Chapter 5 #2
The diver stepped away, heading for the dock.
She reached into her pocket, drew out her phone, and tapped the screen. Gabe watched. Time dragged. She suddenly stopped. Turned. Stared at him. Tension sizzled in the air. She gave a slight shake of her head and crossed the beach to the stairway.
She had news for him.
Dear God, what is she going to say?
Waiting to hear the worst possible news, he shoved his hands into his pockets and fought the urge to flee from having to hear it.
She slipped under the fluttering yellow tape and stopped close to him. “I got the email from your phone company. Your alibi holds.”
Good news, but… “What about the diver? What did he say?”
“They finished searching the immediate area and didn’t find anything else. He asked if I wanted him to expand the search.”
Gabe let out a slow breath like air leaking from a forgotten balloon. “Did you tell him to do it?”
“Yes. Our suspect could’ve used a boat. Other factors could’ve caused her to sink away from the shoe, so I had him extend it another five thousand square feet. He said it’ll take about five hours. I have too many other priorities to deal with to wait for them to finish.”
“Makes sense,” he said, though he wasn’t sure if he could leave while they were still searching the water for his sweet Lucy.
El glanced at her watch. “I’ve got about forty minutes until Sierra arrives. Enough time to search Kenna’s vehicle and the ravine.”
“Can I come with you?” He expected a no, but still foolishly hoped she wouldn’t say it.
“With your alibi checking out, for once, I can say yes.” She gave him a clipped smile. “Give me a minute to tell my deputy where we’re going. Then we can head out.”
He nodded, and she whirled around to march over to Deputy Ewing.
His eyelids were drooping and his shoulders sagging.
In a forceful, almost stern tone, she directed him to call if Sierra arrived while she was away or if anyone else discovered new information.
Lastly, she reminded him no one was allowed on the crime scene without her permission.
She strode back to Gabe, her posture stiff, and her gaze intense.
She might’ve shut him down, but she would do everything possible to find Lucy, not quitting until they had results.
She had the same intensity that drove him.
She would burn the world to save a kid. He suspected something in her past fueled that driving force.
He badly wanted her to share the reason with him.
“I’ll drive,” was all she said, whipping past him toward her vehicle.
At about five ten, she was a good four inches shorter than him, but he nearly had to jog to keep up. He’d barely settled in the passenger seat when she made a quick U-turn and whipped onto the highway.
He clicked his seatbelt. “Seems like you know where you’re going.”
“I mapped it out and reviewed satellite photographs after I left the inn.”
“Did you get any sleep at all?”
She shook her head.
“Me neither.”
“Then let’s hope we’re both alert enough to do our best work today.”
“A good reason to have two sets of eyes on things.” He glanced at her. “Have you ever worked a missing person case before?”
Pain slashed across her face, and she gripped the wheel tightly. “Once.”
“Was it a child?”
She nodded but didn’t continue.
“Seems like it didn’t turn out well.”
She ran a hand over her hair, smoothing the bun she wore daily, already cinched back like she was heading into battle.
She claimed it, along with her serviceable suits with white button-downs, helped other guys forget she was a woman and treat her as an equal.
Something that shouldn’t occur in law enforcement today, but still did.
“I was just a rookie.” Her flat, emotionless tone and rigid posture said something different. “I responded to a missing child report. A five-year-old taken from a public park. I was first on scene and followed department protocol. But…”
Her words drifted off, and she cleared her throat. “I made a critical misjudgment. I believed Victoria had simply wandered off, so I didn’t immediately escalate it to a potential abduction. By the time the truth became clear, it was too late. Victoria was never found.”
“Oh, man. That must’ve been rough.”
“Especially when her parents blamed me and demanded a case review. I was cleared of misconduct, but I…” Her voice choked, and she shook her head.
“You never forgave yourself.”
“Exactly.” She glanced at him. “We’re almost to the ravine.”
Okay, point taken. She didn’t want to talk about the guilt.
For some reason, that hurt. Maybe he’d come to care for her enough that he expected she would share her past struggles with him.
But why? He hadn’t done so. Sure, he’d told her about his family but just the facts, like a book report.
He hadn’t shared how they still impacted his everyday life.
“Less than a quarter mile now,” he said, though her study of the ravine would have already told her that. “The overlook area comes up first. Pull in there.”
She fixed her attention forward, mouth snapped closed. Just as he suspected. She didn’t intend to discuss her guilt and how it drove her life.
She eased into the small parking area, reached behind her seat, and retrieved a camera. Hanging the strap around her neck, she slipped outside before he could say anything else. Not that he really had anything to say. He wouldn’t press her because he wouldn’t want her to push him.
He led the way to the ravine. Yellow crime scene tape had been strung at the road, and a deputy stood near his patrol car.
El approached him and gave him a quick nod. “Anything happen overnight?”
The deputy hooked his thumbs in his duty belt. “All quiet.”
At least from the road. No way this guy could have any idea what occurred on the lake or wilderness sides below.
He lifted the yellow tape for them, and they stepped to the edge of the ravine. Daylight allowed Gabe to clearly see Kenna’s van wrapped around a large tree at the bottom, undercarriage tangled with tall plants and grass. A powerful ache filled his gut, and all thoughts of El’s guilt evaporated.
He had to look away before he lost it. Long skid marks on the road surface peppered with taillight fragments he hadn’t seen in the dark, caught his attention. “Looks like a broken taillight. Like she was forced off the road.”
El frowned. “We need to wait for an expert to make that determination.”
“It’s obvious to me. The scuff marks are lateral with sudden direction changes. Plus, the J-shaped or curved skid doesn’t fit normal driving behavior.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Something you learned when you were a state trooper?”
He nodded. “I investigated my share of accidents. Not many showed signs of force like this, but I saw a few.”
El faced the ravine. “Finding paint transfer and a broken taillight on Kenna’s van will help confirm your theory.”
“Then let’s move.” He started forward, but El raised her hand. “I need to photograph the scene before we disturb everything.”
“I did tell you I searched the van last night, right? I didn’t know it was a crime scene, and I didn’t think about disturbing the area. My only concern was getting to Kenna and Lucy to make sure they were okay.”
“Of course. What’s done is done. We’ll deal with the scene as it is now and protect it going forward.” She removed the lens cap and began taking pictures.
Gabe concentrated on remaining calm. No way he wanted her to decide he was a problem and make him wait at the road.
She snapped the lens cap back on. “I’ll lead. You follow.”
He’d never been a follower, but he was thankful to be there and would do his best to comply with her every instruction.
She grabbed tree branches and grass to ease her way down, much like he’d done the night before. The vegetation held her smaller body more securely than his. He gave her a solid headstart then followed, moving slowly and carefully to avoid plummeting down the hill and taking her with him.
At the bottom, she glanced back. “Stay here until I tell you it’s okay to move.”
Planting her feet on the thick bed of pine needles, she lifted her camera. She circled the vehicle, the camera’s sharp clicks disturbing the quiet.
It gave him something to focus on other than the van and what had happened to Kenna.
“Black paint transferred on the back, along with vehicle damage.” El dropped down behind the vehicle and clicked away.
“I know the van didn’t have any damage before. She was seriously into everything retro, and the VW was her baby. She kept it in mint condition. She named it Sunshine and splurged on custom plates.”
“Can you have your team contact repair shops in the area for any black vehicles brought in with front-end damage?”
“Sure.” Gabe got on his phone and texted Nolan. “Could take some time with such broad criteria.”
El continued around the vehicle but halted next to the driver’s door. She grimaced, then looked at him. “Join me over here.”
Professional El had taken over—sharp, to the point, demanding.
With anyone else, he might be irritated, but he loved seeing the confidence in her law enforcement abilities.
He headed her way, pausing to study the van’s tailgate. The shattered taillight matched the pieces on the road.
She pointed at the ground. “Blood. Looks like a struggle.”
He’d walked over this area last night to open the door, but hadn’t noticed blood in the dark. “I would’ve contaminated this area when I raced to the driver’s door.”
“Couldn’t be helped, but now that we know it’s here, we can avoid further contamination.”
He studied the blood, his brain flooding with terrible possibilities. “Do you think this is where her killer gained control of her?”
“Seems probable, but Kenna didn’t have obvious wounds that would cause this blood.” El pointed at the ground where a one-foot circle of blood saturated fallen leaves. “Maybe she injured her assailant. Maybe with a knife.”
“She doesn’t carry one, but she could’ve used something else.” Gabe dropped to the ground and shone his phone’s flashlight under the van. Something silver sparkled back. He took a quick picture.
He hopped up and swiped to the photo to show El. “A blood-tipped screwdriver.”
“Say that was Kenna’s weapon. What was she doing with a screwdriver?”
Yeah, what? He stared at the picture. An idea came to mind. “Her license plates. She just got those custom ones and needed a screwdriver to change them. She could’ve left it in the van.”
“She’d need to be a strong woman to keep her wits about her and remember that while a man was attacking her.”
“She would’ve done everything within her power to protect Lucy.”
She wouldn’t be protecting her sweet baby girl anymore.
Who would, if Lucy was alive? Not her father or her family. Kenna had asked Gabe to take care of Lucy if anything happened to her, but she’d never made it official.
A new shockwave traveled through him. Could the responsibility for the little princess actually fall on him? He loved the tiny tyke beyond anything he’d ever known, but he was the last person who should be raising a child. He didn’t even have his own life together. How could he parent a child?
One thing was clear. He could never let her go into foster care.
El lowered her camera to rest on her chest. “Leave the screwdriver for Sierra to collect. Let’s follow the blood trail.”
He followed her over pine needles and leaf debris. She paused several times, squatted, and shone her flashlight on still damp smaller splotches of blood. Wet, the mist to blame, but they’d still turned brownish red.
She stood and looked him in the eye. “Someone continued to bleed. Maybe reached the point of needing immediate medical intervention.”
Thankfully, she stopped before saying who might’ve needed that intervention.
No way he could handle her saying the pool and trail of blood could belong to Lucy.