Page 7 of Whispers Left Behind
Kinsley took her time examining the edge of the door. She couldn’t make out anything unusual. After giving the exterior another brief perusal, she aimed the bright beam directly in front of her.
She approached the body with measured steps.
The coverings of her black ankle boots couldn’t soften the crunch of discarded hay and dirt that remained on the floor of the barn. The air was thick with the metallic tang of blood. The crimson spray covered a vast area, which prompted her to veer in a relatively wide arc. She only approached the body once she was confident that she wouldn’t disturb any debris.
Kinsley edged close enough to kneel next to the victim. She took her time in examining the woman’s wounds and the direction of the blood splatter. There was no doubt that Rachel Hanson’s throat had been sliced open while she had been standing in the middle of the barn.
It was understandable that Alex would conclude that Calvin Gantz had returned to Fallbrook. He had killed two women in the same manner and type of location.
The wound was precise and deep. The edges revealed no hesitation on the killer’s part. Such brutality indicated cold calculation. The killer had expertly sliced through skin and muscle, leaving nothing but a gaping hole.
There was also blood on the victim’s left side.
A second stab wound?
“Her killer stood directly in front of her.” Alex hadn’t moved from his spot near the entrance, though there was no need for him to raise his voice. The echo of the barn had accomplished that task. “You can determine the killer’s stance from the angle of the injury.”
Kinsley remained silent as she remained in a kneeling position. She continued to examine the victim’s body with the beam of the flashlight, eventually bringing the light to a stop maybe a foot away from the victim. The same area where the killer would have needed to be to make such an incision.
He would have been sprayed with her blood.
“Gantz slit the throats of his victims from the same position, Kin. We assumed at the time that he wanted to watch the lifedrain from their faces, and I still believe that.” Alex stopped speaking when the sound of an engine broke through the night air. He didn’t have to announce the forensics team’s arrival on scene. “We need to get ahead of this. Put out an APB.”
“There’s no need for an all-points bulletin.” Kinsley stood, grimacing when her knee popped from an old softball injury. She was mindful to retrace her steps, holding out Alex’s flashlight for him to take. “Someone wants us tothinkGantz is back in town. Did you notice the imprint of the killer’s shoes? I’m guessing this perp wears a size twelve. Gantz wore a ten and a half. He also didn’t waste time stabbing his victims in the abdomen. One slice to their throats. That was his MO.”
Kinsley winced internally when she had inadvertently spoken about Calvin Gantz in the past tense. Fortunately, the slipup had been in the middle of her conclusion. Alex hadn’t seemed to notice one way or the other.
“And if a lock of hair is missing?” Alex inquired as he monitored the progress of the forensics team. Monica and Bobby had already exited the van and spoken to Officer Blake. The duo was currently unloading the generated-powered lights from the back. “We won’t be able to ignore the similarities then.”
It had taken a week after the trial for anyone to notice that Calvin Gantz had gone missing. While her father had managed to get the man acquitted of murder, some residents weren’t sure of the man’s innocence or guilt. Those close to him had sworn that he could never have hurt those women, but his disappearance had planted seeds of doubt. Most everyone assumed that he had skipped town.
As for the locks of missing hair, Gantz had taken souvenirs. Unfortunately, that evidence had been tossed along with the murder weapon after the discovery that a journalist had accessed Gantz’s homeafterthe warrant had been issued butbeforethe technician had bagged the evidence.
Kinsley had to remind herself that Monica and Bobby were the most experienced technicians on staff. They never would have compromised their integrity in such a manner. Not only were both of them meticulous, but they were also excellent during cross-examination in court.
“We’ll deal with it,” Kinsley responded vaguely as a cold gust of wind came across the open field. She had changed into jeans and her favorite knit pullover sweater right after her shift. It hadn’t been too cold when she left her townhome to drive over to her parents’ house, but the temperature had dropped quickly throughout the evening. “Where is Wally? He’s usually the first one on scene.”
Alex shot Kinsley a sideways glance.
“Thursday,” Kinsley muttered as she glanced down at her smartwatch before crossing her arms to preserve some of her body heat. “Kickoff was about fifteen minutes ago. We have a while before Wally pulls himself away from the game.”
Walter Elm was not only the Chief Medical Examiner of Fallbrook, but he was a walking, talking contradiction. He lived for his job along with anything and everything related to science, yet he was obsessed with Fantasy Football and strawberry daiquiris. As a diehard Minnesota Vikings fan, he never missed a game.
“Yeah, well, you might want to steer clear of him,” Alex advised as he began to stroll toward his black Camaro. After removing the blue shoe coverings, Kinsley followed him, but she wouldn’t remain on site for long. She would be the one to notify Rachel Hanson’s next of kin. Whether that turned out to be the victim’s grandfather remained to be seen. “Your wide receiver scored on the opening drive.”
Given that the game had only just started, Alex would have received that information from the dispatcher. Death didn’tprevent others from living, and Kinsley had to remind herself of that fact often.
“Shit. I’m playing Wally this week, aren’t I?”
Kinsley was back in her element.
Nothing had changed in the past twelve months.
Gantz was dead, everyone assumed he had left town, and she had no choice but to put one foot in front of the other. This case was like any other, and the evidence would prove to her partner that someone else had brutally murdered Rachel Hanson.
Everythingremained the same.
Kinsley needed it to stay that way.
