Nikki had always been smart as a whip, but somehow people were taken by surprise when she’d graduated college with honors and been accepted into the University of Texas Medical School in Galveston. However, no one had been surprised when she’d decided to specialize in forensic pathology. Death seemed right in her wheelhouse. In addition to her duties as the Nance County coroner, she also worked as a pathologist for the Northeast Texas Forensic Science Center, which served most of the rural counties in the Piney Woods area.
Tom admired the woman and all that she’d accomplished at such a young age, but he regretted the circumstances under which their paths always crossed. She hovered at the top of the basement steps, gazing up at the moon as he strode through the weeds toward her.
He greeted her with a nod. “Nikki.”
“Tom.”
“What’s the verdict?”
“Looks like a broken neck, poor guy. He’s had it rough for most of his life and now this.”
“You knew him?” Tom asked in surprise.
“His family lived down the road from my grandmother for a time.” She snapped off her gloves and stuffed them in her back pocket. “He also has blunt force trauma to the back of his head, but I’m not sure either injury killed him. Judging from the amount of blood on the floor and in his hair, he survived the fall. His heart was still pumping when he hit the bottom.”
“What did kill him, then?”
“I noticed some faint marks on his throat. Could be thumb impression contusions. If so, the bruising will get darker in a few hours and we’ll start to see evidence of asphyxiation.”
“So you’re saying someone crawled down into that shaft and finished him off after his neck was broken?”
“That’s my gut feeling. I think you’re dealing with a cold-blooded killer, Tom.”
“Or a desperate one,” he said. “How soon will you know?”
“I’ll pull some strings and get him autopsied first thing in the morning. He deserves that. Have you notified his sister yet?”
“I’m heading over there after I leave here,” Tom said. Notifying next of kin was a task he always dreaded.
“She’ll take it hard,” Nikki warned. “She always looked out for him when they were younger, decking any kid who dared to make fun of him. Marty never made it easy. Always getting into trouble. Always blurting out inappropriate things. Not his fault, of course. Life just plain sucks sometimes.”
They both fell silent, taking a moment to remember that behind every case file was a human being.
“Tell you what,” Nikki said. “I’ll clear my schedule and perform the postmortem myself.”
“That would be a big help. I don’t want anything to slip through the cracks on this one.”
“Consider it done, then.”
“What about fingerprints?” Tom asked.
“You know as well as I do that it’s nearly impossible to lift latent prints from a corpse. But we may be able to recover some of the assailant’s skin cells for DNA testing. First things first, though. Let’s get the body bagged and ready for transport. No easy feat getting him out of here.”
“Have you worked out time of death?”
“Going by body temp and lack of lividity, I’d put it no more than two hours. Probably closer to an hour. You may have just missed your killer. Unless you already have him in custody.” She nodded to where Dylan Moody sat on the ground with his cuffed wrists draped over his knees.
“I have my doubts about him,” Tom said. “He doesn’t strike me as someone who would climb down into that shaft and strangle a dying man, but I’ve been fooled before.”
Nikki’s gaze drifted to Rae. She also sat huddled on the ground, hugging her knees to her chest. As if sensing their scrutiny, she glanced in their direction, zeroing in on Tom for a moment before she turned away.
“Isn’t that Rae Cavanaugh?” Nikki asked.
“Yeah, that’s her.”
“I see her around town now and then. She’s mellowed since high school.”
“Has she?”
Nikki slanted him a curious glance. “What was that look she just gave you?”
“I didn’t see any look.”
“Really? She seemed pretty obvious to me. I’m guessing by her presence that this has something to do with her missing niece.”
“I’m still trying to put all the pieces together,” Tom said. “It’s a complicated case.”
The coroner’s voice softened unexpectedly. “It must be hard for that family going through this again. I remember when Riley disappeared. The whole town turned out to look for her.”
“I remember it, too,” Tom said.
Nikki lifted her gaze to scan the shadowy building. “I sat up there in one of those broken windows and watched as they dragged the lake. It felt so surreal. Afterward, the search party headed back this way and I hid upstairs until they were gone. I’m not sure why. I guess in the back of my mind I thought they might be coming for me.”
“Why would they be coming for you?” Tom asked.
She shrugged. “The way I dressed, the company I kept. You don’t remember how my friends and I were treated after those girls went missing?”
“I guess I had too many things on my mind back then.”
“For a while the investigation took on shades of the West Memphis Three,” she said. “At least it seemed so. My friends and I even talked about leaving town. I decided to stick it out. I’m glad I did, but it was rough for a while.”
“Being out here must bring back a lot of bad memories.”
“You would think so, but as strange as it sounds, I’ve always loved this place. If you strip away all the pain and suffering, the building is really quite beautiful. Back in school, I considered it a haven. My special place. No one bothered me here. Then Riley went missing and it became her place. I guess now it’s Sophie’s.”
“Until we find her.”
“I hope that’s soon.”
“I hope so, too.” Tom glanced at Rae. She was staring at him again. He stared right back, letting darkness spin an intimate cocoon around them.
Nikki seemed oblivious to the subtle drama. She tipped her head, gazing all the way up to the eaves. Then she seemed to shake off her dreaminess and turned back to the steps with a purpose. “I’ll see you at the autopsy in a few hours. Bring doughnuts.”
Tom waited until she’d disappeared through the doorway at the bottom of the stairs before he walked over to Rae. He wondered if she was feeling as anxious and off center as he was tonight. Wondered if anyone else had noticed the looks they’d exchanged and the explosion of sparks every time their gazes connected. Or was the charged air only his imagination?
She rose, clutching the backpack as he approached. “Can we go now?”
“Yes. I’ll drive you home.”
“I don’t need a ride. I left my car on the other side of the bridge.” Her tone was even, no hint of anger or censure, and yet Tom felt as if he had been subtly brushed off.
“You can pick it up later or I’ll have someone drive it back to your house.” He reached for the backpack. “I don’t think it’s a particularly good idea for you to be out driving alone with this much cash in your possession. If the kidnappers are keeping as close a watch as you seem to think, they could follow you home. Or ambush you on the way. Lots of places to lie in wait between here and the ranch.”
“What makes you think they won’t try it with you?”
“For one thing, they’ll know I’m armed. Taking out a county sheriff is not the attention they want or need right now.”
“What about Dylan?”
Tom glanced back. “We’ll take him into custody and let him stew in a jail cell for a while.”
“Is he under arrest?”
“Not yet, but we can hold him for a few hours on suspicion. Maybe we’ll get som
ething out of him before he or his old man lawyers him up.”
“I hope so. If we don’t find Sophie soon...” She glanced away.
“I know. But nobody’s giving up. Right now, the best thing you can do is go home and get some rest.”
He slung the backpack over one shoulder as they started down the embankment. Rae was right on his heels. He heard her stumble once and turned to ask if she was okay. She merely shrugged and kept going.
The trek became easier once they reached the lake. She moved up beside him as they walked along the bank. The water looked silky smooth tonight, like spun silver. A light fog had begun to creep in from the other side. Tom wished he were sitting in a boat with a line cast down into those misty depths. He would have liked no more pressing business for the rest of the night than to close his eyes and remember the taste of Rae’s lips as he drifted in the shallows.
Her voice brought him back with a jolt. “Do you really think someone in my family had Sophie kidnapped?”
He frowned at the water. “I told you. I’m not discounting anything at this point.”
“But what a horrible thing to contemplate.”
“We don’t know anything yet. You have the money and you have the phone. Let’s wait and see if the kidnappers make contact again.”
“What if they decide to cut their losses?” Her voice was heavy with dread.
“They want that cash. They went to a great deal of trouble to get it. They’ll call.”
“What should we do in the meantime?”
“We can put a trace on the landline at the ranch and use triangulation to determine the location of an incoming call on a burner. But neither action is without risk,” he warned. “We don’t want to scare them off.”
“What would you do?”
He paused. “Let’s get out to the ranch and lay all the cards on the table. The ultimate decision belongs to your brother.”
A scream sounded from some distant point on the lake and Rae jumped. Her hand flew to her heart as she paused to glance over the water. “What was that?”
“A peacock,” Tom said. “Something must have roused him from his roost. You’ve never heard that sound before?”
“Not in the dead of night.” She held out her hand. “I’m shaking. I think I could do with a drink.”
Tom could as well but he had a long day ahead of him. He hoisted the backpack to his other shoulder as they neared the bridge and prepared for the final ascent. They didn’t speak again until they were inside his vehicle.
Rae glanced out the window with a shudder. “I hope this is the last time I ever come out here. Someone should burn that place to the ground.”
“I had the same thought earlier.” Tom’s phone rang just then, and he fished it out of his pocket. His sister’s name flashed on the screen. Why would Ellie be calling at this time of night?
He lifted the phone. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. But something’s happened that I thought you should know about.”
He was mindful of Rae’s gaze on him. “What is it?”
“I’m outside the Thayer house. I walked over a few minutes ago when I heard the peacocks. One of them sounded in distress. I thought a fox or coyote might be after them. As soon as I came up the drive, I saw a light through one of the windows. Someone is inside the house.”
“Where are you now?”
“I went back out to the road, but I can still see the house.”
“Is the light still there?”
“No, it’s gone out just now.”
“Do you see any cars around? Anything else suspicious besides that light?”
“No. But earlier I heard a boat on the lake. There’s a dock out back. Should I go check?”
“No,” Tom said quickly. “You just stay put and keep out of sight. I’m two minutes away.” Rae’s gaze was still on him as he slid the phone back in his pocket. “That was Ellie.”
“So I gathered. Is everything okay?”
“She saw a light moving around in the old Thayer house just now. I need to go check it out. Are you okay with that?”
Her gaze widened. “Do you think it could have something to do with Sophie?”
The thought had occurred to Tom as well, given the proximity of the house to the Ruins. “Let’s not jump to conclusions. Probably just a squatter or someone scoping out a place to cook meth. I don’t want my sister going inside alone.”
“Do you think she would?”
“She might. She’s quiet and introverted, but she’s also headstrong.”
“Then I think we should go check it out,” Rae agreed. “I just hope Jackson doesn’t show up at the Ruins while we’re gone.”
A quarter of a mile down the road, Tom killed the lights. When they were within a hundred yards of the overgrown driveway, he pulled to the side of the road and shut off the engine.
“Might be best if you wait here,” he said. “Keep the windows up and the doors locked. I’ll make this as fast as I can.”
She gave a quick scan of their surroundings. “I’m not staying out here alone. Weren’t you the one who warned about an ambush earlier? Besides, you may need backup and I have a gun. And, yes, I do know how to use it.”
Tom wasn’t surprised. She’d grown up on a ranch with a father and brother who liked to hunt. And she had a point. They were miles from the Ruins, miles from help, and they had a million dollars in cash in his back seat. People committed horrible crimes for the change in someone’s pocket.
He nodded. “Okay, but keep your head down.”
They stayed in the shadows as they hurried down the road. When they neared the drive, Ellie slipped from her hiding place in the bushes to join them.
“I haven’t seen the light since I called you,” she said. “I think whoever was in there is gone. Or else lying low. No one could have gotten by me on the road. I suppose he or she could have gone through the woods or down to the lake.”
“I’ll check it out,” Tom said. “You two stay here and keep watch. Let me know if you see anything suspicious.”
“Tom, be careful,” his sister warned.
Rae nodded. “Yes, be careful. And call out if you need me. I’ll come running.”
He saw Ellie give her a curious look in the moonlight before he turned to ease up the driveway, reconnoitering both sides of the house before he approached the porch steps. The door was locked, but one of the front windows had been broken. He slid up the frame and climbed through.
Betsy Thayer had been dead for only a few months, but already the house smelled musty and his flashlight caught the shimmer of cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. Some of the furniture remained. He traced the outlines with the beam and pinpointed the exits. Once he had the layout in his head, he started to move through the house, clearing one room at a time until he reached the back porch. He could see the lake shimmering through the bushes. If the intruder had left by boat, Ellie would have heard the motor unless paddles were used for a silent getaway.
Tom stood there on the porch listening to the night until the scream of the peacock drove him back inside. He walked through the house again, checking places he may have missed on his first pass. He came across a locked door just off the kitchen. Given the age of the house, well over a hundred years old, he imagined the narrow passage led down into a root cellar that would have also been used as refuge from the killer tornadoes that sometimes swept through the area.
He jiggled the knob and then put his ear to the door. He heard nothing and yet the hair at the back of his neck rose for some inexplicable reason. Taking a step back, he kicked the door at the weakest point and the wood frame splintered. Another kick and the door flew open. Tom fought his way through more cobwebs as he went down the steps. The basement was larger than he would have imagined for a house that size and crammed full of abandoned furniture and debris.
&n
bsp; Against the far wall, a body lay crumpled on the floor.
Tom’s heart thudded as he ran the light over the room before coming to rest once more on that motionless figure.
He said her name softly. “Sophie?”
No reaction. No movement. Dread clawed at his throat.
“Sophie Cavanaugh?”
Her head came up then and she scrambled back against the wall, mewling like a wounded kitten as she hugged her knees to her chest. “Don’t hurt me. Please. I just want to go home.”
Her hair was matted, her face and arms streaked with blood and dirt. Tom didn’t know how badly she might be hurt or traumatized, so he approached with caution, keeping distance between them as he knelt.
“I’m not going to hurt you. I’m a police officer. My name is Tom Brannon. I’m the Nance County sheriff. I know your folks. They’re worried sick about you.”
She buried her face in her arms and whimpered.
“Your aunt is outside. She’s come to take you home.” He slipped his phone from his pocket. “I’ll call her, okay?”
No response.
Before he could use the phone, he heard footsteps above. Rae called out his name. “Tom, are you okay?”
“Down here!”
He sensed her presence at the top of the stairs and then he heard her gasp. She came down the steps so quickly he thought she might trip and break her neck like poor Marty Booker.
“You found her! Oh, my God, you found her!”
Sophie lifted her head at the sound of her aunt’s voice. “Aunt Rae?”
“I’m here, Sophie. I’m here, sweet girl.” She dropped to her knees and held out her arms.
Chapter Fourteen
Sophie had been taken straight to the hospital, where she was given a comprehensive physical examination and treated for superficial cuts and contusions. Her clothing had been bagged and her fingernails scraped for trace evidence. Physically, she seemed fine and even her spirits had started to lift once her family had descended on her private room, but no one came through an ordeal like that unscathed.
Without a Trace Page 17
