Deadly Promises (Tracers #2.5)(77)

“I’m shocked,” Kelsey said. “Did you have the heart to tell him the true meaning of top priority around there? And why am I on speaker phone?”

“I’m in the Jeep,” Mia said. “Stick shift and cell phones don’t mix.”

“It’s after ten. Don’t tell me you’re just leaving work.”

“Okay, I won’t. Actually, I’m glad you called. There’s a chance your case could get bumped to the front of my line. What’s your estimate of the postmortem interval on this thing?”

Kelsey paused. “I’d say six months to a year.”

“Hmm…”

“That’s a loaded hmm. What’s going on?”

The Delphi Center’s electronic gates parted. Mia waved at the guard and rolled through, then turned onto the two-lane highway that would take her into San Marcos.

“It’s possible your case could be related to an ongoing federal investigation,” Mia said.

“You’re kidding.”

“It’s a missing person case. About three months ago I got a bone sample in from Del Rio, which isn’t far from you. I was asked to use mitochondrial DNA and get a profile for comparison with a known sample. It was all very urgent. The agent who brought me the sample—”

“Wait a second. Are we talking FBI?”

Mia didn’t say anything, knowing her silence would be confirmation enough.

“Why wouldn’t they send it to Quantico?”

“I’m not sure,” Mia said. “But from what I gather, this investigator had an in at the Delphi Center and knew he could get a quick turnaround. I was ordered to analyze it ASAP, and that’s just what I did.”

“And?”

“And the results weren’t what they had hoped. Whoever their missing person is, the bone isn’t his.”

“His?”

“The missing person is male. Have you determined the sex on these bones yet?”

“I think so,” Kelsey said. “We found the femur this afternoon and I’ve been working on it all night. I can tell you it’s human, large in stature, probably male. And definitely an adult.”

“If the bone has been there six months to a year that would fit with my case, too.”

“Do the feds have dental records on this missing person?” Kelsey asked.

“I’m not sure. Why?”

“He’s got some distinctive dental work. Expensive. You should get our forensic odontologist to take a look.”

“I’ll do that.”

“Are you going to fill me in on what this is about?”

Mia heard the annoyance in her friend’s voice. They didn’t normally keep secrets but, in this case, it wasn’t Mia’s decision.

“I wish I could,” she said. “I’ll let you know what develops. Probably by late tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? Mia, come on. What in the world is this about?”

“I don’t know yet,” she lied. “But I’ll tell you more as soon as I can.”

KELSEY HUNG UP the satellite phone, baffled. She walked over to the stove and stirred her pot of soup as she tried to decipher Mia’s words.

The Delphi Center was known for its rapid turnaround time. It was one of the things that set the lab apart from publicly funded crime labs around the country. But in her three years as a tracer, Kelsey had never once had one of her cases get bumped to the front of the line. And she’d worked on some high-profile investigations.

What had she stumbled into?

A light tap sounded at the door and her pulse jumped. Maybe it was Gage. He’d been standoffish earlier, and she’d been feeling snubbed.

She opened the door to find Dr. Robles standing in the drizzle. He wore a yellow rain slicker, and with his gray beard he looked like the fisherman from those seafood commercials.

“I’ve finished my examination of your femur,” he said, pushing his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose. “I concur with most of your findings, but I think your height estimate is a bit high. I would say five-eleven.”

“Thanks for the second opinion.” Kelsey opened the door wider and waved a hand at the stove. “Would you like a bowl of soup? I was just about to eat.”

“Thank you, no. I should get to bed.” He glanced uneasily over his left shoulder. “But you might offer the same hospitality to your friend.”

“What?”

“Your police detective.” The professor’s look turned disapproving. “He shouldn’t have to sleep in the rain.”

Kelsey poked her head outside and spotted the long dark lump beneath one of the nearby shade tarps.

“Oh my God.” She stalked over to him. “Gage! What are you doing?”

He opened one eye and peered up at her in the dimness. “Trying to get some sleep.”

“You can’t sleep out here!”

“Not with you yelling at me.”

“But… I thought you were in your truck.”

“Decided to stretch out tonight.”

“Get up. This is ridiculous. You don’t even have a sleeping bag.” He was using his duffel for a pillow, for crying out loud.

“Kelsey, I’m fine. Go back to bed.”