Deadly Promises Part 29

And so it began, the painstaking process of combing the ground, inch by inch, beneath the blistering Texas sun. At the outset energy was high. The students seemed to welcome a break in their routine, and Kelsey was counting on their enthusiasm to make up for their lack of formal training. This wasn't a search and recovery squad, but she'd worked with volunteers before, and she knew what to expect.

And as expected walking at a snail's pace, head down, in the scorching heat eventually lost its appeal. Muscles ached. Eyes burned. Minds began to wander. After four hours of fruitless searching, she could tell everyone was ready to get back to the relative comfort of the caves and tarps.

Everyone but Gage. He worked doggedly, without complaint, looking totally undaunted by both the climate and the task.

For the millionth time this afternoon, Kelsey checked her watch. Still no deputy. Her temper festered. What could be keeping him? And why hadn't Sattler so much as put in an appearance today? Kelsey didn't understand how he could be so blase about a potential murder within his jurisdiction.

"Whoa, check it out!"

Kelsey's head snapped up at the gleeful words. Rohit, a PhD candidate in cultural anthropology, had dropped to his knees beside a p.r.i.c.kly pear cactus.

"I think it's a femur."

Kelsey and the rest of the team rushed over. It was, indeed, a femur. But was it animal or human? She would need to examine a cortex sample under a microscope to be sure. But the size looked good, as did the joint surfaces.

A shadow fell over her and she glanced up to see Gage.

"You look excited," he said.

"This is good. A femur will tell us a lot. Stature, s.e.x, probably PMI."

"PMI?"

"Postmortem interval. The time since death. I can look at a cross section and get an idea." She turned to Rohit. "Could you get my camera bag?"

He sprinted off, and the rest of the team wandered away to find shade and break out their canteens.

Gage crouched down beside her, s.h.i.+elding her from the sun with his body. "You sure it's not from a cow or something?"

"We'll find out. But my hunch says it's our guy. Now we just need the rest of him." She glanced around. They'd crossed over to the west side of the road, but they weren't far from it, maybe sixty yards. She was gaining more confidence in her roadside execution theory.

Gage stood up and shrugged out of his backpack. "Nice work, Dr. Quinn." He unzipped the pack and handed her a bottle of water. "Now, drink up. You look like you're about to pa.s.s out."

She stood up and swigged, then pa.s.sed back the bottle. He took a long gulp, and her stomach fluttered as she watched his throat move.

"Thanks for helping," she said. "You don't have to do this, you know."

He screwed the cap back on. "Now you tell me."

She felt a pang of guilt. "You could knock off for the day. If you're tired-"

"Who says I'm tired?" The side of his mouth curled up.

"You're sweating."

"It's hot."

"Yeah, well, I'd think you'd be more into water sports."

He gave her a quizzical look.

"You're a SEAL. We're in the desert."

"Sea-Air-Land, SEAL." He smiled fully now. "Didn't your uncle teach you anything?"

His eyes twinkled with amus.e.m.e.nt as he gazed down at her. It was the first time he'd smiled at her, and for a moment she couldn't breathe.

Don't do it, Kelsey. Don't you dare fall for this beautiful man who has to leave in a few days.

She looked away-at the ground, the road, the cactus. Anything but Gage.

And that's when she spotted him.

"Sattler's guy showed," Gage said.

Kelsey set off toward him. "It's about G.o.dd.a.m.ned time."

Five.

It was the perfect night. Clear. Breezy. The temperature had even dipped below ninety. It was an ideal time to be out with friends, sitting at one of the riverfront bars, laughing and drinking margaritas.

Instead, Mia Voss was headed home to an empty apartment, and the computer bag slung over her shoulder was stuffed with unfinished reports.

She reached for her keys just as her purse started to glow and sing. She checked the number on her phone. Darn it, she'd forgotten to call Kelsey.

"I'm so so sorry," Mia said, juggling computer, purse, and phone as she slid behind the wheel of her Jeep. "Yes, I got your message. And yes, he brought the bone." sorry," Mia said, juggling computer, purse, and phone as she slid behind the wheel of her Jeep. "Yes, I got your message. And yes, he brought the bone."

Silence on the other end.

"Kelsey?"

"Who brought the bone?" brought the bone?"

"The sheriff's guy." Mia backed out of her s.p.a.ce and nestled the phone in her lap so she could s.h.i.+ft gears. "He had a ten-gallon hat and everything. Very Lonesome Dove Lonesome Dove."

"You're telling me Sheriff Sattler had someone personally deliver my package to the Delphi Center?"

"You sound surprised," Mia said.

"I am. So far, he hasn't had the slightest interest in this case. At least, I thought he hadn't."

"Well, evidently someone's interested, because this guy was under strict orders not not to simply leave the package with the evidence clerk. He had me paged down to the lobby to make sure I knew that his item had arrived and it was top priority." to simply leave the package with the evidence clerk. He had me paged down to the lobby to make sure I knew that his item had arrived and it was top priority."

"I'm shocked," Kelsey said. "Did you have the heart to tell him the true meaning of top priority around there? And why am I on speaker phone?"

"I'm in the Jeep," Mia said. "Stick s.h.i.+ft and cell phones don't mix."

"It's after ten. Don't tell me you're just leaving work."

"Okay, I won't. Actually, I'm glad you called. There's a chance your case could get b.u.mped to the front of my line. What's your estimate of the postmortem interval on this thing?"

Kelsey paused. "I'd say six months to a year."

"Hmm..."

"That's a loaded hmm hmm. What's going on?"

The Delphi Center's electronic gates parted. Mia waved at the guard and rolled through, then turned onto the two-lane highway that would take her into San Marcos.

"It's possible possible your case could be related to an ongoing federal investigation," Mia said. your case could be related to an ongoing federal investigation," Mia said.

"You're kidding."

"It's a missing person case. About three months ago I got a bone sample in from Del Rio, which isn't far from you. I was asked to use mitochondrial DNA and get a profile for comparison with a known sample. It was all very urgent. The agent who brought me the sample-"

"Wait a second. Are we talking FBI?"

Mia didn't say anything, knowing her silence would be confirmation enough.

"Why wouldn't they send it to Quantico?"

"I'm not sure," Mia said. "But from what I gather, this investigator had an in at the Delphi Center and knew he could get a quick turnaround. I was ordered to a.n.a.lyze it ASAP, and that's just what I did."

"And?"

"And the results weren't what they had hoped. Whoever their missing person is, the bone isn't his."

"His?"

"The missing person is male. Have you determined the s.e.x on these bones yet?"

"I think so," Kelsey said. "We found the femur this afternoon and I've been working on it all night. I can tell you it's human, large in stature, probably male. And definitely an adult."

"If the bone has been there six months to a year that would fit with my case, too."

"Do the feds have dental records on this missing person?" Kelsey asked.

"I'm not sure. Why?"

"He's got some distinctive dental work. Expensive. You should get our forensic odontologist to take a look."

"I'll do that."

"Are you going to fill me in on what this is about?"

Mia heard the annoyance in her friend's voice. They didn't normally keep secrets but, in this case, it wasn't Mia's decision.

"I wish I could," she said. "I'll let you know what develops. Probably by late tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Mia, come on. What in the world is this about?"

"I don't know yet," she lied. "But I'll tell you more as soon as I can."

KELSEY HUNG UP the satellite phone, baffled. She walked over to the stove and stirred her pot of soup as she tried to decipher Mia's words. the satellite phone, baffled. She walked over to the stove and stirred her pot of soup as she tried to decipher Mia's words.

The Delphi Center was known for its rapid turnaround time. It was one of the things that set the lab apart from publicly funded crime labs around the country. But in her three years as a tracer, Kelsey had never once had one of her cases get b.u.mped to the front of the line. And she'd worked on some high-profile investigations.

What had she stumbled into?

A light tap sounded at the door and her pulse jumped. Maybe it was Gage. He'd been standoffish earlier, and she'd been feeling snubbed.

She opened the door to find Dr. Robles standing in the drizzle. He wore a yellow rain slicker, and with his gray beard he looked like the fisherman from those seafood commercials.

"I've finished my examination of your femur," he said, pus.h.i.+ng his gla.s.ses higher on the bridge of his nose. "I concur with most of your findings, but I think your height estimate is a bit high. I would say five-eleven."

"Thanks for the second opinion." Kelsey opened the door wider and waved a hand at the stove. "Would you like a bowl of soup? I was just about to eat."

"Thank you, no. I should get to bed." He glanced uneasily over his left shoulder. "But you might offer the same hospitality to your friend."

"What?"

"Your police detective." The professor's look turned disapproving. "He shouldn't have to sleep in the rain."

Kelsey poked her head outside and spotted the long dark lump beneath one of the nearby shade tarps.

"Oh my G.o.d." She stalked over to him. "Gage! What are you doing?"

He opened one eye and peered up at her in the dimness. "Trying to get some sleep."

"You can't sleep out here!"

"Not with you yelling at me."

"But... I thought you were in your truck."

"Decided to stretch out tonight."

"Get up. This is ridiculous. You don't even have a sleeping bag." He was using his duffel for a pillow, for crying out loud.

"Kelsey, I'm fine. Go back to bed."

"I'm not in in bed. And there's no way I can sleep tonight knowing you're out in this rain. Come inside." bed. And there's no way I can sleep tonight knowing you're out in this rain. Come inside."