The killing hour

CHAPTER 41

Lee County, Virginia

8:53 P . M .

Temperature: 96 degrees

THE BATS CAME OUT. In the inky hues of fading daylight, they glided gracefully among the trees, dive-bombing clusters of fireflies and scattering the flickering lights. The humidity was still unbearable, but with the sun low in the sky and the bats feasting silently overhead, dusk took on a peaceful, almost soothing feel.

When Kimberly was younger, she and her sister had loved to catch fireflies. They would run around their back lawn with Mason jars, trying desperately to capture the shooting darts of lights. Mandy had been horrible at it, but Kimberly had gotten pretty good. They’d sit around the patio table, trying to feed the fireflies stalks of fresh-cut grass or tender stems of dandelions. Then they’d let the flies go again; their mother didn’t allow bugs in the house.

Now Kimberly sat in the circle they had formed around a Coleman lantern, her knee brushing Mac’s, while Rainie and Quincy talked of contacting the local coroner. Ennunzio and Nora Ray sat across from Kimberly. Ray and his team remained off to one side, still working the body.

“We’ve done the best we can,” Quincy was saying. “Now we need to notify the official case team.”

“It’ll only piss them off,” Mac said.

“Why? Because we’ve moved the body, destroyed chain of custody for the evidence, and made the crime scene perfectly useless for basic investigative procedures?” Quincy regarded the younger man drolly. “Yes, I’m sure they will have a few thoughts on the subject.”

“Saving a life always takes priority over preserving a scene,” Mac insisted stubbornly.

“I’m not questioning what we did,” Quincy said. “I’m simply trying to bring us back to reality. We found the body, we brought in professionals to analyze the clues, and now we need to start thinking about what should happen next. I certainly hope none of you is suggesting that we return the body to the cavern. Or worse, leave it unattended.”

Everyone shifted uncomfortably. Quincy was right; none of them had thought that far ahead.

“You contact the official case team, and we’ll spend the rest of the night in jail,” Kimberly pointed out. “Which pretty much defeats the purpose of coming here in the first place.”

“Agreed. I was thinking you and Mac should continue. Rainie and I will wait here for the proper authorities. Sooner or later, someone must face the music.” His gaze rested on Rainie’s face.

“If it’s all the same,” Ennunzio said, “I’d like to continue on with the others. I want to be around if Special Agent McCormack gets another call.”

Mac glanced at the cell phone clipped to his waist and grimaced. “Fat chance, with the signal strength around here.”

“As we get closer to civilization, however…”

“I’m going, too.” Nora Ray was regarding Ennunzio steadily, as if daring the FBI agent to deny her.

“This is outside your responsibility,” Quincy said. “In all honesty, Ms. Watts, the biggest help you could give this team right now is to go home. Your parents must be worried.”

“My parents are worried even when I am home. No. I can help and I’m going to stay.”

The tone of her voice was set and none of them had the energy left to argue. Instead, Kimberly turned to Ennunzio, regarding him curiously. “How did you know about this cave? I understand from Josh Shudt that Orndorff’s Cavern isn’t exactly a common cave for exploration.”

“Not after what the mill did to it,” Ennunzio said, “but twenty, thirty years ago, it used to be beautiful.” He shrugged. “I grew up in this area. Spent my free time running wild among these mountains and caverns. It’s been a long time now, but I like to think it’ll come back to me. And maybe the little bits and pieces I remember can be of help. I hardly know the whole state, but I know this one corner of Virginia fairly well.”

“Do you have any idea where he might have placed the fourth victim?” Quincy spoke up quietly, his eyes on Mac.

The special agent rolled out his shoulders, contemplating the question. “Let’s see… he’s done a Marine base, a national forest, and an underground cavern. So what do we have left? Chesapeake Bay rates high on the geological interest scale. I read about scuba diving in some reservoirs formed by flooding old mining towns-that’s gotta float his boat. Then there are a variety of rivers-last time he liked the Savannah.”

“There are two more major mountain ranges,” Ennunzio considered, but Mac shook his head.

“He’s done forests. He’ll go for something different.”

“What about the coastline?” Nora Ray asked. She was still staring at Ennunzio.

“Beaches around here are more populated than the Georgia coastline,” Mac said. “It’s possible, but I think he’ll look for someplace more remote. We can check with Ray.”

He waved his hand, and after a moment, the USGS man came over. Ray’s face was pale and covered with a fine sheen of sweat. Now that he’d seen an actual body, working a murder case had clearly lost some of its appeal.

“Any luck?” Mac asked him.

“Some. It’s hard to know what to look for on the girl… body… victim. Body.” He seemed to decide. “It, um, it was in the water for a bit, and who knows what that washed away. Kathy found some kind of crumpled leaf in a dress pocket. She’s trying to extract it now without doing more damage; tissue tears easily when this wet. Also, Josh Shudt went in and checked the ledge for us. Lloyd’s now working on some soil samples he took from the girl’s… body’s shoes. I’m trying to go through her purse, since you said he sometimes puts things there.”

“Have you tried the back of the throat?”

“Nothing.”

“I wonder about her stomach,” Mac murmured. “With the first victim, the map, he was very inventive. I’m not sure how he would consider these next ones in line. Maybe we should consider cutting her open.”

Nora Ray got up abruptly and moved away from the lantern light. Mac watched her go, but didn’t apologize.

Ray Lee Chee had turned green. “You didn’t, uh… you didn’t mention anything like that before.”

“We need the coroner,” Quincy said.

“You can’t ask a geologist to serve as ME,” Rainie seconded.

“Oh good,” Ray said. “’Cause I think I’m gonna barf.” He didn’t though. He just turned in a dazed little circle, then returned to them even paler, but with his expression set. “Look, we’ve done about as much as we can here. Best bet is to find a hotel, hole up for a few hours with our equipment, and see what we can figure out. I know you’re in a hurry, but if we gotta guarantee that we’re not sending you off on a wild-goose chase, then we need a shot at doing this right.”

“You’re the boss,” Mac said. “Pack up if that’s what you’d like. Rainie and Quincy are going to remain here with the body. The rest of us will follow you.”

Ray nodded gratefully, then returned to his team.

There didn’t seem much more to say, or much more to do.

Quincy was looking up at the sky. “One more girl to go,” he murmured. “And it’s already dark.”

Tina woke up to the sound of someone’s whimper. It took her a moment to realize it was her own.

The world was black, refusing to come into focus. She almost panicked. Her eyes had swollen shut again or worse, she’d gone blind. Then she realized the black wasn’t pitch black, but only the deep, purple shadows of night.

Hours had passed with her lying in the mud. Now she lifted one arm and attempted to move. Her whole body groaned. She could feel muscles tremble with effort. Her left hip ached, her ribs throbbed. For a moment, she didn’t think anything was going to happen, then she finally rolled over in the mud. She got her arms beneath her for leverage, pushed up weakly, and staggered to her feet.

The world promptly spun. She staggered over to the pit wall, dragging her feet through the heavy muck and grasping desperately at the vines for support. She leaned too far left, then lurched too far right, then finally got her hands planted against the wall. Her stomach rolled and cramped. She bent in agony and tried not to think about what must be happening now.

She cried. She cried all alone in her pit, and it was all that she could do.

Things came back to her in bits and pieces. Her glorious attempt at being a human spider. Her not-so-glorious fall. She lifted her arms again. Tried out her legs and inspected for damage. Technically speaking at least, she was still in one piece.

She tried to take a step. Her right leg buckled and she immediately sank back into the mud. Gritting her teeth, she tried again, only to get the same results. Her legs were too weak. Her body had simply had enough.

So she lay with her head in the cool, soothing muck. She watched the slime ooze and pop inches from her face. And she decided maybe dying wouldn’t be so bad after all.

If she could just get water… Her mouth, her throat, her shriveled stomach. Her parched, festering skin.

She stared at the mud a minute longer, then she staggered up onto her hands and knees.

She shouldn’t… It would kill her. But did that matter anymore?

Spreading her fingers, she flattened them into the muck. The small indent instantly filled with putrid, stinking water.

Tina put down her head and drank like a dog.