Heinous (17 page)

“I have the DNA results.”

Jess held her breath.

“You and Amanda shared a parent, Jess.”

For several seconds Jess couldn’t grasp the words she needed to say. “Thank you for taking care of this for me. Any word on... the other?”

“I should have the results on the fetus in the next forty-eight hours.”

Jess thanked her again and ended the call. She couldn’t share this with anyone else right now. Not until she talked to Dan and to Lil. She grabbed her bag and walked over to Harper. “Sergeant, I have to see my sister. Call Nicole Green and ask her if we can have a few minutes with Maddie. I’ll have Lil meet us there.”

How did she explain this to Lily when she didn’t understand any of it herself?

Mott Street Residence, Noon

“She’s beautiful.” Lil swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand.

“She is.”

“When will they tell her about her mother?”

“Soon, I suppose.”

Lil crossed her arms over her chest. “I can’t believe he did this.”

Her sister was angry now. The shock and sadness would come later. “I will find out why.” Somehow. With Amanda and her mother dead, it might not be easy.

“You’ve known this for a week and you didn’t tell me?”

“I’ve only known for a few days.” Jess put her arm around her sister’s shoulder and watched Maddie romp around the backyard for a few moments. “Until about two hours ago, all I had was a murderer’s story, Lil. I had to be sure before I put you through this emotional wringer. Trust me, it wasn’t anyplace you wanted to be.”

Lil sighed. “I know.” She scrubbed her eyes again. “Our lives always seemed so normal. How could our father have been this kind of monster?”

That was the big question. “You don’t remember any arguments or strange events?” Lil was only twelve when they died but a twelve year old should remember more than a ten year old.

Lil shook her head. “I remember going to the grocery store, getting ready for school, and family dinners. I remember all sorts of things, but no arguments or tension.” She turned to Jess. “How could we not have felt the tension? When the kids were little, if Blake and I argued, they were always upset about it. How could we have been completely oblivious to something like this?”

“I wish I knew the answer.” Jess had wracked her brain for memories and nothing suggesting trouble between her parents surfaced.

Lil frowned at Jess. “You didn’t tell me Reverend Henshaw was murdered either. God. I read in the paper that he’d died, but not that he’d been so gruesomely murdered.”

“He never visited you? You never ran into him at the grocery store? At a funeral or a wedding?”

Lil shook her head. “I haven’t seen him since we were kids.”

“He left me a key. I think maybe it goes to a music box. Didn’t Mom have a jewelry box or something that played music?”

Lil mulled over the question. “Yes. Yes she did. It played...” She made a face. “I can’t remember the name of the tune.”

“Do you have any idea what happened to it?”

“Most everything was put in storage and God only knows what happened to it. Wanda probably stopped paying the rent and it ended up being sold.”

“There was a storage unit?”

“Yeah. I think so. Wanda took me there once to pick up a box of clothes.”

Why hadn’t Wanda told her about this? “Did she ever mention it again?”

Lil shrugged. “You know we rarely saw her after Mom and Dad died. I’ve seen her a few times since the kids were born, but only in passing until recently.”

“I remember she would show up from time to time and demand to take us with her.” Jess had spent most of her life trying to forget those events. Maybe that was the reason she couldn’t recall any trouble between her parents.

“She was always drunk or high. Our foster parent would call the police.” Lil sighed. “It’s a miracle we survived and turned out to be normal.”

“No kidding.” Jess wasn’t so sure about the normal part or the miracle, but she could definitely use one right now.

Actually, she would settle for some straight answers.

Birmingham Police Department, 12:50 p.m.

Dan finished the last of the documents that required his signature then tossed the folder into the outbox. On second thought, he grabbed the folder and carried it to his secretary.

“I believe that clears my desk.”

Shelia nodded, her face cluttered with emotion. “Chief Black called. He’s on his way up.”

Dan gave her a nod. “When he arrives, send him on in.”

Frank Teller had called Dan already. Pratt had signed the papers. As of close of business today, Dan was officially on administrative leave until the Allen and Dority cases were resolved. No surprise. No need for Teller or the union rep to be here for the official proclamation.

Dan returned to his desk without bothering to close the door. Black would explain how this would play out. He had a duty to carry out, nothing personal.

If Jess were here, she would argue that point.

A rap on his door had Dan bracing. When he’d accepted this position four years ago, he certainly hadn’t expected things to end this way.

“Chief,” Harold Black acknowledged as he strode across the room.

“Harold.” Dan hadn’t intended to sound bitter, but somehow he did.

Harold stopped in front of his desk and passed a thin manila folder to Dan. “You know as well as I do this is only temporary. As soon as we have this mess with Allen and Dority straightened out, you’ll be back. Consider it a vacation. You’ll have time to find a new home and buy a new car. I’m sure you have plenty to keep you busy for a couple of weeks.”

“I do.” Dan tossed the folder on his desk without looking at it. It wasn’t necessary.

“I’ll do my very best to uphold the standards you have set for this office, Dan, until your return.”

“I’m confident you will. Roark will be acting over your division, I presume?”

“He will. Yes. Did you have a different candidate in mind?”

Dan shook his head. “Roark is the obvious choice.”

“He’s a good man.”

“I’ll have my desk cleared by the end of the day.”

Harold gave another nod and then he left.

A hesitant rap at his door drew Dan’s attention there once more.
Tara
.

“Chief, I picked up those boxes.” She placed the boxes between the chairs in front of his desk. “Is there any way I can help?”

“I’ve got it, Tara. Thank you.”

She dabbed at her eyes. “Yes, sir.”

At the door, she hesitated, looked back once more. “Shelia and I know you’ll be back, Chief. We’re already planning a big celebration.”

Dan gave her a smile but words escaped him.

For the next hour, Dan tucked all his personal possessions into the boxes. Instead of focusing on the task, he thought of all the things he needed to take care of. Harold hadn’t been wrong about him needing time. The house and car were only the beginning.

As he closed the final box, he made another decision. He wasn’t putting off what he wanted for another day. In fact, he intended to leave early and take care of at least one item on his to-do list today.

Since the announcement wouldn’t hit the news until the five o’clock airing, he had time to talk to his parents as well. They deserved to hear this from him.

First, he had to tell Jess.

He picked up his cell and put through the call. The sound of her voice made him smile. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself.”

“I’m officially on administrative leave as of close of business today.”

“I hope Black doesn’t get too comfortable.”

Dan had to smile at the fire in her tone. “I think he knows better.”

“A wise man told me something recently that I’ve been holding onto.”

“What’s that?”

“We just have to get through this.
Safely
.”

His smile widened. “We will,” he promised.

Before letting her go, he got an update on where she was. He’d feel a lot better when this day was over and she was at home with him.

Dan walked over to the window and looked out over the city he loved. He’d been wrong all those years ago when he’d left Jess in Boston. They would probably be celebrating their eighteenth or nineteenth anniversary and have a couple of kids running around by now if he hadn’t walked away.

Instead, he’d spent the past twenty years building this career and discovering that no other woman could replace Jess. He banished those painful thoughts. They were together now and that was what mattered. He would spend however many years he had left being the very best husband and father he knew how.

On his desk, his cell vibrated with an incoming text. He checked the screen.
Private number
.

As he read the message, fury tightened his gut.

This is only the beginning of your end. Brace yourself, ex-Chief of Police Burnett
.

“Son of a—”

The damned thing rang and he had to fight the impulse to throw it across the room.
Sylvia
. Jess had already told him about Amanda Brownfield’s DNA results. Was there something new?

“Sylvia, I’m glad you called. I wanted to thank you—”

“Oh my God, Dan...”

Her voice shook so he barely made out her words. “Sylvia, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Nina. She’s missing.”

“What?” She was in a private facility with topnotch security.

“We can’t find her, Dan! She’s gone.”

“I’ll be right there.”

Dan rushed from his office. “I’ll finish clearing out later today. Call Chief Black if anything comes up.”

Nina Baron spent most of her time in a near catatonic state. She hadn’t been outside a protected, structured environment in more than ten years.

How the hell could this have happened?

Druid Hills, 1:35 p.m.

Jess waited, trying not to tap her foot with impatience, while Wanda settled into her chair with her tea.

“You said before,” she began, unable to wait any longer, “there was a break in at the Irondale house after my parents died. What happened to the rest of their things? Photo albums? Furniture? Clothes? Things a burglar wouldn’t be interested in.” So far Lori hadn’t been able to locate a police report on the alleged break in, but thirty two years was a long time and misdemeanor reports weren’t always kept that long.

Wanda stirred creamer into her tea. “I... I have to think back.”

On the drive here, Jess had formulated a theory she hoped was way off the mark.

“There wasn’t a whole lot to speak of—not that was worth anything,” Wanda commented.

Jess didn’t remember seeing her mother wear jewelry beyond her wedding band so there might not have been any jewelry. Little or no electronics of value, she suspected. Nothing she could think of that carried any real appeal for a burglar and that was the sticking point with Wanda’s explanation. What was the intruder looking for?

“Where did their belongings go?”

“You know.” Wanda set her tea aside. “I think there was a storage unit for a brief while.”

You think?
“Did you ever visit this storage unit?”

Wanda lifted her gaze to Jess, uncertainty showed there. “Yes.”

“What did you do when you visited the unit?”

Wanda dropped her head. “I took things... to sell.”

Outrage fired through Jess, but she held it back. “What kind of things?”

“First it was small things, like her tea service. Then the stereo and your father’s golf clubs.”

“So, piece by piece you sold everything? Is that what you’re telling me?”

“There were some pieces of furniture, clothes, and pictures left but I couldn’t keep up the rent payments so they were auctioned. I tried to get those things back but it was too late by the time I got the letter in the mail.”

“Did you file a police report about the burglary at the house?”

She shook her head. “After they dismissed me when I made that other report I didn’t see the point in bothering.”

Wanda claimed Jess’s mother warned her that if anything happened to them to have the police look into it. Wanda had filed the report, that much was true.

“Was there a music box or any other box that required a key for opening?” Jess asked, moving on.

Wanda’s face lit up as if she’d remembered something important. “Helen did have a music box. She played it all the time for you girls.” Wanda started to hum that haunting tune that wouldn’t stay out of Jess’s head.

“What happened to the music box?”

Wanda frowned. “It wasn’t in the house. Either your mother did something with it or it was stolen. I never saw it after she died.”

If the key wasn’t to the music box, then to what? And how did Spears or the reverend end up with it?

The sound of her cell phone prevented Jess from asking her next question.
Lori
calling. “Excuse me a moment.”

As she moved toward the kitchen, Jess appreciated the deep sound of Harper’s voice as he chatted with Wanda to distract her.

“Is McPherson talking?” Jess certainly hoped so. At this point, he was the last known link to the Brownfields and all those murders. The families whose loved ones were buried on that farm deserved closure.

“He’s dead,” Lori said. “Same MO as the others, lips sutured closed. Sheriff Foster’s on his way over here.”

Damn. Jess shook her head. “All right. Have Foster call his coroner. We’ll need him. I’m on my way.”

Jess refused to allow the defeat nipping at her to take hold. Both McPherson and Amanda were dead. Now Spears could tell his version of the story. Creating his own account of the past was easy enough if he silenced everyone who knew the real story.

The stage was set with no unnecessary characters to get in the way of the outcome he desired.

Spears wanted it just between the two of them.

Tupelo Pike, Scottsboro, 4:15 p.m.

Official vehicles already lined the street outside McPherson’s home when Jess arrived.

Harper parked his SUV. “Looks like the gang’s all here.”

“Let’s hope McPherson gives us more dead than he did alive.” Jess removed her sunglasses and tucked them into her bag.

“After working this area for over thirty years, the idea that he didn’t know anything about the Brownfields is a little hard to swallow.”

“So true, Sergeant.” Jess emerged from the SUV and started for the house. She flashed her badge to the deputy protecting the perimeter.

Lori met them at the steps to the house. “The vic hadn’t been dead more than half an hour when we arrived.”

“Has anyone talked to the neighbors?”

“Hayes is canvasing the neighbors now. I stayed with McPherson.”

“Is the coroner here?” Loren Adams, as Jess recalled.

“He’s in the house.”

“Good.” Jess hesitated again. “What about Roger?”

Lori inclined her head toward the house. “He’s in the backyard. Foster called a friend who takes in homeless animals. He’s coming to pick him up.”

Jess was glad the dog hadn’t ended up a victim as well. “I’d say it’s safe to speculate that the killer didn’t venture into the backyard.”

“I know I wouldn’t have. How do you think that happened?” Lori asked. “The dog outside, I mean.”

At the door, they donned protective shoe covers and gloves. “McPherson must have suspected trouble and put the dog out back to protect him.”

“Doesn’t that defeat the purpose?” Harper shrugged. “What’s the point of a guard dog if he can’t protect you?”

Lori rolled her eyes. “Can you tell he didn’t have a dog growing up?”

“Who said I didn’t have a dog growing up?” Harper contended as they joined the ongoing activities inside. Two of Foster’s deputies waited on either side of the door inside the house. Both gave Jess a nod of acknowledgement.

McPherson sat in a recliner, a Beretta nine millimeter in one hand. Glued there, if the MO from the previous scenes carried through. Harper checked the weapon as best he could with it clutched in the victim’s hand.

“Has his weapon been fired?” To Jess’s way of thinking, an experienced lawman like McPherson would use his weapon to protect himself.

Harper shook his head. “Fully loaded with a round in the chamber.”

Didn’t make sense to Jess.

“I’m thinking he was drugged,” Lori said. “Foster checked with the Liberty, a restaurant McPherson frequented, and he was there for lunch. He left the Liberty about one and we found him here at one forty-five. Foster is interviewing the restaurant employees. There was an open bottle of Mountain Dew in his truck. We’re sending it to the lab as well.”

“I doubt one of Spears’s followers would have been able to ambush him otherwise,” Jess agreed.

Blood had pooled on the floor around McPherson’s chair from the slash to his throat. His T-shirt and jeans were soaked in crimson. Blood spatter had showered on the rug in front of his easy chair.

An evidence tech, on the opposite side of the room, was busy dusting various surfaces for prints. Adams, the Jackson County coroner, joined them in the living room and gave Jess a nod. “Since your detectives insisted I wait until you arrive, I assume I can begin now?”

“Yes. Thank you for your patience.”

Adams gathered the tools he would need and leaned over the body. He clipped the knots then carefully removed the sutures. McPherson’s mouth opened easily. Inside was the expected plastic baggie. He removed it and passed it to Jess. “There you go, Chief.”

The note ignited the outrage she’d been trying to keep under control for days.

Poor Jess. Now you’ll never know the truth unless you hear it from me. Eric

Jess passed the note to Harper to document and log into evidence. She walked to the kitchen and stared out the window over the sink. Poor Roger. The big German shepherd trotted the perimeter before stopping to claw at something in the middle of the yard, and then he ran to the back door in hopes of his master letting him in.

Who had McPherson been protecting by keeping quiet? She turned around and surveyed the kitchen. Buddy had searched this house and found nothing.

It couldn’t hurt to have another look.

9911 Conroy Road, 8:30 p.m.

Jess thanked Lori for the ride home. Dr. Martin Leeds, the Jefferson County coroner, would begin the autopsy on McPherson tomorrow. He couldn’t guarantee he’d have a look tonight. Jess missed Sylvia. She hoped Nina would be found soon and safe.

The sound of yelping and thumping drew her weary attention to the stairs leading up to her apartment. The puppy half ran, half tumbled down the stairs. He didn’t stop until he plowed into Jess.

“Hey, fella.” What in the world was she going to do with this animal?

The BPD cruiser was parked in its usual spot. It was almost dark and Dan wasn’t home yet. She’d spoken to him on the way home from Scottsboro. He was worried sick about Nina. Jess hadn’t been able to reach Sylvia. She could imagine the Baron family was terrified.

“You look tired.”

Jess whirled to face her landlord. “George.” She summoned a smile. “I am. I really, really am.”

“You’ve been working a lot of long hours.” He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“I have. We’re on a big case.” She imagined he’d seen the news.

“I didn’t know you’d gotten a dog?”

Jess winced. “He’s not mine. I don’t know where he came from. He just showed up at my door last night.”

“Would you like me to take care of it?” He shrugged. “Call Animal Control?”

“Oh no.” Jess shook her head. “We’re trying to find his owner.” A frown furrowed its way across her brow. “Do you mind if he stays until we find his owner? I can pay a pet deposit if you’d prefer.”

He waved off the idea. “I don’t mind as long as he doesn’t keep digging up my flowers.”

Oh Lord. Jess hadn’t thought of that. “He dug up some of your flowers? I’m so sorry. I’ll reimburse you.”

“No real harm done,” George said. “That’s what puppies do. They outgrow the urge eventually. No need for you to worry. You should rest. You work too hard, Jess.”

“Thank you, George.”

Jess couldn’t wait to shed these clothes. As she unlocked her door, she glanced back down to the driveway. She hoped Dan would be home soon.

Inside, she let the puppy explore. She armed the security system then stripped off her clothes and headed for the shower. She needed to wash away the smell of death and the chill of uncertainty.

She piled her hair on top of her head with a clip. The feel of hot water sluicing over her body was almost enough to chase away the ghosts. Five or so minutes of pure pleasure under the water and she worked up the energy to wash her body. Fortunately, the morning sickness wasn’t plaguing her now the way it had last week. She still suffered with a touch of the queasiness and the fatigue, both of which were normal, according to her doctor.

As she dried off, she refused to think about Amanda or her father or Maddie. She refused to let Spears invade the peace she so badly needed tonight. A little down time with Dan was exactly what they both needed. She peeked beyond the bathroom door. She wished he were home already.

After pulling on jeans and a tee, she wondered what to do about food. She wasn’t really hungry though she knew she had to eat. It was too late for a real dinner. She wasn’t in the mood for pizza or Chinese. She poked around in the kitchen. There was milk and eggs. A fresh loaf of bread waited on the counter. Somewhere in the cabinet next to the fridge there was cereal. She could have cereal and maybe Dan would like eggs and toast.

The puppy stared up at her, his head cocked in question.

“Hope you like Cheerios.” She poured a pile on the floor for him. Since he gobbled them right up, he clearly didn’t have a problem with boxed cereal.

No sooner than the milk hit the Cheerios in her bowl the chime sounded, warning she was about to have company. She checked the monitor.
Dan
.

Bowl in hand, she hurried to the door, sloshing milk as she went. The puppy followed, lapping up the spills. She disarmed the security system and released the locks.

The smile he gave her had her melting inside. “Man, it’s good to be home.”

Jess set her bowl on the coffee table and scrubbed her hands on her hips. “I’ve been worried about you.”

Dan pulled her into his arms and since the puppy had stretched out on the sofa, he carried her to the bed. He settled there with her in his lap. “We’re not going to talk about investigations. We’re going to finish what we started last night.”

The sound of stoneware crashing to the floor had them both scrambling off the bed. The puppy had knocked the bowl of Cheerios and milk off the coffee table.

“I guess we’re still dog sitting?”

Jess winced. “Cook is trying to find the owner. No luck yet.”

Dan sighed. “I should take a shower.”

“Still no word on Nina?”

“There’s been no ransom demand. Nothing.”

Jess grabbed some paper towels. “It can’t be Spears. Nina doesn’t fit the profile.” There were plenty of others who didn’t but they were chosen for their connection to Jess. A connection didn’t exist between Jess and Nina. She stopped, turned around.
Except Dan
. “Oh my God.”

Dan looked pale. “You think it’s him.”

She nodded. The urge to cry came from somewhere deep inside her. “If there’s no ransom demand, it has to be him.”

Dan’s arms were suddenly around her. “We will stop him.”

She nodded. “We will.”

He drew back, looked down at her belly, and then put his hand there. “No more talk about this tonight.” He managed a weary smile. “This baby is counting on us to make the right decisions so I made a decision today.” He dropped down on one knee, withdrew a black velvet box from his pocket, and opened it. “I don’t want to waste any more time, Jess. Let’s make this official. Will you marry me?”

Jess tossed the paper towels. Her hand went to her mouth. The ring was beautiful, far too extravagant, but absolutely beautiful. The tears were scalding her cheeks and she wasn’t sure she could speak. Finally, she managed a nod. “Yes.”