I jumped back another step as the bag fell partially on my feet. It landed with a thud but also a squishy sound, and then I heard the end burst open with a pop. A smell hit me like a punch in the face, making me retch.
I knew that smell. I knew it from stories I’d covered and a few awful moments I’d faced in life. It was the putrid smell of a decaying human body.
Chapter 7
BEHIND MEALICE GAGGED.
“What— Is itShannon?”
“Probably.” I had to fight like a bitch not to chuck my breakfast. “But we gotta leave.”
Alice gagged again, and the beam of the flashlight caromed around the basement. As I turned to flee, the beam bounced briefly over the open closet.
“Wait,” I said. Holding my breath, I reached back to steady Alice’s arm and trained the light on the rear of the closet. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. There were two more black trash bags lying on top of each other, though not as stuffed-looking as the one at my feet.
“Jesus,” Alice said, following my gaze.
“I know.” I grabbed her elbow. “Let’s go.”
We scrambled back across the basement and tore up the stairs. By the time we were out of the building, my lungs felt ready to explode.
“You okay?” I asked after a few gulps of oxygen.
Alice nodded, gasping for air herself.
“Man, this is awful,” she said finally. “What the hell was in those other bags?”
“I don’t know. But I bet not anything good.”
I pivoted, searching the area with my eyes. Was someone out there, watching our every move?
“We need to call 911 pronto,” Alice said.
“Let’s do it from my car, though. Whoever wanted me to find this place may have eyes on us now.”
“Jeez, good point.”
We took off at a jog to the Jeep, and after locking us in, I reached 911, explaining that another reporter and I had stumbled upon what seemed to be human remains, possibly belonging to Shannon Blaine. Keeping an eye out the window, I gave the dispatcher the name of the road and explained we would be waiting at the base of it, right by the lake.
As I dropped the phone in my lap, I noticed how clammy my hands were. Though I’d always realized an outcome like this was in the cards, the reality was crushing. That lovely young woman, with two little kids pining for her return, was most likely inside the bag that had burst out of the closet and opened at my feet. And it had clearly been foul play that had put her there.
“Love how you used the wordstumble,” Alice said. “Killian’s gonna take issue withthat.”
“I know he’ll be pissed, but it’s not like we were given any reason to think the worst. We weren’t even sure if this was the place the caller was referring to.” I turned toward Alice so I could look her in the eye. “I’ll take full responsibility,but you might be blamed for tagging along. Is that going to create problems for you in town?”
“Nothing I can’t live with. And thank God wedidinvestigate.” She directed her gaze toward the two structures we’d come from. “I wonder why the killer picked this spot. Maybe he went on retreat here years ago.”
“Or he’s just familiar enough with this area to know about it.”
Alice lifted one bushy eyebrow. “Cody’s from Texas, of course, but he’s lived here long enough to have heard about the place. Shannon might have even gone on retreat here and told him about it. And he might be the one who called you.”
“But if he murdered his wife, why would he want her body found?”
“Remorse? Guilt?”
“Then why not just turn himself in to the police?”
“Well, then the caller could have been a friend of his he confessed to, and the person decided to lead you here.”
