Her Last Word(90)

“Don’t worry. I’m not that naive. I do want to get your take on the guy. It will make for a more balanced piece.”

“Sure. I’ll share what I know about him.”

Silence echoed through the line. Then, “Tomorrow evening. By then you should have something to comment on.”



INTERVIEW FILE #25

A STORY THAT WOULDN’T LET GO

Friday, August 15, 2014

“This is Steven Marcus, and I first learned about Gina Mason the day after she vanished. The instant I saw her picture, I knew I would do anything I could to find her. I covered her story several times over those first few months, speaking to the cops, the search crews, and her mother. The story was so raw in those days, and I was new to reporting. I was certain no one would forget about her. But as weeks turned into months and then years, people did move on with their lives. I always cover the story the anniversary of Gina’s disappearance. I refuse to let this story disappear like Gina.”



CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Friday, March 23, 2018; 5:00 p.m.

As Ricker stood by him, Adler knelt by the path of scraggly grass he’d spotted from the tree stand. He scooped up a handful of soil and slowly let it trickle from his fingers.

“Detective Adler. If you don’t need us anymore, we’ll take off.” The question came from one of the members of the GPR crew.

Adler wiped his hands and rose. “Before you pack up, would you scan this area?”

“Sure. I’ll get the crew right now.”

“Give me a shout if you find something,” Adler said.

“Will do, Detective,” he said.

Ricker studied the patch of ground. “Do you think it’s another one?”

“God, I hope not,” Adler said.

Dr. McGowan motioned them over. A humming generator powered the lights at the excavation site as Adler and Ricker strode across undergrowth toward the forensic van she stood beside.

“Detective, Mr. Ricker, I have news,” she said.

Quinn approached the doctor and handed her a hot cup of coffee. “Not the best cup, but it’ll warm you up.”

Dr. McGowan took a sip. “Thanks.”

Quinn shrugged. “Sure.”

“As I said earlier, I found green cloth. I really only have fragments that are clinging to a metal snap.” She handed a plastic evidence bag to Quinn.

The detective held up the bag. “There’s not much of it left, but looks like the remnants of a green dress.”

Adler searched his phone for the picture Jennifer had saved of the four girls by the river. He handed it to Dr. McGowan. “Gina is wearing the green sundress.”

The doctor studied the image. “I see design similarities between this and what I found.”

Adler tucked the phone back in his pocket. “What else have you found?”

“I have unearthed the top portion of the skull. Based on a thin brow line, I can say the victim is a young female.”

“How do you know her age?” Quinn handed the evidence bag to Ricker.

“The sagittal suture.” Dr. McGowan drew her gloved finger over the top of her head. “When we’re born there’s a soft spot in the center of our head. The bones need to be flexible so the brain can grow. But from the day we’re born, the left and right sides of our skull begin to close and create the sagittal suture, which is basically a line down the center of our skull. It continues to harden and close until we’re in our midthirties. Based on this victim’s skull, I believe she was less than twenty years old.”

“Do you know how she died?” Adler asked.

“Too early to say. I don’t see any trauma on the skull, but I have a lot more bones to excavate. I did find the hyoid bone, and it appears intact.” This horseshoe-shaped bone was located in the neck and would snap when a victim was strangled.

“Is she Gina Mason?” Ricker asked.

“My office has requested dental records, so we’ll make a comparison at the lab once I unearth the mandible. I understand Gina had several fillings on her two back molars, so it shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Did you find anything with the bones?” Adler asked.

“Nothing yet, but we’ll be sifting all the dirt as we go.”

Adler remembered Gina’s smiling picture at Kaitlin’s lecture. “How long will it take?” he asked.

“Several hours. There’s no point in you remaining here. I’ll contact you when I’m finished.”

“Thanks, Doc,” Ricker said.

Dr. McGowan left the trio and returned to her crew.

“She’s meticulous and won’t miss a thing.” Quinn rolled her shoulders, then turned her head from side to side.

“Did you bring your yoga mat, Quinn?” Adler asked.

She laughed. “I would have if there weren’t so many cops here.”

The GPR technician called out to Adler and Quinn, “Detectives. A word?”

“I don’t like that look,” Ricker muttered.

“Me neither,” Adler said.

The detectives and Ricker moved toward the technician. The gray image on the radar screen showed a series of waves.

“A body?” Adler asked.

“Looks like it.”

“Jesus, another one?” Quinn whispered.