Page 11 of Vanish From Sight
Addie lifted the lips to show them. “For a woman with teeth in this shape. I’d say she has one.”
Noah nodded as he stared at the victim. It might take a while but at least it was something.
“Anything else?” Noah asked.
Addie pulled the sheet back a little further. “She has a tattoo on the back side of her wrist.” The two of them leaned forward. In calligraphy was the word SONNY.
“A possible lover, ex-boyfriend or husband?” Ray said, spitting ideas.
“Talking of husbands. The wedding band on her finger. Any engraving?” Noah asked.
“None. One other thing I should mention.” Addie rolled the woman onto her side. “These slightly faded marks wereobtained a few days before death. Now either the person who killed her or someone close to her put her through a lot of pain.”
“Or she was into BDSM,” Ray added.
Noah scrolled through the report to see a close-up of each of the marks. It almost looked like a whip had been used.
“Looks like you have your work cut out for you,” Addie said as Noah handed back the tablet.
“Thanks.”
“No problem. Oh, and one last thing,” she said, turning back to them. “She was pregnant.”
They left the hospital that morning with more questions than answers. While they could expedite getting dental records, and search databases for prints, toxicology would take much longer to get back.
“Thoughts?” Ray asked as they headed back to their vehicles.
“Where do you begin? If she wanted to off herself, why go to all that trouble with the rope if you had a gun? Most of the suicides we’ve been called out to involving firearms are either at home or at a cheap motel. Somewhere they can be found.”
“Maybe she didn’t want to be found,” Ray said.
Noah contemplated his answer. “Or… someone wanted it to look that way.”
Ray got this faraway look in his eyes, he slowed his pace. “Hey, uh, this is probably a bad time to mention this but you’ve got to come to Thanksgiving dinner this week.”
“Of course,” Noah replied.
“At pop’s.”
Noah glanced at him as they continued walking down the corridor toward the exit. Ray continued. “I know what you’re going to say but I think it’s best.”
“Ray, you act like I’m avoiding him.”
“Does he know you’re back?”
Noah’s lip curled. “I wanted to get myself settled before I told him.”
Ray rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well, I’d say you’re settled. Our father is a smart man. He’ll find out soon enough if he doesn’t know already.”
“All right,” Noah replied, pushing his way out into the bright afternoon sun. “I’ll be there.”
5
Saturday, November 19, 2:35 p.m.
Ahard sun flooded the once serene lake, casting a warm glow across its rippling surface. But peace was far from sight with the presence of police cruisers and the forensic team. They were decked out in white hazmat suits and carrying an array of equipment around the lake. Uniformed officers secured the area, trying to prevent anyone from getting close — a feat that was virtually impossible due to the size of the lake.
In less than one day, High Peaks Lake had turned into a circus, attracting the curious, the oddballs, and the morbid vying for a glimpse or the opportunity for internet fame. The media had already caught wind of the death, and a fleet of vans and a slew of reporters from different news organizations had descended upon the scene.
