“Eighteen. Today is her birthday!” said Gwen as she began to cry again.
***
“Earl!” cried Amos from the base of the Bone Tree. “I found something…”
Earl ran towards him down the long path that led deeper into the forest. The sun had already set and they were about to call off the search for the night when Amos saw something of interest. Something that would change the course of the entire investigation.
Amos shone his flash light in the knobby hole of the Bone Tree.
“Get a load of this…”
Earl gave Amos a perplexed look, but did as he was told. He poked his head into the hole and about sixty feet down there was a light.
“How the hell?!”
“It’s a hollow tree.”
“What’s down there?”
“The old mine I reckon…”
“What is that down there…?”
“Looks like dried blood to me…”
Suddenly, Amos and Earl heard a sound that echoed up through the tree and out into the forest. A horrible screeching that pierced their ears. Earl took another look through the hole, but suddenly the light was gone.
“What the-“
But before Earl could finish his sentence, a dark flock of crows flew up the tree and screeched toward them in a violent fury. The sound of ruffling feathers and screeching calls hurt their ears and caused them to flee.
***
Amos and Earl convened at the Bone Tree the next morning, ready to determine what it was that they saw below the tree. Earl knew of an entrance to the mine, just outside the city limits. He wasn’t sure if they’d be able to get through since the mines had been shut down since the late 50s, but it was worth a shot. Amos brought the patrol car to a stop outside the Shepard’s Grove Fire Department. The old fire department sat on a hill that overlooked the tiny town below. Amos and Earl walked around to the back of the property, with a set of backpacks in tow. On the back of the hill, there was a wooden door with a yellow danger sign displayed. Ignoring the warning, Earl pulled on the door hard.
“Let’s go.”
Amos got out his flashlight and shone it into the dark tunnel. There were dozens of routes they could take. The mine weaved through the underbelly of Elkhart like a den of snakes. The rafters overhead were splintering and appeared to be cracking under the weight of the world above.
“Are you sure this is safe?” asked Amos with worry.
“No, but if you want to catch whoever’s responsible, we’re going through.”
As Earl trudged ahead, Amos reluctantly followed.
***
After what felt like hours, Amos and Earl finally reached the end of the tunnel. A light shone just a few feet ahead.
They must be directly under the Bone Tree, Amos thought.
The light beamed down into the circular space. The other tunnels that they had encountered previously emptied out into the space like the arteries of a heart. Amos and Earl approached the natural light with care, their eyes open for any clues that waited for them. There in the shadowy mine, Earl and Amos heard someone talking from the ground above.
“I don’t recommend crossing me,” a male voice said sternly.
Amos looked at Earl and put a finger to his lips.
A female voice replied in a snakelike voice, “I will cross whoever crosses me.”
“I taught you what you know. I can undo you,” the male voice warned.
“I thought you’d already done that!” said the woman testily.
“You’d love that, wouldn’t you?” said the man angrily.
“Not as much as you would,” replied the woman with a bite.
“You’re messing with things that are over your head!” barked the male voice.
“Thank you for your concern, but I’m fine,” quipped the female.
“It wasn’t concern,” assured the male voice. “I would love nothing more than to see you fall, but you’re not taking me with you.”
“We’ll see…” said the female in a lulling voice.
“I’d love nothing more than more than to silence your rambling. Quiet you, like her… But there are too many eyes on me,” said the man warily.
“Scared?” asked the woman with a snarky edge to her voice.
“Please,” said the man angrily.
“You are,” the woman assured matter-of-factly.
“I take what I want, when I want and I don’t need your permission to do it,” the man growled.
“The fact that you are here talking to me about it, instead of doing it proves you wrong.”
Amos and Earl exchanged confused glances as they continued to listen. They could hear footsteps across the earth above them. When finally, all was quiet again, a terrible scream broke the silence. The man leaned against the Bone Tree as a murderous scream flew above Elkhart. He appeared to be holding himself there, preventing himself from doing something that he would regret. As the last cry echoed from his mouth, he threw something into the cavity of the tree. Amos and Earl watched as the object fell from the light above to the dark, moist ground of the mine. Sitting in the dirt, abandoned and alone was the dark body of a Glock 17.
***
“Well?” pressed Earl as Amos walked into the Elkhart Police Station.
“You’re not going to believe this,” insisted Amos as he carried the ballistics report in his hand.
“No match. There were no fingerprints on the gun.”
Earl groaned in annoyance.
“I swear I recognize those voices… If only I could pinpoint from where.”
“I was able to find out who the gun is registered to, though.”
“Who?”
“Kendricks.”
***
June 19, 2000
Angie’s Bedroom
27 Caribou Road
Elkhart, PA
Angie remained face down on her bed, not wanting to move, but desperately needing to escape the dark cloud that had taken over the family. Her head was pounding, and her mind kept wandering back to 1980. The memories of Tiffany and Bernard were fighting for control, and desperately begging for her attention.
***
“Tiffany!” Angie yelled as her blue gown got caught on a bush. She listened as it ripped a good four inches of material from her skirt. She had to keep moving though.
It was so strange, one minute Tiffany was there and the next she was gone. It was like she vanished out of thin air. The man was no longer chasing them. He too, seemed to have vanished as well. Suddenly, a scream polluted the night air. It wasn’t coming from the bushes where she last saw Tiffany. It seemed to be coming from underneath her.
“Tiffany?!” Angie screamed bewildered and afraid.
Tiffany’s screams were inaudible at first. Then suddenly she found the word she was looking for.
“Help!” she cried at an octave higher than Angie’s own scream.
“Where is she?!” Angie said to herself in complete bewilderment.
Angie looked all around the forest floor but couldn’t find her sister anywhere. Suddenly, it occurred to her. They were in the Forest of York. Angie ran to the Bone Tree and looked inside. Sure enough, Tiffany had fallen into the cavity of the tree. She was pacing the mine floor at the bottom, some sixty feet below.
“Tiffany!”
Tiffany’s calls for help got louder.
“Hold on, I’m coming for you!”
Chapter 19
June 19, 2000
25 Caribou Road
Elkhart, PA
11:15 P.M.
Joe Piedmonte’s eyes weighed heavily as he waited for Jenna to finally come home. She had left the house around five this morning and she still had not returned. She was up to her neck in paperwork thanks to the investigation of not just one murdered woman, but two. He wanted to wait for her because they were going to be sleeping up at Morrow Manor for the night, away from the tension and drama of Elkhart. Jenna walked through the door at 11:35 P.M. with a serious look o
n her face. It was a long time since she witnessed a crime scene that grisly, and she wasn’t in the mood to talk about it. Fortunately, Joe wasn’t the type to press for details about her day at work. He was much happier not knowing.
Joe’s eyes had closed despite his attempts to stay awake. Jenna smiled slightly when she saw him. She took off her uniform and slipped on her favorite sweats. Watching him sleep so peacefully, Jenna didn’t want to disturb Joe, but she couldn’t resist curling up next to him, at least for a moment. Jenna flopped down on the couch and laid her head against Joe’s chest. He was her little bit of stability in her hectic life as police Sergeant. After a moment he stirred and smiled, happy to see that she was finally home.
“What time is it?” Joe asked sleepily.
“Late,” Jenna replied sounding utterly exhausted.
“We have to head up to Jack’s.”
“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”
Jenna didn’t like the idea of sleeping next door to a murder victim’s family during an investigation. In a small town like this, everyone knew where she lived. It put her, Joe and the kids at risk. That is something that she simply would not stand for.
***
Jenna and Joe arrived at Morrow Manor around 12:30. Jack was still awake talking to Frank on the front porch when Joe’s car pulled up. Both men nodded as the car approached, although they appeared to be deep in conversation.
Jenna noticed and mentioned to Joe, “Is it me, or do they look like they are discussing battle plans?”
“Would that surprise you at all?” Joe asked with a wink.
Jenna groaned, “No, not one bit.”
Joe and Jenna got out of the car and were greeted warmly by Jack and Frank.
“Pull up a chair…” Jack suggested, pointing to two rocking chairs that rested on the opposite side of the porch.
“I will in a second, I’m going to go put these bags upstairs,” mentioned Joe.
“Are you moving in?!” exclaimed Jack when he looked at their bags.
“We might!” Jenna winked. “You’ve got plenty of space.”
“Jeez. First Tristan wants me to build her a small house back by the orchard, now you two are moving in. This is becoming a compound,” Jack pretended to complain. Jenna and Joe knew he’d love to have them to stay.
“In case you haven’t noticed,” quipped Frank with a devilish grin, “This is a bloody compound.”
“I’m going to go check on the kids and run these bags upstairs,” said Joe as Jenna followed on his heels. “We’ll be back down.”
They walked into the foyer and were surprised to see that everyone was still awake. Tristan, Cole and Tommy were sitting in the living room watching a movie. Shane and Blake were in the throws of a heated game of Battleship in the dining room, while Bridgette, Moira and Natalie sat at the table reading. Moira kept looking up over her glasses at the pair whenever their noise level rose above what she deemed to be their inside voices. Joe ran the bags upstairs, while Jenna grabbed something to drink from the kitchen. Suddenly, the front door banged open loudly. Jenna could hear the complaining voices of Adam and Liam coming closer. She glanced at them speculatively.
“Why are you two still in uniform?”
“Because we had to make a trip to Philly.”
“Philly?”
“Pennington.”
“Are you kidding?”
“I wish we were.”
“Amos and Earl were the ones that handled Tiffany’s case. Earl declined to speak with us, but Amos sure had a lot to say.”
“Too bad he didn’t give us the whole story.”
“What makes you say that?”
“He gave us random facts about the case, but he didn’t elaborate. By the time he was getting to the meat of the story, the guards cut him off.”
“I guess you should be glad you got anything. Are you sure it’s the truth?”
“Much of what he said matches up against the case file.”
“Wow. Maybe he’s turning a new leaf.”
Liam gave DiNolfo a look that said, “Get real.”
***
After Joe took their bags up to the guest room on the second floor he went downstairs to check on the kids. He kissed Natalie on her forehead as she read her latest romance novella that she picked up at the pharmacy. Joe gave a simple nod to Cole, who was fixated on the TV. He was glad to see that the kids were settled in and not focusing on what was going on in town too much.
***
Jenna and Joe settled out on the porch with Jack and Frank. They eased their weary bones onto the rocking chair as they allowed the serene calm of the manor to wash over them. A cool breeze rustled through the trees and brushed against their skin. It was exactly what they needed after a long day like today. Liam and Adam joined them on the porch with tired faces.
“So, how goes it, boys?” asked Frank, breaking the comfortable silence on the porch.
“It’s going,” said Adam honestly.
“Had to pay Amos a visit tonight,” admitted Liam.
“I’m sure that went well,” Jack said sarcastically.
“I don’t know what to believe out of that guy’s mouth.”
“At least he was willing to assist,” added Jenna.
“True.”
“Out of curiosity, what do you know about this case?” Liam asked Jenna with a serious look on his face.
Jenna sighed as she gave Joe a weary look. They didn’t like digging up old memories as much as Angie and Amos.
“I was friends with both Angie and Tiffany, so I guess I’d be the best person to tell you this. Tiffany had pissed a lot of people off. Tiffany was popular, and flirted with all the guys in school. She even tried to flirt with Joe once, and I told her off. Even though she was popular, she didn’t have a lot of good friends. She had stepped on too many toes.”
Joe grew serious at the memory.
“There were a lot of people who Tiffany had walked on to get her popularity and social status. Angie, her sister, was one of them. Tiffany was really nasty to her. Tiffany was also fairly mean to her boyfriend at the time, Ethan Quiver.”
“Old man Quiver’s son,” added Jack.
“I remember she tortured Angie by flirting with Angie’s boyfriend at the time, Hunter McCord.”
“McCord?” Liam asked with a question in his voice.
“Oh, yeah. Apparently, they are back together.”
“Interesting.”
“Wouldn’t it look bad to date a suspect in your sister’s murder investigation?”
“Yeah, but look at his record, too. Violence… Drug dealing…She doesn’t seem to mind that.”
“What’s her deal?” asked Adam.
“I’ve known Angie for a really long time. She has always been a bit aloof. From what I remember she was really tightly wound. When Tiffany died, she was distraught. On the night after Tiffany was murdered, Angie left and didn’t come back until last week. We thought she was missing, but it turns out she just ran off.”
Jenna looked at Adam as a thought entered her head. Twenty years. Angie left after her sister was murdered, and just two days after she returned another sister is murdered. That girl either had some serious bad luck or some major skeletons in her closet.
“Let me look over the case file tonight…” DiNolfo suggested.
“We’ll look it over with you. We’re not going to sleep.”
***
“The murders aren’t the work of a woman…” said Liam.
“No, but what if it’s someone connected to her?” suggested Adam.
“What makes you think it’s not the work of a woman?” DiNolfo probed.
“All the evidence points to a man,” said Adam and Liam in unison.
“The shoes, the shirt, the brute force needed to throw a dead body from a moving vehicle…”
“Then there’s Trafford…”
“He lied about his whereabouts after leaving the precinct that morning and he was spotted on Mountain R
oad at 5:30 A.M.” Jenna said.
Stolen Innocents (The Shadow Series Book 2) Page 18
