“Let me see.” Autumn edged forward. “Yeah, okay, that provides the confirmation we need that someone is buried here. We’ll proceed with caution. Oh, and we need to get one of the detectives here.” She frowned, glancing at Jordan before turning back to the officers on scene. “I’m not sure who’s on call tonight.”
“I called Detective Peters on our way out,” the younger officer said. “He didn’t sound happy about being woken up, but agreed to meet us here.”
Peters was a grouchy dude, Jordan thought sourly. The guy wasn’t the best example of what he knew were high-quality police officers working in Canyon Creek. Then again, Jordan was slightly biased because of the detective’s lackluster attitude toward his missing sister.
“Any ID on the victim?” Jordan asked.
“Not yet.” Was it his imagination, or was Autumn looking at him with apprehension? “Stay back, Jordan.”
Oddly, her comment made him want to move closer. He suddenly had a really bad feeling about this. “Who is it?”
“Looks like our victim is a young woman,” a voice said.
“Don’t,” Autumn said sharply, but it was too late.
Jordan pushed forward in time to see a pair of black-and-white-checkered sneakers. His knees went weak and it took every ounce of his strength to remain upright.
Jenny had a pair of black-and-white-checkered sneakers. He tried to remind himself that other young women likely wore them, too. They were a common enough brand and popular with the teenage crowd.
But seeing the sneakers poking out from the rocks had struck deep.
Then Autumn was there, her hand on his arm. “Jordan, do you have picture of Jenny? Can you remember what your sister was wearing when she was last seen?”
“She was just beginning to show. A pink long-sleeved maternity top, dark blue maternity jeans and black-and-white-checkered sneakers.” He pulled out his phone, scrolled through the photos and then handed it to her. He steeled himself for the harsh truth as Autumn gazed down at his phone for a long moment. “That’s Jenny buried there, isn’t it? My half sister has been dead all this time.”
“I’m sorry to say that yes, the victim we’ve uncovered matches the woman in this photo, and the clothing she’s wearing fits your description.” Autumn somberly handed his phone back. She paused, as if thinking about something. “But I must tell you, I don’t know how long she’s been buried here. She doesn’t appear pregnant.”
He stared in horror. “What do you mean?”
“We won’t know for sure until the autopsy is done, but it does not look to me as if Jenny was pregnant when she was killed.” Autumn’s gaze was full of sympathy. “I’m so sorry, Jordan. I know this is a terrible shock. I wish I could tell you more but we need to wait for the medical examiner to get here.”
Not pregnant when she was killed? That didn’t make any sense. If she was wearing the same clothes as the last time she’d been seen… Jordan stared over to where the crime scene techs were continuing their work of uncovering Jenny’s body.
How long had his sister been buried there? And worse, what in the world happened to her baby?
TWO
Tension filled the air the minute Detective Daniel Peters arrived on scene. Autumn put a restraining hand on Jordan’s arm when Peters brushed past them to peer down into the shallow grave.
“You found the body?” Peters turned to glare at her, as if she’d made the find just to ruin his day.
“Bear did.” She wished the detective would show just a little compassion here. Jordan’s muscles were bunched to the point she half expected him to launch himself at the detective. “The victim matches the description of Jennifer Clarke.”
A brief flash of guilt darkened Peters’s eyes, but then it was gone. “Okay, we’ll get the medical examiner here ASAP to help us figure out the approximate date and time of her death.”
“That’s all you have to say?” Jordan demanded. “No ‘Hey, I’m sorry I didn’t take your concerns about your missing sister seriously’?”
“There was no evidence of foul play.” Peters’s tone was defensive. “Now there is. I’ll head over to interview you soon, Mr. Clarke.”
“No, you won’t.” When she tightened her grip on Jordan’s arm, he shrugged her off. “I’ll speak with Officer Riley here. Not you.”
Autumn winced, knowing the lead detective on the case had to be the one to do the interviews. “I’ll be there with you,” she offered.
“I’m not wasting my breath talking to that guy,” Jordan said in a low voice as Peters turned his attention back to the grave. “He’s useless.”
She swallowed a sigh. “He’s a good detective.”
“Impossible.” Jordan glowered at her. “A good detective listens to the family of a missing girl.”
