by J. R. Adler
“Hill, whatcha working on?” she asked.
He turned back to look at her. “Traffic violations.” He held up a stack of paperwork.
She gave him a slight nod. With an open murder investigation, traffic violations should be the last thing anyone should be working on, but she understood the work had to be done.
“Carry on,” she said, turning to face her office. She opened the door and twisted open the blinds that looked out into the main office area. She wanted the first glimpse, just in case Sam had a change of heart and decided to haul Henry Colton in early. They were wasting time with this “let’s shake him loose” approach.
Kimberley walked around her desk and took a seat, looking up at the ceiling, swiveling her chair back and forth. There wasn’t much else she could do other than wait. She had talked to everyone that knew Hannah, which wasn’t many. She didn’t really have any friends. Her only family was her mother and her daughter. Her relationship was private, and regardless of what Sam thought, Kimberley knew whoever killed Hannah Brown knew her intimately. This wasn’t random. This was planned. Methodical. She closed her eyes for a moment, mulling over all the facts of the case. Where and when she was murdered—Deer Creek in the wee hours of the morning—indicated their meeting was a secret between them. The murder was quick. A gunshot to the head. So quick Hannah hadn’t seen it coming. Evident by the frozen look on her face, her features in a neutral position, lips slightly parted, eyes open, not too wide, not narrowed, just like she was looking at somebody, somebody she knew, somebody she trusted, somebody she loved. But why the decapitation? Why leave Isobel there? Was it all a ploy to throw police off the scent of the real killer? Them thinking it was a copycat killer led them astray. Kimberley’s eyes snapped open. That’s all it was. It had to be. Sam and Kimberley had spent nearly two days tracking down a potential true-crime obsessive.
Kimberley let out a laugh for being a fool. During the time they wasted, the murderer had been mostly likely covering his tracks, staying one step ahead of the police. How could she have had such tunnel vision? She quickly wiped that thought away. It wasn’t her that had laser focus on the true-crime obsessive, it was Sam. To him, that had been the only explanation. She shook her head and tilted it toward each shoulder, one at a time, to crack her neck. But really, she still didn’t know anything. It was just a hunch.
Kimberley looked down at her desk. A piece of white paper poked out from her keyboard. She slid it out from under. A folded piece of computer paper with “Kimberley” written in the middle in cursive. She didn’t recognize the handwriting. She carefully opened it, revealing a typed note. Her eyes scanned it.
The big city detective might not want to keep poking around something that should be left alone. A single whore, who is no more, is no great loss to anyone… Remember that.
Just like every time I close my eyes, I remember Jessica’s adorable face.
The coffee Kimberley thought she had successfully swallowed pushed its way up from her stomach, burning her throat as it reentered her mouth. She wretched into the garbage can beside her desk a greenish, brown liquid. Sweat beads formed at her hairline. She stood up straight, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Grabbing her keys from the top of her desk, she bolted out of her office.
“Where’s the fire?” Deputy Hill said lightheartedly. When he saw the horror on Kimberley’s face, he stood at attention and swallowed hard.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Sam emerged from his office. “Detective?”
“It’s Jessica!” she yelled over her shoulder as she pushed through the first set of doors.
Sam chased after her, but Kimberley was too fast. By the time he made it out of the police station, she was speeding off, lights on, sirens blaring. A cloud of dust behind her vehicle.
Kimberley drove too fast for the speed limit signs, but it wasn’t fast enough for her. She needed to get to Happy Trails to make sure Jessica was okay. She had dropped her off an hour ago. Could something have happened? Did that fucking sicko do something to her? Did he take her? Surely, the daycare would have called. But maybe they hadn’t noticed.
Kimberley’s phone rang over and over. After the third call, she finally answered. “What?”
“Jesus Christ, Detective. What’s going on?” Sam asked. There was concern and frustration in his voice.
“On my desk is a note. I need it analyzed and brushed for fingerprints.” Her breathing was heavy. She wouldn’t be able to breathe normally or think clearly until she saw Jessica.
“A note?”
“They threatened my fucking daughter!” Kimberley yelled, slamming her hands against the steering wheel.
She could hear Sam running, his footsteps were loud. They stopped and she assumed he was standing in front of her desk. He was quiet. She assumed he was reading the note.
“Jesus Christ,” he said.
In the background, she could hear Sam instructing Deputy Hill to bag it up as evidence. “Careful not to touch it,” he said. It sounded muffled, as if he was covering the mouthpiece.
“What the fuck,” Deputy Hill said, almost inaudibly. He had read the note too.
“Where are you?” Sam said into the phone.
Kimberley swerved her car around a pickup truck that hadn’t moved over and took a sharp right down the road that led to Happy Trails. Just five miles and she’d be there.
“On my way to Jessica’s daycare.”
“Okay, good. Where was the note?”
“On my desk, just the corner of it sticking out from under the keyboard.”
“Shit. I’ll talk to Barb. See if she saw anyone come in after she opened.”
“What about security cameras?”
Kimberley pressed down harder on the gas. But the vehicle was already at its top speed. The wheat fields on either side of the road were a golden blur. She focused intently on the road, although there was no one else on it, nothing to watch out for. Her hands gripped the wheel at ten and two. Her fingers were turning white from lack of blood supply, but she kept clenching them as hard as she could, picturing the same hands around the neck of the person that penned that note, squeezing the life out of them.
“I’ll pull Burns off the road and then have him review them. But we’re not as set up as you’d think we’d be for a sheriff’s station.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“We’re a small town with a small budget…” He paused. “Just don’t worry about anything here. Get to your daughter. Make sure she’s safe and call me.”
Kimberley tried to push back tears. What if she was gone? What if she’d never see that smiley face again? Those rosy cheeks. Her little hands and feet. What if she never got to tell her how smart or strong or beautiful she was again?
“Okay,” was all she managed to say before ending the call.
One more mile. One more mile. She conjured up the image of Jessica right in front of her eyes. Willing it to be real. Willing it to be the face she saw when she entered Happy Trails. She needed her to be there. Her body started to ache like it did back when she was still nursing. Her breasts throbbed like her milk ducts were full, but she hadn’t nursed in over a year. She could feel her skin warm almost to a burn. Her stomach flipped and turned. It was like she was going through physical withdrawals at the very thought of losing her daughter. She wasn’t sure if this was her motherly instinct that something was wrong, that something had happened to Jessica or if she was working herself up. She tried to take deep breaths, but each one came out like a howl of a cry.
She slammed on her brakes in front of Happy Trails, throwing her door open and running toward the daycare center. Kimberley hadn’t bothered to even turn the engine off. Her mind was on one thing and one thing only: her daughter. She threw open the front door, running down the hall toward the toddler room, calling out for her daughter. She pushed her way through the closed door. “Jessica,” she panted, out of breath.
Margaret whipped her head in t
he direction of Kimberley. “Kimberley, are you okay?”
“Jessica.”
Kimberley scanned the room. It was full of kids running about. Some at tables coloring. Some playing with toys. Some playing kitchen. Each one she looked at wasn’t Jessica.
Relief flooded her when she spotted her beautiful little girl, sitting in a corner with her legs crossed. She appeared to be pouting. Her head down, staring at her lap.
A hand touched Kimberley’s shoulder. “Are you okay?” Margaret asked again.
Kimberley’s eyes were glued to Jessica, who hadn’t even noticed that she was in the room yet.
“Yeah. I’m fine, now. I’m okay.” All the breaths she couldn’t get out were escaping. She breathed heavily, trying to catch them.
“Good. What’s wrong, Kimberley?” Margaret forced a smile, but she was still very concerned.
“Why is she in the corner?” Kimberley asked.
“She’s been very upset today. I was going to ring you after playtime was over as it’s a bit chaotic during free play. She really wants her elephant. Usually I wouldn’t encourage this type of attachment behavior, but I know she’s still getting used to everything and it comforts her. Would you be able to bring it here? I’d like to get her to participate in some of the activities this afternoon, and I don’t think she will without it.”
Kimberley nodded. “Oh yes. Of course. I can swing by the house and bring it right back. Can I talk to her for a moment?”
“Perfect, and yes, of course. She’s your daughter.”
Kimberley took the steps toward Jessica slowly, her eyes taking in every part of her. From her pouty lips to her messy brown hair, to even the small scar on her chin that happened on a walk in Bryant Park when she fell down trying to chase the pigeons. Jessica looked as though she had just lost a friend, and she had: her stuffed Ellie. How could she have forgotten her stuffy? Jessica loved that thing. Carried it everywhere and somehow, Kimberley had forgotten it. She had been solely focused on the case. Her daughter taking a backseat to her work, and now some asshole had involved her sweet, beautiful girl. This had never happened in New York City. So much for small-town USA being wholesome and welcoming. To her, this place had been as much a cesspool as New York City so far. How could she have let this happen? There’d be no more soft stepping or taking it slow. Now that her daughter had been threatened, she was taking this case into her own hands, regardless of Sam’s thoughts on the matter. At the very least, she’d arrest the person that wrote the note. At the most, Kimberley would kill them.
She wiped her face, pushing her hair back, and forced the corners of her mouth to turn upward. She didn’t want Jessica to see her upset. Children could sense when things were wrong, as much as adults liked to believe they couldn’t. Kimberley remembered her own childhood. She always knew when things weren’t right, which was nearly all the time. She could see the bruises on her mother’s arms. And as much as her mother told her she was clumsy, she knew it was her dad that had left those marks. She had seen her mom’s face, blotchy, wet, and red. Her mother would tell her she had just watched a sad movie, but the movie was her own life.
She didn’t want any of that for Jessica. Kimberley wanted to protect her from the ugliness of the world around her for as long as she possibly could. Two-year-olds should believe in things like Santa Claus and fairies and unicorns, not in the boogeyman, not in evil, and not that their life is in danger.
“Jessica, baby,” Kimberley said, kneeling down in front of her daughter.
Jessica looked up, a smile spreading across her face. “Mommy,” she said, leaping into her mother’s arms.
Kimberley hugged her tight, rubbing her back and running her hands through her soft hair. While she held her, she held back tears. She realized that home wasn’t New York City or Dead Woman Crossing. Home was wherever her daughter was. She released Jessica, staring into her big blue eyes. “Margaret said you’ve been having a rough morning.”
“Ellie’s gone.” Jessica pouted.
“I know. Would you like it if I went and got her and brought her back to you?”
Jessica nodded several times. Her face lit up and she giggled.
“Okay, sweetie. I’m going to be right back.” Kimberley rubbed her daughter’s shoulders and pulled her in for a kiss on both cheeks, her forehead, and the tip of her nose, making Jessica giggle even more.
“Be right back, my smart girl,” she said, standing up and waving.
“Bye, Mommy,” Jessica said, waving back.
Kimberley stopped over by Margaret, who was trying to diffuse an argument between two children over a red ball. “Hey, Margaret. I’m going to be right back with Jessica’s elephant.”
Margaret nodded.
“Would you mind keeping an extra close eye on her today?” Kimberley asked. Her eyes said more than her words did.
Margaret looked at her, spotting the concern on Kimberley’s face. She could tell there was more to her worry than just worry. “Of course. I keep an extra close eye on all my kids,” she reassured.
“Good. I mean, thanks,” Kimberley said.
Once outside, she dialed Sam. He answered on the first ring.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes, Jessica’s fine. I’m going to stop at my house to get her stuffed elephant and drop it off. She carries that thing everywhere.”
She turned her vehicle in the direction of the farm and drove off. It wasn’t far from the daycare center, just a couple of miles.
“Good. Glad to hear she’s okay. Barb said the letter was in the sheriff’s mailbox. She thought it was odd, but she didn’t look at it. Thought it was a love note or something like that,” Sam explained.
“Since you didn’t mention security cameras, I’m going to assume there’s none covering our mailbox.”
“You would be assuming right. I sent it over to the lab to be analyzed. So, maybe we’ll get something there.”
Kimberley tapped her fingers against the steering wheel. She knew all that would be on that note would be hers and Barb’s fingerprints. There was no way this guy would be as careless as to leave his fingerprints behind, especially after the crime scene and the body had been so clean.
“Is it possible to get a deputy to watch the daycare center for the next couple of days?”
“I’ve got Deputy Hill on his way right now. He’ll finish his shift out there, which should be just around the time Jessica gets picked up. We’ll make sure she stays safe,” Sam assured.
“Thanks, Sam.”
“If you’ve got to take the day off, feel free to.”
“No way. I know I’m close. This guy’s nervous. Why else would he threaten my family? Isobel is the key,” Kimberley said, pulling into the driveway of the farmhouse.
She parked her vehicle and got out, walking along the stone path toward the cottage.
“I think you’re right about that. I’ve still got Bearfield tailing Henry. I’m inclined to bring him in,” Sam said.
“I thought you wanted to wait and see if something rattled loose.” Kimberley couldn’t help herself.
“Things are different now. When you go after one of mine, you go after all of us, and I won’t have that in my community.”
She imagined Sam puffing his chest out and raising his chin.
“I’m just getting to the house now. So, if you wait about a half hour, I can be there to question him.” Kimberley pulled open the front door, walking into the living room.
The house was still and quiet.
“Alright. I’ll let you have the honors of interrogating him. Thirty minutes,” he said, ending the call.
Kimberley slid the phone into her utility belt. “Mom,” she called out. “Have you seen Jessica’s stuffed elephant?”
She walked down the hallway to her bedroom. Pulling the blankets and pillows, she searched the crib. Nothing. She bent down, looking underneath, pushing around some miscellaneous baby stuff. It wasn’t there either. She searched her own bed. Sometimes Je
ssica would lay with her for an hour or so before bedtime. It wasn’t there either, or underneath her bed. Where was the last place she’d seen it? The kitchen? Kimberley left the bedroom and walked down the hall, entering the kitchen, which was spotless. Her mother was such a tidy person. Everything had a place, she’d always say.
“Mom,” she called out again.
It wasn’t in the kitchen, so she walked back down the hallway. Maybe Nicole was taking a nap. She tapped on the bedroom door. When no one answered, she pushed it open. The king-size bed was made. She must be running errands. Kimberly closed the door, trekking back down the hall.
Have you seen Jessica’s elephant? she texted her mom.
Standing in the living room, she waited for Nicole to text back, tapping her shoe on the wooden floor. Where could it be? She never left the house without it. A repulsive thought entered her mind. What if that man took it? What if he had already been close enough to Jessica to snatch it away? Maybe she’d get it in the mail tomorrow or in three days with another sick, threatening note. What would Kimberley do then? Would she drop the case? Leave Dead Woman Crossing? Quit her job? She tried to calm herself down before her mind took her to dark places, places that were always hard for her to climb back out of. She looked back at her phone, willing her mom to text back. Maybe it was in her mom’s vehicle. She had dropped off and picked up Jessica countless times. That made the most sense. Yeah, that’s got to be it, Kimberley told herself.
Her phone vibrated.
Hi, honey. We watched Frozen in our bedroom last night. It might have fallen behind the bed or something. Are you at the house?
Oh, duh. Kimberley had completely forgotten that David took over the living room with some western show, so Nicole took Jessica into their room to watch the movie. Of course, Kimberley hadn’t remembered. She was too busy thinking about Hannah Brown, lying on her own bed going over the intel she had collected and the crime scene photos for the twentieth time. No matter how many times she looked at them, they never told her a different story.
