“Which means that whoever set it knew when the project was going to begin,” said McGaven.
“It had to be someone who didn’t want the project to commence.”
“That’s about half of the town. Lots of people wanted the land kept pristine.”
Katie turned to her partner. “I suppose if the trap killed someone, then the area would have been tied up in lawsuits and whatever else for an indefinite amount of time…” She thought on it some more. “Or what if, instead, it was someone who knew about the buried bodies… or even the person who buried them? They wouldn’t want them found. They’d be worried a trail would eventually lead to them.”
Katie and McGaven worked for another hour building their murder board. From family research and birth records they were able to find out the name of Misty Collins’s mother, who appeared to be the other skeleton—Meredith Collins. They added temporary photos of each to the board. It was clear there were missing pieces in the case, but it was important to put up the facts they knew so far. Even though the photos were degraded and fuzzy, their faces were still recognizable. They definitely appeared to be related. If it was proven through DNA from the bones that the mother and daughter weren’t the Collinses, then the detectives would update accordingly.
Katie studied the photos. Having names made it more impactful. It stirred something deep inside her and she was determined to find out what had happened and why.
There was a map of the property showing the “before,” and after they had removed trees to prepare for the foundation ofthe buildings. The map had also been notated to show the area where they found the trap, and where a person would have entered and exited the property.
Katie added the basics about the skeletal remains as well as the partially decomposed male body. Once they had spoken to John and the medical examiner, she would update.
As she stood in front of the lists, photos, and maps, she realized this particular undertaking would be complicated by several moving parts. Were the bodies related? Was the person or persons who set a trap party to the bodies being dumped? Was it all about murder?
McGaven looked at his watch. “I need to rest my eyes,” he said, rubbing them.
“It’s been a long day,” she said, feeling her sore muscles.
“As long as the area is deemed safe, let’s finish the search tomorrow morning.”
Katie closed files and the laptop. “Good idea. A fresh start.”
TEN
Monday 2000 hours
Katie couldn’t wait to take a shower after crawling around on the ground at the construction location. She put on some loose sweats and a T-shirt. As she walked out of her bedroom, she was met with the most wonderful aroma. John was cooking.
“Wow, that smells absolutely amazing,” she said, walking into the kitchen. “I didn’t think there was much to eat in my fridge.” She smiled and gave John a soft kiss.
“You have more than you realize.”
“Really?”
“Along with what you have in the cupboards.”
Katie sat down at the bar, realizing how lucky she was having someone in her life who not only knew how demanding her job was, but was considerate and loving. She admired John as he cooked in his casual worn T-shirt, sweats, and bare feet. He moved with the poise of a chef.
Cisco was extremely interested and sat at attention, patiently waiting for any food to hitthe floor.
“I can only imagine how your day went,” she said.
“Probably a lot like yours, except I didn’t run into some deadly trap,” he said, smiling. “I hope you’re hungry?”
“Starved. We missed lunch.”
John plated their meals, which consisted of leftover chicken, vegetables, and rice. “Here you go,” he said, setting down the plates.
“This looks fantastic. It smells delicious,” she said. “How did you do that?”
“It was just me and my mom growing up. We didn’t have much money, but we had more than enough. We made a game out of how many different meals we could make with what we had.”
“Just you and your mom?” said Katie. She didn’t know much about John’s early life and he didn’t usually offer up much information about it.
“Yeah. My dad left when I was five and my older brother left home when he was sixteen and I was fourteen. We’ve kept in touch, but we’re not close. So it was just me and my mom.”
