Page 53 of Homicide in Water Creek

“We’re still running him through the facial recognition database, but tonight’s phone call may provide the information we need. I’m more than ready for Water Creek to return to normal.”

Maverick’s gaze drifted to the folder on his desk. “Maybe we have a new normal now. We still don’t know how Vonita ended up stuffed in a trunk at Boone’s.”

“That’s no longer my job to sort out, though I did hear back from the truck driver. He said he parked the truck in front of Boone's at 10 p.m., grabbed something to eat at The Whistle Wetter, and went to bed in the cab around midnight.”

“So it sat in front of Boone's for at least six hours?” Maverick asked, excitement lighting his face. “That could be when the killer put the body in the trunk.”

“It feels wrong to crush your spirit so early in the morning, but there’s no choice. The driver also said the Porsche was at the top of the truck. There was no way someone could climb it with a body. He also told me that they clear each vehicle before they put it in the bone yard.”

“Well, that’s disappointing, but it also makes sense. How long was it between when the cars were left at Boone's and when Jacks found the body?”

“Almost 17 days.”

“That means we now have a rough time of death. Whoever killed her likely planned to use Boone’s yard all along. But they’d have to kill her and move her the same day.”

“How do you figure?” King asked, interested in his theory since, so far, their timeline had huge gaps.

“They’d want to move her before rigor sets in so they can get her into position before she freezes up, right?” King nodded with a shrug. “We know she was killed an hour away, which means her killer had only a few hours to get her to Water Creek. Since he’d have to approach the boneyard in the dark, we can be relatively sure she was killed the same day the Porsche was put there, probably that evening. Once it got dark, he loaded Vonita into a vehicle and drove her here. He approached the boneyard from the backside, tossed Vonita over the fence, and followed.”

“Why pick the Porsche? Why not a pickup truck or something easier to get the body into?”

“Maybe the killer was making a statement about her lifestyle. Maybe he didn’t want her found immediately, or at all, so putting her in a truck wasn’t an option. Maybe the Porsche was close to the fence, and it was the first trunk that opened.”

King nodded, resting his elbow on the desk and his chin in his hand. “Jacks surmised the same thing. Her suggestion was they put her in the Porsche, thinking it would go into the crusher before the body started to smell.”

“Also a good theory,” Maverick said. “There wasn’t much left of that car, which would make it likely to be crushed.”

“I just wish Jacks hadn’t been the one to find her. I would have rather spared her that.”

“It stands to reason that any man would want to spare the woman he loves from discovering that scene,” Maverick said.

“You’re assuming a lot here, Maverick.”

“Not assuming anything,” he said. “We have cameras in here. You must have forgotten about them when you had your tongue down her throat.”

King’s growl was overpowered by Maverick’s laughter. “You’re a real comedian today,” he muttered. “What I can’t figure out is why the killer didn’t hide her rental car. He left it literally in front of the crime scene.”

“Like a beacon,” Maverik agreed. “Which means either something happened once he dropped her body in the boneyard and he couldn’t return to the unit, or he didn’t care because he’d be long gone by the time the scene was discovered.”

“Considering it took us nearly three weeks to find it, that’s probably true,” King agreed.

“King?” Jacks called, and his heart settled at the sound of her voice again. “In my office!” He shot Maverick a warning glare and waited for Jacks to join them.

“The gang’s all here,” she said as she walked in.

“We were just discussing the timeline of Vonita’s death,” Maverick said. “I’ll let him tell you about it. I’ve gotta hit the streets, but make sure he reads this folder of paperwork, would you? Or maybe read it for him and then summarize. The sheriff seems to be struggling to do it himself.”

“Hey, Cass,” King said.

“Yeah, boss?”

“Shut up.”

Maverick’s snarky laughter filled the room as King shook his head, but not before he noticed Jack bite back a smile as well.

“What’s in the folder?” She didn’t reach for it, but kept her gaze locked on him, almost as if they were the only two people in the room.

“Information about Vonita,” King answered. “I will look at it after I plot the timeline of her death so we can refer to it if needed.”