Dying Scream

by Burton, Mary

  “Even the oldest graves? I’d have thought by now they’d have disintegrated.”

  Miller nodded. “Would be true for a wooden coffin. But these folks had money. Coffins are iron. Intact.”

  Gage slid his hands into his pockets. The guy was pretty damn thorough. “That it?”

  Miller pulled off his hat and drove his round fingers through his thinning red hair. “I better go talk to my men and then talk to Ms. Barrington.”

  “Don’t worry about Ms. Barrington. I’ll fill her in on the situation.”

  Miller nodded. “Sure.”

  Gage watched the man walk away. Miller reminded Gage of his own father: small town, knew all his neighbors, and had no desire to ever leave.

  “You think it’s Minor?” Vega spoke loud enough for only Gage to hear.

  Gage glanced toward the road that led to the main house. “Assuming always gets me into trouble. Let’s wait for some facts before we start theorizing.”

  The crunch of tire over gravel had them all turning to catch the arrival of the Henrico County white forensics van, which parked just beyond Gage’s car closer to the site.

  The driver’s side door opened and a leggy brunette slid out. Tess Kier. She wore a blue jumpsuit and her hair in a loose ponytail.

  Vega stared at Tess, his admiration clear.

  “She moves like an athlete,” Gage said.

  “She was a swimmer in college. Division one. Qualified for the U.S. Olympic team.”

  “Impressive.”

  “Smart as hell, too, but don’t tell her I said that. I try to be obnoxious. I want her to think I don’t like her.”

  “Vega, this isn’t middle school.”

  Vega shrugged.

  Tess moved toward them with purpose. She had a straightforward attitude that had won her a good deal of respect. Meticulous, she protected her crime scenes like a mother hen.

  “So what do we have?” Her voice was husky. “I hear you have a skeleton.”

  Vega nodded. “Maybe two.”

  Gage always knew where he stood with Tess. It was black and white with her. He didn’t always like what she had to say, but he respected her. Adrianna Barrington was a different matter. She was awash in grays and he suspected kept many secrets locked away. “Let me show you.”

  Tess grabbed her camera from the van and snapped pictures as she closed in on the site. “I’m gonna need a list of people who’ve been around the grave.”

  “Can do,” Gage said.

  “That includes shoe imprints, fingerprints, maybe even hair samples.” She snapped more pictures and then peered into the hole. “Human. Who dug it up?”

  Gage gave her the recap.

  Tess frowned, her displeasure clear. “That’s too bad.”

  Vega folded his arms over his chest. “If not for them, we’d not have anything.”

  “Yeah, I know.” But she didn’t look appeased. “I’m not an expert on this but I do know that excavating a body is a slow process. Hand shovels and small brushes kind of slow. God only knows what they’ve wrecked with their boots and shovels.”

  “You think you can handle this job?” Gage said.

  Tess shook her head. “Honestly? No. I’ve never done it before and you’re better off with a forensic anthropologist like Dr. Alex Butler.”

  “He works in the medical examiner’s office,” Vega said.

  “Yeah. But he’s got more degrees than I can count and worked in Hawaii with the government identifying the remains of U.S. soldiers. Long story short, he knows this kind of stuff.”

  Gage reached for the cell clipped to his belt. He dialed the medical examiner’s office and within minutes was connected to Dr. Butler. He explained the situation, heard the rustle of papers and finally Dr. Butler’s commitment to be there as soon as he could.

  He closed his phone. “I’m anxious to get the body excavated. It might connect to a missing persons case I worked a couple of years ago. And if not mine, someone else’s.”

  “We’ll move as fast as we can.” But she didn’t look the least bit rushed. “As soon as I shoot the area and check the immediate crime scene for anything out of the ordinary, Dr. Butler should arrive. But I’ll warn you again, it’s going to be a slow process. I don’t know what we’ll find when he starts stripping away the dirt. Better to treat this like an archeology site.”

  Gage thought about the bandana and held it up for her. “This was found hanging on the fence by the grave.”

  Tess’s lips flattened. “And handled by how may people?”

  “Just the foreman, Billy Miller, from what I can tell.”

  “Great.” She took the plastic bag.

  Tess shot dozens of more pictures from multiple angles. She pulled out her sketchpad and did a rough drawing of the area.

  Gage scanned the crowd of construction workers. His gaze landed on the slight man who stood hovering by a tree. Dr. Heckman, who had a keen interest in the whole process. Gage moved toward him. “What are you still doing here, Dr. Heckman?”

  Dr. Heckman flipped a silver coin in his hand. “I wanted to be sure I didn’t miss anything.”

  “Like what?”

  “I want to make sure those graves stay in the ground.”

  “That so?”

  “Andrew Thornton, who is buried in that cemetery, was a colonel in the Confederate Army. He died at the battle of Chancellorsville, 1863. Great, great man. I’ve read diary accounts of his funeral and we believe he was buried in an iron coffin. Next to him will be his wife Eleanor. Another accomplished woman. They deserve to be left in peace.”

  Gage rested his hand on his hip. “I never did like the idea of messing with the dead. Leave ’em in peace is what I say.”

  Dr. Heckman arched a brow. “My thoughts exactly. I just wish I could convince Ms. Barrington that what she’s doing is wrong.”

  Gage kept his tone even. “I’d hate to think someone was going to dig me up one day and poke around my remains. I say, just leave me the hell alone.” He reached in his coat pocket and pulled out a pack of gum. He offered one to Dr. Heckman and when he declined, unwrapped a piece as he slid the package back in his pocket.

  Dr. Heckman bristled. “That’s what I’ve been telling her.”

  Gage noted the way the man fiddled with the coin. “So how long have you had an interest in this property?”

  “Since I met Mrs. Thornton, Mrs. Frances Thornton, about ten years ago. I shared her love of this family. She’d be ill if she saw what was happening here today.”

  “Mr. Mazur wants the graves removed.”

  “She didn’t have to sell to him.” There was menace behind the mothballs.

  “You think Ms. Barrington has any idea who is in that grave?”

  “I think her conscience is troubled.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’ve noticed a lot about Ms. Barrington.” Gage kept his voice even, but he could see that the guy had a thing for Adrianna.

  Dr. Heckman straightened. “She’s a beautiful woman. She’s an easy woman to watch.” He flipped the coin faster in his hand.

  Gage grinned. “Do you stare at her a lot?”

  He nearly nodded and then stopped. “No, not really. No. What are you suggesting?” The coin flipped faster.

  “Who did you say you were with?”

  Dr. Heckman gave him a look that told Gage the professor had pegged him a hayseed. “The Virginia Cemetery Preservation Society.”

  Gage studied the card. “I’m going to need more information. Contact name of your boss.”

  “Why? I’m here as an observer.”

  “Still. I’m gonna need that name. Then I’m gonna need you to leave.”

  “Why?”

  “No one in that cemetery is getting dug up today, Dr. Heckman. Your graves are safe. This is now a crime scene.”

  Dr. Heckman shook his head. “I won’t get in the way. I will stay back and just watch.”

  “Can’t have that, I’m afraid.
You’re going to have to leave. We are going to get mighty busy around here. Time for you to go.” He made a note to do some checking on this guy.

  “I will have a word with Mrs. Thornton about staying.” The guy stuck his chest out for extra emphasis. “This is still her land.”

  “Her name is Barrington.” Gage leaned toward him. “And it’s my crime scene. I’m running this show now.”

  “You can’t do that.”

  Gage chewed his gum, his jaw working with each bite. “Leave or I’ll have you arrested for trespassing.”

  The professor’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t like you, Detective Hudson.”

  “Can’t help that now, can I?” Gage leaned forward using his size to intimidate. “Now get going.”

  The man’s face paled slightly but he held his ground for a second or two longer before he lost his nerve and scurried toward a beat-up old Ford. Gage watched as he drove off.

  “Creepy bastard,” Vega said.

  “Yeah.” He glanced toward the body. “But the one that really bothers me is Mazur.”

  Vega raised a brow. “Looked like he was getting into it with Adrianna.”

  Gage curled his fingers on his right hand into a fist. “Yeah.”

  Tess had extended the yellow crime scene tape around a more generous area. She’d started to sketch the scene. “This is going to take a while.”

  “Looks like it.”

  “Do me a favor and talk to the men on the construction crew. And make sure Dr. Heckman really leaves. I’m headed up to the main house to have a chat with Mrs. Wells and Ms. Barrington.”

  Chapter Six

  Tuesday, September 26, 12:45 p.m.

  Adrianna had pulled out all the leather-bound household ledgers from the Chippendale desk in the study and piled them on top. Knowing the furniture was going to Mazur, she’d been careful to go through every drawer in every stick of furniture in the house to make sure all Frances’s papers had been collected. The desk was her last to empty out. She dumped the papers and ledgers in a plastic bin. Later she’d go through them.

  Adrianna picked up a ledger and thumbed through the pages. After Craig’s accident and her miscarriage she had had to go through Craig’s papers in search of insurance and financial documents. Nearly every sheet had been marked with his thick dark handwriting or the lingering scent of his aftershave. The process had been more emotionally draining than she could ever have imagined. In those days, she’d thought of Gage a lot and so many times had been tempted to call him. Several times she’d even picked up the phone and dialed half his number before she’d slammed the receiver down.

  A heavy weight settled on her chest and for a moment she had to remind herself to breathe. Hang tough. One foot in front of the other. I can do this.

  The sound of heels clicking down the center hallway had her hustling the last of the papers in the bin in case Dr. Heckman had come to pester her again. She secured the lid on the top.

  “Adrianna! Where are you?”

  Kendall Shaw Warwick’s voice had Adrianna rising. Kendall. Her sister. Sister. God, that still sounded weird. Could this day get any more complicated?

  “Kendall, I’m in here.”

  Kendall appeared in the doorway, all long legs, sharp cheekbones with a slender frame so much like Adrianna’s. Kendall wore rust-colored suede pants, a cream silk blouse, high heels, and her long dark hair loose around her shoulders.

  For years Adrianna had been told that she looked like that reporter on Channel 10. Even Gage had mentioned it when they’d dated. But she’d brushed off the comments. Everyone had a lookalike. The farthest thought from her mind was that they were sisters, both adopted out in closed proceedings as young children to separate families.

  “Good, I found you!” Kendall grinned.

  Adrianna crossed the room and Kendall wrapped her in a warm embrace. Adrianna felt stiff, tried to wrestle the awkwardness from her body and when she couldn’t, smiled to compensate.

  The two women had forged a shaky relationship since they’d discovered they were full-blooded sisters nine months ago. It had gone well enough initially, but after a few months Adrianna had backed away. Kendall was doing her best to be a good older sister, but Adrianna was on sensory overload. With all that she’d had going on in her life, she didn’t have the energy to invest in a new family, especially when all the old ones had ended up so broken.

  Adrianna managed a bigger smile for Kendall. “What brings you out here?”

  “The last time we had lunch you said the cemetery was being moved on the twenty-sixth.”

  “That was a month ago. I’m surprised you remembered.”

  “Once a reporter, always a reporter.” Six months ago, Kendall had left Channel 10’s top anchor spot and opened her own public relations firm. In those few short months she’d landed several key accounts and was on her way to running a successful business. The move had shocked many, who’d expected the anchor to take a national job, but Kendall didn’t want to move and privately admitted to Adrianna that she no longer had the stomach to cover death after nearly dying at the hands of two serial killers.

  “Remembering facts is my stock in trade,” Kendall said. “Was that a forensics van I saw through the trees?”

  Adrianna almost laughed. “Your husband didn’t tell you about this?”

  “Jacob and I share many things. But he never discusses active investigations. I always ask, because I’m too nosy for my own good, but he never tells.” She studied Adrianna with a critical eye. “I’m out here just to check on you.”

  Adrianna ran a hand through her hair. “You picked a hell of a day.”

  Kendall’s eyes brightened with interest. “I’d be lying if I said this kind of event doesn’t make me salivate. I suspect it’s one hell of a story, and if I were still on the job I’d be on the phone with my crew right now.”

  “This isn’t a happy story.” She recapped the gruesome details.

  “Who’s the detective?”

  “Gage Hudson.”

  Kendall nodded. “Good cop. Tenacious. Jacob respects his work.”

  For an instant, Adrianna wanted to tell Kendall about her former relationship with Gage but just as quickly rejected the idea. She and Kendall shared the same birth parents. But trust came with time, not biology.

  “The body was just found?” Kendall said.

  “Couple of hours ago.”

  “So no press yet?”

  Adrianna cringed. “No, thank God. But I think they’re not here because I took your advice and gave that mini press conference last week. Gave the grand tour, explained what we were doing. I demystified the whole thing.”

  “I saw the news reports and read the articles. You did a good job.”

  “Thanks.”

  Kendall shook her head. “Today’s discovery is going to change everything. Unidentified dead woman discovered in an unmarked grave. This is the kind of piece my old boss Brett would be all over. He’d have had me out here reporting the story ten minutes ago.”

  “Channel 10 was the only station not at my press conference.”

  “That’s because my old boss would eat dirt before he’d ever do me a favor. You don’t want him to get wind of this story.”

  Adrianna dug her fingers through her hair. “I don’t need curiosity seekers.”

  “I understand, I do. But you are going to have to tread carefully. Reporters at all the stations have their sources in the police department. Someone is going to talk, and when they do it’ll be all over the media.”

  “Detective Hudson wants this kept quiet.”

  “I’ll bet. I know I could be a real pain in the ass for the cops when I was on the job.” Kendall’s gaze turned sympathetic. “But if anyone can keep it quiet for as long as possible, it’s Hudson and my husband.”

  Adrianna lifted her chin. “If anyone had to cover the story, I’d rather it be you.”

  The statement softened Kendall’s gaze. “That means a lot.”

  “I m
ean it.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t take the story.”

  Adrianna raised a brow. “If I know anything about you, Kendall, it’s that you love a good story. I’ll bet your heart is racing right now just thinking about it.”

  Kendall shrugged. “It’s beating a little fast. Old habits die hard. But I value you more than the story.”

  Unwelcome emotions rushed through her limbs. “Thanks.”

  “So what are you doing here?”

  “Going through my mother-in-law’s papers. This is the last piece of furniture I have to clear out.”

  Kendall glanced at the ledgers. “What are you looking for?”

  “If there is anything of historical value, I’ll pass it on to the buyer. If it’s personal, I’ll destroy it.”

  “That’s gracious.”

  “I’m not as selfless as you might think. Frances and Mom were friends since college and even though I do feel an obligation to keep her papers private, I’m hoping there’s something in here that’ll tell me about my adoption.”

  “We have all the answers about our birth family. What could you be looking for?”

  “Information about my parents’ first daughter.”

  “Your mom still hasn’t told you what happened to her?”

  “No. And each time I bring it up, she ends up in tears. Yesterday we talked again. I told her about the grave removal. Last night she landed in the ER with phantom chest pains.”

  “I’m sorry.” Kendall frowned. “Adrianna, why do you care so much about that child?”

  “I don’t know exactly. Maybe because I lost a baby. Maybe no child should be forgotten. I do know I’ll go through every box and slip of paper in this house looking for any clue that might tell me what happened to her.”

  “Can I help?”

  “Thanks. Really. But I’ve got to do this on my own.”

  Gage got into the car, backtracked to the main house, and stopped behind an Audi parked behind Adrianna’s Land Rover. He scrutinized the extra car. The last thing he wanted was more people on the property.

  Sighing, he shifted his gaze to the house. It wasn’t large by today’s standards but despite the neglect, it was built well, no doubt the nails handmade and the support joists notched individually. Quality. Simple lines like he preferred.