by Kate Young
“I’m not sure if he obtained one or not. What I do know is, with no hard evidence and taking into consideration that all the alibis of those who could have had involvement checked out, it doesn’t look like we’re going to have answers any time soon.”
“You’re saying they’re not investigating anymore. That’s it?” My tone rose higher than I intended.
“The investigation is ongoing.”
But not as a murder investigation.
“They’re releasing her body to her husband this afternoon. Keeping her in the morgue won’t change the findings.”
“And what will the guy get who did this to her? I mean if they even find him. A slap on the wrist? A felony that might bring three years after good behavior?” I scoffed. “Pathetic. That coroner should have his license revoked.”
“It isn’t easy when a case doesn’t go your way, especially when you have a personal relationship with the victim, but that’s how it is. Hold on a minute.” I heard him talking to our newest client. I made a mental note to remind Calvin about the mute button on his phone. “Okay, I’m back. I’ve only got another minute or so.”
“But what about the man I saw with her? Did they ever locate him?” I massaged my temples.
“You’re the only eyewitness that such a man even exists.” Calvin hadn’t softened his tone, and I took that as a point of pride.
“They don’t believe me then. I just fabricated the entire ordeal. My ruined dress must have appeared out of thin air too.” Is that what Quinn wanted to speak with me about?
Mrs. Ross was right! Carol should have died in another county. I wouldn’t waste my breath on sharing my theories or what I discovered involving the Jane Doe case with our chief of police.
“It isn’t that they don’t believe you. You have to understand resources in our small town are scarce. Even if they wanted to, Sweet Mountain doesn’t have the manpower to hunt down some random individual who may or may not reside here. The person could be from anywhere.”
“And Judge Timms is in agreement with the police?” I stood up and went to get a bottle of water. What I really needed was a stiff drink.
“No. He has his own theory, and I don’t have time to go into it now. Listen, I’ll be out of pocket for a few days, maybe a week. Leave me a message, and I’ll get back at my first opportunity. And Lyla …”
I twisted the cap of the bottle too forcefully, and a little water sloshed out. “Yes?”
“Don’t go doing anything stupid before I get back. Leave this alone.”
I swallowed the sip I’d taken. “I have to find out what happened to her. You know that.”
“Dammit, Lyla. As your boss, I’m ordering you not to do anything until I get back.”
I huffed, then said, “You can count on me.”
“Why don’t I believe you?”
“Because you’re an intelligent yet notoriously suspicious person. I get it. I’m the same way. That’s why we make such great business partners.” There was no way in hell I was letting this drop.
“Let’s stick with receptionist, for now, who helps me out on occasions while she learns the ropes.”
“Suit yourself. I have no qualms proving myself.” I’d do whatever it took to get to the truth. “Seriously, Uncle Calvin, I’m not an idiot.”
“You’re hearing me.”
“Yes. Speak soon.” I disconnected the call, and stalked outside, taking in a deep breath of brisk air. The historic square was alive with pedestrians. The slight coolness in the air was welcome after the brutal summer we’d had. The maple trees strategically positioned around the square swayed in all their glory. Carol had loved fall. God, I was so angry, I didn’t know what to do.
My phone buzzed. I glanced down and read the text in green on my screen.
Want to play a game, Jane Doe?
The bottle of water slipped from my hands and crashed against the ground.
My heart pounded.
“’Morning, Lyla.” A woman I recognized as one of Mother’s friends said with a smile. She had a little toddler in pigtails with her, and they were heading for Smart Cookie. I couldn’t recall her name.
“Good morning.” I groped for it. Nothing. “I … I better get back.”
Back in the office, I texted back.
Who is this?
The little dots were moving on the screen, signifying the sender was typing, and I waited for the text to come through.
The other Jane lost. Will you?
Something knotted in the pit of my stomach. Dear God, … help.
Chapter Twenty
The Jane Does were gathered at my house. Everyone except for Patsy. Her twins had colds, so she joined us virtually. Amelia propped her tablet up on a pillow next to her. “The book was terrific up until the end. I mean, I didn’t buy that the little girl would be able to manage to climb out on the roof and around into the attic. Come on! My niece is that age and would be scared senseless by the height, let alone the creepy attic space.”
“It’s possible.” Amelia turned to face the tablet. “It would depend on the kid, I guess.”
“No way, and another thing that bothered me was when Rowan went into the poison garden and got a rash on her forehead. They never once mentioned how she treated it or if anyone noticed the blisters.” Patsy shook her head. “I mean really, who’s not going to at least ask a pharmacist about a rash like that or, at the very least, put some hydrocortisone cream on it. That’s totally a plot hole.”
Val snickered. “I don’t think that constitutes a plot hole, Pats.”
“What do you think, Lyla?” Patsy’s image froze on the screen.
“Huh? Oh, I didn’t finish it.” If I were to be honest, I’d never even started.
Amelia sucked in a breath, “It was a DNF—did not finish—for you?”
I shook my head. “No. I’ve been a little preoccupied.”
“Yeah, with real life,” Mel added. I’d already shared with her what transpired today.
“What’s going on, Lyla? Is this about your dad?” Val took a sip from her glass.
“Oh, we lost Patsy.” Amelia put her tablet back into her purse.
“No. That was a complete misunderstanding. It’s all straightened out now.” I felt a tad relieved when I stood and told the club what I believed would be easier coming from me. Patsy was too emotional to have to deal with all of this. Her words, not mine. I informed my club of the coroner’s findings and how the police would proceed.
“That’s it then? There’ll be no justice for Carol. Whoever murdered her gets to walk around living their pathetic life while she rots away in the ground!” Amelia’s voice quivered with what sounded like a combination of outrage and heartache.
“According to the law, if homicide isn’t the cause of death, then, at this point, the most we can hope for is unlawful disposal of a corpse.”
“Corpse. It’s Carol, not a corpse.” Amelia sniffed.
Melanie moved closer to Amelia and hugged her.
“I didn’t mean it to come out that way. Of course it’s Carol.”
Val crossed and uncrossed her legs, with her hands in her lap. “I agree on the outrageousness of the judgment, but the funeral is scheduled for this Thursday. We should cool it on the insistence the police do more.”
Everyone gaped at Val, who responded, “Out of respect. Her family needs time to grieve, and so do we.”
No one here knew better than I did that time was of the essence. If we “cooled it,” as Val suggested, then it could go cold for good. I ran my hands through my hair. Everyone was upset, and emotions were still running so high, I had to be careful what I said next.
“Val, we don’t want to cause the family any grief,” Melanie said softly as she and Amelia sat next to each other on one end of the fit group, staring at Val and me seated on the other side. “It’s just difficult for us to fathom, from the way Lyla and I found her, that the coroner could rule the cause of death as he did. They sure were hot to trot on the inve
stigation a few days ago, hauling me in and then Lyla’s dad. Now all of a sudden it isn’t top priority? All those cases we’ve studied where, after all these years, families are forced to carry on without any closure. We don’t want that for Carol’s family or for us.”
Val nodded. “I get that—I do. And if it were one of us that had died, Carol would stop at nothing to see the responsible party was brought to justice.”
I bit my lip and debated whether I should share what Mrs. Ross had given me at this juncture. I knew I would tell them about the texts. They needed to be warned about the madman who seemed to be targeting me and, if I’d read his reference to the other Jane correctly, Carol before me. Or maybe he meant the one who he’d dumped up I-85. Either way, it was scary as hell.
“What is it, Lyla?” Of course Mel would recognize my inward-debate face.
“Yeah, what are you staring at?” Val asked with narrowed eyes.
We were all in this together, especially if they became a target next. Plus, my club would care what I discovered. Decision made. “Okay, two things. One, I had someone come into the office today and hand something over that Carol left for me.”
The eyes of all the women in the room were big as they listened.
I went and retrieved the envelope, dumping the contents out. Eyes got impossibly wider.
““Before there are ro’?” Val furrowed her brow. “‘Ro’? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“It’s all smudged. maybe with makeup. But it clearly says, ‘Give to Lyla,’” Amelia added.
I pulled up the image of the scarf from the Jane Doe file for the others to give their input. While they were arguing among themselves as to whether or not it matched, I continued, “Now what I’m thinking is this: my uncle has an IT specialist he works with. If Carol visited the Jane Doe site in the days leading up to her death, I should be able to prove it by having her watch or phone history tracked by the location of the tower it pinged. Then maybe that would force the police department to consider the two crimes linked.”
“Oh! What a brilliant idea! Carol had a smart watch with cellular.” Amelia sat forward. “She was so excited about her upgrade because she could play tennis and receive texts and calls.”
I nodded. “There wasn’t a watch on her wrist when we found her. If—and it’s a big if—she had been wearing it before the, um, the end, according to the IT specialists I spoke with, we can track the last tower it pinged, giving us a location.”
Val’s mouth gaped. “That’s possible?”
“Apparently. It can be done with her phone too, but the judge said she left that behind. If her watch is still at her house, then we’re out of luck there.”
“I never saw her without her watch.” Amelia sounded encouraged.
“We didn’t see her without her purse either, and she didn’t take that when she left.” Val chewed the side of her index finger. Something I never saw her do. “I’d call David right now if I didn’t believe he’d crumble. I mean, how much is a man expected to take? And now the police aren’t going to be actively searching for whoever harmed her.” Val got up and began pacing. “Do you really believe the cases are connected?”
I nodded. “I’m sorry, Val. She was your best friend,” I said as Amelia, Melanie, and I exchanged a worried glance.
Our poor friend was struggling more than we realized, and we were harping on finding out the truth and hadn’t considered whether it was Val that needed a break.
“I should have waited to share.”
Val tucked her dark hair, straight as a board tonight and split down the middle, behind her ears. She blew out a breath and straightened her shoulders, and the controlled Val we were all so familiar with reemerged. “No. Don’t be sorry. I don’t want to be kept in the dark. I want to find out what happened to Carol as much as y’all do. Do you know if the police attempted to track her location?”
“I don’t think so. If the judge told them about all of her belongings being at the house, I don’t see why they would.” I lifted my hands. “But don’t quote me on that. I’ll need to speak to the judge to confirm.” I sighed. “That’s another reason why I said it was a long shot. She may have left the watch behind too.”
“What else? You said there were two things. What’s the second?” Val stared straight at me.
“I’ve been receiving texts. Ever since I started digging, these texts began.” I laid my phone on the coffee table for my friends to read.
“This is getting freaking spooky,” Mel said tremulously.
I nodded.
Val tapped the screen with one of her long manicured nails. “Game? What game? Is Carol the other Jane Doe?”
“I think so.” I swallowed, and Mel let out a little whimper.
“This is really scary. Maybe we should back off.” Val shivered. “If this psycho thinks this is a game, he might come after all of us.”
“Sweet Jesus,” Amelia gasped. “You mean, like, one by one?”
“I know it’s frightening. But if this guy is coming for me, I must be on the right track or getting there. And I, for one, think this is the same scarf. It’s our majorette gift. The one we all received at the alumnae bonfire.”
“Me too.” Melanie pointed back at the image.
“Oh my God. The Jane Doe went to high school with all of you?”
I lifted both my palms up as I met Amelia’s gaze.
Val began shaking her head in what appeared to be disbelief. “I don’t see it. This old worn-out thing appears to have a similar pattern, with the stripes of burnt orange and navy blue, but in its condition, it’s hard to tell.”
“Carol thought so because she left it with someone to pass onto me. I’m thinking now I better contact the agent on the case. Maybe Carol reached out to him.”
Val asked, “Who did she give it to?” At the same time Amelia blurted, “As in Special Agent Brad Jones from the article?”
I nodded to Amelia and said to Val, “I swore to secrecy—sorry.”
“That’s stupid. You’re telling us everything else.”
I sighed. “If I divulge when she came to Cousins, it might reflect poorly on the business. I swear its inconsequential, and if that changes, y’all will know.”
Val didn’t look happy, but she let it drop.
“Also, we have to consider that Carol had been fighting with her stepbrother a lot. And she was scared of someone.”
“Oh shit!” Mel’s hand went to her mouth. “Yeah, and you found the camo baseball cap. Plus, he was staring out the window at you when you received the first text. Could it be Kevin? It fits now.”
“What?” Val sounded even more on edge.
“He was?” Amelia asked in shock, and I nodded.
“What baseball cap?” Val asked.
I rubbed my forehead with my thumb and index finger. “Kevin threw a bag of trash away in my can the other night. The bag ripped on the edge of the lid after he left, and a camo cap the exact style of the one I saw on the man at the gas station that day, in the car with Carol, was exposed.”
“All this, and the police can do nothing?” Amelia was outraged.
Mel was on her feet, gesticulating wildly, flinging her arms toward Kevin’s building as she ranted. “And the killer could be nearby! Did you speak to Quinn? My God!”
“I did speak to him. Not about what I just found out, but the text. He didn’t take it as seriously as I would have thought. He seemed to think it was a joke because I’m interested in the Jane Doe case and”—I shook my head and glared at the floor—“because of our club and my obsession with finding Carol’s killer.” I sighed and faced the others. “And it could be a complete coincidence about Kevin and his cap. We mustn’t rush to judgment.”
“Yes, but that was before the texts and this new information. Now”—Amelia flung her arm toward the table—“you have the cap and the scarf. Carol must’ve discovered not only the identity of the victim but also the killer. This needs to be looked into. He’s practically living next d
oor to you and Mel. I’m scared for you both.”
“Lyla’s right. We can’t rush to judgment here. There were more than twenty scarves given away at that bonfire. And I bet half of them were donated to Goodwill or something. I know I donated mine with several bags full of fall clothing years ago. And that’s if it’s the same scarf.” Val dug through her bag and began tapping on her phone as she paced the floor.
“Who are you texting?” Amelia wanted to know.
“Greg. We need his help.”
“Who’s Greg?”
Melanie shifted in her seat. “It’s Officer Taylor’s first name.”
Val glanced over at me. “I’m going to see what he knows,” she continued. “If we can get him on our side, maybe he’ll listen to you”—she shrugged—“since Quinn won’t.”
I stood and put my hand on her phone. “No. We need to be careful who we talk to. And I’m not a fan of Taylor’s. He’s a real jerk.”
Val studied me. “He’s always been so nice to me.”
“Let’s get all our ducks in a row before we speak to anyone else in the Sweet Mountain Police Department. I want to have a word with the judge first. He’s working with Calvin, so it’ll be easy for me to approach him on this.”
Val nodded and put her phone away. “You’re right. If we have him go to the police, it’ll hold more validity.” She stared down at the scarf. “Like you said, someone has to do something, for Carol.” Val’s crystal-blue gaze had a wild glint to it. Clearly, she’d been thrown by what I’d found.
“I wonder if this department is up for the task,” Amelia huffed.
Val ignored her and perched on the edge of the coffee table, facing me. “I also don’t want another one of my friends come to the same end. I can’t do it, Lyla. I can’t take another b—” Her voice quivered, and she wiped her eyes and rose. Her cell phone chimed. “I must have accidentally sent it to Greg. But don’t worry. I can fix this.”
I cast a glance toward Mel and Amelia.
While Mel looked uncertain, Amelia nodded her head and said, “My suggestion would be to go to the press. But I’ll relent and agree we should try this first.”
