More
Nick raced to the porch and asked the first officer he came to what was going on.
Without looking away from the dog, the officer gestured. “Looks like there’s a fresh body.”
“Another one? What happened here?” Nick hurried over to the side of the porch and leaned against the railing.
The dog now sat, sniffing the air wildly, while some officers dug near the shed.
The officer holding the leash adjusted it. “She seems to smell something else. I’m going to walk around and see if she finds anything more.”
Nobody objected, as nearly everyone was focused on the diggers.
Nick glanced back and forth between the dog and the diggers.
The dog barely made it a dozen feet before indicating she found something else.
“Got something!” The officer pulled out a small flag and stuck it in the spot and took the dog farther. Again, the dog only went a little way before stopping.
“Another one!”
Nick’s stomach twisted. What had happened on this property?
Chaos broke out, and for good reason. They had at least five bodies. Maybe more if any of the other graves had two bodies like the first.
Nick went back inside. Anderson and Chang were questioning Genevieve’s parents in the living room.
It was going to get a lot worse now that the body count was on the rise.
He went down the hall and found Genevieve and Tinsley still in the bedroom. Tinsley had a novel and didn’t look up when Nick came in. Genevieve was at the window. The sight of her took his breath away.
She turned to him, her face pale.
Nick recovered and gave her a sympathetic glance. “How long has your family lived here?”
“Just a few years. Dad wanted something smaller to take care of with all of his health issues.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. What problems is he having?”
She glanced back outside. “Typical aging. Aches and pains, early signs of arthritis. That sort of thing. It made taking care of a large two-story harder. They’re both a lot happier here. Well, they were. I can’t speak to the future. Did they find more bodies out there?”
They stepped as far from Tinsley as possible without leaving the room.
Nick leaned close and spoke in the smallest whisper. “The cadaver dog is going crazy. Nothing new has been dug up.”
Genevieve frowned then sighed. “My parents had no idea about any of this. I swear. This place seemed like the perfect place for them to retire.”
“I believe you.” He sat next to her, leaving a full six inches between them. It wasn’t as awkward as he would’ve expected, given she’d taken off without a word. It was hard not to pull her into his arms. To kiss her like he had that night she’d invited him over. He cleared his throat. “Do you know anything about the previous owner?”
She shook her head. “My parents might. All I know is that a teenager who lived here years ago went missing.”
“Really? When was that?”
“Twenty-five or thirty years, I think. Something like that. A cold case. But the skeletons we found are too small to be a teenager.”
Nick nodded. “It could be unrelated. Or that girl could be out there, too.”
Genevieve frowned, then glanced over at Tinsley, who was furiously turning the pages of her book.
“You might want to prepare for a trip to the station for questioning. Maybe pack some overnight bags. This whole property is going to be a crime scene, and I can’t guarantee when you all will be allowed back.”
“I know, but thanks.” She drew in a deep breath and held it before looking back at Nick.
Their gazes locked, but neither said anything. His pulse raced. He had practically begged her to talk to him the last time they’d seen each other. That might’ve pushed her away. He needed to be a lot more careful this time.
Last time, it was his family involved in an investigation. Now it was hers. Maybe she would open up to him if he offered support as a friend, and nothing else.
Knock, knock.
Nick pulled away from her gaze.
Anderson stood in the doorway. “Captain, you need to see this.”
“What is it?” Nick rose from the bed.
Anderson glanced at Genevieve, then back to Nick. “Come and see.”
“Okay.” Nick threw her an apologetic glance then mouthed, “Pack your things.”
He and Anderson shuffled past other officers to the backyard again.
More than a dozen little flags dotted the yard.
Nick turned to Anderson, his eyes wide. “That many?”
Anderson raked his fingers through his hair. “You haven’t seen the ones on the sides of the house.”
“There’s more?” Nick’s mind spun, trying to comprehend the gravity of the situation.
Anderson’s expression tightened. “This place is the burial ground of a sick bastard.”
“Why this property?”
“It’s a big lot.”
Nick shook his head. “That’s not it. This house means something to the perpetrator. He doesn’t live here, yet he returns to bury bodies.” He recalled what Genevieve said about one of the previous owners. “Maybe he lived here.”
“Could be.”
“Foster said about thirty years ago a teenager who lived here went missing. Never found.”
They exchanged a serious look.
Anderson wrung his hands together. “Looks like we have another serial killer on our hands. It hasn’t even been two years since the last one.”
“Two years come Halloween.”
“Right. Any chance this is the same guy?”
Nick shook his head. “Flynn Myer dumped them all in bodies of water. Just like his sister had died in a lake.”
“I wonder if this guy is trying to recreate something.”
“I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.”
A voice called from around the house, “Found another one!”
Nick’s stomach lurched. He hated that Genevieve was being dragged into the whole ordeal. She and her parents would be persons of interest—there was no doubt about that.
Anderson leaned close and spoke in a whisper. “Do you think Foster’s father has anything to do with this?”
“No. He came here to retire and relax.”
“Yeah, but it’d make sense if he wanted to retire to where he’d been burying bodies all these years. He could just go into his backyard and visit all those graves.”
Nick leaned against the rail. “You’d have to prove that he has ties to this house going back thirty years. Maybe more. I really think they’re just at the wrong place at the wrong time. I’ve certainly been there.”
“True, but I’m not leaving any stone unturned.”
“What was your feel of him when you questioned them in there?” Nick glanced inside to see Chang still talking with the couple.
“Shocked. Probably never expected to be caught.”
“Or maybe he can’t believe bodies are buried around his property. That would throw anyone off.”
“We’ll see. Don’t write him off just because… because, uh, we know Foster.”
Nick frowned. “I know, I know. Everything by the book.”
“Good to hear, sir. I—”
“Another body!” someone called from the side of the house.
“This is a nightmare.” Pressure built behind Nick’s temples.
Deputy Mackey stepped outside, looked around, then marched over to Nick. “Captain, the media is outside. They want a statement.”
“Of course they do.”
Anderson glanced at him. “What’s the official statement?”
“Some bodies have been found. That’s all they need to know for now. I’ll handle them.” Nick pushed past Anderson and Mackey, then headed for the front door.