Skye Cree Boxed Set Books 1 - 3

by Vickie McKeehan

  “Just one more reason so many people disappear and are never heard from again unless friends or family hit the ground running with a lot of fanfare and legwork.”

  “Harry’s overworked. He sounded beat.”

  “This afternoon he looked it, too.”

  About that time Josh’s cell phone rang. “Hi, Harry.”

  “Your tester’s general physical description matches our victim. I’ll get the coroner’s office on board and notify the parents that the body might be that of their daughter. Thanks for the heads up, Josh.”

  Again Josh heard a click in his ear and the detective was gone.

  Skye mulled over what they knew. “Maggie’s been missing since last Monday, possibly longer, maybe even as long as Saturday night. That’s when Tate dropped her off. In the photo I saw, her throat had been cut. She also had rope marks around her wrists and ankles, which means whoever kept that girl held her for days before the killer decided he was done with her and put the body in the park. He’s keeping them for shorter periods of time, Josh. That’s a similar method to the college coed we talked about who was found two weeks ago.”

  Josh got up to check his notes. “Vanessa Farrington was last seen around midnight when she left a frat party to walk back to her room. Alone. When they did find Vanessa’s body she’d been dumped naked with signs of major trauma.” Josh looked up from his iPad. “He’s trying to impress you with a number count.”

  “I think you’re right.” Skye went to her own laptop, tapped the screen with her index finger where she’d brought up the map they’d created online with the data they knew. “Vanessa was found a week later in Bellingham. Here. But she disappeared in Olympia. That’s over a hundred and fifty plus miles. On the other hand, Maggie was found in a Seattle park. Closer to home. Here. Roughly ninety miles separates each woman’s case, but that short distance involves two different jurisdictions.”

  “As we’ve learned in the past, different jurisdictions often mean the cops don’t share info about their cases, especially in homicide. Throw in the fact that in Vanessa’s case, the tox screen showed no alcohol in her system.”

  “Even though the story on the Internet indicates she left that party so intoxicated witnesses said she had trouble walking, which means she had plenty of time to get it out of her system. He kept Vanessa a week, Maggie three days at minimum,” Skye determined. “Depending on whether or not your tester went missing Saturday night after Tate said his goodnights.”

  “Yeah, Maggie could’ve been taken then or sometime on Sunday. Either way, he didn’t hold her as long as he did Vanessa. And yet, Vanessa was dumped farther away from where she was last seen while Maggie is left practically around the corner.”

  “Which means he covers a lot of ground,” Skye finished. “And there’s no pattern to speak of.”

  “Both locations are well within the range of the military base though,” Josh pointed out.

  “We keep circling back to that.”

  “For a reason.”

  She stalked to the windows and back, rested her hands on her hips. “So where’s Willa? She vanished well after Vanessa, and a couple of days after Maggie did. I don’t want to think about Willa ending up like the others.”

  “We don’t know a hundred percent that it’s Maggie.”

  She tilted her head to give him a look that said he knew better. “You probably need to talk to Tate, prepare him for the worst.”

  Josh groaned. “Maybe it’s another missing redhead.” He paced in front of the bank of windows alongside Skye, looked out into Seattle’s skyline and on past into Puget Sound. “So we have a string of recent abductions where the killer is now leaving the bodies in obvious locales knowing full well they’ll be discovered instead of burying them as we suspect he’s done in the past. We touched on this at the coroner’s office. He’s changed the way he does things—for you.”

  “We have more than that, Josh. Think about it. These women all had a connection to me or now, to you. Willa worked at Country Kitchen. I go in there at least four times a week to talk to Velma or Travis or to grab a meal. Vanessa had stopped by the Foundation months ago. Even if it happened some time back, it’s still a connection to me. I knew Andrea Harkness through Dee Dee and Lucy. Now there’s Maggie who worked for you. This is freaking me out.”

  “A ‘six degrees of separation’ kind of thing? You’re onto something, Skye.”

  “But how does it help us, Josh? How do we catch this guy?”

  “I’m not sure exactly. I do know we need to find the owners of every Jeep Cherokee in the state and run the numbers through the database. I’ll call Leo. See if he can meet us here tomorrow night for an all-nighter.”

  Chapter 11 Book 3

  A pall fell over Ander All Games. Tate took the news about Maggie’s death especially hard. Josh knew the younger man felt a chunk of guilt for not checking on her Sunday.

  “You couldn’t have known,” Josh told his brother-in-law. He studied the man from across his desk. Tate didn’t look like his usual self at all. There were circles under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept all night. His clothes were the same as the day before and wrinkled.

  “But I certainly know something about how you’re feeling. After Annabelle died…well, you know what a hard time I had dealing with her death.”

  Tate nodded. “Maggie was such a sweet person. Like Annabelle, Maggie didn’t deserve this. When I didn’t hear from her, I should’ve gone over to her apartment Sunday to make sure she was okay. But I thought she was playing head games with me, you know? So I left her alone to stew and teach her a lesson. Imagine that. The whole time some sick bastard had her…raped her…while I…I…played video games.”

  “You couldn’t have known what would happen, Tate,” Josh repeated. “The day Michelle killed Annabelle, the day I walked into the house and found her dead on the floor, we’d had an argument that morning. Did I ever tell you that?”

  “No.”

  “It was part of the guilt I carried around for so long. I don’t want to see you doing the same.”

  “Her funeral’s Saturday.”

  “I know. The entire company plans on going.”

  “Rumor has it you and Skye are looking for the guy who did this. What kind of sick person does this to another human being, Josh? Tell me that.”

  “You said it, Tate, a very sick bastard. Now get out of here and go home.”

  “I can’t. I have to stay busy otherwise it’ll just drive me nuts.”

  About that time, Leo Martin sauntered into the office. Long and lean at six-three, Leo sported dreadlocks down to his shoulders. Two gold earring studs pierced both of his earlobes. The look made him seem more musician than seasoned programmer slash hacker.

  Leo’s contractor gigs paid the bills. Companies like Ander All Games hired him to supplement their work force. In many instances, he made sure people such as himself couldn’t hack their way into a secure system.

  Added to that, Leo had a rep for helping out his buddies any time they needed it. Skye and Josh qualified when the situation warranted it. Working for them, it was almost like being part of a team with two of Seattle’s own crime-fighters. The fact that he could hack into any website, retail or otherwise on behalf of The Artemis Foundation, made the work seem almost legit.

  Leo had come to terms with how much time he spent in front of a computer screen at fifteen. Hacking came natural to him. He’d always been a risk taker.

  After all, he never hacked to steal anyone’s credit card info, unless of course they happened to wander across Skye’s radar as a bad guy. He didn’t make a habit of using the info for any other purpose than to narrow down a perp’s particulars, to pinpoint a location, to zero in on whatever would aid in their capture. He didn’t hack to obtain anyone’s ID, or personal information, unless they were hunting and killing kids or women. In those cases, Leo made it a point to come through for Skye and Josh. If they needed the deets and he could supply the tools necessary to capture one
of the bad guys, Leo intended to do what he could to put the scum where they belonged—off the streets and behind bars.

  That’s why when Skye and Josh had asked him to help them narrow down the names of Jeep owners through the state’s DOL, Leo hadn’t hesitated.

  “Hey, how’s it going?” Leo finally said, shifting his feet when he spotted Tate. Not sure how much he should divulge about what was going on later, he traded glances with Josh. “Wanted to let you know, you can count me in for tonight.”

  “What’s tonight?” Tate wanted to know.

  Josh and Leo exchanged another long glance. “Poker game.”

  “That’s bullshit. You don’t play poker, Josh. If this is about Maggie, I want in, too.” Tate dropped his head into his hands and muttered, “I have to do something. You have to do something, Josh.”

  “Tate, I will. But first you need to clear your head. Rage won’t help you think, let alone help Maggie. Now go home. Get some sleep. Don’t come back to work until you get at least eight hours. And if you need to talk, call me.”

  When Josh got off the elevator at the loft, he had Leo in tow.

  “Something smells terrific,” Leo said as he put his computer bag down in the living room.

  About that time, Skye made her way into the dining room carrying a stack of plates to set the table. “I hope you guys are hungry. I made a meat lover’s pizza.”

  “From scratch?” Leo asked.

  Josh slapped the programmer on the back. “You haven’t lived until you’ve tried Skye’s pizza.”

  Over gooey slices of pie, they prodded Leo for what he’d learned on the Jeep owners. But he went them one better. He took out a printed list from his computer bag and handed it off to Josh. “I also have that data on my laptop. The problem is the DOL doesn’t always distinguish between Jeep models in their records. You have Wranglers, Wagoneers, Libertys, which by the way, took the place of the one we’re looking for, the older model, the sporty Cherokee XJ.”

  “There must be ten thousand names here,” Josh groaned.

  “But that isn’t the issue. Not all DOL records reflect the vehicle model. They do provide year though. That’s why I’m moving on to plow through surveillance tapes the night Willa Dover went missing.” He’d already used his skills with protocols and firewalls to pull anything he could get on the surrounding buildings from the area around Country Kitchen to the ramp leading up to the interstate.

  After dinner the three of them spent several hours at the keyboard until Leo finally announced, “I’ve got nothing but a grainy video from the bank opposite the I-5 onramp that shows a Jeep Cherokee crossing in front of the building at twelve-thirty-three. That doesn’t help much because we already knew the make of the car.”

  “What about a license plate?”

  Leo shook his head. “I got a side view. And as bad as the images are it wouldn’t yield a number anyway.”

  “Well, that’s just great,” Skye muttered. “That leaves cracking the reports on all the missing women in the area.”

  “What age group, specifically?”

  “Don’t leave anyone out.”

  Leo whistled through his teeth.

  “Okay, narrow it down to females under the age of thirty. How’s that?”

  “I’ll try.”

  A couple of hours later, they hadn’t counted on so many surprises.

  “I’m astonished to find the list is so long. This tops the information I’ve been trying to maintain for the last five years,” Skye uttered as she skimmed the names.

  She looked over at Josh. “Maybe we can get Hennings in on this. I understand he and Harry have been going through boxes of cold case files. They even asked Bayliss if he’d revisit the remains of people he hasn’t been able to identify yet. Some go back as far as 1985.”

  “That’s farther back than we know our killer was active,” Josh added. “But it might be a good idea to eliminate a timeframe and move on from there, although that would make our guy in his fifties.”

  “Age doesn’t mean he stops killing. BTK was sixty when they caught him. And Dennis Rader began to want attention more than anything else, enough to reach out, make contact with several news outlets. That’s what tripped him up. Technology. If we’re lucky this guy will trip up as well.”

  Josh stared at his wife. “It amazes me how good you are at this, Skye Cree.”

  She sent him a glowing smile. “You mean Ander. Skye Cree Ander, that’s me. Besides, you always say that.”

  “Because it’s true.”

  “I hope you guys don’t mind but I’ve asked Harry to join us tonight when he gets time.”

  Josh looked at Leo who had a deer-in-the-headlights look on his face. A hacker coming face to face with a cop might not be a smart move. “Is that wise? I realize you trust Harry, but after all, Leo’s putting everything he is on the line for us.”

  Skye patted Leo’s hand in reassuring fashion. “I wouldn’t expose what you do unless I thought it was important. Harry’s thinking of retiring after we nab this guy. He’s been a little down now for several months. For a guy who used to follow the straight and narrow down the line, I think he just wants an end to these recent murders and cases he hasn’t been able to crack. He’s looking to get justice for the families.”

  “Less than a year ago this was the same guy preaching about how we shouldn’t cross a line and now he wants to see how we do it?”

  Skye smiled. “Something like that.”

  “If that’s true then why don’t we just ask the cop to share his official list of people who’ve gone missing like Willa Dover?” Leo wanted to know.

  “His commander’s been giving him a hard time about us. Cops don’t generally trust consultants. That’s what we are…unofficially.”

  “But we’re supposed to trust him?” Josh said clearly troubled by this one tidbit he couldn’t ignore.

  “We need him in on this, Josh. He shares with us to find Willa. We share with him. He did help us give Maggie’s family some answers once we pointed him in the right direction. By the way, how’s Tate handling this? And what about the rest of your staff?”

  “Tate’s devastated. So is everyone she worked with. I need to be there for him and them.”

  She squeezed his hand. “Of course you do. We both will.”

  When the buzzer rang signaling someone was downstairs, Skye got up, drifted over to the panel. “That’s Harry now.”

  “Make sure it’s him before you let anyone in,” Josh cautioned.

  Skye rolled her eyes in response as she spoke into the speaker on the security plate. “Who’s there?”

  “It’s me, Skye.”

  Recognizing the voice, Skye pushed the button, granting access. “Come on up.”

  Out of the corner of her eye Skye saw Leo fidget in his seat, clearly not comfortable with the new arrival. She felt she needed to reassure him one more time. “It’ll be okay, Leo. Don’t worry. I know Harry.”

  She’d been hounding the detective for two weeks to send over copies of any files he had that might fit their killer. When he stepped off the elevator, he was carrying a banker’s box.

  “These are from my own stash I brought from home,” Harry explained. “Do me a favor, don’t advertise it around.”

  “Sheesh, there’s an awful lot of mistrust floating around here tonight,” Skye said, shooting a knowing look in Josh’s direction. “With so much suspicion on both sides, I guess we know now this is going to take a while.”

  “What’s to eat?” Harry said, sniffing the air. “Smells like Italian.”

  “How’s leftover pizza sound?” Josh offered. “Homemade.”

  “I’m starving. Skye always puts on a great spread. I wouldn’t say no to a beer either. It’s been a rough day.”

  Once Harry settled into his seat at the dining room table, several awkward moments hung in the air until Skye said, “Leo thinks we shouldn’t trust you. Josh isn’t so sure about it either.”

  Harry frowned into his sl
ice of cheese and pepperoni. “I’m not here to judge anyone. I want resolution. I’m sick of these cases going unsolved.” Harry looked first at Josh, then at Leo. “That’s the same thing we all want, the reason we’re pulling an all-nighter.”

  From there, everything began to click into place. The men began to trade good-natured barbs. The more they talked, the more they found they shared common ground. Despite their age difference, Leo and Harry discovered they had a lot in common. They both rooted for the Mariners in the spring, the Seahawks in the fall, and both believed with every fiber it would be a damned shame if the Sonics ever won another game in Oklahoma City.

  “I’m glad you two don’t still hold a grudge about the team’s move,” Josh mused.

  “Nothing against the players, but it’s the principle. Moving out of Seattle was just wrong,” Leo asserted.

  “Leo’s right, the team’s owner screwed the fans. Big time,” Harry vowed.

  “How about we table this discussion and do some real work?” Skye prompted as she brought in a tray with another round of bottled Redhooks.

  “Spoilsport,” Harry grumbled.

  “She’s such a taskmaster,” Leo said in agreement.

  “No fun at all when she’s in Skye-mode,” Josh added with a wink.

  She ignored the teasing and decided to test Harry’s intent so the guys would know he was a team player. Using Leo’s surveillance video for the night Willa went missing would be perfect to make her point. “So even though Country Kitchen didn’t have cameras installed, what about looking at other buildings in the area?”

  “Nothing substantial has surfaced so far. We have a distorted view of a vehicle passing in front of the bank around twelve-thirty or so. But you can’t make out much of the driver or the plate,” Harry answered.

  Skye met Josh’s eyes as if proving a point. She cut a glance in Leo’s direction, got a subtle nod of the head. Satisfied they were all on the same page, she picked up the list Leo had compiled, held it out to Harry. “Take a look at these names. Some of these match the ones I already know about, the ones that correlate to the map I keep. A lot of these are kids. But I’m thinking what we need now is to expand my list and include yours.”