The honesty surprised Gage.
Reese shifted and opened his mouth to speak when Adrianna shook her head, signaling him to be silent.
“How did you find her, Mom?”
Margaret tucked Adrianna’s hair behind her ear. “I followed Craig. I thought he might be sneaking around. Thought he might be up to something.”
“Where did you follow Craig from?”
“From the gallery. I waited in the lot across the street and watched as he put a package in his trunk. When he started to drive, I drove. You know, following people is so easy.”
“Where did he go?”
“To that girl’s apartment. He didn’t stay long. When he left, I went upstairs to talk to her.”
“What did she say?” Gage said.
Adrianna glared up at him, annoyed he’d interjected.
Margaret didn’t shut down as Adrianna suspected. She smiled. “The stupid girl said Craig owed her money. That she wasn’t leaving until he paid it.” Margaret suddenly looked stricken. “I told her to leave Craig alone. I told her Craig was marrying Adrianna. Whatever they had was over.”
Adrianna leaned toward her mother. “What did Rhonda say?”
“She was brazen. Said she’d ruin the wedding if Craig didn’t pay her.”
Adrianna sighed. “We had our reception at the Madison Hotel, which is also where the auction is going to be held. The banquet manager remembered my wedding and a woman who tried to get into the reception through the kitchen.”
“Did this banquet remember what the woman looked like?” Gage said.
“Like Rhonda.”
Margaret’s gaze jumped between Adrianna and Gage. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No,” Adrianna said. Gage saw the subtle tightening in Adrianna’s jaw. “I just wish you’d told me you visited Rhonda.”
Margaret frowned. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I thought I was protecting you.”
Gage pulled a chair up in front of Mrs. Barrington so that they could look at each other eye to eye. He was so close he could feel the heat from Adrianna. “Did you go see Craig the day he died in the nursing home?”
Margaret’s gaze narrowed. “I know you.”
“We met a few years ago.” Gage didn’t elaborate.
“You were having lunch with Adrianna.”
Aware that Reese and Vega were listening, he nodded. “That’s right.”
“You were holding her hand.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Margaret frowned and dropped her gaze to the fringe on her shawl. “I wasn’t happy about that.”
He let that comment drop. “Did you go see your son-in-law the day he died?”
Adrianna stiffened, but didn’t interrupt.
“Why does it matter?” Margaret said. “I visited him at the home a lot.”
“According to Craig’s doctor, you didn’t visit often,” Gage said.
“I rarely signed the log. The receptionist was always busy and it was easy to slip by.”
“Okay,” Gage said. “Tell me about your visit. How’d he appear?”
“Like always. He was just there. I talked. He didn’t talk back.”
“What time did you leave?”
Margaret picked at the threads of her shawl. “I didn’t stay long.”
“How long?”
“I don’t know.”
“And what did you talk about?”
“The gallery. And Janet, I think.”
“I think she’s had enough,” Reese said.
Gage didn’t budge. “What did you say about Janet?”
“I don’t recall.”
“That’s enough, Detective,” Reese said.
Gage wondered what information was locked in Margaret Barrington’s head. Whatever it was, he wasn’t going to get at it here, in front of this group. “Thank you.”
Adrianna kissed her mother and promised to return soon. Everyone left together. No one spoke until they were all downstairs.
“I told you she wasn’t up for visitors, Detective,” Reese said.
Gage slid his hands into his pockets. “She seemed all right to me. Remarkably clear.”
Adrianna didn’t comment. Clearly, she’d been dealing with her mother’s issues for a very long time.
This house reminded Gage of the nursing home. “Buried alive” came to mind and he itched to be in the sunlight. He had even more respect for Adrianna’s strength. The princess had a backbone of steel.
Gage and Vega walked outside and he savored the morning sun and fresh air.
“You and Adrianna dated?” Vega said. No missing the surprise in his voice.
“Four years ago. Before she married Craig.”
“Shit. What happened?”
Gage stared at the house. “Didn’t work out. She ended up reconciling with Craig and marrying him.”
“And you decided not to share this?”
“It has no bearing. Ancient history.”
Vega shook his head. “That’s crap. You sizzle when she’s close. I just figured it was her looks.”
Gage looked past Vega, his gaze narrowing when Adrianna emerged from the house. Reese was at her side, his hand resting on her lower back like there was something between them. After a few brief words with Reese, she allowed him to kiss her on the cheek and she moved toward her car.
“Ssss-izzle,” Vega said.
“Shut up.” Gage caught up to Adrianna as she slid behind the wheel of her car. He tapped on the glass and when she lowered it he said, “Where are you headed?”
Dark glasses tossed back his reflection. “Work.”
Gage’s gut urged him to take her somewhere private and just talk. So much needed to be said. “Do you have a few minutes?”
She hesitated. “Sure.”
“We need to talk.”
His cell phone rang. Damn. Straightening, he said, “Sorry,” as he unclipped the phone. “Hudson.”
“It’s Warwick. We’ve got a homicide. Body was found near the landfill in the western part of the county.”
The homicide detective wouldn’t have wasted time or the call on something that didn’t matter. “Go on.”
“She was shot in the head. Body was nude. Her hands were draped over her chest.”
“Like the others?”
“That’s what Tess thinks.”
Shit. He’d thought all along that the killer had been Craig Thornton. If ballistics matched, then he was right back at square one.
“I’ll be right there.” He closed the phone. “I’ve got to go.”
“Sure.” The softness had left her tone. Just like four years ago.
“Do me a favor. Lock your doors and be careful.”
“Why?”
“Just as a favor to me…do it.”
Adrianna arrived at her shop. Phyllis had opened up the shop and she was showing a vase to a well-dressed man by the counter. Adrianna opted not to stop, only waved as she made a beeline to the back.
The man turned as she passed. “Adrianna Barrington?”
She stopped. “Yes?”
The man was attractive. Tall, trim, blond, and very well dressed. His suit was tailored and his linen shirt monogrammed. “You’re a hard woman to catch up with.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m Brett Newington with Channel 10. I wanted to ask you a few questions about those graves found on your land.”
“Like I said before, I have nothing to say.”
“See our story today?”
“Yes.”
He moved toward her, smiling, and unmindful of what she’d said. “I want your reaction. Do you know who is in those graves?”
“Leave my store.”
“People want to know your thoughts, Ms. Barrington.”
“Go away.”
“I’m running with a story tonight at six with or without your comments.”
“Without.”
“Do you think your husband killed those women?”
“Go away.”
“My sources tell me he has connections to both women.”
He was fishing. “Phyllis, call the police.”
The wide-eyed woman moved to the front desk and picked up the receiver.
He held up his hands in surrender. “No need for that.” But instead of leaving he moved toward her. “You’re selling this store?”
“That’s right.”
“Because of the murders?”
“Phyllis. Dial.”
Phyllis started dialing.
“Hold that call, Phyllis.” He leaned a fraction toward her. “You look so much like your sister. It’s quite remarkable.”
“Nine-one-one, Phyllis.”
Brett shook his head. “And you’re just as cold a bitch as Kendall.”
“Cops are on their way,” Phyllis said.
Adrianna smiled. “Thanks, Brett. That’s just about the nicest thing I’ve heard today.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Wednesday, October 4, 11:00 a.m.
The sun hung high in the sky when Gage arrived at the county landfill road. Warwick stood at the edge of the crime scene, his back to the road, hands on hips. Around him, police lights flashed.
In the woods beyond the yellow tape, Tess squatted next to the body as she covered the victim’s hands with paper bags. The bags protected evidence that might be trapped under the nail beds. The breathable paper prevented moisture buildup, which led to the destruction of biological evidence.
Gage moved toward Warwick. “When was she found?”
Warwick released a breath. “A few hours ago. Tess arrived at the scene before me. She’s the one that thought there might be a connection.”
“Why?”
“Go have a look.”
Without a word, Gage moved toward the yellow tape. Twenty yards beyond he glimpsed the victim. Red hair. Slim build. Nude. She lay on her back but he couldn’t see how her face and hands were positioned.
“Tess, you told Warwick that this one reminded you of the other two victims,” Gage said.
Tess straightened, moving her head from side to side. She walked toward the edge of the tape billowing gently between them. “The method of death is the same as the other two victims. Shot point-blank in the head. Looks like a .38 but ballistics will confirm if we have a match.”
“People are shot in the head all the time. Why link this to the other two?”
“Look at her left arm. Notice how it’s draped over her chest. The other two were positioned the same. Her head is askew but appears to have been turned to the right. Animals chewed the face up pretty good, which messed with the positioning.”
His gaze followed her outstretched hand. “You’re right.”
“Blows the theory that Craig is our killer,” Tess said.
For too many years Gage had held on to the theory that Craig was his killer. Letting go of it wasn’t easy. “What have you learned here that we didn’t know before?”
“She appears to have been restrained by a chain around her waist. Judging by the chafing on the skin, the killer held on to her for a while.”
Gage looked closer at the victim. Red hair. Slim build. What was familiar about her? “Rigor mortis has left her limbs.”
“Right,” Tess said. “That takes around seventy-two hours.” She seemed to struggle with her anger. “And based on some bruising on her thighs, I think she was sexually assaulted. But the ME can tell you better than I.”
“Any identifying marks?” Gage said.
“She has three tattoos on her body: an eagle on the base of her spine, barbed wire on her arm, and stars on her ankle.”
Gage tightened and relaxed his jaw. “What can you tell me about her?”
“First glance, I’d say she was a heavy smoker based on the yellowing around her nail beds.” Her voice softened. “Back in the day, I’ll bet she’d been an attractive woman, but no more.”
What was it about her? He dug into his memory.
“And why dump her here?” Gage said. “Why not bury her like the others?”
“Think he’s getting sloppy?” Tess said.
Gage shook his head. “I don’t think so. I think he wanted us to see her.”
“Why?”
“He’s proud of what he did. He wants us to know he’s still out there and active.”
“Getting chased makes the game more fun,” Tess said.
Gage agreed with her. “We need to figure out who this woman is. I’ve seen her somewhere.”
“I’ll roll prints as soon as we get to the medical examiner’s office,” Tess said. “If she’s in the AFIS system, we’ll find her.” AFIS was the automated fingerprint system and it had millions of prints in its database. The system was quick and could make matches in a couple of hours.
“Do you have anything else?” Gage said.
“I’ve got tire tracks by the road. Maybe six or seven different prints. I’ve made casts of them all and will let you know what I find out. I’ve also pulled hair and fiber samples.”
“Thanks.”
Gage returned to Warwick.
“You still think this victim knew Craig Thornton or Adrianna Barrington?” Warwick said.
“I’d bet money on it.”
Tess was bone tired when she arrived at the medical examiner’s office. At Gage’s request, she’d followed the hearse carrying Jane Doe’s body here. Gage wanted to make sure there were no glitches or any questions regarding chain of custody.
No one was saying it yet, but three murdered women who were all killed in the same way. One missing and unaccounted for. They had a serial killer.
She parked her vehicle behind the hearse in the underground garage. She got out of her car, closed and locked the door.
Tess waved to the body removal attendants. Dean, the first guy, was short with a stocky build. He wore dark clothes like his employer required, but diamond studs winked from his ears. The other attendant, Tony, was a tall black man with muscled arms. The only extra jewelry he wore was a cross around his neck.
“Hey, Tony and Dean,” she said. “We got to stop meeting like this.”
Tony opened the back of the hearse. “I hear ya, Tess. I hear ya. Too many bodies.”
“Three.” Dean sensed the tension radiating in her. “We can take it from here, Tess. Why don’t you call it a day?”
“Wish I could go. But I gotta follow Jane Doe all the way to Dr. Butler’s office. Gage and Warwick insisted I stay put until the doctor arrives.”
Unbothered, Tony shrugged. “Gage sure does play it all by the book. Kinda overdoes it as far as I’m concerned.”
“He’s a tight-ass, but he’s a good cop.” She didn’t always like the guy but respected his work. Her brothers vouched for him so she was willing to put up with the occasional inconvenience.
Tony and Dean pulled the gurney out and lowered the wheels. The three moved to the elevator and when the elevator door closed, they rode it to the sixth floor in silence.
“Yo, Tess, I have a friend who likes you and wants to ask you out,” Tony said.
Tess glanced up at her reflection in the elevator’s reflective doors. Ebony wisps stuck out from under her ball cap and dark mascara now smudged shaded the skin under her eyes. Toss in the shapeless blue jumpsuit covered in dirt and blood and scuffed steel-tipped boots and she looked ready for the asylum. “What’s wrong with him?”