Unless her DNA or prints weren’t in the system. Which was possible at the girl’s young age if she’d had no run-ins with the law.
A drizzly rain continued as they worked. But by noon, the girl’s body had been transported to the morgue. The sun was fighting through the gray clouds as she and Cord left the teams to continue processing and searching the area.
Still, as they reached her house and she and Cord showered and crawled into bed, nightmares of finding an abandoned or dead little girl tortured Ellie’s sleep.
ELEVEN
DAY TWO
Mystic
He’d watched the news this morning, wondering if they’d found the girl. But no story about her yet.
There would be though. He just had to keep waiting and watching.
Until then, he had to go through the day like it was normal just as he had before.
After his first teenage kill, he’d sweated bullets the entire day afterward and had to leave work early. He’d nearly pissed his pants when the story finally aired. A suicide.
Just as he’d planned. The local police hadn’t detected anything suspicious. With the girl’s history, the former sheriff had written it off as another tragedy of a troubled teen dying too young. Substance abuse. The perfect foil.
His second killing had been easier. He’d managed to cover his nerves and stay at work all day. The news had hit mid-morning, and his coworker had been having coffee. She’d gasped and teared up. He’d barely resisted the urge to smile and gloat. Instead, he’d patted her hand and offered her sympathy. Hecould be charming like that. He really could. He’d learned early on.
Laughter bubbled in his throat, but he managed to hold it down and checked his phone again. Still, no word. Anticipation built in his chest. There would be soon though.
He scrolled through his photographs, smiling as he glanced at the photo he’d taken as he’d watched Dana Jo Glasser in the park with her little girl recently. His attempt to kill her had failed. She was the one who’d gotten away.
Dammit, that still bugged the shit out of him.
He had to keep his eyes on her.
So far, she didn’t remember anything about what happened between them. The attack. Being left in the woods for dead. That infuriated him, too. He wanted her to remember his touch. His power over her. The fear she’d felt when she realized she was going to die.
How she’d survived was beyond him. Luck had been on his side in that when she’d regained consciousness, she’d repressed the memory. Hadn’t even recognized him when he’d passed her on the way to her car the other day. Of course, she was so messed up she barely came out of her house. Stayed locked inside like a hermit, holding on to her mama’s coattails.
Hopefully she might not ever remember.
If he found out she had, he’d take her again. And this time she’d end up in the ground instead of going home to her daughter.
TWELVE
Crooked Creek Police Department
Ellie called a quick meeting with her boss, Captain Hale; Deputies Shondra Eastwood and Heath Landrum; and Sheriff Bryce Waters to fill them in.
“Cord was called about a possible suicide at Midnight Ridge. A witness, an older man named Roman who appeared homeless, radioed it into SAR.” She placed a photo of the man’s makeshift house onto the whiteboard. “Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture of him. While Cord and I were analyzing the scene where the girl died, he disappeared.”
“You said he was homeless?” Captain Hale said. “Did you get his last name?”
Ellie winced. “I’m afraid not.” She should have asked him for his full name and taken his statement before evaluating the scene. But she’d wanted to see the girl and hadn’t considered that he might leave. A big mistake. One she wouldn’t make again. “Cord looked for him but couldn’t find him. He reported it to the ranger station and asked them to call if one of them found him.”
Deputy Eastwood cleared her throat. Her gold turban looked stunning today with her gold earrings. Ellie admired her individuality and style and they’d become friends through work. “Do you suspect him of hurting the teenager?” Shondra asked.
Ellie considered it again. “Cord and I discussed that, but the man walked with a limp and looked frail. It’s doubtful, even if she was unconscious, that he would have had the strength to carry or drag her body to the top of the ridge and push her off. And if she was conscious and fighting him, the odds are even less.” She attached photos of the rocky area and the stream where the girl had landed, then a photo of her sneaker in the bushes and the close-up of the blood spatter on the rocks onto the board.
Shondra’s face paled and Deputy Landrum scrubbed a hand over his chin. Bryce growled an obscenity. “Man, she’s busted up good.”
Ellie nodded. “Her face is completely crushed. Unrecognizable.” Ellie’s stomach clenched. Such a shame for a young girl to die like that. “Dr. Whitefeather estimated her age to be around fifteen to seventeen. She’s conducting the autopsy today.”
