Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Extension cords weaved together and snaked down the steps to the cellar. Half a dozen work lights had been set up throughout the room, powered by the generator that hummed noisily in the background. The basement had been oppressive before, lit only by the single dim light bulb. But this was worse.
The harsh fluorescent glow highlighted every crack in the ancient stone walls, the damp spots where water had penetrated the earth, and the old dirt floor. It illuminated the scratch marks previous victims had carved into the walls, the lines stained dark with blood.
Aiden’s stomach threatened to heave at the gruesome sight. He didn’t want to consider how many women had endured the same fate. How close had Maya come to being raped and killed by that monster?
They had searched every inch of the barn and basement, but as of yet, there was no sign of the women—nothing to indicate they had ever been here except for the blood on the mattress and walls.
The crime scene techs were collecting as much evidence on-site as possible so they wouldn’t lose anything during transportation. They would take samples of the blood and send them out for DNA testing, but that could take forever. With this case, they had to dot every “i” and cross every “t.”
He had to make sure justice was served for Maya and every woman who’d come before her. Every case was important, but seeing her on the receiving end had rattled him. He didn’t even know her all that well, but this case had affected him more than usual—and on a much deeper level.
Walking through the barn earlier had turned his stomach.
Hooks and old farm implements lined the walls, and they too would be tested for DNA.
He could only imagine the kind of damage a person could inflict with those.
One of the biggest questions they’d had so far was what Wainwright had done with the victims. If what they suspected was true, at least six women had been held here against their will.
There wasn’t enough evidence yet to prove he’d killed them—but they’d find it.
He watched as a tech lifted what appeared to be a long blonde hair from the mattress. She bagged it carefully, then set it aside and continued her perusal of the basement. The door had been removed from its hinges, and he knew from Maya’s statements that she had been integral in that process.
He moved toward the edge of the doorway and examined the hinges where the door would attach. Bile burned a path up his throat when he saw her blood on the hinge.
He couldn’t begin to imagine what that had been like for her.
He couldn’t forget the sight of her bloodied and battered hands and feet.
He’d frozen earlier in the hospital room.
He’d started to reach for her, but seeing the thick white bandages wrapped around her hands had stopped him cold.
The knowledge of what she’d endured had filled him with a fury so blindingly intense that he’d physically had to stop and take a breath.
He almost couldn’t reconcile the sweet, sassy barista from the coffee shop with the woman who lay in the hospital bed. The past few days had changed her. There was a wariness in her eyes, a tension in her face.
He wanted so badly to take all that away. He knew he couldn’t erase what had happened, but he wanted to offer her some small measure of comfort.
She was so brave, so determined, so strong. The idea of her being here made him sick. Not to mention the others. How could someone do something so horrific?
He took in the bloodstained mattress with barely restrained rage. She’d told them that Wainwright hadn’t raped her, though he’d tried. She had apparently put him off, and for that, he was grateful. She’d endured so much as his captive; he’d stolen her innocence, her trust in people.
He was relieved Wainwright hadn’t managed to take that from her too.
Everything seemed to be well in hand down here, so he headed back up the steps and into the barn. God knew there was plenty of space around here to bury the bodies, but an inspection of the grounds showed no recent disturbance. There were no holes, no piles of freshly turned dirt.
The women’s bodies had never been found, and he had a terrible feeling that they were here somewhere. He just wasn’t sure where.
Shelving the thought for the moment, he made his way into the old farmhouse.
Everything had been photographed, but people still milled around the scene, looking for any evidence they could find.
Linking the DNA in the basement would be helpful, but they needed something more concrete.
They needed solid evidence that he’d killed the women so he would go to jail for a very long time.
He met Kennedy inside. “Anything new?”
“Not yet.” He shook his head. “If they don't find something…”
Kennedy trailed off, but Aiden picked up his train of thought.
They’d spent the past day and a half scouring the property, but even the cadaver dogs hadn’t hit on anything tangible.
If they didn’t find something soon, they were completely dependent on the DNA.
And he was afraid that wouldn’t be enough.
“Hey, I think I’ve got something,” one of the techs called.
Kennedy and Aiden met him halfway, and he held out a small wooden box. The lid was flipped back, and the items inside glittered in the light. He took in the necklaces, the silver ring, and a pair of gold hoop earrings.
He pulled up a picture on his phone and compared it to the necklace in the box, the pendant carved into a scripted letter E.
“Looks like Erin Stuart’s necklace.”
Kennedy nodded. “Trophies.”
It was a step in the right direction, but they still needed to find the women. The families needed closure, and the victims needed to be put to rest.
As the tech bagged each piece of jewelry for evidence, Kennedy and Aiden moved outside. He slid his sunglasses into place and scanned the large farm. The lowing of cows in the far pasture met his ears, along with the soft snuffle of the pigs penned up behind the barn.
As soon as they cleared the scene, they would have someone come take the livestock. Something spun in the back of his mind, twisting his stomach.
The women’s bodies had never turned up, so he had to have disposed of them somewhere.
He couldn’t help but wonder…
Aiden spoke as he walked toward the pig pen. “Have you ever spent much time around pigs?”
Kennedy shook his head. “Nope. Whatcha thinking?”
“They’ll eat anything.” His uncle had a farm out west, and he’d lectured Aiden and his brothers about the importance of staying away. They would attack humans if they were scared… or hungry.
A sick feeling curled through his stomach as he regarded the hogs, and he yelled over his shoulder at the techs scattered around. “Can we get someone over here?”
They assembled the team and came up with a plan to remove the hogs and dredge the pen. Though the animals would have obliterated most of the bodies, there had to be something.
Hours later, their hard work paid off in the form of a tooth.
Only one so far, but it was a start.
The knowledge that the women had been here—that Wainwright had disposed of them right where he stood—stoked the fire simmering in his veins. He was going to do everything in his power to make sure justice was served.
Whatever he felt for Maya, he needed to set it aside. She deserved better, and he couldn’t afford to ruin this now.
He had to keep his distance—for both of them.
No matter how much it hurt.