Stone Cold Heart (Tracers #13)(16)

Kathy Baird was seated at a table with her purse at her feet and her hands in her lap. Not long ago, the woman had been a whirlwind of energy, organizing Springville’s annual Bikes for Kids fund-raiser every Christmas. But Kaylin had gone missing last summer, and everything had changed. At first, she’d poured all her energy into the search, mobilizing hundreds of people to comb the park and pass out flyers. But as the months dragged by, all that energy had drained away, and now she looked haggard. She’d once been one of those athletic-looking women with a tennis tan and perfectly highlighted blond hair. Now her cheeks were gaunt. She’d let her hair go to its natural brown and had a thick streak of gray on the right side.

“Mrs. Baird.” Nolan shook her hand as she stood up.

“Good to see you, Nolan.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “How are your folks?”

“Fine. Thanks. You know Detective Vazquez?”

“Of course.”

Talia nodded and smiled as the woman sank back into her chair. Instead of the designer workout gear she used to wear, she now wore a faded T-shirt and jeans. Talia took the seat across from her, but she wasn’t paying attention to Talia. She was focused on Nolan, searching his face for any hint that there might be news.

“I’m here about the discovery in the park,” she said.

Nolan took a chair and angled it so that he was facing her without the table between them. He looked Kaylin’s mother directly in the eye.

“We recovered some bones in White Falls Park,” he said. “They were in Rattlesnake Gorge, on the far west side.”

“Sam told me. Kaylin liked to hike there. She went there all the time.”

“Yes, ma’am. I know.”

“He said he gave you her X-rays. Can you tell whether it’s—”

“We don’t know anything conclusive yet. The remains were transported to the Delphi Center forensic lab. I’m on my way to talk to one of the specialists now.”

Hope flared in her eyes, and she leaned forward. “Will you call me after? As soon as you know anything?”

“Yes, I will.”

“And you gave them the X-rays?”

“I did.”

She leaned back in her chair, and her shoulders sagged. Her attention shifted to Talia, and Talia was struck by the deep sadness in her eyes.

“You know, I dream about her all the time. Almost every night.” She smiled slightly. “It’s something I look forward to.”

Talia didn’t know what to say. The comment seemed directed at her, and she darted a look at Nolan for help. He simply watched the woman patiently, as if he had all the time in the world.

“Well.” She blew out a sigh and picked up her purse. “I won’t keep you.” She stood up. “You can call us anytime.”

“I have all your numbers.”

“I’ll see myself out.”

Talia watched her cross the bull pen and wondered if she noticed how everyone glanced away, avoiding eye contact. She was probably used to that by now.

She looked at Nolan. “She looks old enough to be Kaylin’s grandmother.”

“Stress’ll do that to you.”

“So, you’re off to San Marcos?”

“Yep.”

Talia watched his reaction. Was this a business trip only, or was there some other reason he was going, such as a certain forensic anthropologist?

She followed him back to his desk, unable to resist ribbing him. “Wouldn’t it be easier to pick up the phone?”

“Easier but less effective. People can ignore a phone call.” Nolan grabbed a stack of reports from his in-box and thumbed through. He met her gaze. “If you really want answers, you need to show up and talk to people face-to-face.”

He was using his training-officer voice. She didn’t mind, really. Nolan was a good mentor, and she was lucky to have him. Still, she had to give him crap when he got bossy.

“Thank you, Obi-wan,” she said.

“Anytime.” He smiled and grabbed his car keys, clearly eager to get on the road, which answered her question.

“Let me know how it goes,” she said. “And say hi to Sara for me.”

? ? ?

Nolan stood by the fountain, watching the quadrangle as the sky darkened and the fireflies came out. The university was quiet tonight, with only a trickle of students moving in and out of the library. He tried to remember the last time he’d been on a college campus. Probably during his patrol days in Austin when he’d been responding to some complaint at UT.

The door to the auditorium opened, and people filed out—mostly middle-aged and mostly without cell phones glued to their hands. The continuing-education crowd, and it really was a crowd. Dr. Sara Lockhart was a popular attraction.

She stepped outside, and Nolan knew the instant she spotted him. Her expression went from surprised to happy to wary, all in a few fleeting moments. Nolan focused on the second reaction as she approached him. She wore black jeans with a lightweight blazer, and her computer bag was slung over her shoulder. This was her college-professor look.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Sitting in on your lecture.”

“How did you find me?”

He smiled. “I’m a detective.”

Her eyebrows arched.