The purse looked like it had been added sometime later,” Ava said. “The dirt wasn’t as crusty and the weeds weren’t there.”
“That is odd,” Dr. Quincy said.
“I don’t think we’ll know when it was left at the gravesite,” Ava said. “Just later than the burial.”
“I wonder what that means,” Fran said.
Ava shook her head.
“Someone must have found it and brought it there,” Seth said.
“Some random person or a murderer,” Maresol said.
“If that’s our victim’s purse, we’ll know soon enough,” Fran said.
Leslie nodded.
“The crime-scene photos don’t show anything in that region,” Ava said.
“So, someone came back after the DPD’s crime techs were there?” Leslie asked.
“Creepy,” Nelson said, his attention still focused on the scans in front of him.
“We met a woman,” Bob started.
He looked at Ava. She raised her eyebrows and nodded to encourage him to continue.
“A woman?” Seth asked. “What woman?”
“Judith,” Ava said with a nod. Her fork was stuck in her enchilada. “She said she didn’t have a last name, but Nelson asked if she was ‘Judith Akers.’ She seemed to indicate that was her name.”
“Judith Akers is the last living relative of the people who owned the land,” Nelson said. “I thought that she had already passed.”
“She was very much alive,” Ava said. “It was weird. She seemed to know my mom and dad. She said the land we were on was ‘sacred.’”
“How so?” Seth asked.
“She wouldn’t tell us,” Bob said. “She said that when we had ‘good questions,’ we could ask her. The other weird thing was that she seemed to take exception to the Sheriff, Seth.”
“Any idea why?” Seth asked.
Bob shook his head.
“Disgusted,” Nelson said. “By his name. That’s at least what it seemed to me.”
“His father and grandfather were both Sheriffs,” Seth said.
“Maybe that’s it,” Nelson said.
They ate their meals in silence for a moment.
“And the family?” Seth asked.
Ava shook her head. Bob looked down at his plate. Nelson looked up at Seth.
“I think we can agree that it was awful,” Ava said finally. “Really awful. Those poor people.”
“Children,” Nelson said.
“A baby,” Bob said. “Not six months old.”
Seth gave them a grave nod.
“We dropped them off at the Coroner’s receiving dock,” Ava said. “Everything else is at our lab.”
“I’ll take a look at the bodies tomorrow,” Dr. Quincy said.
“We want to be sure not to lose our focus on the young woman,” Ava said. “I’m not sure how to do that when there is this big mystery right where she was buried.”
“Split up?” Bob asked.
“There’s too few of us to do that,” Fran said.
“What if there’s no mistake here?” Leslie asked. “I mean, what if our victim was buried in that field for a reason?”
“You mean these burned bodies are the reason she was buried there?” Seth asked.
“It’s possible,” Leslie said.
“Someone wants this tragedy exposed,” Nelson said.
“Someone is hoping we’ll get distracted,” Leslie said.
“We can’t rule out the possibility that someone is actually celebrating the death of these poor people by adding a new human sacrifice,” Dr. Quincy said.
“If that’s the case, then there should be more new bodies,” Ava said.
“Not necessarily,” Dr. Quincy said. “This young woman’s body brought the great Seth O’Malley and Mitch Delgado to Kiowa County.”
“There was lots of news coverage,” Fran said.
“It was always just a matter of time before these other bodies were found,” Dr. Quincy said.
“You think madmen count on inevitability?” Ava asked
.
“No,” Seth said. “That’s why I got the scans. We have to know if there are more bodies and where they are located.”
“It’s going to take me some time to go through these scans and whatever else you send me,” Nelson said. “But I should know by tomorrow afternoon.”
“Good,” Seth said.
“Tomorrow, it is,” Bob said.
“But first,” Maresol said. “Dessert?”
She nodded toward a warm berry pie she’d made for dessert.
“You bet!” Bob said.
Everyone nodded. They were silent while Maresol was cutting the pie. It was only after they’d each received a piece that they returned to their normal banter. The team left a half hour later. Dr. Quincy retired to her room. Dale, Ava, and Seth took on the dishes while Maresol went to shower.
“What do you think?” Seth asked as he passed her the dirty dishes from his lap.
“I think it’s a big mess,” Ava said. “I think . . .”
She shook her head rather than finish the sentence. Seth waited for a moment. She waved him off. Seth rolled to the dining room to get more dishes.
“I see why you chose this, though,” Ava said, when he’d returned.
“Why’s that?” Seth asked.
“It’s a good test of what we can do,” Ava said.
“And?” Dale asked.
“We’ve got this,” Ava said with more confidence than she felt.
“There’s the spirit,” Seth said.
Dale stacked the clean dishes from the dishwasher in his lap. Seth rolled into the dining room to put them away. When he rolled back into the kitchen, the dinner dishes had filled the dishwasher, and Dale had wandered off.
“Shall we?” Seth asked.
Ava gave him a saucy grin. He reached up and took her hand. When she squeezed his hand, he laughed. They went to the elevator to head to bed.
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Ten
Ava stood in the doorway until the Coroner looked up. She grinned at Ava.
“Ava!” the Coroner said. “Good to see you.”
“Nice to see you,” Ava said. “Did you hear about our find in Chivington?”
“I heard about both finds,” the Coroner said. “Dr. Quincy allowed me to do the autopsy of the children.”
The Coroner gave a sad shake of her head.
“Smoke inhalation?” Ava asked.
“The infant was suffocated. It looked to me like . . .” The Coroner held her hands, one on top of the other, as if she was clutching something to her chest. She gave Ava a sad sigh. “I suppose it was for the best. Poor dears.”
Ava nodded.
“Thanks for giving us space here,” Ava said.
“Oh, yes — thank me for having a world-famous medical examiner here,” the Coroner said with a laugh. “I am generous.”
Ava smiled.
“Anything new on our young woman?” Ava asked.
“Not from me,” the Coroner said. “Dr. Quincy was reviewing the remains.”
“Is that okay?” Ava started.
“Ava.” The Coroner looked Ava in the eye. “I am thrilled to have her here.”
The Coroner gave Ava a thoughtful look.
“Are you?” the Coroner asked.
“Me?” Ava asked. “Thrilled. Absolutely. It’s like the answer to an unspoken prayer. Heidi is excellent, and certainly Denver is not lacking in expert archaeological help. But there are few people with Dr. Quincy’s forensic experience.”
The Coroner continued to look at Ava in the same searching way.
“Why are you asking?” Ava asked.
“Oh . . .” the Coroner looked away. “It’s . . .”
“O’Malley,” the women said in unison.
Ava nodded.
“What do you know?” Ava asked.
“Just that he and Dr. Quincy have history,” the Coroner said. She raised her hands as if in acquiescence. “You have to ask him.”
Ava grinned at the Coroner.
“What?” the Coroner asked.
“I don’t care what my husband did or who he was with in the past,” Ava said with a grin. “I only care about who he’s with now. For now, at least, he’s with me. And I’m grateful.”
The Coroner gave Ava a relieved look.
“Seth has great taste in women,” Ava said. “If he and Dr. Quincy had something, I say ‘Good for them.’”
“You didn’t know?” the Coroner asked.
“I assumed,” Ava said. “Dr. Quincy knows Maresol.”
Ava shrugged.
“My husband is such a brilliant, generous, and wonderful human being,” Ava said. “I assume everyone wants to be with him as much as I do.”
The Coroner gave a slow shake of her head.
“He’s lucky to have you,” the Coroner said. “I don’t think that I could do it.”
“Middle child,” Ava said, pointing to herself.
“Eldest,” the Coroner said.
“See!” Ava said with a laugh. “Seth’s a middle child, too.”
“So, you understand each other,” the Coroner said.
“I understand him as much as anyone can understand someone like him,” Ava said. “The rest is all part of the adventure.”
“Well said,” the Coroner said. “What do you need from me?”
“Sounds like you’ve done it,” Ava said.
“What are you going to do with those . . . historic remains?” the Coroner asked.
“I don’t know,” Ava said. “Any ideas?”
“I guess. Well . . .” The Coroner nodded.
“What?” Ava said with a slight shake of her head.
“I don’t want to step on your toes,” the Coroner said.
Ava stuck her foot out and said, “Step away.”
The Coroner grinned.
“I’d like to be involved in the historic case,” the Coroner said.
“Then you are,” Ava said. “Nice to have you.”
Embarrassed, the Coroner looked away.
“I should see how Dr. Quincy is getting along,” Ava said.
“Mr. Yniguis?” the Coroner called.
A young man in hospital scrubs came to the door.
“Can you take Ms. O’Malley back to where Dr. Quincy is working?” the Coroner asked.
“Yes, ma’am.” The young man gave the Coroner a nod.
“This way, Ms. O’Malley,” the young man said in the slow, monotone accent of a Colorado native.
“Please do call me ‘Ava,’” she said.
“The Coroner insists that we use formal names,” the young man said with a shrug. “She says it helps us distinguish our work from our outside life. Our work is hard. We might see a loved one or a neighbor or even a member of our family here. We need to know that we are at work, not at home. I thought it was stupid and artificial when I started here, but it’s actually pretty nice. Clear. Helps keep work at work. You know?”
“I do,” Ava said.
The young man nodded. They walked down a long, tiled hallway with doors on either side.
“Dr. Quincy has taken over the room in the back,” the young man said. “It has the largest autopsy hood.”
Ava nodded.
“Dr. Quincy is kinda a big deal, huh,” the young man said.
“She is a big deal — no ‘kinda’ about it,” Ava said. She smiled at him. “We were so lucky she was willing to help out.”
Mr. Yniguis nodded. The faint sound of music became louder as they got to the last door at the end of the hallway.
“She listens to Jazz while she works,” the young man said.
“That’s ‘Little Girl Blue,’” Ava said the name of the song playing.
“You know Jazz?” Mr. Yniguis said.
“That’s my husband singing,” Ava said nodding her head to the other side of the door. “I know my husband’s voice. I mean, it doesn’t sound like this anymore. He was eleven when he recorded that song.”
&
nbsp; “Fitting song for this case,” Mr. Yniguis said.
Ava nodded. Smiling, Mr. Yniguis tapped on the door, and they went in.
“Ava!” Dr. Quincy said in greeting.
The young man gave Ava a little bow and left the room. As Ava entered the room, Dr. Quincy turned down the music.
“I just came to check on you,” Ava said. “Make sure you have everything you need.”
“Get a chance to take a peek,” Dr. Quincy said.
Ava blushed.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” Dr. Quincy said. “I would expect nothing less of you. I’m a little surprised . . .”
Bob came in the door behind Ava.
“Sorry, I had trouble parking,” Bob said.
“Now that’s more like it,” Dr. Quincy said. “I’ve never known that man not to be first in line for information.”
“That’s the truth,” Bob said.
“What would you like to know first?” Dr. Quincy raised her eyebrows to Ava. “Ava.”
Bob chuckled, causing Dr. Quincy to grin. Ava smiled at them but didn’t want to give up her chance to learn what she wanted to know.
“Have you spoken with Heidi?” Ava asked. “Dr. Miller?”
“She came by this morning,” Dr. Quincy said. “That girl looks like she’s going to vomit or faint or explode at any minute. I made her sit down and drink a glass of water before we talked. When is she due?”
“Soon,” Ava said with a nod.
Not one for ceremony, Dr. Quincy began her update as if she were lecturing to a class. She walked over to the table where the remains of the small family lay. The male and female adults were too fragile to separate, so they remained entwined. The children had been removed from the family group. The parts of the remains that were exposed to the environment had turned to bone, while the children and the front of the man and woman were mummified.
“The findings from the historic family are as you had expected,” Dr. Quincy said. “From what we can tell from the mummified lungs, it looks like asphyxiation due to smoke inhalation. The adult male has cracked and broken bones . . .”
Dr. Quincy used her pen to point to a position on his leg and another on his arm.
“These injuries are consistent with having been in some kind of fight or possibly a brawl.”
She pointed to his cheekbone.
“Given that the evidence suggests that they were murdered, I’d be inclined to say that he received these injuries defending himself against attack.”
Little Girl Blue, a Seth and Ava Mystery Page 6