Deadly Promises (Tracers #2.5)(76)

And so it began, the painstaking process of combing the ground, inch by inch, beneath the blistering Texas sun. At the outset energy was high. The students seemed to welcome a break in their routine, and Kelsey was counting on their enthusiasm to make up for their lack of formal training. This wasn’t a search and recovery squad, but she’d worked with volunteers before, and she knew what to expect.

And as expected walking at a snail’s pace, head down, in the scorching heat eventually lost its appeal. Muscles ached. Eyes burned. Minds began to wander. After four hours of fruitless searching, she could tell everyone was ready to get back to the relative comfort of the caves and tarps.

Everyone but Gage. He worked doggedly, without complaint, looking totally undaunted by both the climate and the task.

For the millionth time this afternoon, Kelsey checked her watch. Still no deputy. Her temper festered. What could be keeping him? And why hadn’t Sattler so much as put in an appearance today? Kelsey didn’t understand how he could be so blasé about a potential murder within his jurisdiction.

“Whoa, check it out!”

Kelsey’s head snapped up at the gleeful words. Rohit, a PhD candidate in cultural anthropology, had dropped to his knees beside a prickly pear cactus.

“I think it’s a femur.”

Kelsey and the rest of the team rushed over. It was, indeed, a femur. But was it animal or human? She would need to examine a cortex sample under a microscope to be sure. But the size looked good, as did the joint surfaces.

A shadow fell over her and she glanced up to see Gage.

“You look excited,” he said.

“This is good. A femur will tell us a lot. Stature, sex, probably PMI.”

“PMI?”

“Postmortem interval. The time since death. I can look at a cross section and get an idea.” She turned to Rohit. “Could you get my camera bag?”

He sprinted off, and the rest of the team wandered away to find shade and break out their canteens.

Gage crouched down beside her, shielding her from the sun with his body. “You sure it’s not from a cow or something?”

“We’ll find out. But my hunch says it’s our guy. Now we just need the rest of him.” She glanced around. They’d crossed over to the west side of the road, but they weren’t far from it, maybe sixty yards. She was gaining more confidence in her roadside execution theory.

Gage stood up and shrugged out of his backpack. “Nice work, Dr. Quinn.” He unzipped the pack and handed her a bottle of water. “Now, drink up. You look like you’re about to pass out.”

She stood up and swigged, then passed back the bottle. He took a long gulp, and her stomach fluttered as she watched his throat move.

“Thanks for helping,” she said. “You don’t have to do this, you know.”

He screwed the cap back on. “Now you tell me.”

She felt a pang of guilt. “You could knock off for the day. If you’re tired—”

“Who says I’m tired?” The side of his mouth curled up.

“You’re sweating.”

“It’s hot.”

“Yeah, well, I’d think you’d be more into water sports.”

He gave her a quizzical look.

“You’re a SEAL. We’re in the desert.”

“Sea-Air-Land, SEAL.” He smiled fully now. “Didn’t your uncle teach you anything?”

His eyes twinkled with amusement as he gazed down at her. It was the first time he’d smiled at her, and for a moment she couldn’t breathe.

Don’t do it, Kelsey. Don’t you dare fall for this beautiful man who has to leave in a few days.

She looked away—at the ground, the road, the cactus. Anything but Gage.

And that’s when she spotted him.

“Sattler’s guy showed,” Gage said.

Kelsey set off toward him. “It’s about goddamned time.”





Five

It was the perfect night. Clear. Breezy. The temperature had even dipped below ninety. It was an ideal time to be out with friends, sitting at one of the riverfront bars, laughing and drinking margaritas.

Instead, Mia Voss was headed home to an empty apartment, and the computer bag slung over her shoulder was stuffed with unfinished reports.

She reached for her keys just as her purse started to glow and sing. She checked the number on her phone. Darn it, she’d forgotten to call Kelsey.

“I’m so sorry,” Mia said, juggling computer, purse, and phone as she slid behind the wheel of her Jeep. “Yes, I got your message. And yes, he brought the bone.”

Silence on the other end.

“Kelsey?”

“Who brought the bone?”

“The sheriff’s guy.” Mia backed out of her space and nestled the phone in her lap so she could shift gears. “He had a ten-gallon hat and everything. Very Lonesome Dove.”

“You’re telling me Sheriff Sattler had someone personally deliver my package to the Delphi Center?”

“You sound surprised,” Mia said.

“I am. So far, he hasn’t had the slightest interest in this case. At least, I thought he hadn’t.”

“Well, evidently someone’s interested, because this guy was under strict orders not to simply leave the package with the evidence clerk. He had me paged down to the lobby to make sure I knew that his item had arrived and it was top priority.”