Fatal Action by Diane Capri

Author:Diane Capri
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: AugustBooks
Published: 2021-07-31T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THREE

It was barely nine o’clock and the summer sun beat down on her car forcing the air conditioning to work overtime with very little success. Droplets of sweat pooled along her brow and dripped down the back of her neck.

Forty-eight hours.

She imagined she heard the ticking clock.

Somehow, even with her small crew, she had to interview the Cabbots, all their friends and family, everyone who could possibly know or have seen the kids—school, teachers, day care, bakery employees, truckers at the truck stop, too.

She was exhausted just thinking about it. But first, she’d go inside and get the preliminary information from the crime scene techs.

She stepped from the stifling hot car into the marginally cooler morning, and covered the winding path to the door quickly. The doorknob scorched her palm as she turned it.

Wincing, she looked up to find the lead crime tech staring.

“Jane,” Marilyn said, “What do you have for me?”

The older woman shook her head. “Not much of anything in the bedroom. Nothing broken, the window was still locked. Luminol did turn up some trace blood on the girl’s pillowcase, though.”

“Probably from a nosebleed.” Alicia had appeared at Jane’s shoulder. She must have overheard the conversation from her seat in the kitchen. “She always gets…” She stopped short, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then corrected herself, “she used to get nosebleeds in the middle of the night during summertime. The doctor said it was because of the dry heat.”

Jane nodded. “That would be consistent with what we found. It was deep in the fibers of the pillow case, which was covered by the blankets, and nowhere else. We’re pulling prints. We need prints from the parents to exclude them.”

Marilyn looked to Alicia, who nodded, “Of course.”

“Sounds good. Give me five more minutes and they’re all yours.” Jane tipped her head in a clipped nod and stalked off.

Marilyn guided Alicia toward the kitchen. Alicia settled onto a stool while Marilyn pulled out her notepad. It still only had one name written in Marilyn’s precise hand—Tim Wagoner, and then later, she’d added, Pastor. Before the day was over, there’d likely be two dozen or so names on the list.

“Okay, we’ve found no obvious signs of a struggle. So far, we have no point of forced entry. Do you lock your doors every night?”

“Yes, but,” Alicia looked at her husband, “I don’t recall if we did last night.”

“I locked up same as always, right after Tim left.”

“Do you leave a spare key somewhere? Inside or outside the house?” Marilyn asked.

Alicia shook her head. “I saw on television that you weren’t supposed to.”

“And does anyone else have the keys to your house other than the two of you?” Marilyn asked, a little more firmly this time. “Really think. Anyone who watched the place during a vacation, maybe?”

“No, nobody—” Owen started, but he was interrupted by the smack of a window opening and colliding with the sill. Brady had been studying the window panes along the kitchen wall, and he blinked in surprise before turning to face Marilyn.

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