Page 16 of The Ice Sisters

The crime scene photos showed the girls lying face down, but forensics had captured a shot of their faces during Dr. Whitefeather’s initial exam. The twins had brown hair, heart-shaped faces, small button noses and grass-green eyes. Such sweet, innocent, young faces. They hadn’t deserved to die.

“What do we know about them?” Captain Hale asked.

“They look about seven or eight years old,” Ellie said. “They were lying close together, face down. As if they’d fallen or been pushed.”

Derrick spoke, “No IDs or TOD yet. Dr. Whitefeather is performing the autopsy today, then we should know more. Both girls had broken bones, and cause of death appears to be from the fall, although we don’t know what other injuries they sustained during or prior to their deaths.”

Ellie clasped her hands together to control the tremors running through her. “It’s possible the kids were abducted, and the parents were hurt or killed in the process.”

“Or that one or both parents murdered them,” Bryce interjected.

Ellie shifted. A grim theory but possible. “Ranger McClain is searching the area in case the killer took cover from the storm nearby.”

“ERT is also back this morning,” Derick added.

Ellie turned to the deputies. “Sheriff, take Deputies Eastwood and Landrum and canvass houses and cabins in the vicinity of the Emerald Falls Inn. The town was supposed to kick off their Winterfest today so perhaps someone saw the girls or their parents.”

“I’ll check with other law enforcement agencies to see if they’ve received a report this morning,” Derrick said. “If the parents were hurt during an abduction, they might be in the hospital. I’ll follow up with urgent care facilities and hospitals.”

“Good plan. I’ll search for similar crimes in case we’re dealing with a repeat offender,” Ellie said with a knot in her stomach.

Captain Hale twisted his mouth from side to side. “I’ll arrange a press conference, Detective Reeves.”

It was one of Ellie’s least appealing tasks but necessary. “Of course. Although for now, we keep the photographs and descriptions of the twins under wraps until we locate next of kin.”

If the parents were alive, she didn’t intend for them to see the faces of their deceased children on the news. No parent should lose a child, much less be notified in such a heartless matter.

All the more reason to find them. That and the fact that they might have information on how their daughters ended up dead.

EIGHTEEN

Press conferences always made Ellie anxious, but they were a necessary evil. They could incite panic and solicit false leads, but other times they offered invaluable information.

At the moment, she could use all the help she could get.

She found Angelica Gomez, the local reporter, in the press room with her cameraman Tom already setting up. She and Angelica had butted heads when they’d first met, but during the last few cases they’d forged a working relationship and friendship. Angelica looked professional as always. Her black pant suit accentuated her curves, and she’d secured her glossy black hair into a top bun.

“Morning, Ellie. Are you ready?” Angelica asked.

Ellie smoothed down her ponytail. “Yes. Let’s get it over with so I can get back to work.”

Angelica gripped the mic and signaled Tom she was ready. “This is Angelica Gomez with Channel Five News coming to you with this breaking news.” She angled the mic toward Ellie. “Detective Reeves?”

“Yes, thank you, Ms. Gomez.” She gripped the mic with clammy hands. “Yesterday two unidentified children’s bodies were found by Emerald Falls on Coal Mountain. The girls areidentical twins, approximately seven to eight years old with brown hair and green eyes. They were wearing black sweatpants with pink sweatshirts and had green bows in their hair.”

She inhaled a breath. “We have checked databases for reports of missing children and found none matching their descriptions, but with cell towers and power out in many areas and people stranded by the weather conditions, the family may have not been able to reach us. Please phone the police department if you have seen these girls or have information regarding the parents’ whereabouts. We’ll keep you abreast as new information becomes available.”

She thanked the public and left Angelica to relay the phone numbers for the police and a tip line. Then she hurried to her office to research reports of murders with the same MO.

NINETEEN

Derrick combed missing persons databases again and found two teens reported missing, thought to be runaways from a town fifty miles north of Coal Mountain. There were also reports of a twenty-year-old from Dawsonville and a baby missing from Dahlonega.

But no children matching the description of the twins.

On the off chance the girls had been abducted and their parents injured or killed in the process, he also inquired about adults reported missing, and discovered one thirty-five-year-old female who’d disappeared from Canton, Georgia, but she had no children. A man thought to have abandoned his family had been found in an automobile accident, but his sons were with their mother. No missing daughters.

Derrick put out feelers across the board and promised photographs of the twins but decided to wait until Dr. Whitefeather made them more presentable.

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