An Evil Heart by Linda Castillo

Author:Linda Castillo [Castillo, Linda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 16

When you’re a cop and you need information, you can pretty much bet your ass you’re not going to get it any time soon. I spent most of the night at the scene where the body was discovered. Doc Coblentz was reticent; there was simply no way he could relay any preliminary information regarding cause or manner of death because the body was wrapped in plastic and bound with tape, all of which must be handled as evidence.

I was loath to call Tomasetti when he already has a major case on his plate. But with two homicides on my hands, even with the involvement of the sheriff’s department, I’m in over my head. So I called him and, of course, he came.

In an effort to preserve evidence, I limited the number of people allowed in to the scene to recover the body. That, of course, slowed down the process tremendously.

Once the body was recovered and the crime scene turned over to us by the coroner, I stayed another couple of hours, hoping the BCI techs would come up with some scrap of evidence. But there was nothing to be had. At dawn, rather than pacing the bridge and accomplishing nothing, I left the scene to interview the Amish girl who discovered the body.

All I learned was that the discovery was happenstance. A girl going to pick up groceries for her mamm. Instead, she discovered a scene out of a nightmare, one she and her family won’t forget any time soon.

Tomasetti did his job; he gave it his all and, as always, his presence was tremendously helpful. He got the victim fingerprinted quickly, the prints scanned and sent to AFIS, the Automated Fingerprint Identification System. He gave the police lab in London, Ohio, a heads-up and asked them to expedite the evidence coming their way. I could tell he was distracted. No doubt he’s preoccupied with the two missing girls, wondering if today is the day their bodies will be found. If this is the day he’ll have to sit down with the parents and tell them their children won’t be coming home. He had to be in Cleveland at seven A.M., so he left around two so he could grab a couple of hours of sleep and a shower. I miss him already. I know he’s a strong man; he’s certainly been through worse. Even so, I worry.

It’s nearly eight A.M. now. I’m in the waiting area of the morgue at Pomerene Hospital, checking my phone for the hundredth time, waiting for information.

The door swishes open. I glance up to see Sheriff Mike Rasmussen enter, looking as tired and frazzled as I am. He looks at me with a frown as he strides over to me. “Anything from Coblentz?”

Shaking my head, I rise and we shake. “He’s not talking and I’ve been here an hour.”

“We should have heard back from AFIS by now.” He glances at his watch and curses. “We need to get her IDed.”

I’ve known Mike since I became chief.

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