Dying Scream

by Burton, Mary

  “Right. Yes, you’ve told me that.”

  “What can I do for you?”

  “The crews aren’t digging. What is going on? I’ve been asking but no one is talking.”

  “There’s a delay.”

  Dr. Heckman clapped his hands together. “What kind of delay?”

  “Nothing she can discuss.” The answer came from Gage, who’d approached without her noticing. Gage towered over the doctor like a mature oak over a sapling.

  Adrianna had been patient with the man, but his constant e-mails and pestering over the last few weeks had thinned her patience. “You’re trespassing, Dr. Heckman. Please don’t try what is left of my nerves.”

  His eyes narrowed to priggish slits and for a moment he looked ready to rebut. “You have no right to move those graves. This is an abomination.”

  Gage watched the older man march off. “Who the hell is that?”

  “A professor who sees it as his personal mission to keep those graves from being moved.”

  “What’s he doing here today?”

  “I don’t know. Someone must have tipped him.”

  “And that other guy—the one in the Mercedes?”

  “The man who is buying the land. William Mazur.”

  “He looked pissed when he spoke to you. What was that about?”

  It surprised her he’d noticed the exchange. “That he really, really wants those graves moved off his land.”

  Gage’s gaze bored into her. “It appeared to be more than that.”

  “Money has a way of churning up emotions.” After what she’d done to Gage, he would be the last person she’d ever run to for help. “Don’t worry about it.”

  He hesitated as if he wanted to say more but reconsidered. “Have any idea who the victim might be?”

  “No, but you believe the body belongs to Rhonda Minor or that other woman you asked me about.”

  Bitterness tightened his smile. “I’m surprised you remember.”

  “I remember.” Her calm voice hid a reeling mind.

  “Do you think it’s Rhonda Minor?” Behind the dark glasses she sensed his gaze absorbed every one of her expressions.

  “I don’t know.” She spoke clearly, directly. “I haven’t visited this property for a couple of years.”

  Gage nodded slowly. “You live in Richmond?”

  “Yes.”

  “Still on Riverside Drive?”

  He’d known where she and Craig had lived. “No. I sold that house a couple of years ago. I’m closer to the university now.” Sale of the Riverside house had paid for Craig’s first year in the nursing home.

  “And I suppose you inherited this land from your late husband.”

  “That’s correct.”

  “Been in the Thornton family a while?”

  “Don’t play games. You know more about this family than I do.”

  “Do you still own your design business?”

  “Yes, I do. Why are you asking all these questions? You know the answers.”

  He shrugged. “I like to double-check.” He glanced around the clearing and the woods that ringed it. “Anyone live on the property full-time?”

  “No. But Marie Wells checks on the property regularly. She lives a couple of miles from here and is a part-time caretaker of sorts; lets me know if there’s a problem. When we had the hurricane damage she was the one who came out here first and inspected the property before calling me.”

  “You get a lot of damage in the storm?”

  “Not much. We were lucky. Mostly erosion. Some damage to the house’s roof.”

  He pulled a small spiral notebook from his breast pocket and flipped it open. “Any odd people on the land?”

  “None I know of. Ask Marie.”

  “I will.”

  “She’s up at the main house. Her husband Dwayne should be here soon as well.”

  He clicked the end of a ballpoint pen. “You said his name was Dwayne. Dwayne Wells?”

  “That’s right. He and his family own a moving company. He’ll be by later today to start clearing the main house of the paintings. I’m having them taken to Mooney’s Auction House for sale.”

  Behind his dark glasses she sensed that his gaze roamed up and down her body. The look didn’t feel sexual, but analytical. He was trying to figure her out, as if she were a puzzle.

  “So how did you hook up with Dr. Heckman?”

  “He’s been associated with the family for years. He’s written several papers on the Thornton family. My late mother-in-law held him in high regard.”

  “What do you know about this guy?” That question came from Gage’s partner. The guy was dressed more casually and stood a couple of inches shorter than Hudson.

  “Not much. Only the few bits of information Frances mentioned. And your name is?”

  “Detective Nick Vega.” Vega pushed his Ray-Ban sunglasses up on his head. “Why not just hang on to the land? Why sell?”

  “It doesn’t make sense. I live in the city and have no need for a country house.”

  “You’re selling the entire tract?” Gage said.

  “Yes. That includes the main house and the surrounding twenty riverfront acres.”

  Vega nodded. “Mazur must be paying a fortune.”

  Adrianna wasn’t fooled by Vega’s casual dress and manner. Like Gage, she suspected his mind was razor sharp. “Mr. Mazur paid my asking price.”

  “Well, that is something in today’s real estate market,” Gage said. “Fact, it’s mighty lucky.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “The sale’s going to make you a rich woman,” Gage said.

  “Not really. Go to the county tax office and look up this estate. Have a look at the check I just wrote for back taxes, which haven’t been paid in a decade.”

  “That’s got to be millions,” Vega said.

  “It is. No one is getting rich on this deal.”

  Gage gave no hint to his thoughts. “Who has access to the land?”

  “The front gate remains locked when no one is here, but as you can see, the fence around the property is in bad shape. I suppose anyone could drive onto the land at any time.”

  Miller approached, looking nervous, clearly unhappy about the entire situation. “I hear you want to talk to me, Detective.”

  Gage nodded. “You move graves for a living?”

  Miller shrugged. “Nearly twenty years now. Got offices in Richmond and Alexandria. I’m based in the Richmond office.”

  “Moved a lot of graves?” Gage said.

  “More than I can count. It’s big business to relocate the dead to make room for the living.”

  “What ever happened to a final resting place?” Vega said.

  Miller shook his head. “If you get a couple of hundred years in the ground you’re doing well these days. There’s always someone that wants to move you.” A hint of red warmed his face as he glanced at Adrianna. “No offense intended.”

  “None taken,” Adrianna said. “I’ve heard enough cracks and comments about this grave relocation to fill a book.”

  Gage glanced at her. “From who?”

  “The people who live in the area.”

  “You’re getting opposition to the sale?” Gage said.

  “The sale. The graveyard relocation. The buyer’s plans to build thirty homes. No one is happy with most of the changes.”

  “Any threats?”

  She thought about the card signed Craig. “No threats, exactly. Mostly vague warnings that I’m committing a sin by moving the graves. One guy in Honor suggested that I’m going to hell. I just make it a point not to stop in Honor anymore.”

  “You call the police?”

  “And tell them what? I’m unpopular with the locals? That’s the story of my life. And like I said, there were no out-and-out threats. No property damage.”

  “If something like that happens again, call me.” Gage had issued an order, not a request.

  Adrianna bristled. “Hopefully, by this time
next month I won’t have this to worry about.”

  “A lot can happen in a month,” Gage said.

  Adrianna glanced toward the edge of the cemetery. The image of the skull wasn’t easily forgotten.

  “We’re going to have another look at the graves.”

  “I understand.”

  “Don’t leave the property without checking in with me.”

  Resentment bubbled. “If I’m not here, I’ll be at the main house.”

  Gage studied her a beat and then turned and left her to watch Vega, Miller, and him move away toward the edge of the woods. They didn’t pass beyond the yellow crime scene tape.

  Crime Scene. “God, how did this day go so wrong?”

  “You doing all right?”

  Mrs. Wells’s voice came from behind Adrianna. Recovering, she smiled with relief. “Yes. I didn’t see you come up.”

  “Just got here.” She looked a bit desperate to do something, anything that might smooth out this situation. “Figured my time was best spent at the main house working than standing around here. But then I just couldn’t stay away anymore. So how are you holding up?”

  “Considering we have an unknown body on the property and the excavation is delayed indefinitely, I’m hanging in there.”

  Mrs. Wells glanced toward the police. “When I rolled out of bed this morning, I expected that my biggest challenge was going to be getting those upstairs curtains down.”

  Adrianna smiled. “I was worried that I’d be late for a five o’clock charity meeting. Now I feel like a fool for worrying over something so small.”

  “We all get caught up in the little things until something big happens.”

  “I suppose.” She glanced toward Gage, who stood near the lip of the woods. “Do you have any idea who could be buried over there?”

  Mrs. Wells followed her gaze. “None. When Miss Frances got sick, she came out here less and less. Could be anyone.”

  Adrianna let out a breath. Dread crept through her bones as she stared at the billowing yellow tape.

  Mrs. Wells followed her line of sight. “There’s plenty of work up there for you to do and it’s clear these graves aren’t going anywhere today. Busy hands will keep your mind from worrying.”

  “Me, not worry?” A smile lifted the edge of Adrianna’s lips. “Worry is what I do best.”

  Mrs. Wells’s surprise appeared genuine. “You’re as cool as a cucumber.”

  That made her laugh. “Don’t believe it. I’m a worrier. In fact, I can easily stay very busy and worry at the same time. A multitasker at heart.”

  Mrs. Wells patted her on the shoulder. “Well, at least you’ll be getting something done if you do your fretting at the main house.”

  “You’re right.” And honestly, she just wanted to get away from Gage. “If anyone needs me, just tell them that I’ll be at the main house. Or they can call me on my cell.”

  “Will do.”

  Adrianna thanked Mrs. Wells and got into her Land Rover. She started the engine and backed up. When she put the car in drive, she glanced up and realized Gage had turned from the crime scene and was staring at her.

  Chapter Five

  Tuesday, September 26, 9:40 a.m.

  Adrianna’s Land Rover kicked up dust and gravel as she drove off toward the main house. When her car rounded the corner out of sight, Gage let out a breath, which he felt like he’d been holding since he’d first seen her.

  She was just as stunning, just as poised, and just as elusive as he remembered. This was the first time he’d seen her in glasses with little make-up. And each time he’d seen her before, her hair had been blown dry, straightened. Today the unexpected waves made it look a bit wild.

  For a split second, the last four years melted. Pain and anger receded. His body hardened at the sight of her until his gaze caught the wink of gold and diamond on her left ring finger. And in a rush, he remembered what had slipped through his fingers.

  “She’s wound tighter than a bowstring,” Gage muttered.

  “Makes you wonder if there was something else chewing at her?” Vega said.

  Like facing off with an old lover? “Maybe.”

  The detectives moved toward Mr. Miller, who frowned over a clipboard. When they approached, he lowered it and tried out a smile that didn’t quite work. “Detectives.”

  Gage slid his hand into his pocket. “Something’s been bothering me since I arrived. Why did you search the land around the graves? Is that standard procedure?”

  “Ms. Barrington asked. She said she’d done research on this kind of work and said that old cemeteries often had other unmarked graves. She didn’t want any surprises.”

  “Really?”

  “Said a little extra time now could save her big trouble down the road.”

  “Speaking of time, she was late this morning,” Vega said.

  “She called me around seven thirty. Had to take her mom to the emergency room last night. Turns out the old lady was fine. Ms. Barrington drips with stress but does her best not to show it.”

  “Other than her mother, why is she stressed?” Gage said.

  “I’ve not met anyone that likes moving graves. Messing with the dead doesn’t sit well.” He shrugged. “Hell, you’d know better about that than anybody.”

  Vega took that one. “Death is the ultimate deadline. And nobody likes to be rushed.”

  Miller nodded. “I hear ya.”

  “You ever had surprises like this on a job before?” Vega was good at relaxing people, getting them to drop their guard and reveal more information than they’d originally intended.

  “I found an infant’s body outside of Bethesda, Maryland, on a job once. That caught us off guard. I told Ms. Barrington. Mention of the baby spooked her.”

  A dead child upset most folks. Adrianna would be more susceptible considering she’d lost her child in the car accident. There was also the child that had died twenty-seven years ago—the child she’d been intended to replace. Frances Thornton and Margaret Barrington had been friends back in the day. Interesting.

  “What are the chances that you’d find a grave out here?” Vega said.

  “Slim,” Gage said, rising. His knees ached, a holdover from too many tackles. “Even just fifty feet from the other graves the bones could have been missed. I’ve worked a missing persons case a few years back. Serial rapist killed a twelve-year-old girl when she fought back. He buried her in the woods. We traced the evidence found in his pickup truck to the girl. He confessed and told us where the body was buried. Still took us five days to find it.” He glanced around the field. He’d not had his share of good luck in his life and always questioned it when it found him. “Miller, how the hell did you find this?”

  Miller pulled off his hat and scratched his bald head. “A radar blip and then we spotted the mounds.”

  “Find anything before that? Something else that might have caught your eye?”

  “Funny you should say that. There was an old bandana tied to the fence. Old, torn, and blowing in the wind.”

  “A what?” Gage said.

  “Bandana.” He reached in his back pocket. Sunlight and time had faded the red die and frayed the edges. “Until you asked, I forgot all about it.”

  Gage frowned. The bandana had been contaminated. Miller’s clothing fibers and DNA would be all over the damn thing. Gage reached in his coat pocket and pulled out a plastic bag. “Put it in here.”

  Miller glanced at the fabric before dropping it in the bag. “It’s just a damn bandana.”

  Vega released a breath, muttering, “Shit.”

  “It might be a private marker that only the killer would recognize. It’s not uncommon for a killer to return to a burial site,” Gage explained.

  “Why would he come back? You’d think they’d just stay clear.”

  “They come out of remorse or even to relive the thrill of death.”

  “Damn, didn’t think it was anything more than a bit of trash.”

  Gage
sealed the bag. “That just happened to be next to an unmarked gravesite?”

  “Yep.”

  Gage shook his head. “You find anything else in this area?”

  “Nope.”

  “What about your men?”

  “Doubt it, but go ahead and ask. They’re getting paid to do nothing right now.”

  Gage glanced at Vega. “You mind?”

  “No, I’ll go talk to them.”

  “Who from forensics is coming?” Gage asked.

  “Tess Kier,” Vega said.

  “Good.” Tess Kier had worked on the forensics team for the last three years. She was sharp. All business. She had a brother on SWAT and another on the homicide team. Normally, forensics was first on the scene. Homicide followed hours later. Tess would be irked that they’d gotten here first.

  Miller planted scuffed hands on his wide hips. “Don’t suppose if I stay out of your way I can get to work on the Thornton cemetery?”

  Gage smiled at the guy, admiring his balls. “No. You’re closing up shop today.”

  “Figured as much.”

  Gage pulled off his sunglasses and studied the disturbed earth. “You said you found two mounds.”

  “That’s right.” Miller stretched out his thick arm. “See the land just about three feet to the left of the hole?”

  “Yes.” Gage could make out a rectangular patch that was just a few inches deeper than the land around it. There was also a second depression in the center.

  “When a body is put in the ground, it’s solid. As it breaks down, decomposes, the flesh that had been supporting the soil vanishes. So the soil drops. And see in the center of the rectangle the soil is compressed even more?”

  Gage nodded. “That’s the belly. It expanded upward with the decomposition gases and then collapsed.”

  “Right, I guess you would know about that.” All that shifting up and down cracked the earth. A body also affected the vegetation, which tended to be weedier and thinner in the decomposition zone.

  “And you searched this entire area?” Vega said.

  “I searched along the fence and the open area twice.”

  “What equipment do you use?”

  “A little ground radar. Handheld stuff.”

  “And nothing unusual?”

  “No. I found eleven bodies, as expected.”