Authors: Mariah Stewart
“I’d love to. Maybe on my next trip out.” Mia smiled.
“Ah, all business.” Sinclair nodded. “I understand. And here we are.”
He pointed to a cottage directly ahead. It was small, clapboard painted white with dark green shutters to match the main house. A brass number three was nailed to the center of the door. Daniel Sinclair knocked several times before it was opened by a sleepy young woman who stifled a yawn.
“Oh. Mr. Sinclair. Sorry.” The girl appeared embarrassed. “Am I late?”
“No, no. Nothing like that, Elise.” He stepped back and introduced Beck and Mia.
“Chief Beck and Agent Shields would like to ask you a few questions about Holly.” He turned to Beck and said, “I’ll get that list for you now.”
“Thanks, Dan.”
“Did something happen to Holly?” Elise clutched both hands in front of her.
“We’re not sure,” Mia told her. “Have you heard from her over the past week?”
“No.” Elise shook her head, her ponytail swinging from side to side. “I haven’t, not since she left for Colorado.”
“Do you know what route she took?”
“I don’t, sorry. We roomed together, but we weren’t real close, if you know what I mean. We shared the space, not much else.”
“You wouldn’t have a picture of her, would you?” Beck asked.
“Actually, I do.” Elise looked over her shoulder into the room beyond, as if debating with herself whether or not to let them come inside. Finally, she shrugged and said, “Come on in. Sorry if the place is a little messy, but I’ve been putting in a lot of hours.”
“We understand Holly did, as well,” Mia said as she followed the girl into the small front room, which was fitted with a sofa and one armchair.
“Yeah, we all do. It’s great experience, you know? Mr. Sinclair is really good about letting us see how the place is run. He teases us about how he’s training his competition, but you know there’s no place around that can compete with this place.”
“Why’s that?” Mia asked.
“They have a great chef, they have activities for all ages here, they have boats, the bay. And the guest rooms are gorgeous. All original furniture, fireplaces, balconies overlooking the bay. Gorgeous views, a wildlife preserve right here on the property—I don’t know what else you’d look for at an inn.”
“I might have to book a room for a night,” Mia said.
“You’d have to talk to Mr. S. about that. I think he’s pretty much booked solid.” Elise headed for the door that opened off to the right. “If you’ll give me a minute, I’ll get that picture.”
She was back in an instant, the photo in hand.
“This is Holly.” She held the photo up and pointed to a tall, thin young woman with blond hair. The camera had caught her in a moment of laughter, her head tossed back. Holly Sheridan looked as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
“She’s very pretty,” Mia said softly.
“She really is. And nice, too. She wasn’t stuck on herself the way some really pretty girls are.”
“Do you know if she was dating anyone? Here or maybe at school?” Mia asked.
“She mentioned a boyfriend, Eric. He’s working someplace out west for the summer. She kept pretty busy here. She was in her last year of school and took this opportunity very seriously. There aren’t too many places like this that offer paid internships, and she seemed to want to get everything she could out of the experience.”
“Do you know what she did on her time off?”
“Not really.” Elise shrugged. “She went into town a couple of times a week, but she really spent most of her time here.”
“What about her days off?”
“Mostly slept, did her laundry, read. Maybe take out one of the kayaks, swim, relax on the dock,” Elise told Mia. “That’s pretty much all any of us do. There’s no real nightlife in St. Dennis—not that you have a lot of energy left at the end of the day—so you just relax when you can.”
“Did she get to know anyone in town, do you know?” Mia asked.
“I wouldn’t know, but really, I doubt it. She’s only been here since the middle of May, and like I said, she kept herself pretty busy.” Elise leaned against the doorjamb. “What happened to her?”
“We’re not really sure,” Beck told her, looking beyond her to the bedroom. “I guess you share a room, right? The cottage is pretty small, so I’m guessing there’s only one bedroom. Would you mind if we took a quick look around?”
Elise’s eyes darted from Beck to Mia, then back again.
“What are you looking for?” she asked.
“Anything that might help us to know Holly a little better,” Mia replied.
Elise shrugged. “I guess it would be okay. All her stuff is on the left side of the room. The right side is mine.”
Elise stepped aside to permit them to enter the bedroom, but stayed in the doorway, slumping against the molding to watch. When Mia took a plastic bag from her purse and slipped a comb into it, Elise straightened up.
“You’re taking her hair for DNA, aren’t you?” The young woman’s eyes widened. “You think she’s dead? You think she’s the girl in the plastic wrap?”
“We really don’t know,” Mia said calmly. “But we do need her DNA, yes, hopefully to rule her out.”
“I watch TV, I know about these things.” Elise’s words came in an excited rush.
“Look, Elise, let’s not jump the gun, okay? Right now, we’re just—”
“You’re looking for evidence.” It sounded like an accusation.
“We’re looking for whatever will help us find out where Holly is and what happened to her.” Once again Mia’s voice soothed. “If we knew anything for certain, I promise I’d tell you. Right now, all we know for sure is that Holly left Colorado over a week ago and hasn’t arrived here yet. Let’s just leave it at that for now, all right?”
“But there’s that girl they found in the car—”
“She hasn’t been identified yet,” Mia told her, then turned back to the room. “We’ll just be another minute, then you can have your room to yourself.”
She went past Beck to the stack of magazines that sat on the floor next to Holly’s bed. She knelt down and skimmed through the pile, which consisted mostly of food magazines, with one or two fashion magazines and the local newspaper open to the classified ads. A paperback mystery lay half under the bed.
“Any idea what she was looking for in the want ads?” Mia asked, skimming the ads. The page listed everything from ads for bait—
Night crawlers our specialty!
—to real estate to pets to livestock and boats.
“No.” Elise shook her head.
“Mind if we take this photo?” Beck held up the picture Elise had handed him earlier.
“Sure.” She shrugged.
“Was I supposed to ask you if you have a warrant?” Elise asked out of the blue. “They do that on TV all the time.”
“We had your permission to look around, as well as the permission of the owner,” Mia told her as she checked the paperback for a sticker with the name of the store in which it was purchased, but there was none.
She could have added that if a person is deceased, no warrant is necessary, but didn’t want to upset the roommate any more than she already was.
“If you’re finished, I have to get ready for work now,” Elise told them.
“We’re done, thanks. We appreciate your cooperation.” Beck started out of the room, then paused. “You mind if we take the newspaper?”
Elise shrugged. “Go ahead. It’s probably a couple of weeks old by now anyway.”
“Thanks, Elise.” Mia walked toward the door.
“Okay.” Elise nodded as Beck and Mia left the small sitting room and stepped outside. “I hope you find Holly.”
Mia nodded solemnly. She didn’t think the time was right to tell Elise that Holly might already have been found.
9
Beck was dialing his phone even before Mia turned the key in the ignition.
“Lisa. Beck.” He rested the phone on his shoulder while he strapped into the seat belt. “We have a lead on the vic that was found in my car. We think she’s Holly Sheridan, age twenty-five, summer employee out at Sinclair’s Cove. I want to give everyone the rundown at the same time, so get Duncan, Hal, and Sue in the conference room now. I should be back in about five minutes and I want to get this investigation moving as quickly as possible….”
Mia followed the lane to the main road, then turned left to drive back into St. Dennis.
“We’ll have two meetings when we get back,” Beck told her after he hung up from his call. “We’ll meet with my staff, as you just heard, then with the mayor.”
He waved to a woman passing by on a bicycle.
“I guess it’ll be three meetings,” he said as almost an afterthought.
“Who’s the third?” Mia slowed to make the turn onto Kelly’s Point Road.
“The ME.”
“Great. I want to get that tape sent out to our lab as quickly as possible. We have a tech, Jojo Kessler, who is just a genius. If anyone can make sense of the garble, she can. And I can get her to move quickly on it, too.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Jojo has a huge crush on my brother.” She smiled.
“Your brother’s in the FBI, too?”
“Actually, they all are.”
“How many are there?”
“Three.” She made a face. “Actually, two now.”
“What happened to the other one?”
“He died.”
“I’m sorry,” Beck told her.
“Don’t be.” She turned off the engine and opened the door. “No one else is.”
She got out of the car, leaving Beck seated in the front seat, momentarily stunned. By the time he followed her from the car, she’d already gone through the front door and into the building.
Beck ignored the three news vans and the reporters gathered at the door.
“No questions at this time.” He held up a hand as he passed.
“Then when?” someone asked.
“Has the body that was left in your car been identified? Is it Mindy Kenneher?”
“The only thing I can tell you right now is that it is not Mindy Kenneher.”
The reporters began to swarm.
“That’s all for now. I have a meeting and I’m already late. But as soon as I know something definite, I’ll let you all know.”
“You do know something definite, Chief,” Jenna Smith said. “You definitely know the woman that you found in the back of your car is dead, and you know she definitely was killed by the same person who killed Colleen Preston.”
Beck paused, the door partially open. “You’re right, Jenna. I do know those two things. But nothing else has been confirmed.” He walked through the door and let it close behind him.
“The phone’s been ringing off the hook,” Garland told Beck as he approached the desk. “It seems everyone in town has a friend on the EMT squad.”
“What are you telling people?” Beck stopped for a moment.
“I’m telling them you’ve been out of the office all morning and that you’ll have a statement later.”
“Good. And now that I’m back?”
“You’re in a meeting and can’t be disturbed.”
Beck slapped Garland on the back then walked away. “Those people up in Boston sure did teach you right.”
Mia was waiting inside his office when he came in.
Amazing how fast she could move in those shoes
…
“I’m going to grab something from the kitchen to drink. Can I get you something?” he asked.
“Anything cold would be fine, thanks,” she told him.
“Then we’ll head on in to the conference room and I’ll introduce you to my officers.” His voice trailed behind him. In a moment he was back, a can of Diet Pepsi in each hand. “This okay?” he held one up.
“It’s fine. Thank you.” Mia took the can he offered her.
“You want a glass?”
“No, this is fine.”
“Let’s get on with it then.” He gestured toward the conference room.
She followed him in and stood while he made introductions all around. She stole a glance at the fax machine that stood on a table near the back of the room, and was disappointed to find the tray empty. She’d have to put in another call for that NCIC report she’d requested.
“FBI Special Agent Mia Shields, meet Sergeant Lisa Singer. Officers Susan Martin and Duncan Alcott.” Beck started on the left side of the table. “Hal Garrity, former chief here in St. Dennis, back on the force to help out in the summer. His brother, Phil, works part-time when we need him but he left for Canada on Sunday for a bird-watching trip.”
Mia walked from one to the next, shaking their hands and making eye contact, then took a seat near Hal, who leaned over to pull the chair out for her. She smiled her thanks and started to say something, but the door opened and a trim woman in her mid-fifties blew in.
“Beck, what the hell is going on?”
“Mayor Christina Pratt, this is Special Agent Shields,” Beck said calmly. “Agent Shields, this is Mayor Pratt.”
“Don’t get up,” the mayor told Mia. “Nice to meet you.” She turned back to Beck. “I’d like to know what’s going on. What’s this about a missing woman—”
“Please, take a seat. I was just about to fill everyone in.” Beck closed the conference room door, then leaned on the back of the chair nearest him. “You all know about the body we found in the backseat of my Jeep yesterday. We assumed that the body was that of Mindy Kenneher, the woman who’s been missing from Cameron for the past few weeks. Unfortunately, it is not Mindy.”
“Do we know who it is?” Mayor Pratt asked.
“We have a damned good idea.” Beck took the photograph he’d brought back from Sinclair’s Cove from his pocket and held it up. “Holly Sheridan. Age twenty-five, summer employee at Sinclair’s Cove.”
Beck shared what he’d learned about Holly with the group.
“Duncan, I’m going to assign you to figure out her itinerary between Colorado and Maryland, what route she would have taken, find out what credit cards she had and see if you can trace them. Contact every state between here and there and see if her car’s turned up anywhere. I have her family’s contact information and I can give you that to get you started.”
“When you were in her room, did you find anything that might give you a lead?” Hal asked.
“Nothing.”
“Except we do know that she went into town several times each week,” Mia interjected. “Her roommate mentioned that. And we found a pile of magazines, a local newspaper, and a paperback book on the floor next to her bed. She could have purchased them locally.”
“Did you notice which paper?” Hal asked.
“It was the
Chesapeake Weekly,
” Beck answered. “Which could have been picked up anywhere. Neither the magazines nor the book had any stickers that might tell us where she bought them. Now, there are several places in town where they sell magazines, but only two or three where you can buy paperbacks.”
“I’ll make a copy of that photo and show it around town,” Hal told him. “I’ll start with Bookends, maybe Barbie will recognize the girl. Only other place I know of in St. Dennis proper that sells books is the Food Mart. I’ll see if Bruce or one of the boys remembers seeing her around.”
“Make it a clean sweep of all the shops, Hal,” Beck said. “We don’t know what other interests this woman had, so let’s cover the bases right the first time.”
“Shouldn’t someone talk to the people she worked with?” the mayor asked.
“We’ve got that covered,” Lisa said. “Beck and I already discussed that. I’m on it.”
“How long before we know for certain if the body found this morning is Holly Sheridan?” Mayor Pratt looked worried.
Beck looked at Mia. “How long before your lab people get back to you?”
“Well, considering we haven’t given them anything yet, I can’t really answer that,” Mia replied. “If we can send samples out today, maybe in a few days we’ll know for certain. Unless there’s another means of identification. Maybe get dental records, ask the ME to take a look.”
“I’ll put a call in to her parents as soon as we’re done here, see how quickly we can get those records.”
“Why don’t you just take the photo out to the ME’s office and look at the girl and see if that’s her?” Mayor Pratt looked from Mia to Beck.
“I’m afraid she doesn’t really look like this anymore, Christine.” Beck held up the photo.
“But she hasn’t been dead all that long, right? Just a week or so?” The mayor looked confused.
“She was sealed in plastic, Mayor Pratt.” Mia turned to explain.
“Yes, so, that should have preserved her, wouldn’t it? I mean, no bugs would have gotten to her.”
“It’s been pretty hot here this past week, as I understand it,” Mia said gently.
“Yes. So?”
“So imagine what might happen to a piece of meat if you wrapped it tightly in plastic, then set it out someplace where the temperature was in the high eighties, low nineties every day.”
“It would…” Christine Pratt blanched.
“Right. It would cook.” Mia nodded. “Actually, it would sort of liquefy.”
“I see. Well. If we’re done here…” The mayor stood and looked at Beck. “Beck, if I could see you in the hall…”
She left the room without looking back, leaving a silent group behind. Beck stepped out behind her.
“She was in a hurry all of a sudden,” Hal noted dryly. “Left her handbag on the back of the chair.”
“I’ll run it out to her.” Lisa took the bag and left the room.
“I didn’t mean to upset her.” Mia told Beck when he returned.
“Hey, she asked.” He shrugged, then looked around the room. “Anyone have anything to say? No? No questions? You all know your assignments, let’s get moving.”
Everyone stood and started toward the door.
“Oh, one more thing. No one talks to the press or to anyone else. No one.”
He made eye contact with each member of his staff.
“If anyone in this room does not understand what that means, speak up now, because if there’s a leak, if I hear something coming back that I didn’t personally put out there, someone’s head will roll. Any questions?”
There were none.
“All right then.” He pushed in the chair he’d leaned on. “Agent Shields, if you’re ready, we’ll take a run out to see Dr. Reilly. Maybe she’ll have something to tell us.”
The lab was located in the basement of one the county-owned and-operated assisted-living facilities.
“This is a little weird,” Mia noted as she parked her car near the entrance. “You have all these elderly folks out here for their afternoon strolls, and downstairs you have the morgue? Am I the only one who thinks this is strange?”
“Hey, the county had the space here.” Beck shrugged. “At least you didn’t make any lame jokes about the residents not having far to go when they pass from one life to the next.”
“Don’t think I wasn’t tempted,” she said as she got out of the car. “Which way?”
“Door around the side of the building.” Beck joined her on the sidewalk.
“Well, that’s certainly better than using the elevator in the main lobby.”
He laughed and led the way to the door leading to Dr. Reilly’s quarters, one flight down behind a black door. Beck knocked, then tried the knob.
“Hey, Beck,” Vivian Reilly greeted him as he opened the door into her office.
“Viv.” He held the door for Mia, then allowed it to swing closed behind her. “Viv, this is Agent Shields from the FBI.”
“Good to meet you.” Vivian put down the files she held and extended her hand.
“Thanks. Nice to meet you, too.” Mia took the hand that was offered. “I hear you’ve been busy.”
“And not in a good way.” The medical examiner shook her head, then turned to Beck. “This latest one, the one from your car? What a mess. I hate to turn her over to her family like this.”
“They’re having a hard enough time as it is.” He nodded. “I called them while we were driving out here. Had to ask them to get their family dentist to have Holly’s dental records overnighted. The dentist is the girl’s aunt, so there’s no problem getting the records. I can tell you the Sheridans are reeling from this, especially not knowing for sure if this is their daughter.”
“As any parent would be.” The doctor put her files down on the desk. “I’m assuming you came to see her, not me. Let’s go.”
Beck and Mia followed her down a short hall and through a heavy metal door into the county morgue, which was dimly lit and cold.
“Let me just get a little more light in here,” Dr. Reilly said as she flicked on the wall switch. She walked to one of the drawers built into the wall and partially slid it out.
“We’ve had to keep her somewhat contained,” she explained, “since so much of her was falling apart.”
“Tough to make the call on cause of death,” he said.
“Yes and no. Because of the decomposition, it’s harder to find any of the usual telltale signs. But there’s enough to convince me that she, like Colleen Preston, was alive when she was wrapped up.” She turned to face the victim. “The lungs and the brain show sign of bleeding, the eyeballs are bulged. All signs that her body was trying to force her to breathe. Wrapped up the way she was, the lungs couldn’t expand, they couldn’t get oxygen, that caused the petechial hemorrhages in the eyeballs, the lungs, the mouth. What hadn’t fallen away held the evidence.”
“So you’re saying suffocation?”
“Yeah,” the ME told him. “Just like Preston.”
“She have any distinguishing marks, Viv?” Beck asked.
“Birthmarks, tattoos?”
“A tattoo, yes. On the upper part of her right arm there was something. Not sure what it was originally, but I can tell you it was green.”
“Green,” he repeated.
“Yeah. The ink they used was green.” She pulled the drawer all the way out. “Here, take a look.”
He bent closer, seemingly oblivious to the odor and the grotesqueness of the corpse.
“I see some loops there. Not enough flesh, though, to see the entire shape.”
“Unfortunately, some of the meat just fell off the bones,” she said, then glanced up at Mia to see if there was a reaction. Finding none, she continued. “As you know, the victim was in a state of partial decomposition when she was found.”