“No, we took samples from under the victim’s fingernails on arrival. That’s the DNA sequencer I set up when we got back from the fire scene.” Wolfe shrugged. “She had cells under her nails but they could have been her own.”
Holding her breath waiting for Emily to come back through the door, Jenna stared into space as Wolfe described the body of Pamela Stuart, her height, weight, and age. She was small for her age but in good physical condition. The door buzzed open and Emily came in and handed an iPad to Wolfe. Jenna exhaled and waited in anticipation.
“We have foreign DNA.” Wolfe handed her the tablet. “I ran a match against her own. She could have scratched her killer.”
Behind her, Carter sprang into action. He was on his phone making a call. Jenna looked at him. “Can the call wait until we’re finished here?”
“Nope.” He looked at Wolfe. “I have Kalo standing by, can you send him the data? He’ll run the DNA through all databases, it will take hours or maybe days but if this guy is in the system or has had his DNA tested to discover his family tree, we’ll find him.”
“You can email straight from the tablet.” Wolfe looked at Jenna. “Are you ready to proceed?”
Jenna watched Carter head for the hallway and nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”
“In my preliminary examination, I noted hemorrhages in the eyes and a mark on her cheek consistent with an imprint of a man’s hand. She, as you can see, has superficial injuries. Scratches and marks on her thighs consistent with the removal of her clothes by force. She has deep contusions embedded with soil on her knees. There is evidence of tape residue on her wrists and face but the residue has debris in it so it was removed before she died. The search for her, discovered a school backpack but no fibers or remnants of her clothes or tape have been discovered at this time. The X-rays taken before you arrived show no indication of blunt force trauma, or strangulation.”
“Someone disturbed him.” Kane stood arms folded across his chest. “She made a noise and he smothered her to keep her quiet. He must have been somewhere secluded, a safe place for him. The injuries to her knees are significant, they go with the torn clothing. He forced her to her knees and raped her in the forest, didn’t he, the lowlife?”
“If you’ll permit me to continue, I’ll examine her.” Wolfe’s eyebrows raised. “Maybe you need to take a break?”
“Yeah.” Kane’s eyes flashed with rage and he headed for the door.
Dismayed, Jenna stared after him. She could hear his boots pacing on the tile outside the door. She forced her mind to concentrate on the autopsy. “Do you have a time of death?”
“The heat of the trunk confuses the body temperature reading.” Emily looked at her. “From the state of rigor, she was dead inside the trunk at least overnight. Which would mean he kept her alive for at least the first night she went missing. We estimate the time of death to be sometime on Friday morning.”
“There is indication of forced sexual activity.” Wolfe’s eyes held a deep sorrow. “You have your hands full with this murderer.”
“I wonder exactly what happened to him to trigger another violence spree.” Jo shook her head. “If this is the DC bomber, to him it’s history repeating itself but, before, the clean way he killed made it almost impersonal. More of a payback. This time, the raping and torture of his victims, means someone else is involved. Someone was taken from him of great value and revenge is the only motive I have for this twist in his MO.”
Mind reeling with the implications, Jenna’s mind wandered during the rest of the autopsy. The findings would arrive neatly in a report but what Jo had said concerned her. Both of their main suspects had very personal reasons as motives but had the killing of Sheriff Stuart been the end of the vendetta? She allowed the evidence to filter through her mind. What did social workers, sheriffs, lawyers, and magistrates have in common? She turned to Jo and gripped her by the arms. “I have it! I’ve been thinking this guy must have done time, got out of jail, and wanted revenge on the people who put him there but apart from Cleaves spending three months in jail, the social worker part of the puzzle doesn’t add up. Okay, they might assist an ex-con but where are they most active? Child protection.”
“So, you think one of our suspects was placed in the system and they went batshit crazy and decided to killed everyone involved?” Jo looked astonished. “That should be easy enough to hunt down but why go off on a killing rampage now? This doesn’t look like the work of an eighteen-year-old?”
Excited, Jenna shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe dealing with the Woods triggered an old memory or something. We need to get back to the office and find out if any of our suspects were in foster care.” She whirled around and looked at Wolfe. “Is that okay?”
“Yeah.” Wolfe’s eyes sparkled over the top of his mask. “Go get ’em, Jenna.”
Fifty-Three
Julie Wolfe checked the time. She didn’t want to be late at the Colemans’ house. Now she had her own vehicle, a rather tattered but sound SUV her father and Kane had practically built from scratch, and a shiny new driver’s license, she could do odd jobs at the weekend. Her sister Anna had a friend at school, Lucy Coleman, and Julie had met her mother a few times. When Lucy’s mother asked if she could babysit Lucy and her baby brother, Peter, for three hours on Saturday night, she’d jumped at the chance. The Colemans wanted to celebrate their wedding anniversary at the new tavern in town. Her father had agreed, as Mr. Coleman was the local magistrate, although she expected him to run a background check on the entire family. She went to look in on Anna. With her dad and Emily at the morgue playing with dead people, Anna would be happy with the housekeeper, Mrs. Mills, who’d become almost like a grandma since they’d arrived in Black Rock Falls. She headed into the family room and smiled, recognizing the songs to a popular movie. Mrs. Mills and Anna were engrossed staring at the screen. Julie raised her voice. “I’ll see you later. Tell Dad I should be home by ten and if not, I’ll call.”
She headed for the front door, swinging her car keys. The new freedom was a curse as well as an advantage. In the last week or so, she’d taken on all Emily’s driving chores, and her phone was filled with messages to stop by stores to buy groceries or pick up or drop off dry cleaning. It was as if she’d suddenly become an adult and although it kind of felt good, she wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to give up her childhood just yet. Would her dad still throw hoops with her now or was his catchphrase of “Where are you going?” becoming the new normal in her life?
The workouts in the gym her dad and Uncle Dave had built in their downtime, had made her aware of the dangers of living in Black Rock Falls. Her dad had trained them like a drill sergeant, even little Anna had been given instructions on how to run away from a threat. Then Uncle Dave had had a long talk with them, telling them that bad people look just like everyone else, and all the ways a bad person might try to lure young women into bad situations. She understood more than they gave her credit for, most kids of sixteen knew the way of things and she’d heard Emily discussing cases with her dad and Uncle Dave. Unlike some, she didn’t spend all her time gazing at her phone or on social media. She had plans and they included becoming a pediatrician, which meant good grades and hopefully a scholarship to a good medical college. She’d promised her mom she’d work hard at school, and she never broke her word.