Genevieve fell backward from the force.
“Look!” Tinsley pointed in the hole.
She could hardly believe the girl had spoken twice in a row. Her whole body shook as she pulled herself to her feet.
Genevieve peeked down the hole into the storage container.
Inside the box lay two plastic skeletons. Halloween supplies, as the box had indicated.
Except they weren’t.
Her heart raced and her entire body shook as she realized they weren’t looking at plastic skeletons.
They were real.
Human remains.
Two children, from the looks of it. Wisps of long hair still remained on both. The coloring was dark, unlike fake bones. A hair ribbon stuck out from underneath one skull. Fragments of fabric rested around the two children.
Genevieve couldn’t pull her attention from the sight. She needed to do something. Call the authorities. Distract Tinsley.
Keep herself from falling apart.
Her stomach lurched. She ran behind the garden and threw up.
When she came back around, Tinsley was staring at her, wide-eyed.
Genevieve found her voice. “Let’s go inside, honey.”
“Real? Real?” The girl’s voice was high-pitched and her eyes widened. Her mouth gaped open as she looked between her foster mom and the human remains.
“We should go inside and—”
Tinsley screamed at the top of her lungs.
Hope
Captain Nick Fleshman rubbed his temples as he made his way through the stack of paperwork. “Oh, the glorious job of being a police captain.”
A commotion sounded outside his office.
Just the distraction he needed. He blinked his bleary eyes and made his way to the door. The first thing he noticed was what he always noticed when he exited his office.
Genevieve’s empty desk. Officially, she was on a sabbatical, though it was anyone’s guess if she would actually return to work at the end of the six months.
Nick’s guess was no. The fact that she’d cleared her desk, moved from her apartment, and didn’t return any of his calls told him all he needed to know.
And it broke his heart. Not that he could dwell on that while at work. Or at home, really. Not as the single dad to three busy kids.
Detective Anderson raced in his direction, his gaze focused on something past Nick.
Nick stopped him. “What’s going on?”
Anderson skidded to a stop. “Two DB’s found in a backyard.”
“Where are the bodies?”
“In town. Want me to keep you updated?”
Nick narrowed his eyes at his friend. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Anderson’s expression tightened and he looked away. “Officer Foster called it in.”
The words felt like a punch to the gut. Nick leaned against his doorframe and nodded toward Genevieve’s empty desk with a questioning glance.
“Yeah.” Anderson grimaced. “She found the remains in her parents’ yard.”
Nick struggled to find words. “I’m going with you.”
“Captain.” Anderson gave him a knowing look. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”
Detective Anderson was one of the only people who knew about Nick’s relationship with Genevieve. Correction. Nick’s former relationship with the officer.
Nick nodded resolutely. “I’m going.”
“Okay. I’ll ride with you.”
The captain grabbed some things from his office before the two headed for his Mustang. Nick followed the line of cruisers speeding away from the station.
Nick’s mind raced the entire time. What would he say to Genevieve? What would she say to him? Would they only discuss the case and act as though everything was normal when in reality, it couldn’t be further from the truth? She’d left without an explanation following some mistakes that made Nick look bad.
He pulled up to the curb behind the precinct’s cruisers, then ran toward the cheery yellow house with a distraught older couple on the porch.
Genevieve was nowhere in sight.
The couple led the first officers inside, and Nick waved Anderson in. The air smelled of eggs, bacon, and coffee. Just a normal family, a normal morning—until dead bodies showed up in the backyard.
They followed conversation through the home and out through a sliding glass door.
From the porch, the hole in the ground was easily visible. The bodies weren’t.
Nick marched down the steps and made his way around the other officers until he could see inside.
His stomach tightened at the sight of two small skeletons. They couldn’t be any older than eight or nine. About the same age as Hanna, his youngest daughter.
It made him sick to his stomach to think of not only what the children had endured, but especially what the parents were going through. They had to have gone missing years ago based on the skeletons, but as a parent, Nick knew that didn’t matter. They would be just as heartbroken today as when they discovered their children gone.
He would never forget the terror of finding out his daughter had turned up missing not that long ago. It still felt like yesterday, but he’d been lucky and gotten Ava back alive and well.
Soon the parents of these children would get the worst kind of closure.
Nick stepped away from the chaos and looked around the yard for Genevieve. She was nowhere in sight.
If she’d called this in, she had to be around somewhere. Maybe someone was already questioning her.
He pushed his way through the ever-growing crowd of police and found his way inside.
The older couple—they had to be Genevieve’s parents—stood huddled together, watching the scene in their yard.
Nick walked over to them and held out his hand. “I’m Captain Fleshman. Which one of you called this in?”
The woman sniffled and leaned her head against her husband’s shoulder. “It wasn’t us. It was our daughter. She was digging in the garden—just rosebushes, I swear—when she found… it. Them.”
“Do you mind if I talk with your daughter?”
“She’s trying to calm Tinsley, her foster daughter. They both saw the skeletons.”
Nick nodded. “I understand. Where are they?”
“Past the kitchen, down the hall, last door on the right.”
“Thank you.” Nick went inside and found the door easily. He knocked.
“Come in,” Genevieve called from the other side.
His knees nearly gave out at hearing her voice. He hadn’t been sure he ever would again.
Shaking, he twisted the knob. It turned easily, and he pushed the door open.
Genevieve sat on a queen bed, her dark hair was pulled into a ponytail and she wore no makeup. Worry covered her face, but it didn’t take away from her beauty. Tinsley leaned against her with an exhausted expression.
Both of their faces registered shock when they saw Nick.
“Nick.” Genevieve’s voice was barely a whisper.
Tinsley jumped up, pulling away from Genevieve.
Horror ran through Nick as he recalled the last time he’d seen the preteen. She’d ran from him then, too.
But this time, she ran to Nick and threw her arms around him.
She had never done that before.
He exchanged a surprised glance with Genevieve before wrapping his arms around Tinsley. “Are you okay, sweetie?”
She shook her head, burying her face into his chest.
Nick rubbed Tinsley’s back but kept his gaze on her foster mom. “So, you two found the DB’s?”
Genevieve nodded, averting her gaze. “That was the last thing we expected.”
“I’m sure it was.”
A commotion sounded outside.
“Excuse me.” Nick gave Tinsley another quick hug before stepping back and peeking out of the curtain.
A cadaver dog had been brought in, and it was going crazy near a shed.
More
Nick raced to the porch and asked the first officer he came to what was going on.
Without looking away from the dog, the officer gestured. “Looks like there’s a fresh body.”
“Another one? What happened here?” Nick hurried over to the side of the porch and leaned against the railing.
The dog now sat, sniffing the air wildly, while some officers dug near the shed.
The officer holding the leash adjusted it. “She seems to smell something else. I’m going to walk around and see if she finds anything more.”
Nobody objected, as nearly everyone was focused on the diggers.
Nick glanced back and forth between the dog and the diggers.
The dog barely made it a dozen feet before indicating she found something else.
“Got something!” The officer pulled out a small flag and stuck it in the spot and took the dog farther. Again, the dog only went a little way before stopping.
“Another one!”
Nick’s stomach twisted. What had happened on this property?
Chaos broke out, and for good reason. They had at least five bodies. Maybe more if any of the other graves had two bodies like the first.
Nick went back inside. Anderson and Chang were questioning Genevieve’s parents in the living room.
It was going to get a lot worse now that the body count was on the rise.
He went down the hall and found Genevieve and Tinsley still in the bedroom. Tinsley had a novel and didn’t look up when Nick came in. Genevieve was at the window. The sight of her took his breath away.
She turned to him, her face pale.
Nick recovered and gave her a sympathetic glance. “How long has your family lived here?”
“Just a few years. Dad wanted something smaller to take care of with all of his health issues.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. What problems is he having?”
She glanced back outside. “Typical aging. Aches and pains, early signs of arthritis. That sort of thing. It made taking care of a large two-story harder. They’re both a lot happier here. Well, they were. I can’t speak to the future. Did they find more bodies out there?”
They stepped as far from Tinsley as possible without leaving the room.
Nick leaned close and spoke in the smallest whisper. “The cadaver dog is going crazy. Nothing new has been dug up.”
Genevieve frowned then sighed. “My parents had no idea about any of this. I swear. This place seemed like the perfect place for them to retire.”
“I believe you.” He sat next to her, leaving a full six inches between them. It wasn’t as awkward as he would’ve expected, given she’d taken off without a word. It was hard not to pull her into his arms. To kiss her like he had that night she’d invited him over. He cleared his throat. “Do you know anything about the previous owner?”
She shook her head. “My parents might. All I know is that a teenager who lived here years ago went missing.”
“Really? When was that?”
“Twenty-five or thirty years, I think. Something like that. A cold case. But the skeletons we found are too small to be a teenager.”
Nick nodded. “It could be unrelated. Or that girl could be out there, too.”
Genevieve frowned, then glanced over at Tinsley, who was furiously turning the pages of her book.
“You might want to prepare for a trip to the station for questioning. Maybe pack some overnight bags. This whole property is going to be a crime scene, and I can’t guarantee when you all will be allowed back.”
“I know, but thanks.” She drew in a deep breath and held it before looking back at Nick.
Their gazes locked, but neither said anything. His pulse raced. He had practically begged her to talk to him the last time they’d seen each other. That might’ve pushed her away. He needed to be a lot more careful this time.
Last time, it was his family involved in an investigation. Now it was hers. Maybe she would open up to him if he offered support as a friend, and nothing else.
Knock, knock.
Nick pulled away from her gaze.
Anderson stood in the doorway. “Captain, you need to see this.”
“What is it?” Nick rose from the bed.
Anderson glanced at Genevieve, then back to Nick. “Come and see.”
“Okay.” Nick threw her an apologetic glance then mouthed, “Pack your things.”
He and Anderson shuffled past other officers to the backyard again.
More than a dozen little flags dotted the yard.
Nick turned to Anderson, his eyes wide. “That many?”
Anderson raked his fingers through his hair. “You haven’t seen the ones on the sides of the house.”
“There’s more?” Nick’s mind spun, trying to comprehend the gravity of the situation.
Anderson’s expression tightened. “This place is the burial ground of a sick bastard.”
“Why this property?”
“It’s a big lot.”
Nick shook his head. “That’s not it. This house means something to the perpetrator. He doesn’t live here, yet he returns to bury bodies.” He recalled what Genevieve said about one of the previous owners. “Maybe he lived here.”
“Could be.”
“Foster said about thirty years ago a teenager who lived here went missing. Never found.”
They exchanged a serious look.
Anderson wrung his hands together. “Looks like we have another serial killer on our hands. It hasn’t even been two years since the last one.”
“Two years come Halloween.”
“Right. Any chance this is the same guy?”
Nick shook his head. “Flynn Myer dumped them all in bodies of water. Just like his sister had died in a lake.”
“I wonder if this guy is trying to recreate something.”
“I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.”
A voice called from around the house, “Found another one!”
Nick’s stomach lurched. He hated that Genevieve was being dragged into the whole ordeal. She and her parents would be persons of interest—there was no doubt about that.
Anderson leaned close and spoke in a whisper. “Do you think Foster’s father has anything to do with this?”
“No. He came here to retire and relax.”
“Yeah, but it’d make sense if he wanted to retire to where he’d been burying bodies all these years. He could just go into his backyard and visit all those graves.”
Nick leaned against the rail. “You’d have to prove that he has ties to this house going back thirty years. Maybe more. I really think they’re just at the wrong place at the wrong time. I’ve certainly been there.”
“True, but I’m not leaving any stone unturned.”
“What was your feel of him when you questioned them in there?” Nick glanced inside to see Chang still talking with the couple.
“Shocked. Probably never expected to be caught.”
“Or maybe he can’t believe bodies are buried around his property. That would throw anyone off.”
“We’ll see. Don’t write him off just because… because, uh, we know Foster.”
Nick frowned. “I know, I know. Everything by the book.”
“Good to hear, sir. I—”
“Another body!” someone called from the side of the house.
“This is a nightmare.” Pressure built behind Nick’s temples.
Deputy Mackey stepped outside, looked around, then marched over to Nick. “Captain, the media is outside. They want a statement.”
“Of course they do.”
Anderson glanced at him. “What’s the official statement?”
“Some bodies have been found. That’s all they need to know for now. I’ll handle them.” Nick pushed past Anderson and Mackey, then headed for the front door.
News
Alex Mercer took another swig of his double-shot peppermint mocha, hoping it would help him keep his eyes open long enough to get home.
He q
uestioned his sanity for staying in the police academy. Two more guys had bailed this week. Were they the smart ones, or was he?
Alex was in the police academy full time, and he had the option of staying on site in the sleeping quarters. Sometimes he did, but he’d promised Ariana he’d spend some time with her after school, so he was going to keep his word to his daughter.
His exit came into view. Not much farther now. He took another drink of his coffee. Now it was empty. Hopefully, the caffeine would keep him going until he reached his future in-laws’ home.
Kenji and Valerie Nakano were Ariana’s adoptive parents since Alex and Zoey had been so young when Ariana was born.
Alex pulled off the freeway and fought his heavy eyelids. He blared the radio and sang along with the music, but it turned off and moved to talking.
He was about to switch to a different station when he heard Nick’s voice over the speakers. On the radio?
That was enough to wake him up.
Alex listened to his friend carefully, shocked to hear about the possibility of another serial killer in town. Just thinking about it made him drive faster because the last serial killer had taken Ariana from right under Alex’s nose just over a year and a half earlier.
She’d been so close to being his next victim.
Alex sped through town, paying close attention to his radar detector. Not surprisingly, there was no activity. With a serial killer just discovered, all resources were clearly focused there.
Time seemed to stand still until he finally made it to the neighborhood he’d grown up in, then to the Nakano house. His tires screeched as he pulled up to the curb and practically flew out of the car.
The door opened before Alex had a chance to ring the bell. Ariana threw her arms around him and squeezed. Alex held her even tighter, relieved to see her alive and well with another serial killer on the loose.
“I missed you so much, but can you let me breathe, Dad?”
Alex released his hold on her, but not completely. “Sorry. I missed you too, angel. I hate being away so much.”
“You aren’t going to have to work so much when you become a police officer, are you?”
Don't Forget Me Page 2
