CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Saturday, March 24, 2018; 8:00 a.m.
With her body healing and her mind clearing, Kaitlin could shift her attention to Derek Blackstone, who she was certain knew far more about Gina’s fate than he was letting on. She’d spent most of the night reading up on Derek, scraping together all the details she could find about him. His credentials were impressive. There was nothing that set off alarm bells.
So, when the clock struck eight, Kaitlin decided to shake the trees a little harder and see if anything new fell out. Drawing in a breath, she dialed Derek’s home number. A cleaning lady answered.
“Mr. Blackstone’s residence.”
“This is Kathryn Sommers.” She wasn’t police and therefore not bound by honesty. Lying wasn’t against the law. “I’m calling from Mr. Blackstone’s office building. Is he there?”
“No, he left a half hour ago. He should be arriving there now.”
“Oh, right. I think I see him. Thank you.”
Her next call was to his office, wondering if she’d get anyone to answer on Saturday. As the phone rang, she sat straighter when she heard a woman’s crisp voice say, “Hawthorn, Blackstone, and Myers.”
“I’m calling for Derek Blackstone. I’m a neighbor of his.” She’d thought up a dozen scenarios to get him on the phone, but in the end opted to keep it simple. “I think his house is on fire.”
A leaden silence filled the next few seconds before the woman said, “He’s out of the office today.”
“He is? I just saw him, and he said he was going to the office.”
“Not today.”
“Oh, wow. I called the fire department.” If he were in the office, this would get him to the phone. “Are you sure he’s not there?”
Phones rang in the background. “Look, I can take your name and number and track him down.”
She decided to go aggressive. “What’s your name?”
“I’m sorry?”
“What is your name? And do you have a supervisor?”
“Who is this?” the woman insisted.
She gripped the phone. This ruse wasn’t going to work. “Tell him Gina Mason called. He can call me back at this number.”
She dialed Adler’s number. It rang twice and went to voicemail. A now-familiar graveled tone hummed over her nerves. “Adler, this is Kaitlin. I’m calling about Derek Blackstone. I think his link to this case goes way deeper than attorney-client relationship.”
Adler’s phone buzzed in his pocket, but he let it go to voicemail. He was standing in the medical examiner’s autopsy suite with Quinn and Dr. McGowan. On the two stainless-steel tables were separate sets of bones. Neither set had yet been arranged in anatomical order.
Dr. McGowan clicked on an overhead light. Gingerly she lifted the first skull. “We’ve already taken X-rays and cross-referenced dental records. This is Gina Mason. She’s finally come home.”
He studied the skull cradled in the doctor’s hands. Images of the young woman’s smiling face stoked his anger. This kid had not deserved such a violent fate. “And the other one?”
Dr. McGowan had set the first skull down and picked up the second. “Female. Under the age of twenty, I think.” She turned the skull to the side and traced her finger down a fracture. “Someone hit her hard on the back of her head. The blow was enough to knock her out and maybe kill her. I also noticed that her pelvic bone is broken, suggesting there was more trauma. I can’t tell you if that occurred ante- or postmortem. The pelvis is very vascular, and if she were alive, this would have caused tremendous bleeding and pain.”
He hoped to hell it was postmortem. “Can you determine the cause of death?”
She gently set the skull down and lifted one of the victim’s ribs. “There are distinct markings here.” She ran her finger along an angled indention. “It was caused by a large knife. If you look carefully you’ll see the edges are slightly serrated. Maybe it was a hunting knife. If you found the knife I’m confident I could match it.”
“How long has she been dead?” Adler asked.
“I’d say a couple of years longer than Miss Mason.”
“And Miss Mason was also stabbed?” Quinn asked.
“Yes. There are knife marks on at least two of her left ribs. If you look closely at the marks, you’ll notice the blade is serrated and matches the other rib we just examined.”
Quinn shook her head with contempt. “Two women murdered within a couple of years. Hayward goes to prison on drug and burglary charges, and within four weeks of being out, he knifes a woman to death.”
“The knife recovered from the convenience store murder was a hunting knife,” Adler said. “That victim was stabbed in the ribs.”
“You just took the words right out of my mouth,” Dr. McGowan said. “I pulled the complete set of records from that autopsy. The knife that killed that victim was also serrated.”
“Hayward said he went up to the barn after he was released from prison,” Adler said. “He finds the murder weapon he stashed fourteen years ago, thinks enough time has gone by, and the stupid shit pockets it.”
“He saved the knife as some kind of trophy?”
“That’s my guess,” Adler said.
“Do you really think Hayward would be so stupid to take us to Gina’s body knowing Jane Doe is one hundred yards away?” Quinn asked.
“I think he’s that arrogant and also that desperate. Gina was his one shot to save himself.”
“So he assumes our attention would be exclusively on unearthing Gina’s body and bets we won’t look anywhere else,” Quinn said incredulously.
“Have the GPR technicians found any other bodies near these two?” Dr. McGowan asked.
“No. Not yet,” Adler said.
“You think Blackstone knew about the second body?” Quinn asked.
“I don’t know,” Adler said.
Quinn’s grin was sly. “The immunity deal with Hayward covers the Gina Mason and convenience store murders only, correct?”
He smiled. “Correct. It does not cover Jane Doe.”
“So if we can tie Hayward to Jane Doe’s murder, we can charge him with murder.”
“That’s the goal.”
They spent several more minutes discussing the cases before Adler could step away and check his voicemail. He played back Kaitlin’s message.
He didn’t like the idea of her chasing Blackstone. If Blackstone had been covering for Hayward all these years, he had a lot to lose. And that made him very dangerous.
Adler dialed Logan’s number. He answered on the second ring, his voice thick and heavy with sleep.
“Did I wake you up, Logan?”
“Up until four a.m.”
“I didn’t sleep all night.”
“Aren’t you a badass?” Logan coughed. “What do you need other than to hear my manly voice?”
The sarcasm was a good sign. Soon Logan would be back to his old smartass self. “Randy Hayward dropped out of college during his sophomore year. We all assumed he left because of the drugs. But I looked up his school record. He was making the dean’s list right up until he left, so if he was using, it wasn’t interfering with his schoolwork.”
He told Logan about the second set of remains. “Check to see if any girl went missing about that time in that area.”
“Will do.”
Adler and Quinn arrived at the city jail. They didn’t have to wait long before Hayward arrived cuffed and wearing a shit-eating grin.
Hayward’s chest puffed with the bravado of a card player holding a royal flush. He sat and sniffed. “You don’t look like you slept so well, Detective.”
Adler shook his head. “It was a long night.”
“I slept like a baby,” Hayward said and winked at Quinn.
Adler allowed Hayward to bask in the glow of immunity. “The medical examiner identified the remains. They belong to Gina.”
“I told you. I don’t lie when it comes to important shit like that.”
“Your deal with Ricker is ironclad,” Adler said. “Blackstone made sure of it.”
“Gotta love that buddy of mine.”
Adler sat back while Quinn leaned forward with the next question. Anger burned in his belly, but a good hunter was always patient when stalking his prey.
“Can you tell me what happened with Gina? It won’t make a difference to anyone now.”
“It will to Kaitlin. Sweet Kaitlin will want to know all the terrible details.”
“Yes, she’ll want to know,” Adler admitted.
“Tell us what happened on the road that night,” Quinn said.
Hayward scratched his head. “Nothing complicated. I liked Gina. I’d been watching her for years. So perfect, so sweet.”
“Did you get Erika to drug their booze?” Adler asked.
“No, that was all Erika.”
“Erika said it was Brad’s idea to drug the girls.”
“She’s a liar. I heard her telling Brad she was going do it. She and Jennifer wanted to really fuck with Kaitlin’s sobriety. Like the booze wasn’t bad enough. All I had to do was sit and wait.”
With Erika dead, there was no way to prove if she’d lied or not. “So Jennifer and Erika leave. How did you get to the river?”
“I drove upriver a quarter of a mile and parked the farm truck.” Hayward hesitated. He’d been in and out of the system long enough to know deals could sour. “Why do you want all the gritty details?” His voice now took on a more serious tone.
The slow burn of anger in Adler’s gut grew hotter. “For posterity. This case will be talked about for years to come. Besides, I can’t touch you.”
Hayward shrugged with false modesty. “When I saw Gina come stumbling down the road, I grabbed her. Kaitlin ran up and tried to save her cousin. I sliced off Gina’s ear, and little Kaitlin ran wee-wee-wee all the way home.”
“What did you do with Gina?”
“I taped up her hands, feet, and mouth, tossed her in the bed of the farm truck, and covered her with a tarp. I took her to the barn.”
“Who owns that land?”
“It used to be owned by the Blackstone family, but they sold it twenty years ago. But Derek has permission from the new owners to hunt.”
“And if Derek had access, so did you.”
He tapped the end of his nose. “Bingo.”
“The farm truck was from that land.”
“It was.”
“What happened next?”
His eyes brightened. “When I untied her, I told her I didn’t want to hurt her. I just wanted to have fun.”
“She must have been bleeding badly at that point,” Adler said.
“When I taped up her mouth, I also taped the ear. It wasn’t so bad by then.”
“So you were having fun?”
“I thought so until I untied her and she elbowed me in the nuts. That really pissed me off. Hurt my feelings. I was trying to be nice.” He shrugged. “I lost it and stabbed her right then. She started bleeding real bad. She begged me for help, but I knew she would never like me, so I stabbed her again and watched her bleed out.”
Neither detective spoke for a moment. Adler’s anger intensified, but he fought to remain tame. “So you buried her on the farm.”
“That’s right.”
Adler’s voice was as calm as a Sunday school teacher’s. “The knife left marks on her rib.”
“Okay.”
“I’m guessing the first strike hit bone, which called for the second strike hitting meat.” Quinn shifted and tugged the edge of her blazer forward. “That about right, Randy?”
Hayward’s cuffs clinked when he rubbed his nose. “I just told you I stabbed her. Why do I care if her ribs got marks?”
“Why did you take her to the country?” Adler asked. “What was it about that place?”
“I liked it there. I figured we’d have all the privacy we needed.” Hayward folded his arms over his chest and leaned back.
“You buried her there because you were familiar with the land?” Adler asked. “Funny how we’re all creatures of habit.”
“Derek Blackstone. You’ve known him a long time, right, Randy?” Quinn asked.
“You know I have. Why do you care?” Hayward flashed a grin and glanced up toward the security camera he knew was taping this conversation. “You’re fishing for something, Detectives.”
Adler held up his hand in surrender. Every primal instinct in him demanded he reach across the table and beat the hell out of this animal. But this wasn’t about him. And anger wasn’t going to get the justice he craved. “What can I say, they pay me the big bucks to catch the big fish.”
“I’m a big fish, but you didn’t catch me,” he gloated.
“Randy, you’re the biggest fish in the state right now.”
He grinned. “And here my mother told me I wouldn’t amount to much.”
“Why would she say that? You’re intelligent. I know you attended UVA.”
“I did.”
“Why did you leave?”
“I got bored. Didn’t like the rules. I hated conforming.”
“But you were tearing it up academically. Dean’s list.”
“I have an IQ of one fifty-two.”
Adler glanced at the scar on the back of his hand. “Damn. I had to work for every grade I earned.”
“Not me. I knew more than the teachers.”
Adler’s phone dinged with a text. It was from Logan. Maria Thomas, migrant worker, missing April 2002.
Adler shook his head. “You and I do have a deal. No charges will be brought for Gina’s death, and the other murder still receives a reduced sentence. You’ve lived up to your end of the deal, and the state will, too.”
“Damn right,” he smirked.
Adler leaned back, watching Hayward’s face carefully. “Who’s Maria Thomas?”
Hayward’s grin faded. “I don’t know.”
“She was a migrant worker who went missing in Charlottesville right before you dropped out of college.”
Hayward stilled. “I want my attorney.”
“I’ll be sure to call him right away,” Adler said. “But I wanted you to know we found a second girl up on the property. You figured we’d be so anxious to find Gina that we would just pack up afterward, thankful to close the case.” He leaned forward. “But I climbed up into your tree stand, and I looked around just like you said you did. That’s when I saw it.” He raised his brow in mock surprise. “When a body decomposes, it shrinks and the soil around it dips and cracks. The grass also doesn’t grow so well on that spot. It’s the kind of thing that’s easy to miss unless you’re looking for it. And with your help, I was.”
“You’re bullshitting me,” Hayward said. “There’s no other girl. There’s no Maria Whoever.”
“But there is, Randy.”
Hayward rubbed his eyes. “I don’t believe you.”
“You don’t have to. Ask Derek. If he’ll still take your calls.” He grinned. “I can’t wait to tell my friend, Trey Ricker.”
“There’re no other bitches!” Hayward shouted. “You’re bluffing.”
Adler laughed. “So clever and so fucking dumb, Hayward.”
Quinn grinned. “Randy, you’re really cute when you’re wound up.”
Adler and Quinn rose, and he banged on the door. The guard opened it. In a low voice Hayward couldn’t hear, Adler said, “If Mr. Hayward needs to make a few extra calls today, let ’im. I want recordings of all those calls.”
“Consider it done.”
Kaitlin had spent most of the day trying to find out more about Derek but hit a brick wall. When she heard the buzz from the call button, she checked the monitor and saw Adler. Without a word of greeting she buzzed him up. She opened the door, tense, anxious, and glad he was the one answering the question that had stalked her for fourteen years.
When he rounded the corridor, she asked, “Was it Gina?”
“Yes.”
The relief she’d sought for so many years was nonexistent. Instead, defeat filled her voice. On the heels of sweet victory came bitterness. She stepped aside, allowing him into her apartment. “Thank you.” She could barely get out the words.
He studied her face a long moment. “I’m sorry.”
“Deep down, I never held out hope we’d find her alive. She’s gone, but at least we know the truth.”
“Kaitlin, there’s more.”
“What do you mean?”
“We found another body buried near the first discovery. This victim is female and young. We think she’s been there a couple of years longer than Gina.”
“Oh God.” The news slashed through her as she thought of another family enduring the same agony. She lowered slowly to a seat. “Who is she?”
“We don’t know for sure. We’ve requested medical records on a missing person’s case from Charlottesville. This girl Maria vanished in the spring of ’02.”
“How did Gina and the other girl die?”
He studied her a beat. “They were both stabbed.”
Her knife wound had been so painful. “Did Randy kill that Maria girl, too?”
“I think he did it. It might also explain why he dropped out of college so suddenly his sophomore year.”
“What about Blackstone and Crowley. Did they help him?”
“I have no evidence yet. But every instinct in me says that they must have. I’m having Gina’s clothes retested. There was foreign blood found on them. If it matches Blackstone or Crowley, we’ll have them, but if not I’d need Hayward to turn on them.”
She sighed. “If Randy is good at anything, it is self-preservation.”
He rubbed his eyes. “I’m counting on it.”
The first time she’d seen him in the police station, he’d been annoyed and rushed, and he’d fed into her image of the uncaring cop. But she’d come to see him differently. He cared very much about the victims, and he fought like hell to find them justice.
Now it was her turn to take care of him. “You look exhausted. Let me make you some coffee.”
A half smile tipped the edge of his lips. “Sounds good.”
Kaitlin moved into the kitchen and set up a pot. Here alone with him, she could admit to herself that she found him attractive. And she’d seen the way he looked at her when he didn’t think she could see. He liked what he saw.
She raised her gaze to Adler. The overhead light cut across his face. There’d been so much death and loss in her life, and for right now she was tired of thinking about it. Later, she’d think about it again, and again feel the pull to make injustice right, but right now she just wanted to feel good, hopeful even.
She’d kept to herself for the last couple of years, reasoning the solitude would help her get back on more solid footing emotionally. But as she stood here, the weight of loneliness settled on her shoulders. Adler was definitely a shot to the loins, he was a good man, and if there was any man she’d bother to figure out again, she wanted it to be him.
Nerves bunched in her stomach, and she felt as giddy as she had when she was a teenager. She would have wished for better timing, but the perfect time might not ever come. She came around the breakfast bar and moved toward him.
He didn’t flinch, but the way he regarded her turned careful and focused. Inches separated them. She reached out and took his hand in hers. She rubbed her fingers against the rough texture of the scars on his palm.
Challenge sparked in his eyes. “I wasn’t expecting this.”
“You’ve never thought about it?”
“Oh, I’ve thought about it. Too many times.”
In a few unguarded moments she’d allowed herself to imagine his arms around her. “I like you,” she said. “I shouldn’t. But I do.”
His eyes looked more blue than gray now. “Why shouldn’t you like me?”
“You’re a cop. You’d turn the tables on me in a heartbeat to solve a case.”
He didn’t respond. “I’d like to think I’d do my job no matter what.”
“Honest. And refreshing.”
He shook his head slowly. “But I’m not sure if I could do my job when it comes to you.”
“Really?”
“I like you. Very much.” His voice sounded rusted and a little unsure.
But no lies. No promises. And that was okay. She rose up on her toes and kissed him. He didn’t touch her. Didn’t move.
“Am I your weakness?” she asked.
No answer. But he didn’t draw away, and those blue eyes sharpened.
Good. She’d take that as a yes.
She kissed him again, this time cupping his shoulder as she pressed her lips against his. His hand came up to her waist.
The rough edges of his touch sent electricity shooting through her body as he moved his fingertips back and forth along her shoulder.
His fingertips moved to her jaw, tracing the sharp line. Her heartbeat kicked up, and breathing evenly became a challenge. When he ran his fingers over her lips, she parted them and gently bit his finger as she teased the tip with her tongue.
He cupped her face, and she leaned into the touch, absorbing his energy. He leaned forward, and tilting his head, pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was tentative, as if he were handling crystal. His lips hovered over hers.
“I won’t break,” she murmured against his lips. To prove it, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a deeper kiss. His hand went to her waist, and his fingertips slid just below the waistband of her jeans. She opened her mouth, allowing him to slide his tongue inside. She leaned into the kiss, pressing her breasts against his chest. Her body pulsed.
His other hand cupped her breast, and his fingertips captured her nipple, pinching gently. When he drew his head up, his eyes were as black as coal. A muscle pulsed in his jaw.
Urgency swept over her. She needed to feel his touch, to feel him moving inside of her.
He dropped his head to her breast and lightly kissed. His other hand slid lower over her moist mound. The twin sensations took her breath away. She was hungry for more.
He sucked the top of her breast and then moved to her nipple. He circled his tongue around the stiff peak. She arched against him.
“Please,” she whispered.
“Please what?” he said.
She ran her hand over the firm, flat muscles of his belly, her fingers inching toward his belt buckle. He captured her hand and held it close to his heart as he kissed her hard. She pulled free, pushed his jacket off his shoulders, and laid it on the sofa. He loosened his tie and pulled it free.
Slowly she unbuttoned his shirt. He took it off and tossed it on the jacket. She gripped the edges of his T-shirt and tugged. He flinched, seemed to hesitate, and then allowed her to lift the shirt up. He watched her face closely as she pulled off the shirt.
She dropped her gaze to the scars that marred his shoulders. She gently traced them with her fingers. He flinched but didn’t pull away as she explored. Instead of being repulsed, she saw a man who had sacrificed to save his friend.
“Do they hurt?” she asked.
“No. Not anymore.”
She felt a pulse of emotion as she leaned forward and kissed the scars. For a moment he didn’t move. Then he ran his fingers through her hair, fisting a handful.
She wanted him. Never before had she wanted anyone like this.
He reached for the hem of her shirt. In a smooth, swift move he tugged it over her head, leaving her naked from the waist up. He looked down at the bandage on her side and skimmed his fingertips over it.
“I barely notice it anymore,” she said.
A smile tipped the edges of his lips as he reached for the snap on her jeans. With the flick of a finger, the snap came loose. He slid the zipper down slowly. “I’ve been wanting to do this since the first night I saw you.”
He slid the pants down over her slim hips until they fell to the floor. Cool air brushed her legs. She stood before him in white cotton panties. He smoothed his hand over her flat belly. Heat smoldered in his gaze. He took her by the hand and led her to the bed.
When she sat and stared up at him, he unzipped his own pants and pushed them to the floor. His erection pulsed, and the look in his gaze sent a tremor of excitement through her body. He turned and reached for his pants. He fished a condom from his wallet.
He tossed the condom on the bed, and she crawled backward until she was settled in the middle. He straddled her and pressed the tip of his erection against the cotton panties, rubbing against her. She grew wet. Slick. And she ached for him to be inside her. He pressed his hand to her center, smiling when he felt her moistness.
He reached for the condom, tore off the package, and slid it over his shaft. Then he reached for the waistband of her panties, and as she raised her hips, he slid them down her legs.
“So nice,” he whispered.
“You’re so hot,” she said.
His gaze darkened, and he spread her legs with his hands. He pushed his finger between the folds and inside her, moving in and out and making her so wet and horny she could barely think. Her blood raced, and her heart slammed against her ribs. She could feel the tempo building inside her, but ached to release.
He sensed her desire and pulled out his finger. “Not yet.”
She reached for his erection and slid her fingers around it. Slowly she moved her hands up and down the shaft as he pressed it into her hand. He leaned down for a kiss and cupped the back of her head, bringing her face up to his.
When he broke away, they were both breathless. She pulled her fingers down over his scarred back. He didn’t flinch this time.
She opened her legs, and he pressed the tip of his erection into her folds. He pushed in a fraction and pulled back. He pressed in again, pulled back. The exquisite torture made her dizzy with wanting. His hands slid down her belly to her engorged flesh and touched the sensitive spot that cried out for release.
He captured her hand in his, kissed the slick fingertips, and then roughly pushed inside her. She arched back, accepting all of him. A moan escaped her lips as he moved back and forth inside her and suckled her fingers. He released her hand and moved back and forth. She matched his rhythm, lifting her hips to all of his thrusts.
The tension built inside her, and she could feel he was coming. She cupped her breast and moaned. A muscle in his neck flexed like a tight cord, and his thrusts came faster with greater urgency.
When the wave washed toward her, she embraced it and gave herself over to the sensations that tore through her body. He groaned, and with one last thrust, his body tensed. For one blinding moment the two were bound by the most overwhelming sensation.
He collapsed on top of her and dropped his face in the crook of her neck. Her heart hammered, her muscles reduced to jelly. Finally she opened her eyes and focused on the ceiling.
“What was that?” she breathed.
He rolled off her, and they lay side by side, their naked bodies still touching. “I thought it was fairly obvious.”
That coaxed a smile. “My way of saying it was nice.”
“Nice?”
“Great.”
She couldn’t bring herself to believe it wasn’t anything more than great sex. She’d felt a connection. And it was that link that worried her. She didn’t want to have feelings for a guy, knowing whatever they shared was likely fleeting.
“I can hear your wheels turning,” he said, his eyes still closed.
“It’s what I do. I think.”
“You didn’t seem to be thinking a minute ago.”
“No, I certainly wasn’t.”
He rose up on his elbow and rested his head on his hand. He traced his other hand over her bandage and over her breast. This time he touched her with a familiarity that was as gentle as it was unnerving. “I might need a few minutes, but I’m always ready not to think again.”
“That sounds very appealing.”
His phone buzzed. He rose and fished it from his coat pocket. He glanced at the display and shoved out a sigh. “I need to take this.”
“Of course.”
He grabbed her arm and kissed her. “We’re going to do this again.”
She kissed him on the lips. She didn’t make promises.