Page 34 of Deeper Than the Dead

“Sheriff!”

Both Vera and Bent looked toward the voice that had called out. A man, early thirties, dark hair—obviously a member of the forensic investigation team, based on the way he was suited up—was striding their way.

Bent got out; Vera did the same. Until she was told otherwise, she intended to see and hear all possible.

“Conover,” Bent said as he closed his door. “What’s going on?”

Conover glanced across the hood at Vera. “We have a development.” He seemed to have trouble with whatever should come next. Finally, he said, “You need to come into the cave.”

Vera’s heart started to pound. What now? Her emotions were still frazzled from Eve’s accident. Though she didn’t know this man, Conover, she recognized his agitation. Whatever had happened, it was big.

“Stay here,” Bent ordered. “I’ll be right back.” He followed Conover to the cave opening.

Vera watched as the two knelt down and crawled on hands and knees through the opening. It wasn’t tall enough to walk through, but once you were inside, it opened up considerably. She recalled vividly the first time she and Eve went into the cave. They’d thought for sure there would be pirate booty inside somewhere. But they’d never found anything beyond a few arrowheads and an old spoon.

The space wasn’t that big, really.

For the next three or four minutes—which felt like hours—Vera considered what this new development might be. The last time she and Eve were here, there had been nothing—at least, nothing readily visible. Certainly nothing to get excited about. She had never stayed long in the cave. She’d been a bit claustrophobic when it came to areas that tight, especially ones underground. Still was.

She thought again about someone running Eve off the road. Who would do such a thing? With the incident happening at that curve, it was possible the other driver had no idea who Eve was. He or she may have been on his or her cell phone. That sort of thing happened with automobile accidents all the time. The driver may have feared being sued or arrested and took off.

Just because Sheree’s remains had been found here was no cause for anyone to suspect Eve or Vera of wrongdoing.

Unless ... someone knew ...

Ice slid through Vera’s body. Even if someone knew or suspected, why go to the trouble of revenge now? After all this time? Sheree had no family left around town. No friends, as far as Vera was aware. Who would care enough to take revenge?

It made no sense.

“Vee.”

She jerked. Startled, but grateful to be dragged away from the troubling thought. “What’s going on?” His face told her there was something ... something bad. She braced herself for whatever was coming.

“One of Conover’s men is a caver. He did some poking around and found an opening that appeared to lead into a possible second cavern beyond the main space where we’ve been working.” He glanced back to the opening of the cave she and Eve had played in dozens of times as kids. “He assumed it would be a short, narrow dead end, but he was wrong. It led into a slightly larger space.” He lifted his hat and ran a hand through his long hair, then fixed his gaze firmly on Vera’s. “Vee, they found two more sets of human remains there. From what Conover can determine, they’ve been there longer than Sheree ... a few years maybe.”

No. That couldn’t be right. This place was on their farm. No one ever came back here. It was private property.

It was Eve and Vera’s secret place.

Except if those kids had found the cave ... it was possible someone else had as well.

Obviously. It was the only possible explanation for what Bent was saying.

Because there was only supposed to be one set of human remains in that cave. Just one. Vera was absolutely certain about this because she and Eve were the ones who put that body in the cave twenty-two years ago.

Unless someone in her family had ... killed before.

13

Boyett Farm

Good Hollow Road, Fayetteville, 12:10 p.m.

Vera stood on the front porch of her childhood home and watched Bent drive away. It was as hot as blazes, and still she felt chilled to the bone.

Before she could stop it, the memory of tugging with all her might to get Sheree’s lifeless body out of that bathroom expanded in her brain like a balloon being blown up, stretching bigger and bigger until it was ready to pop.

Sheree had weighed a lot more than Vera had expected, no matter that she was hip bone–jutting thin. The only things of any size about her had been her breasts and her lips. Both had gotten her enough male attention to go to her head. She’d used those assets to get what she wanted. Never caring one iota about the impact of her behavior and decisions.

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