“I’ll pull Bramble’s medical and dental records and run his DNA,” Laney said. “Hopefully we’ll have a definitive ID by mid-morning.”
ONE HUNDRED ELEVEN
Crooked Creek
Ellie and the team had worked into the early hours of the morning, but she’d eventually convinced Cord to come home with her to get some rest. Both dirty from the hike in the woods and body recovery, they showered, then fell into bed and made love, a silent agreement to cease discussion of the case for some rest.
Just good physical exertion and honest love—at least on her part.
The little voice inside her head whispered that he was still keeping something from her, but she hushed it and snuggled into his arms. She would ask him about it.
But not now. No… not at the moment.
She wanted to curl in his arms and forget that parents were terrified and girls were in danger, and at this point she still didn’t have the killer in custody.
For all she knew, he could be ending another innocent girl’s life at that moment.
Fear and doubts assailed her. Would she fail her as she had the others?
Tormented, she punched her pillow. Rolled over and over. Cursed herself and sorted through the details of the case. They might have found Earl Bramble’s body. Which meant someone else had murdered the girls and perhaps Earl. They’d need to talk to the Higgins family again.
Look for other suspects. But if Mr. Higgins had killed Earl, it had been personal. He could have been trying to force him to admit where Ruth was.
But why would he kill again?
It didn’t make sense that he’d murder other teenage girls or if he had, that his wife wouldn’t have known.
What were they missing?
ONE HUNDRED TWELVE
Briar Ridge Mobile Homes
Kat barely slept. She was so stupid. She should have known the police would trace her number.
And now Mama was mad as heck at her.
It was the right thing to do though. If that body was Ruth, her parents needed to know she’d been found.
She stared at a spider crawling across her ceiling, spinning its web. A shiver went through her as she remembered the night before. That grave. The bone.
She blinked to clear the images.
Thank goodness it was Saturday and she didn’t have to go to school or face the other kids.
She rolled to her side, wishing she’d never read her mama’s journal.
There’s still more to read.
The clock ticked in the silence. Minutes passed. It was only six a.m. and she was so exhausted. And afraid to face her mama. Had she called her daddy and told him what happened?
Suddenly a loud knock sounded at the door and her mama shoved it open. She stormed inside and stopped beside Kat’sbed, her arms folded. “Kat, Carrie Ann’s mother is on the phone and she’s frantic.”
Kat jerked to a sitting position. “What?”
“She says Carrie Ann snuck out sometime last night, took her car and she isn’t home yet.”
Kat’s heart pounded with fear. “What? But…”
