“Well, first I’d have to point out that the number one cause of death in any fire is smoke inhalation. Smoke is a mixture of heated particles and gas, which are often toxic. Once you breathe that in, there is no room for oxygen. Small particles are inhaled deep into the lungs. Vernon Doherty showed no signs of carbon monoxide in his blood, which tells me he was dead before the fire started.”
“What about bruising and lacerations on other parts of his body?”
“Hmm. Even if the outside of a body is charred, the inner organs are usually fine. If the skin splits, muscle can be exposed. But lacerations, unless deep, won’t usually be revealed. Broken bones, on the other hand, would show a pattern that would be distinguishable.”
It was quiet for a moment before she asked, “Is there something else?”
“This might be a strange question,” Ben said, “but bear with me. In your professional opinion, could Vernon Doherty have been dead before first impact?”
“Other than the driver’s blood alcohol level, there are no other indications of cause of death,” she said. “No heart attack or anything like that, if that’s what you’re alluding to?”
Ben shook his head. “Not exactly. Let’s pretend for a moment that someone else was driving. Hypothetical, of course.”
“Of course.”
“In that case, could Vernon Doherty have been dead for up to an hour or two before the crash occurred?”
She frowned. “It’s possible, but difficult to determine because of the time it took to pull the wreckage and get to Vernon’s body. Rigor mortis is normally the first thing noted by an ME. Rigor normally starts in the smaller muscles in the face and neck within hours of death and then lasts up to thirty hours or so.”
“And rigor mortis had set in,” Ben said.
“By the time his body was examined, yes.” She raised a brow. “Does that help?”
He nodded. “Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. You’ve been a big help.” She was knowledgeable and helpful, but unfortunately, he still wasn’t any closer to the truth about that night.
Jessie kept her eyes on the road as she thought about Arlo and the hopeless look she’d seen on his face at the police station. It bothered her to think she’d been so easily fooled.
She used Bluetooth to call Colin, letting him know she was headed to Woodland. There was no answer, so she left a message. After she hung up the phone, she thought about the image of the man in Zee’s sunglasses.
Had Zee become infatuated with Forrest Bloom and run away with him? Or perhaps he was taking advantage of Zee’s mental instability.
Intent on finding out, she got off on Exit 33, following the directions on her phone, which took her down a seemingly endless country road. She passed by an equestrian facility followed by a variety of crops, finally making a right onto a gravel driveway.
By the time she parked and shut off the engine, she realized that even if she headed home now, she wouldn’t be back before Olivia returned from school. She picked up the phone and left Olivia a message, letting her know she’d be home soon after Bella’s mom dropped her off.
In front of her was a faded blue farmhouse with peeling paint and a crumbling roof. She grabbed her pepper spray, climbed out, and slipped it into her back pocket.
The bottom of her shoes crunched against the pebbly rocks as she walked along, breathing in the scent of manure mixed with honeysuckle. Two wobbly wooden steps brought her to a wraparound porch. She knocked, waited, and then looked around before pressing her face next to the only sliver of glass not covered by the flowery-print curtains hanging inside. With her hands cupped around her eyes, she could see past a couple of worn couches. There was a round wooden table circled by four high-back chairs. The placed looked neat and well taken care of.
After knocking again, she walked over to one end of the porch, where she could see fields of tall grass dotted with trees. She walked back down the steps toward her car, plunked her hands on hips, and stood there for a moment. Zee, she thought. Where are you?
Looking over her shoulder at the house, she decided it would be crazy to leave without taking a better look around. With her mind made up, she turned around and followed the dirt path that led around the side of the house. Maybe someone was in the backyard. Surely Forrest Bloom would understand her concern once she explained that Zee was missing. Judging by how happy Zee had looked in the pictures, Forrest and Zee were friends, at the very least.
When she got to the backyard, she took another long look at her surroundings. The only movement was a horse in a distant field. About twenty feet away was a barn. It was wrong to trespass, but she’d come all this way, and she hated to leave knowing he might be nearby. “Hello!” she called out.
A strangled cry floated through the air.
She stopped and listened, then figured she was hearing things.
There it was again. In the distance she saw what looked like a pigpen. Figuring an animal might be pinned or trapped within the fence, she headed that way, hoping she could help. As she passed by a crudely built wooden box, she heard the noise again.
Her skin prickled.
It took her a few seconds to realize the noise was coming from inside the rectangular box. Both sides of it were warped, but the top looked newly constructed with fresh plywood. Jessie leaned over and struggled to lift the lid before she saw that the plywood had been nailed shut. Heart pounding, she dropped to her knees. “Is someone in there?”
This time she heard the muffled screams loud and clear.
Her adrenaline roared to life. She jumped to her feet. Oh my God. Her only thought was to get whoever was inside out of there.
“Help me!”
Her stomach quivered as she tried again to open the lid. It was no use. The barn. There had to be tools inside. “I’m going to get you out of there. I’ll be back!”
She turned and ran for the barn in hopes of finding a crowbar, anything at all to remove the lid. When she stepped inside, she slid her phone from her back pocket to call for help. By the time she heard movement behind her, it was too late.
FORTY-TWO
Ben and his wife were in their bedroom. The door was locked. Melony was pacing the floor in front of the bed while Ben changed out of his work clothes.
“What were you thinking?” Melony asked him. “Bringing our daughter to the morgue? Did you know she caught a glimpse of a corpse as it was wheeled through the hallway?”
He shook his head. “She didn’t mention it.”
“What’s going on, Ben? You promised me twice that you would get help.”
He sighed.
“I talked to Lori Mitchell today, and she said she called and left you a message to come see her and that you never showed up.”
“Melony,” he said after he pulled a T-shirt over his head, “I’ve got a lot going on right now. I really don’t need to be lectured. I’ll make another appointment. I promise.”
She stopped pacing and instead crossed her arms tightly over her chest. “Abigail said that you embarrassed her in front of her friends and the new coach.”
“Have you met the guy?”
“Of course I have. He’s a good man, a decent husband and father. He’s a busy man, just like you, but he finds the time to coach the girls.”
“I might think that was a very generous way for him to spend his free time if I hadn’t seen the way he touched some of the girls, including our daughter.”
“What are you talking about?”
“He’s a phony, Melony. His hands were everywhere, including around Abigail’s shoulders. He had the team in a huddle, and I saw his thumb brushing against her bare neck. I didn’t like it.”
Melony stiffened. “I’m sure you’re imagining things.”
“I hope for Abigail’s sake that you’re right.”
He grabbed his car keys from the top of the dresser.
“Where are you going now?”
“It’s a long story.”
“I have time.” She released a heavy sigh. “Are you seeing someone, Ben? Because if you are, I want you to tell me right now. I don’t want to hear it from Susan or Diane across the street.”