FOURTEEN
A jagged star of cracks covered the medicine cabinet mirror at Ned Fahey’s.
Mercy stared at it and swallowed the bile in the back of her throat. The home had one bathroom, and she’d made a quick walk of the house looking for more mirrors. There weren’t any.
Coincidence?
“For all we know, it’s been broken for two years,” said Eddie.
Mercy nodded, but every cell in her body screamed that he was wrong.
“I bet Toby Cox could tell us,” he continued. “If he was over here as much as he said he was, he had to use the bathroom at some point.”
“I believe he lives in the next home down the road,” Mercy said slowly.
“I’ll drive.”
“Let’s walk. It’s less than a mile. I need some air.”
Outside, Mercy sucked in deep breaths as they walked the gravel road. Ned’s home sat higher than the rest of Eagle’s Nest, and gray, heavy clouds covered the top third of the trees. The rain had stopped, but the dense firs continued to drip, making occasional plunking sounds in the woods. An odor of moist, decaying dirt hung in the air, and a sad wire fence lined one side of the road, wending its way between the firs and brush. The fence didn’t look capable of keeping anyone out. Or in.
“You need to bring me up to speed,” Eddie finally said. “What’s this case remind you of?”
Mercy swallowed. “Two Eagle’s Nest women were murdered when I was a senior in high school. Each was killed in their own home during break-ins about two weeks apart. They never figured out who did it, but he broke all the mirrors in the homes. Bathrooms, hand mirrors, all of them.”
“How do you know this?”
She shrugged. “Everyone knew. It’s a small town. People started to lock their doors at night.”
“And the break-ins just stopped?”
“Yes.” Sort of.
They walked for a few more moments in silence. “Were the women shot?” Eddie asked.
“No. Strangled. And they were raped.”
“Evidence?”
“I don’t know . . . I was just a teen. I’m sure there’s something in a file box somewhere.”
Eddie stopped and Mercy did the same, his brown gaze studying her with concern. “I don’t see how that relates to our cases. We’ve got men who’ve been shot. Weapons missing. That doesn’t sound like your past case with a person who is into overpowering women and rape.”
He’s right. “But the mirrors. Who does that?”
“Someone ugly?”
She gave a weak smile. Her stomach hadn’t stopped churning since she’d seen the broken glass earlier at Jefferson Biggs’s home. There had to be a connection somewhere.
“Let’s not jump to conclusions before we talk to Toby Cox,” Eddie said. “There’s a chance he can clear this right up.”
They walked on. Mercy smelled wood smoke as they reached an unmarked drive on their left. “This should be it,” she said.
They’d taken three steps down the drive when a voice spoke. “Hello, FBI agents.”
Toby Cox stood in the woods, his brown jacket and pants blending with his surroundings.
Mercy’s heart rate shot up, and Eddie’s hand jerked toward his weapon, inaccessible under his zipped jacket.
“Hey, Toby. We were just coming to see you,” Mercy choked out.
“I saw you drive by. I figured you were going to Ned’s,” said the man. “I was waiting to watch you leave.”
Okay. That’s a bit creepy.
“Did you think of anything else you wanted to tell us?” Eddie asked.
Toby stared at him for a few seconds. “No.” He paused. “The body is gone, right?”
“Yes,” said Mercy.
“Did you see any ghosts?” The look on Toby’s face was dead serious.
Mercy and Eddie looked at each other. “I didn’t. Did you?” she asked Eddie.
“No, no ghosts anywhere,” answered Eddie.
“Ned told me he’s seen several ghosts on his property. He said they’re ghosts of people who were probably murdered in his house.”
Mercy hoped Ned was pleased that he’d scared the crap out of Toby. First the cave man story and now ghosts.
“I’ve looked for them but never seen one,” Toby continued. “Ned said they usually came out at night.”
“I don’t think you need to worry about ghosts,” Eddie told him.
“My parents said Ned’s too mean to go to heaven, so he’s probably a ghost now and will haunt his farm forever.”
Mercy lost any desire to meet Toby’s parents. “I don’t think that’s true. If I was a ghost, I’d leave this cold rain and find somewhere sunny. Ghosts can travel wherever they want, right? I wouldn’t stay here.”
Toby tilted his head as he looked at her, weighing her words.
“We’ve been in there twice and haven’t seen anything,” added Eddie.
“Have you ever used the bathroom in Ned’s house?” Mercy asked, dropping the ghost topic.
“Sometimes. But if we were working outside, Ned would tell me to not waste water and to use a tree.”
Eddie coughed.
“Was the mirror in the bathroom broken?” Mercy asked, ignoring the images being generated in her brain. “Right now it has cracks covering all of it.”
Toby thought hard. “I haven’t been in there in a while.”
“Surely you’d remember. It looks like a huge cobweb on the mirror.”
“I don’t remember anything like that,” he finally said.
The sense of elation Mercy had hoped for fluttered away. Toby wasn’t positive; the mirror could have been previously broken.
I’m paranoid. I’m looking for connections that don’t exist.
“Thanks, Toby. You’ve been a big help.” She raised an eyebrow at Eddie, who nodded to indicate he was finished too. They turned around and started their trek back to their vehicles. Toby didn’t say anything. Mercy looked back after twenty steps and he still stood in the woods, watching them leave.
Is he lonely?
“That wasn’t conclusive,” stated Eddie. “But we can look into the cases from when you were a teen. It’s worth following up.”
“It’s not necessary,” said Mercy. “We have other things to do.”
“I’m surprised you remembered those deaths from that long ago.”
The women’s faces were clear in Mercy’s mind. “Not many people are murdered around here. It was a huge shock. And my sister Pearl’s best friend was a victim.”
“That’s horrible.”
“With that connection, I probably remember better than most people.”
“I bet your sister remembers too. I don’t think we should ignore the old cases.”
Mercy deliberately stepped in a puddle, testing the waterproofing of her boots. Eddie was right. She would have to talk to Pearl at some point. The thought sent her anxiety skyrocketing. Why? She’s my sister. What’s she going to do? Refuse to see me?
Maybe.
“You’re right. The local police records are probably the best place to start,” she admitted. “We also need to check in with Darby. She was going to search online to see if anyone is selling the missing weapons.”
“It’s going to be hard to search if she doesn’t know what weapons to look for,” said Eddie. “Why do I feel as if the weapons were stolen without any intention to sell?”
“They’re the most expensive items in the homes,” Mercy countered. “Easy money.”
“I think they wanted them for themselves.” He scowled. “Darby would be the one to ask about any militia activity, right? Maybe there’s been some chatter about people getting together for something.”
“Like occupying a wildlife refuge?”
Eddie snorted. “Something bigger. More deadly. We’ve got a lot of missing weapons. Who’s collecting them?”
“And what for?” whispered Mercy. To an outsider Eagle’s Nest would look like a wide spot along the highway. Quiet and harmless, a good place to escape the bustle of the city. Maybe a place to retire or raise children to know about the land. Not the center of homegrown terrorist activity.
“Did the local police department handle the murders last time?” Eddie asked. “Or did county?”
“I don’t know,” said Mercy. “I can remember the police chief questioning Pearl about her friend, but I don’t know if the case expanded beyond the city.”
“Good thing Chief Daly likes us.”
Mercy didn’t say anything.
“I’m glad he suggested that bed-and-breakfast in town. I stopped by there earlier and it smells like a bakery.” Eddie’s tone perked up. “That beats our current shithole’s odor of Pine-Sol and old smoke.”
“It’s not so bad.”
“You and I have very different expectations of hotels.”
“It serves its purpose.”
“Yeah, but it could serve it with fresh coffee, a big-ass shower, and updated decor.”
Mercy shrugged. “I just need a bed and a solid locked door.”
“Live a little, would ya? The Bureau has paid a lot more for accommodations in the past. We’re not burning their money by having standards. One more night and then we can move.”
“How long do you think we’ll be in Eagle’s Nest?” she asked.
Eddie exhaled deeply and watched his breath disappear into the cold air. “As long as it takes.”
A headache started at the back of her skull. The sooner she could leave Eagle’s Nest, the better.