Chapter 5
Daylight barely skimmed the smooth, glassy lake that was still now as if it had never taken any lives at all. But El knew better as she stood at the water’s edge, watching faint ripples spread from Vance Porter’s headlamp as he made his way to the surface.
Somewhere beneath that calm skin of water, answers waited.
Porter surfaced, eyes narrowed beneath his mask, clutching something in his hand.
El’s stomach dropped. What now?
First, the dog had found a child-sized bracelet, which she’d bagged and stored in her cargo pocket. It gnawed at her like a cancerous growth to her body, and every moment since then, she’d been aware of what it could mean.
Now this?
She’d opted not to show Gabe the bracelet until Scout and his handler completed the trail search, but if, in fact, Porter had found something to indicate Lucy had drowned, she couldn’t hold back from getting Gabe’s positive identification that the item belonged to Lucy.
Porter pushed through the water toward the dock and waved for her to join him. Before she even reached the worn wooden planks, he’d hoisted himself onto the edge, water sluicing off his wetsuit. He removed his fins and stood, the item in his hand.
She tried to hurry, but the slippery dock dipped and bobbed under her feet. To keep from face planting, she slowed her steps and was also careful to skirt around drag marks on the wood that the light of day made more obvious.
Porter held out the item dripping in his hand.
She steeled herself with a deep breath and looked at a pink Converse sneaker with random black and red stars dotting the canvas. Small. Barely the length of his open palm.
A child’s shoe.
She gently took it in her gloved hands, legs going weak.
“I’ve seen girls wearing these in my daughter’s daycare class,” Porter said, voice choked.
“How old is she?” El asked and clutched onto the shoe.
“Four going on five.”
“The right age,” she mumbled because there was no point in saying aloud the size could very well fit Lucy.
Porter nodded, expression tight as he looked at the dawning sky. “I heard the mom died here. I can’t comprehend what the child’s dad must be going through. I would totally lose it.”
She didn’t mention Lucy’s father wasn’t in the picture and didn’t even know this child existed, much less that she’d potentially drowned or gone missing. “Is this all you found?”
“For now.”
El’s shock receded, allowing logic to take over. “If she drowned, wouldn’t she be found close to the shoe?”
“Most likely, if she was wearing it. Bodies don’t drift far in lakes like this, no currents or inflow.
Assuming she drowned, when her lungs filled, the water weight pulled down, and she would’ve sunk almost straight down from where she disappeared.
Of course, there are a lot of factors that could influence her location.
This should be treated as a starting point for a search grid rather than a guarantee. ”
The thought pressed heavy on El’s chest. If Lucy was in the water, she probably hadn’t floated away. Hadn’t escaped the darkness below.
El tried to control her thoughts, but images flashed in her brain.
The slow descent through murky water. Silence enveloping the sweet little girl and swallowing every sound.
Reaching the bottom, and the faint sway of weeds brushing against her motionless limbs.
Lying there, waiting for the moment the lake would decide to give up what it had taken.
Somewhere below, answers could still be waiting. And maybe something worse. A shiver cut through her, colder than the wind skimming the surface.
Stop. Move on.
She held up the sneaker. “I’ll take this into evidence and let you get back to it.”
Porter nodded grimly, dropped to the dock, and put his fins back on.
She bagged and pocketed the sneaker before turning toward Gabe. Whether she liked it or not, and no matter the pain it might cause him, she needed to ask if this shoe and the bracelet belonged to Lucy.
She crossed the sand and climbed the steps. Several onlookers lingered in the parking lot within hearing distance. Not surprising, but a nuisance. As long as they stayed outside the crime scene, there was nothing she could do about them.
Keeping the evidence in her pockets, she approached Gabe. “Too many people around to talk. Let’s go to my cruiser.”
She didn’t wait for him to ask if Jude could come along, but stepped off, ignoring questions from spectators. Normally, she was careful to project a good image to the public, but if someone came to gawk at a crime scene hoping to see gore, she didn’t have time for them.
In her vehicle, she waited for Gabe to settle in the passenger seat, then turned to face him.
“What’s going on?” The question shot out like a fired bullet. “What did you find?”
She reached into her pocket for the bracelet and handed the bag to him. “Scout found this near the head of the trail to the woods. Does it belong to Lucy?”
Frowning, he turned the bag in his hands, studying the bracelet carefully. “I’ve never seen her wearing any jewelry. Kenna didn’t have money for such things, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be hers.”
“Maybe when we search their house, we’ll find a picture of her wearing it. And of course, we’ll give it to Sierra. It could contain DNA that would link it to Lucy.”
He nodded, but it was reserved. “What did the diver bring up?”
She withdrew the shoe from her pocket.
He gasped.
“Lucy’s?” she asked.
“Yes.” The solemnly spoken word lingered in the car like a bad smell.
He turned the bag in his hand, then held it out to El and pointed at a single star filled with purple. “Lucy always begged me to move to their town because she missed me. So she colored this star. Said it was special and when she looked at it, she’d think about me and not miss me so much.”
“Then you can definitely confirm this belongs to her?” El asked, hating every second of it.
“Unfortunately, yes.” He looked up, moisture wetting his eyes. “Did the diver find any other trace of her?”
“None yet.”
He swiped angrily at the tears. “Could be a good sign.”
“It could,” El said, making sure he knew she believed it. “The diver said if she drowned while wearing the shoe and it came off, she likely would’ve sunk straight down. He would’ve found her close to it, which he didn’t. But there are situations where that could vary.”
Gabe released a long breath. “But it’s possible she wasn’t wearing the shoe. Maybe it came off when she was taken out of her car seat and it fell into the water.”
“At some point, the small footprints we found on the beach indicate she could’ve walked there with both shoes, so that might not make sense.”
“Fine, then it came off another way and was tossed in the water.” His desperation was nearly palpable.
“You could be right. We won’t know anything until the divers finish.”
He looked away. “When do you plan to search her place?”
“After the divers are done.” She didn’t explain her reasoning, but he had to know she wanted to be on scene if Lucy’s body was discovered.
“Plus, Mina arranged for Sierra Rice to handle forensics, and she’ll arrive around eight.
I want to get her started on both scenes before I go to Kenna’s house. Then there’s the autopsy.”
“Whatever time you go to her place, I’m coming with you.”
“Just like I couldn’t let you search today, I can’t let you do this either.”
“But I know Kenna and could potentially see something important you’d overlook.” He locked eyes with her. “If we stay together every minute, you’ll see that I don’t plant evidence or take anything.”
“I don’t know… I…” She shrugged. She wanted him there but really shouldn’t allow it.
“Hayden called in a favor with a buddy at my phone company. They’re emailing my phone records, including any coordinates, to you ASAP.
You should get those before you leave for Kenna’s apartment.
If you cross-reference the calls with coordinates, it’ll prove my alibi, and then you’d be free to let me help. ”
He was right. That could solve their problem. “That would work.”
His shoulders relaxed, fists unclenching, but his forehead remained furrowed.
She wanted to press her fingers against those ridges and help him relax more, but there was no point. She might ease his tension momentarily, but this man she’d come to care for so much wouldn’t be able to relax until they found Kenna’s killer and precious little Lucy.
With every passing moment, frustration mounted and Gabe couldn’t wait any longer. He had to do something to help. But what? El had instructed deputies to keep him outside the perimeter, and they carried out her orders to the letter.
She’d been involved with the searchers and was talking to one of them now.
The more he considered how she treated him, the more he thought he’d be foolish to trust whatever was building between them. If she cared for him, he would’ve expected her to make an exception for him. To let him help with the investigation. Man, he was wrong. Way wrong.
Even worse, he understood her reasoning, but only in his brain. Otherwise, her actions felt like a knife to the back. Especially from a woman he’d developed feelings for.
He’d probably been a fool to feel anything for any woman. Especially one like El, who represented the life he’d always tried to prove he was worthy of. He wasn’t. Not with his family. And he never would be.
So let it go.
One of the divers surfaced and tossed his fins into the boat.
His gaze zoned in on the beach, and he strode through the lake toward El, each step sending ripples over the water.
His hands were empty. Good. Very good. Unless he was bringing bad news.
Maybe they’d found a body. Found Lucy, and he’d surfaced to make recovery preparations.
He marched up to El. Talking. Hands waving.
What was he saying? Gabe had to know. He focused on El, waiting for her reaction. For her body to stiffen or shoulders to collapse. A firm nod was her only response.