Zach had only had cause to sit in on an autopsy a few times in the past. Never a pleasant experience by any means, it was so much worse seeing this young woman, who was little more than a kid, her dark hair spreading across the cold metal table, her skin waxy-looking and pale in a way that no living creature could mimic. Wrong. So fucking wrong.
He cleared his throat, wishing he could clear out the smell of the room as easily. Hospitals were never his favorite places, but here in the damp basement, the underlying stench of death couldn’t quite be scrubbed out, no matter how much antiseptic was used.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjN5fEFzo7j
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIi2XovYAc
The medical examiner adjusted his tools and took a deep breath. “We don’t see a lot of murder in these parts.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhkkbXmTew
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6X0qWDfkR
“I know.” Augusta was quite a bit bigger than Clear Springs, but their crime ran toward theft and domestic abuse—not cold-blooded murder. “But that’s no excuse for the damn leak. We’ve got to do this one by the book, William. That means keeping the information on lockdown until we have a suspect in cuffs.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ31igc1oBBr
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7F1vtzxGXN
“I don’t know how it happened, Zach.” He cleared his throat. “But there won’t be further issues. Of that I can assure you.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡULkVDwuIGa
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiw5SQh891t
It was the best he was going to get. He nodded at the girl. “Let’s get started.” Twelve hours since the body had been found, and he needed to know who she was—and if she had any connection to the fact that Neveah Smith still hadn’t turned up. No way around it. We’re going to have to put together a search party. The chances of Neveah having wandered off and gotten lost were slim to none, but with this girl on the slab in front of him, he had to admit that it was just as likely they were looking for another body.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0UnnbwDse
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFfQYsmEwkt
Fuck.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7SufN3XYoU
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEgo0LDMXw
William nodded, his snow-white hair poking haphazardly out from his head. He looked a lot like the professor from Back to the Future, though Zach would never say as much. William Reynolds might be quirky to the extreme, but he was good at his job. His job had just never entailed something quite like this before.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCcHBpaW5M
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ97B8Ct4Zjc
And someone in his office sent a picture to the daughter of a woman who could very well be a suspect. Just fucking perfect.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLak587fPV
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaTq9HWkLtK
He began the autopsy, muttering under his breath. “You don’t need to be here for the entirety of it, Zach. I’ll go through the preliminary stuff and send you the rest of the report by the end of the day.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM6X1ceoRgK
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCp1mgrDqLH
He wasn’t sure if William was offering it as a favor to Zach or because he worked better alone, but he wasn’t going to complain. The sound the sternum made when the coroner cracked it was enough to cause Zach nightmares even with all the shit he’d seen. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Okay.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJf9c5C0TQ9
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg912Lt3Aw3
William went through it methodically, combing out the girl’s hair and depositing the detritus from the brush into little baggies. “Looks like mostly weeds that are local to the area, but I’ll go through it more closely when I’m done.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWOzHRi3h7
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPZ9mVsVcc
It lined up with how they’d found her. “Can you tell cause of death?”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8iBAleo73
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlv3mQneMLY
The coroner raised his white eyebrows. “I’m getting there.” He touched her neck gently with a gloved finger. “See these bruises?”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH02tANuJzk
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7hYloob6J
Zach leaned closer. “Those weren’t there when we found her this morning.” Though he might not have noticed, considering the rest of the bruises covering her body. “These were, though.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbFTRpRGjb
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmDyf7Gy875
“The others are older. The range in color means they weren’t all done at once—some of these are days old, if not closer to a week or more.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKVMNB47fQ
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcE4ljFrCP
So unless she was held somewhere for more than a week, chances were those bruises had been caused by someone other than the killer. Don’t make assumptions until you have all the facts. This could have been an abusive boyfriend who took things too far. That didn’t explain the tattoos, though. Zach eyed her throat. “I don’t suppose we could get prints off her skin?”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0TZWqRq7a
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wSpQsXNyn
“We can try, but it’s unlikely we’ll pull anything.” William rested his hand against her neck. “Mediumish grip—I know that’s not specific—so could be either a small man or a large woman.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuymhP1S60l
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpE3qkaPCoF
“Personal to kill her like that. Killer would have to get right up close and watch the light fade out of her eyes.” His chest tightened at the thought, memories hovering at the outer edges of his mind. It had been a long time since he’d been in combat, long enough that he’d mostly emerged on the other side of it, but that didn’t mean there weren’t bad nights. He had a feeling tonight would number among them.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6MLoKq8XCu
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJaphOq7wK
“Takes some considerable strength, too. Easier to do it from behind with your arm or a rope or something.” William motioned to his forearm and then moved back over the body. “These tattoos are new, all four of them.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDVyRs2gZa
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcTH0SgFnG
“Four?”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19EDf5UYBV
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2p9QGDPKg
“Between the shoulder blades, sternum, right wrist, and left hip.” William nodded at the table behind him. “I took pictures beforehand so you could take them with you when you go.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1fi58dmPZ
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHCqRIdLC0a
“Thanks.” The tattoos made him think of Eden Collins showing up in his station this afternoon. She’d known about them—she shared a few of them—which seemed to support her theory that they were somehow connected with Elysia. Though she was keeping things from him if she’d only told him about three of them . . . or she didn’t actually know the fourth existed.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAPLUksCNem
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTEdA4WMLO
She could have done it.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVVMMekRyo
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZyGyTzAyr
He made a mental note to call the FBI and double-check that she was actually one of them. Easy enough to make up a card that said whatever she damn well pleased. He hadn’t asked to see her badge—something he regretted now.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJdDsvVAFb
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU6ksEhA4o1
“There’s nothing beneath her nails, no new injuries with the exception of cause of death.” William hesitated. “She had sexual intercourse recently. I’m running a tox screen, but I have to ship it over to Great Falls, so God knows how long it’ll take to get back. They’re backed up just like every other lab in the country. I can try to push, but this isn’t going to ring any bells for them.”
- 85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4OfalpYybZ
Zach hated that. She should be more important to everyone. There should be outrage that her young life had been cut so short. But there were thousands upon thousands of deaths and murders on any given day across the country. There was no reason this one would make people sit up and take notice.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZgtP8nAls1
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqEoB7aGNm
Unless there ends up being more.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZp3dBvdT3k
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXMmnYf0aZ
No, he couldn’t think like that. He had to work the case he had, not the one he feared. As of now, there was nothing connecting Neveah Smith’s being missing with the body in front of him.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡabRyrcMZDH
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRnydWf6cXV
He just hoped like hell it stayed that way.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXT5Sc5MdK
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb6aAAi0GPM
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvhjvjFUef
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6xGXUwSOIV
“What do you mean my flight’s been canceled?”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQQtcJdmon
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILep03DUbJ
“I’m sorry, ma’am. There seems to be some weather causing problems in Chicago, which is your connecting city.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlKOYGZs7Ve
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXdY5sTLRa
Eden should have known better than to connect through Chicago, but it was the only flight she could book last-minute. Silly her, she’d only caught a one-way from Quantico. Over the years, it’d become something of a superstition—the only time things went sideways seemed to be when she had concrete plans in place for travel back home. She hadn’t even thought about it when she’d flown out to Montana.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsD36lk2mcx
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3FX1CtV6kS
Now it seemed she was going to pay for it.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUscRlg0Jo8
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGauCKBEkl
She squeezed the bridge of her nose. “Can you fly me through a different connecting city?”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡStW4WUM4ji
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnwJfNCbug
“I’m sorry, ma’am. With all the travel being diverted, there simply isn’t another flight until two days from now.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYXbGG5ONt
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdf80PE6wEf
Two days.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNy9shLFfNl
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYbUUxOLKV
She’d told Zach she’d be in town for a few days, but after the run-in with Martha, the thought of spending a minute more than necessary in Clear Springs had her threatening to break out in hives. She’d come straight back to her room at the B&B and locked the door, but that hadn’t stopped her from glancing out the window repeatedly, half expecting to see Abram standing on the curb on the other side of the street.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSFBG8n3W2I
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfF3xflKIU
It wouldn’t be the first time.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiYDn0jeJPR
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Oou1dqf7i
Should have booked a room over in Augusta instead.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlm8qW9W5u0
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡesVjSdmcHv
Ultimately both her pride and common sense had gotten the best of her. If she stayed outside Clear Springs, it was as good as waving a sign saying she was uncomfortable here—that Elysia and Martha still had power over her. There’d been the added consideration of being close on the off chance Zach actually took her up on her offer.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt8dPAnwOPS
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLkj529bBab
None of it mattered now. She was here, she was spooked, and the sheriff didn’t want her help. All she wanted was to go back to Virginia.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNDq3Z83iyj
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2yWnUb9e6e
Eden shuddered. “Look again. Please.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡip5LbxpDaF
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUr5dJ2tRD
The customer-service agent sighed. “Ma’am, I understand your frustration. Believe me, I do. But there’s simply nothing else I can do.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡifcFETD0yw
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ06tpNZRZCz
She knew that. It didn’t make it easier to swallow. Eden cleared her throat. “Then book me the flight two days from now—and not through Chicago if at all possible, please.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJKa3iOZWV
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQA4uMF0wBH
The man sounded relieved. “Yes, of course. Would you like me to e-mail you the updated itinerary?”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECuiZDclSS
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0vouCFfHHt
“That would be great.” She waited for him to confirm he’d done that and hung up. Eden dropped her phone onto the bed and cursed. The temptation to get in her rental car and start driving was strong, but it wasn’t logical. She’d get back to Quantico faster by sitting here and waiting for her flight in two days than by driving—and be less likely to get herself killed because she fell asleep behind the wheel.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcT4VSM5mu
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgvcDOBeaYe
She moved to the window again and flicked the curtains back, just enough to see out. Darkness had fallen while she was on the phone. She hadn’t even been in Clear Springs twenty-four hours and it still felt like a lifetime. What was I thinking, coming back here?85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bCedxdm1C
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtIk2BB7xH
That was the problem—she hadn’t been. She hadn’t stopped to think from the moment she’d seen that photo. Britton probably thought she’d lost her damn mind.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9tZAhbj8Ue
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3KlZb7h11
Eden ran her fingers through her hair. Britton ran a tight ship back at Quantico. He’d taken over for the last director right around the time she’d joined the BAU, the Behavioral Analysis Unit, though sometimes she felt like he’d been there for time unknown. He had that ageless quality that made it impossible to put a number on him—he could be anywhere from thirty-five to fifty.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomqkUjLmON
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMf1yGw06dV
He had to think she was crazy. She’d rushed into his office this morning and asked for a week of personal time for a family emergency. He hadn’t commented on the fact that in six years, she’d never once made an effort to see her mother, let alone demanded emergency vacation for it. He hadn’t pointed out that she and Vic were about to be sent out on a new case. He’d just approved her time off and told her to do what was necessary.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsz7tm26Ycm
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1zgg4Jwnj
“A couple more days isn’t going to kill me.” Maybe if she said it enough times, she might actually start to believe it.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4tHSKDjwkl
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNMDnsY2qkO
Eden shivered, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. While she’d been staring out into space, the few people on the street below had disappeared, as if fleeing the coming darkness. It was a fanciful thought—the truth was most people in this area had homes and children that required dinner on the table at a reasonable hour—but she couldn’t shake it.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRszL7icTOS
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDm7bQaOqL
A flicker of movement against the corner of the building across from her window caught her eye, and she frowned, leaning close to the glass. Seconds ticked by, leading into a minute, but nothing else moved. “Weird.” She closed the curtains and flicked on the television, turning it to a mindless comedy. It wouldn’t help. No matter what she did, she could feel her mother’s presence looming over her, waiting for her to miss a step so she could sweep her back into the Elysian fold.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQPy0e60u8
- 85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdlaalASpSK
I’m not going back. I promised myself that when I left, and nothing has happened to change that.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVWFsDfJBo
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi93VkMnw3L
