Stone Cold Heart (Tracers #13)(26)
“Still?”
“Her DNA is in the database, but we’ve never had a hit. I just checked for any updates. Neither woman’s case was ever solved.”
“You’re saying—”
“I’m not saying anything definitive,” Sara said. “Not yet. The twine we recovered Sunday is still being analyzed. And it’s not that uncommon. Could be the similarities in the cases are purely coincidental.”
Nolan looked at the photo again. “This theory—were you ever going to tell me?”
“I’m telling you now.”
“You knew it this morning. Hell, you knew it on Sunday.”
“I didn’t want to alarm you if we didn’t find more remains.”
Anger flared in his eyes. “This is my jurisdiction, Sara. It’s my job to be alarmed. Don’t protect me from information, ever.”
She drew back, surprised by his vehemence. But she shouldn’t have been.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” She watched him, noting his tense shoulders, the firm set of his jaw. “If there is a connection, we’ll know soon enough. My contact in Knoxville is sending a sample of the twine for comparison. Our cordage expert at Delphi will analyze it and let you know.”
“Same cause of death in both of these cold cases?”
“That’s right. The killer used a garrote.”
“A garrote? Jesus.”
“The wounds show both women were approached from behind, and he wrapped some sort of wire around their necks. No gunshots. No blunt-force trauma. Just a wire.”
Nolan shook his head. He looked at the photo again. “I want the case files. Both of them.”
“I’ll put you in touch with the lead detective.” She watched him, wishing she didn’t have to add to everything he was already dealing with.
“You believe these other cases are connected to Kaylin’s,” he stated.
“I don’t know. But I’d be surprised if they’re not.”
Nolan leaned back in his chair and waited.
“According to news articles,” Sara continued, “Kaylin was last seen by her friends in White Falls Park. So it’s possible she saw something.”
“You mean like a body being dumped?”
She nodded. “Or a suspicious vehicle in the park. Or maybe she personally knew the perpetrator, and she stumbled across something he didn’t want her to see. Kaylin could be the key to everything.”
Nolan raked his hand through his hair. He looked every bit as drained as she was, and he hadn’t spent the day tromping around a ravine.
“One other thing,” she said. “I’d like to see the other park where Kaylin’s backpack was found.”
He frowned. “Why?”
“It’s a crime scene. I’ve been to quite a few over the years. Maybe something will stand out about it.” She waited a beat. “It might help you to get a fresh perspective.”
He watched her, clearly debating whether to accept her offer. Then he glanced at his watch. “It’s almost six.”
Sara shrugged. She wasn’t planning to leave town anytime soon, but she didn’t tell him that.
“Fair warning, I’m on call tonight,” he told her.
“So am I. Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 9
They took Nolan’s pickup, and Sara felt an odd familiarity riding in it for the second time. She tipped her head back against the seat and let her shoulders relax as he expertly navigated downtown traffic.
“Lot of calls today?” she asked.
“Not too bad.” He glanced at her. “Yet.”
“Things will probably get going soon.”
The town whisked by, a blur of old-fashioned storefronts, many with red-white-and-blue bunting hanging in the windows. Most of the shops were closed, but people clustered on the sidewalks, and Sara noted a long line at the ice cream parlor on the corner. They passed a town square, where more red-white-and-blue decorated a gazebo. A band was setting up, and several food trucks were parked along the sidewalk. A crowd of people waited outside a silver Airstream with JETHRO’S BBQ painted on the side, and another food truck advertised corn dogs and deep-fried Oreos.
At a glance, it was a charming scene, a charming town, with so many residents out enjoying the holiday, oblivious to anything sinister happening close by.
“You want to hear more about the Kaylin Baird case?” Nolan gave her a sidelong look.
“I do.”
“I take it you already read the basics online.”
“I read what was in the paper.”
“The Gazette or the Austin-American Statesman?”
“Both.”
“Okay, so you know she disappeared fourteen months ago. It was a Saturday. She’d gone with a group of friends to White Falls Park, and they split up around eight A.M.”
“Sounds early. What time did they get there?”
“Seven. It was five kids piled into a little white Kia. We confirmed that with the ranger who took their money and gave them a day pass. He remembers seeing Kaylin in the front passenger seat.”
“Who was driving?”
“Luke Kopcek, her boyfriend.”
Sara looked at him.