Gravedigger (The Rayburn Mysteries Book 1)

by Ceeree Fields

  Giving into her annoyance, she smacked her sister on her upper arm. Maker, Karma’s partner, stepped between them before Jo could blink.

  “What the hell are you doing here, Karma?” she asked, wondering why the two weren’t in Michigan where they belonged.

  “Back off, Maker.” Karma elbowed the man aside. “Swear, Jo you need to practice more on your follow through . . . you hit like a girl.”

  Sullivan shook his head as he joined Maker at the truck, providing her the room to deal with her sister. But staying close in case she needed backup, his trust showed her again why they were perfect as partners.

  “I held back, but we can go again later,” Jo growled.

  Karma smiled, excitement vibrated from her half-sister’s body as she bounced on the balls of her feet. “Cool.”

  “Seriously, what is going on? First, you and your sisters bust in on my parents’ twenty-fifth anniversary last year, wanting to be a family. I gave you all my contact info. Then nothing.” It’d hurt. Did they think she’d be waiting endlessly for them? Be available whenever the mood struck to include her in their tight-knit family?

  Karma’s smile dissolved into a frown and her gaze dropped to her black lace-up combat boots. “Sorry, Dad’s last mission didn’t go well, and Juliette had to go get him.”

  “Last mission? You make it sound like he’s in the military.” Jo crossed her arms. The crunching from the cup’s lid helped ground her, kept her from laying into her sister. Before she could add anything else, Sullivan loudly cleared his throat.

  Confused as to why Sullivan interrupted, she squinted at him. The wide-eyed look he tossed behind her made her cringe. Whenever one of the higher-ups joined their scenes Sullivan would toss the same expression at Jo, a look that held a tinge of panic mixed heavily with a warning for her to watch what she said.

  She prayed the higher-up wasn’t their captain. If he heard her and Sullivan tossing barbs at Karma and Maker; then Jo and her partner would be shipped off to another one of those damned team-building seminars.

  The last one ‘How to Work with an Inter-Departmental Team’ had lasted an entire weekend. The bitching from Sullivan at their forced attendance lasted a month. Mouthing ‘sorry’ to her partner, Jo slowly turned to see which of her bosses they were stuck with this time.

  Chapter 2

  “Rayburn, Krane—”

  She flinched at hearing their captain’s voice. Captain Walker was better than the Chief of Police, but not by much. Straightening from his slouched position, Sullivan joined her as Jo met their captain’s gaze.

  Rattled from not only seeing her sister and Maker, but her captain showing up to their crime scene as well, she spoke her mind. Her brain to mouth filter gone. “What the hell, Cap? You gotta bring these assholes in? They’re not even from any of the states that’ve been hit with these bodies, they’re from Detroit.”

  The distinguished black man would have been handsome if not for the scowl that marred his face. Captain Walker’s dark-colored wool coat blew in the wind as he walked unhurried up the hill to join them. His coat and the suit underneath told her he’d been heading to some business meeting or another. If it’d been political the captain would have dressed in his blues. The scary mask Captain Walker projected made Jo roll her lips over her teeth to keep from getting mouthy again.

  “First, you don’t get to choose who you work with on this case. Second, these two moved to Atlanta last year.” The captain came to a stop in front of her and Sullivan.

  Karma threw Jo a smirk behind the captain’s back, but Jo jolted at the captain’s next words.

  “And lastly, they’ve been involved in the case since their move. As soon as I received the call, this morning, I had their captain send them over to see if this incident matched the suspect.”

  “It does,” Maker stated. His form dwarfed Jo and Karma as he pushed to his full height. She had always pictured him as being a take-charge-damn-the-consequences kind of guy. But she’d learned from research and her contacts; he was the stable one of the two. Karma was the one that everyone watched, the one who’s temper spiked too hot. The one that left destruction in her wake.

  She’d looked Karma and Maker up after that disastrous anniversary meeting. In the deepest part of her soul, she’d been curious. No way would she have shared that with anyone except Sullivan . . . maybe.

  The only video she managed to get her hands on shocked her and a spark of grudging respect flared toward the two. To see these two, no one would ever know how destructive they could be. They were a two-person wrecking crew in Detroit.

  The footage showed them in the midst of a shootout with a kingpin and his thugs. It wasn’t much of a shootout. Karma had lobbed hastily pieced together Molotov cocktails in between firing her service weapon while Maker had used his rifle to shoot anything that popped up. It’d been over as quickly as it’d started with gutted cars on fire and a barren, weed-choked street awash with writhing bodies.

  Their backup arrived swarming like a tide over the thugs and the kingpin, securing the scene in a matter of minutes. But the icing on Jo’s kickass cake? Watching her five-foot-three-inch sister manhandle the kingpin, who looked to be a foot taller and fifty pounds heavier, into the back of a squad car.

  Pulling her mind back to the present, Jo balled up the cup in her hand. “Why are we here? This is Irondale Police’s district. Shouldn’t they handle the preliminary—” She cut herself off at Sullivan’s slight nudge to her side.

  Had she gotten the precinct wrong? The crime might have taken place in the Leeds’s police department’s district; she couldn’t remember the exact border where one left off and the other began. However, with the cold look Captain Walker tossed her way, Jo didn’t think it mattered if the police district was Timbuktu.

  “Because it’s your damned case,” their captain growled.

  Sullivan defended her as best he could. “The LT that assigned us the case said all of our other cases took priority, and this one as we can get to it.”

  “Did I ask what the LT told you? No, because the LT reports to me, just like you and Rayburn do. If you don’t want me to find a file room that needs reorganizing, you’ll learn to take orders. This case is getting moved up.” The captain motioned them up the hill.

  “Yes, sir,” Sullivan stated.

  Jo kept her mouth shut since the stupid thing continued getting her into trouble.

  Captain Walker spun on his polished heel, the group following behind to the cordoned off area. Jo’s dark expression caused the uniformed officer to take a stumbling step back while trying to lift the police tape at the same time. The kid looked to be just out of high school as he took a quick hop-step to remain upright.

  Various forensic personnel moved from one place to another snapping photos and laying out the little yellow numbered placards as they gathered evidence. Used to the mayhem that came with various crime scenes, Jo ignored them and pulled on the black gloves from her pocket, focusing on the job.

  The body lolled like a discarded doll against the ornate hinge of the driveway’s black gate. Large stone columns towered several inches above Jo’s head and had the black hinges bolted to them. If she didn’t know the woman was dead, she would have assumed the girl had fallen asleep while waiting for the cemetery to open.

  Jo crouched with Karma, mirroring her movement on the other side of the mostly intact corpse. The woman hadn’t been in the ground long. Their victim looked groomed, her hair combed and pink lip gloss glistening on her parted lips. She motioned to the hands of the deceased, and Karma hummed. The nails held a fresh coat of light pink polish.

  “She looks familiar.” Jo tipped her head down to better see the woman’s features in the morning light. It didn’t work since the woman’s chin rested against her chest.

  “This is the governor’s cousin. He’s
pissed as hell this happened to her. But what makes him angrier is no one noticed the disturbance—”

  “No one better have touched the damned body this time.” A tawny haired man moved into view dragging a gurney in his wake.

  Jo stood and took a quick breath. Jesus, was this the Coroner’s assistant Sullivan had told her about?

  He stood well above her own five-foot-four-inch frame. His features weren’t boy-next-door cute like Sullivan had implied, but sharper. A blade like nose held rounded glasses that hid nothing of the light brown eyes. He wasn’t classically handsome but striking in his own right; he demanded attention without saying a word. Based on her observation of him the other assistants paled in comparison; they treated the victims dispassionately. He treated them as if they mattered.

  Golden and tawny, like a bird of prey. Her stomach made a slow loop, her blood heated in interest. Tipping her head to the side to get a look at his ass, she sighed. Too bad his overalls hid all the good stuff. Though she could tell he was wiry, but whether he was toned or flabby was a mystery. Fascinated, Jo wanted to move closer to the man. He radiated a warmth she craved.

  As if sensing her stare, his honey-brown gaze turned her way. Did he feel the same spark? Was he as curious about her? However, his gaze only touched on her before moving to Karma and lingering.

  The dismissal cut Jo to the quick. To be made to feel as if she didn’t matter, pissed her off. But she couldn’t go up and yell at the guy in the middle of a crime scene. Feeling invisible but unable to do much about it, she straightened her shoulders and watched the man drag his gaze away from the curvy form of Karma and turn his attention on their captain.

  “Hello, Mr. Harrison.” The captain stepped away from the corpse. “No one has touched the body.”

  Harrison stopped. “What the—?” His golden gaze flashed in the sunlight and he pointed to the body propped against the gate. “Why the hell am I here? That woman’s been dead for a while.”

  “Process the body, please, Mr. Harrison, and we’ll explain everything tomorrow when we have all of our facts.”

  She felt the weight of the captain’s stare as he turned to her and Karma. “You two will work together on this case. The governor wants answers. He’s already asking how anyone got into the cemetery and dug up a damned grave without being noticed.”

  Jo kept quiet as their captain explained what needed to happen, as her gaze traveled back to Harrison.

  Even though he’d been gruff toward them, the man handled the body gently, but competently. After bagging the hands and snapping the body bag out, Harrison motioned to two rookies to help him lift her into the bag. The assistant coroner carefully tucked the victim’s skirt around her before zipping the bag closed. Then they wheeled her to the gurney and loaded it into the back. Done, Harrison waved the two rookies away and drove off. Jo was surprised he’d not stayed longer. And it irked her that he didn’t glance at her again.

  Jo’s attention abruptly returned to the conversation taking place with Captain Walker. “Wait, cousin of the governor? Was she the one that died in that boating accident on Logan Martin week before last?”

  The captain narrowed his eyes, and Jo took a small step back. Shit, she’d forgotten he hated to be interrupted.

  “Yes,” he bit off through clenched teeth. “Was there a point to your question, Detective Rayburn?”

  “There was, Captain. If I remember part of the original briefing correctly, the bodies were dug up within a week of death—”

  His eyes widened, and his shoulders relaxed. Pushing back his coat, the captain shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’d forgotten that piece. With the earth already disturbed no one would have noticed if he’d dug again.”

  “Exactly.” Jo felt the light slap on her back from her partner.

  “We’ll need to get in and see the grave, Captain,” Sullivan stated.

  Karma gestured toward the news truck that slid to a stop at the bottom of the hill. “Preferably before anyone else gets near it.”

  “Damn vultures,” the captain snarled, turning to face them again. “The caretaker is on his way, you’ll have access as soon as he gets here. I’ll text the lieutenants to get another uniform over here. I want the drive up to the grave cordoned off until our guys have a chance to process it.” He pulled out his smartphone and his fingers flew over the screen.

  Both Jo and Sullivan’s cellphones beeped as soon as the captain tucked his back into his coat pocket. “I’ve alerted the LTs, they’ll get the assignments handled and relay them to you four. I’m sure Tennessee and Mississippi won’t be far behind sending people as well. But as Alabama and Georgia had the most bodies turn up, they may just let us handle it. I’ll get with the other precincts’ captains after my meeting.”

  Jo tipped her head and answered with a quiet ‘yes sir’ the same as the other three. Then their boss was gone, leaving them to sink or swim.

  Turning toward the large gated entrance that cars drove through to get to their loved ones’ graves, she crammed the empty cup into a nearby trashcan before moving to the right of where the body had been propped. Nothing looked out of place. No scratches or breaks marred the metal, and the locks didn’t look tampered with. However, they were basic. Most would wonder why they shouldn’t be stronger to protect their loved one’s last resting place. Who in their right mind violates a cemetery? They were sacred. Or should have been.

  “See anything?” Karma asked, kneeling down where the woman’s body had been.

  “No.” Jo lifted the padlock then released it to slap against the chain with a dull thud. “I could pick this in a few seconds, but the lock, nor the hinges, look to have been messed with. There’s not even fresh scratches on the gate, just a few already showing signs of rust.”

  A light flashed, drawing Jo’s attention. “What are you doing?”

  Another flash of Karma’s smartphone almost blinded Jo.

  “Taking a few pictures to refer—”

  “Make sure those pictures on your phone get into evidence. I don’t want this person walking because of a screw-up on our end.”

  “I’m not an amateur, Jo. I’ll call a tech over to—”

  “Doesn’t matter, your photos need to be entered into evidence.”

  “I know. Jesus, does Icky deal with this shit every day? Because if so he’s got the patience of a saint.” Karma huffed, lifted her phone and took a few more shots of where the body had been. Done, she turned and snapped her fingers. “Hey, you with that camera, get over here.”

  Jo couldn’t puzzle out what interested the woman. Other than a crushed flower and a distorted shoe print there wasn’t anything there. Luckily, it had rained earlier, so the print remained well-preserved in the mud and not obliterated by the blustery wind.

  “I need pictures of this.” Karma pointed to the ground.

  “A flower?” the tech asked, his tone holding disbelief. “You do know we’re at a cemetery—there are dozens of petals all around.”

  Jo’s gaze raked the area, noting the other bouquets next to the gate. Either they’d been dropped off after the cemetery closed last night or before opening this morning. Colorful petals swirled across the grass and pavement, but none matched the one Karma had found.

  “Just do what I’m asking,” Karma stated. “And gather the other bouquets up, too.”

  Curious as to where her partner had gotten off to, she scanned the area again. Sullivan and Maker were testing the black fence to the left.

  Done with his pictures, the tech placed the blue-colored bloom in the evidence bag.

  Once they were alone, Jo gestured toward the flower and print. “Why?”

  “Just a hunch.”

  “Gonna share?”

  “Nope, not until it’s confirmed.” Karma caved when Jo arched a brow at her. “At the crime scenes
Maker and I went to, a flower was placed in the same position. Now, I’ve called a few other places and combed through all the other files, but no one else noted a flower being found.”

  Jo began to say something, only to stop when Karma raised her hand. “Let me finish. Yes, this is a cemetery and yes, maybe it’s nothing. But at all three scenes we investigated, there was an Orchid where there shouldn’t have been one. None of the delivered arrangements matched. If that one turns out to be an Orchid as well . . .”

  “We might have a lead.”

  “Yes, or at least something we can ask the other departments to check into if other bodies turn up.” Karma joined Jo at the front entrance. “With all the news talk about cemeteries being broken into, I’m surprised this place doesn’t have the fence wired for alarms.”

  Jo tipped her head to the side. “They do.”

  Karma shook the gate, but no alarm rang out, and after a few minutes no additional calls came in. “Fake?”

  “Maybe, or maybe the alarm company got a call to shut it off when the body was discovered.”

  “Makes you wonder who found the body, since the caretaker isn’t here yet.”

  Chapter 3

  Jo hummed her agreement as she and Karma looked around for anything else out of place. Following the black fence to the opposite side from Sullivan and Maker, she tested each section with a shake.

  “I know you don’t like me.”

  For a few seconds Jo considered not answering, but decided, in the spirit of working together, she’d need to be honest. “It’s not that I don’t like you, I just don’t appreciate you and your sisters—”

  “They’re your sisters too—”

  Jo swung toward Karma and slashed a hand between them. “I don’t appreciate how you just dropped into the middle of my parents’ anniversary party to ‘introduce’ yourselves last year.”