Down Among The Bones

by Vickie McKeehan

  “I do. I’ll take her straight home. And I’ll stay until her family shows up for her.”

  “Good. Has Dani called Emelia’s mother yet?”

  “They’ve talked a couple of times. Dani’s given her several updates. So yeah, Emelia’s mother knows that her daughter was abducted around four-thirty this afternoon if that’s what you mean. Mrs. Navarro called the cops again. I don’t know where that stands, though. All I know is that the cops probably sent out a uniform to take down the information. As far as I know, they haven’t even gone to the apartment complex yet.”

  “You know that for certain?”

  “I know they went to talk to Dani’s aunt at her place and filled out a report. I’m assuming that was a uniform.”

  “Okay. Let’s hope we can do something about that and get Bellevue PD to fast-track this case to a higher priority. I’ve worked with a detective there by the name of Foley. He won’t be there now. But call the desk sergeant and get his email address. Then send him that video footage of the guy getting Emelia into his car. That should get him moving on it at the very least.”

  “Will do. I wish I could go with you guys.”

  “No, you don’t. Stick like glue to Dani until you can break away without causing her more distress. That’s your job right now.”

  “I get it. You might have bad news later, right?”

  “You know the drill better than anyone.”

  “Yeah. Unfortunately, I do.”

  ****

  Seattle area streets were curvy thoroughfares that, in many places, used numbers instead of names. In the case of major roads, sometimes, if you weren’t paying attention, the map changed from avenue to street in the blink of an eye. Visitors could get confused and lost before they realized they had gone the wrong way and were headed in the opposite direction. Throw in massive areas of town undergoing road construction, and you had to know what routes worked and which ones did not.

  The way the driver of the Audi had navigated the side streets made Skye believe he knew where he was going and how to get there. He’d planned the best route to take in advance to get to an undisclosed location in the shortest amount of time.

  Skye knew that did not bode well for Emelia.

  The Audi driver had reached that dead-end alley less than fifteen minutes after he’d completed his snatch and grab in rush-hour traffic no less. He did it because he knew the streets and knew how best to get around the gridlock.

  Brayden had described the area as a dead-end alleyway. But when Josh turned the corner where they’d lost the Audi, they saw that it was more like an unfinished part of 37th Street no larger than a lot that dead-ended into a thicket of evergreen trees. The city had installed a metal railing across the length of the concrete to prevent cars from attempting to drive into the greenbelt. The sign read, “No Access. No Dumping.”

  The dead-end street had seen its unique location used as an impromptu garbage dump. Debris and trash of all kinds littered the ground. Some had blown up against the sign and stuck there through rain and storms. Someone had tossed out a twin-sized mattress. It was so filthy from years of dirt and grime that it was impossible to make out the original color. Since there were no nearby streetlights and no nosy neighbors for miles to spy on those doing the illegal dumping, it had gone on for years.

  At the very end of the pavement, Skye spotted a car smoldering. Blackened steel remnants told them the Audi was toast.

  She let out a sigh of disappointment and opened the passenger side door. She caught the stench of burning rubber as Josh joined her next to the van. He’d left the headlights on to illuminate what remained of the SUV.

  Just as Skye reached for her cell phone to call the fire department, headlights from an approaching vehicle lit up the ghastly sight even more. But they didn’t have time to gawk for long. Not knowing if the killer had returned to the scene of the crime driving another vehicle, they went on alert, using the van for cover.

  But when Skye realized the dark gray Impala was an unmarked police car issued to Bellevue PD, she stood up. Squinting into the light, she recognized the driver and nudged Josh’s side. “That’s Detective Dave Foley.”

  “Didn’t he help us locate that missing ten-year-old boy a couple of years back?” Josh asked. “I didn’t know he’d made detective.”

  “It happened last May when we were in Idaho. He sent me the announcement. Since his promotion, he’s been even more supportive of the Foundation than when he wore a uniform.”

  At Foley’s approach, Skye held out her hand. “I see you got Brayden’s email.”

  “I did. Nice work. Thanks for the heads up. I watched the video a couple of times and then called Brayden. That kid would make a great cop someday. He told me this is where I’d find you guys.”

  Foley shook hands with Josh and then walked around the burned-out Audi.

  “I was just about to call the fire department when I saw you drive up,” Skye stated.

  “I hope to God Emelia Navarro’s body isn’t in there,” Foley pointed out.

  “It’s not,” Josh said in a matter-of-fact tone. “You’d smell flesh burning for sure. And I don’t.”

  Foley gave Josh a strange look but continued perusing the vehicle. “Okay. I hope you’re right about that. But I still need to get a team out here and search those woods beyond the barrier, then have the crime scene techs pick apart what’s left of this car.”

  Skye hated the idea of handing off the most significant piece of evidence they had. But it was Foley’s case now. There was one job she didn’t envy. “Will you personally go tell Emelia’s mother about this update?”

  Foley clenched his jaw. “Unless you want to do it.”

  Skye shifted her feet and grinned. “Nope. I wouldn’t want to interfere with police business. That’s your job. Unless you’re telling me that you aren’t the lead on this?”

  “No, I’m it. If you manage to get anything else of value, keep me posted.”

  “Same goes,” Josh put in, exchanging looks with Skye. “Then I guess we’ll leave you to it.”

  After getting settled in the minivan, Skye turned to Josh. “Some things I believe in holding back.”

  “Yeah. Like how did our Audi driver leave the scene? He had to have another vehicle waiting here.”

  “Another vehicle he probably stole. I wonder if we go through that traffic footage west to east, south to north if we might get lucky. I realize it’d be a huge, time-consuming task. But we might pick him up heading out of here.”

  “Hey, it’s worth a shot. We could put Reggie on it. He loves that kind of thing.”

  “I was thinking about leaving Brayden to it. After all, he’s the one who brought us into this.”

  “Even better,” Josh agreed as he turned the key in the ignition.

  “I want Reggie to ping Emelia’s cell phone. But we’ll need her data first. I’ll send a text to Brayden. He can ask Dani to get us Emelia’s carrier information.”

  “It’s a start. You don’t think Brayden would ever want to be a cop, do you?”

  “He’s only nineteen. He can be anything he wants. Personally, I like to think he’s happy right where he is. And this Dani may well be his first serious girlfriend.”

  “Maybe. But you know he’s avoided any significant relationship this long because he’s self-conscious about his scars.”

  “Did he talk to you about it?”

  Josh nodded. “One day last spring, before Idaho, he asked me to lunch. I knew he wanted to talk about something big because he didn’t want to do it around the other guys. So we grabbed tacos at the pier and had a heart to heart about his body image.”

  “And?”

  “I convinced him it was no big deal. Like I did with you.”

  She narrowed her eyes like laser beams on him. “As I recall, you were trying to get me into bed at the time.”

  “Well, yeah. But I wanted you to understand that it didn’t matter. I’d already fallen in love with you. Which is the reaso
n I told Brayden that if a woman truly cares about him, the scars won’t matter.”

  “I hope you’re right. I hope Dani cares enough to turn a blind eye about such things. Not everyone does these days. Looks seem to be what women care about the most. That, and lots of money. A decent guy is hard to find.” She shifted in her seat. “That’s why you said you hoped she didn’t break his heart, isn’t it?”

  “I just want him to have a normal life. Brayden deserves something good. I just hope Dani sees him for what he is, an all-around, decent guy.”

  “Maybe we should check her out.”

  “Run a background on her? I could do that.”

  “I think we should. It would make me feel a whole lot better about who she is as a person.”

  Three

  Friday morning arrived—sleep or no sleep—with plenty of energy and noise. Rambunctious four-year-olds rarely practiced whispering, and Sierra was no exception. As she headed downstairs, though, the little girl tried what she considered hushed tones to quiet the dogs.

  “Shhhh! Mama and Daddy are trying to sleep. You gots to be quiet,” Sierra reminded her pack at the top of her lungs. Atka, Bella, and Cody responded by woofing in various degrees of loudness.

  Zoe met her charges on the landing and did what she could to keep the racket to a minimum. But there was no reining in three dogs and a small child. Her approach was met with playful nuance and a ready-to-party stampede to start the day.

  Since Cody no longer wore a splint, he was the most rambunctious of the three. Still considered a puppy, Cody wagged his tail and jumped up on Zoe, almost knocking her down the stairs.

  “Cut it out, Cody,” Zoe commanded, forgetting to keep her voice to a whisper.

  Taking the stairs two at a time, Zoe pulled her long, cascading brown hair back into a ponytail and prepared to fix breakfast. In the kitchen, she let the dogs out the back door to do their business and then started a pot of coffee.

  Sierra had her first chore of the day down to a routine and got busy filling dog dishes without being told. She scrambled to the pantry to scoop out dog chow from a giant bag and then dumped it into three dog dishes. Done with that, Zoe helped her pour water from a plastic pitcher into three stainless steel containers they kept by the back door with each dog’s name etched on the side. On their prompt return, the mixed breeds—malamute, husky, and Labrador—charged in, sliding on the tile floor, lapping up the water first before heading straight for the food.

  Bleary-eyed from not getting to bed until almost three, Skye sauntered zombie-like into the kitchen and stumbled to the coffee pot.

  Zoe took one look at her stepsister and started laughing. “You should go back to bed. You look like you had a rough night. That’s what you get for burning the candle at both ends.”

  Skye inhaled the aroma of the caffeine before sparing Zoe a tenacious glare. The wayward kid had somehow turned into a beautiful nineteen-year-old who no longer felt the need to dye her hair goth black and add in purple highlights to it.

  “That sounds like I partied. That would equate to fun. Fun,” Skye repeated. “Right now, I’m not familiar with that word.” She took out her phone and swiped until she came to the video clip of Emelia’s abduction caught on camera and then handed it to Zoe. “That’s why you’re here. That’s what kept us out so late. I got maybe three hours of sleep total.”

  “Oh, wow,” Zoe exclaimed when she played the clip. “He must’ve used some type of chloroform on her.”

  “Probably. He also ditched that car you see in the video, left it in an obscure part of town, set it on fire to burn away any evidence.”

  “Clever guy.”

  “Oh, yeah. I’m certain he’s done this before. I texted Harry to see if there are any other cases like this. I’m waiting to hear back.” Skye took several slugs of coffee before turning her attention to her daughter. “Hey, munchkin. How about some pancakes this morning?”

  Sierra sidled up to her mother for a hug. “Mama, are you after a bad man?”

  Skye scooped up her daughter, placed a kiss on the top of the girl’s head. “Not right this second. Right now, I’m here to make you breakfast.”

  “Then you’ll go catch the bad guy, right?”

  Playful-like, Skye drilled a finger into the little girl’s belly. “You don’t worry about me catching the bad guy, okay?”

  “Where’s Daddy? Is he catching the bad guy?”

  Josh came in fresh from a shower. He planted a kiss on Skye’s hair before eyeing his daughter. Holding out his hands, he encouraged Sierra to leap from Mom to Dad. “What’d I miss?”

  “Mama says we’re having pancakes! Are you gonna catch a bad guy today?”

  “Not until we eat breakfast first,” Josh deadpanned, tousling Sierra’s raven hair.

  “I’ll throw together the pancake batter,” Zoe offered, taking pity on both adults. “You guys chill. But Skye has to do the pouring onto the griddle and the flipping because I always mess that part up.”

  “It’s all in the wrist,” Skye said with a grin, setting out the ingredients. When the doorbell rang, she patted Zoe on the arm. “Better double the recipe. That’s probably Judy and Reggie. But the entire team will make an appearance soon enough.”

  “Doesn’t anybody sleep late anymore?” Zoe grumbled, breaking more eggs into the bowl.

  When Judy Howe sauntered into the room behind Skye, she went straight over to the kitchen counter and to Zoe. “I’ll help with that. I’m sure you didn’t plan on so many for breakfast. Plus, Reggie can step in because he makes a mean omelet.”

  From the doorway, Reggie Bechtol echoed that boast. “If there are enough eggs, I’ll show you how it’s done. Trust me. You’ll be glad you started your day off with eggs made the Bechtol way.”

  Judy rolled her eyes. “He’s turning into quite a chef and wants everybody to know it.”

  “Hey, a man who can cook gets the women. Am I right?” Reggie crowed.

  “Right,” Sierra hollered back, waiting at the table for her food. “Reggie makes awesome pancakes with berries.”

  Reggie went over and ruffled the kid’s hair. “See, Sierra knows a good thing when she eats it.”

  “Yeah, and she also used to eat Play-Doh,” Zoe countered.

  “But she likes my pancakes better than anybody else’s, don’t you?” Reggie fired back.

  “Pancakes with berries on top,” the girl shouted, bouncing up and down.

  At the counter, Reggie nudged Zoe out of the way. “Scooch over a tad and watch the master chef at work,” he added as he began lining up the ingredients out on the counter.

  By seven-forty-five, other members of the team had trickled in—Leo and Brayden arrived about the same time Winston Reeker got there—grabbing a plate and helping themselves buffet-style to whatever food remained on the island.

  The group spent the next hour in a jovial mood, laughing, talking, sharing the first meal of the day—a feast of bacon, omelets, and pancakes.

  When the meal was over and the dishes cleared away, the dishwasher hummed in the background as Josh rolled a huge whiteboard into position. He pinned up Emelia’s photograph and a map of Bellevue. Next to the picture, he began to jot down notes.

  No one said a word because everyone already knew the drill. The team kicked back from the table and offered up general information as they started to brainstorm the case from scratch.

  Master chef Reggie offered up the cell phone data. “I took what Brayden provided from Dani, the phone number and such, then began to ping Emelia’s phone. The info indicates her cell traveled south through rush-hour traffic to where he left the Audi. But we already knew that. After changing cars, the phone leaves the area and travels northward back near the Woodbridge neighborhood. That’s all I have so far because I need to triangulate the additional data that sometimes doesn’t show up for several hours.”

  Winston frowned. “Wait. You’re saying this woman’s phone went back toward the Woodbridge area where she lives? That doe
sn’t make any sense.”

  “Maybe it’s there now,” Skye noted. “Make it a priority to keep checking. The minute you receive the additional data, I want to know about it.” She turned to Brayden. “What happened when you dropped off Dani back at her apartment?”

  Brayden cleared his throat. “Weird vibe from the entire family. Dani’s mom spent most of the evening giving her daughter a hard time, insisting that everybody was overreacting to Emelia not coming home. When I mentioned that we had video of Emelia’s abduction, she changed her tune. Keep in mind this is Emelia’s aunt, Dani’s mother acting calm about the whole thing. I will say that by the time I left, the woman had changed her attitude. The whole family began to cram into this two-bedroom apartment to figure out the next step. They are, of course, counting on the Foundation to help get the word out.”

  Skye traded looks with Judy. “I’m sure Detective Foley will have them do a press conference later this morning, asking for help from the public.”

  Judy opened up a huge bag and took out her laptop. “No confirmation of that yet, but I emailed flyers to more than fifty area law enforcement agencies and another hundred to the surrounding community businesses across the city. The retail outlets promised to have the posters up and visibly displayed in a prominent front window by nine this morning.”

  “Great job, Judy,” Zoe uttered as she leaned over the woman’s shoulder to study the flyer. “I love watching you guys do your thing.”

  Skye patted the seat next to her. “Why don’t you take a seat? I know you want to. You might be able to add something to the discussion.”

  Pleased with the offer, Zoe plopped into the chair. “Really? Thanks.”

  Skye turned back to Brayden. “And were you still there at the apartment when Detective Foley dropped in to tell the family that the car used had been torched?”

  Brayden nodded. “Yeah. Foley showed up around two-thirty, maybe. His arrival seemed to act as the game-changer. The mood shifted from calm to hysterical. When I left, Dani made me promise I’d keep her up to speed every step of the way.”