Vile (9 page)

“There’s a lot more to being pregnant than prenatal vitamins,” Lil scolded as she placed coffee cups into the dishwasher. “There are all sorts of preparations.” She closed the dishwasher and turned to Jess. Her expression shifted to confusion and she shook her head. “Let me get this straight. You want me to believe this is not a joke. You really are pregnant?”

Jess nodded.

Lil’s lips trembled. “Oh my God.” Tears flowed down her cheeks. “I can’t believe it.” She shrugged. “I’d hoped and prayed but I never thought it would happen.”

Jess wasn’t sure what to do. She’d never seen her sister react this way.

“I’ll bet Dan is thrilled.” Lil hugged her arms around her waist, tears shining on her cheeks. “He’s waited all this time. He waited for
you
.”

“Dammit, Lil. Now you’ve made me cry.” Jess swiped at the tears. Tried to blink them back.

“Pregnant women are very emotional,” Lil said with a knowing nod.

Jess gave a little shrug. “I know.”

Lil suddenly frowned. “My sister is going to have a baby.”

Before Jess could open her mouth to reply, Lil threw her arms around Jess and hugged her as if they hadn’t seen each other in years. Jess lost her battle with her emotions then. They cried and hugged some more. Jess lost count of the number of times they said I-love-you before they pulled themselves together.

Finally, when they both looked a mess and felt giddy with excitement, they started to laugh. Lil found her voice first. “I’m so proud of you. You’re going to be the best mother.”

Those were exactly the words Jess had needed to hear.

They got in one more hug before Hayes appeared in the doorway. “We just got a call from the Jackson County Sheriff’s department. They have a body. It’s Maddie’s grandmother.”

Jess wished the celebration could have gone on a little while longer, but she had to go back to work. There was a little girl counting on her.

And a murder victim who needed her to find a killer.

10

Scottsboro, Alabama, 3:50 p.m.

The old farmhouse was not in Scottsboro proper. It stood well outside town, where cows grazed in pastures and corn and cotton fields dotted the landscape.

Jess got out of the car and studied the one-story house. They’d had to park a good fifty yards from the driveway. Cop cars, along with a fire and rescue truck, lined the narrow driveway from the paved road all the way up to the house. Jess had no desire to be blocked in. Parking on the side of the road suited her just fine. The BPD cruiser that followed her around parked nearby.

Harper’s SUV nosed into the open space between the cruiser and Hayes’s car. Jess was glad to see two more members of her team. This was well out of their jurisdiction, but the Jackson County sheriff had agreed to sit tight until their arrival. Since there was a link to an ongoing case in Birmingham, and possibly to the Spears investigation, Jess appreciated the sheriff’s cooperation. Someone from the Birmingham Bureau Field Office would be showing up as well but Jess wasn’t waiting.

“This is what I call the sticks,” Lori said as she joined Jess on the roadside. She looked around. “Hear that?”

Jess certainly did. “Birds and the wind in the trees.”

Lori shuddered visibly. “This is way too quiet for me.”

It was good to see her acting more like herself. Jess was grateful for any improvement. Maybe this was going to be a good day for moving forward. She’d made a few strides of her own. Her sister had already sent her two text messages about tentative baby shower dates. Lil was in her element. Next, her sister would be planning a wedding for Jess and Dan.

“Reminds me of when we were working the Man in the Moon case,” Jess noted. She and Lori had seen some quiet ruralscapes during that investigation. Maybe not this far out in the boonies but similar.

“Let’s just hope the locals are as friendly,” Lori agreed.

“I think I hear dueling banjos,” Harper said as he clipped his shield onto his belt.

“You watch my back,” Hayes suggested, “and I’ll watch yours.”

“Get your game faces on,” Jess warned. “We’re the interlopers. We need to make a good impression from the start. Small town cops don’t appreciate big city cops taking over, or their attitudes.”

As they headed for the driveway, Harper gave Hayes and his high-end attire a once over. “We might be in serious trouble already.”

Hayes made a dismissive sound. “I guess we’ll have to use our charming personalities to make an impression.”

Harper shrugged. “Just saying.”

At the end of the drive a deputy waited, one hip propped against his cruiser. “You must be the detectives from Birmingham.”

Jess didn’t miss his pointed look at her shoes. Yes, she loved her high-heeled Mary Jane pumps. So shoot her. She presented her credentials. “I’m Deputy Chief Harris and these are my detectives, Wells, Harper and Hayes. Your sheriff is expecting us.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He gestured toward the house. “The coroner’s on the way. Sheriff called for a forensic unit but it’s not here yet either.”

“Thank you, Deputy,” she glanced at his nametag, “Jones.”

He gave one of those nods southern men used for greeting or acknowledgment when they didn’t want to bother with words. Hayes charged forward ahead of Jess and Lori while Harper brought up the rear. Between the scattered ruts and the gravel, Jess was confident her heels would never be the same. Oh well. She needed new footwear to go along with the new wardrobe her body would require. Maybe she’d even step it down a little to more practical heels. She grimaced as her shoe heel marred into a soft spot.

Lots of changes coming
.

With all the shade from the large trees around the house, the yard was more dirt than grass. An old pick-up truck sat under a tree. Didn’t look as if it had been moved for a while. A porch ran the length of the front of the home. One end was noticeably lower than the other one. Judging by the rusty metal roof and the peeling clapboard siding, the house was an old one. Beyond the house, there was a barn that looked in even sadder condition. A rusty swing set stood to the left of the house. The image of Maddie swinging there played in Jess’s mind. She and Lil had a swing set much like that one when they were kids. Another staple of childhood this baby would need.

Two more uniforms waited on the porch. Neither was the sheriff. Hayes climbed the three steps first.

“Lieutenant Clint Hayes,” he said to the deputies. “Chief Harris, Birmingham PD, is here to view the crime scene.”

The deputy surveyed the group before turning his attention back to Hayes. “I’ll get the sheriff.”

Jess joined the lieutenant near the door. “See if we can get one of our guys from forensics out here.” For the other deputy’s benefit, she added, “Two sets of eyes are always better than one.”

“I’ll take care of that now,” Hayes assured her.

As the detective stepped away, Lori and Harper moved in next to Jess. “Sergeant Harper, I’d like you and the lieutenant to have a look around the property as soon as we’ve gotten the formalities out of the way. Detective Wells, you and I will go through the steps inside the house.”

“Got it,” Harper said as he pulled on gloves.

Jess and Lori did the same before pulling on shoe covers. Yet another reason to consider new footwear. These damned shoe covers were not intended for high heels. No doubt the protective wear had been designed by a man. Then again, most female cops didn’t share Jess’s one vanity—clothes and shoes.

The screen door opened with a creak and a tall man who looked to be about Jess’s age joined them on the porch. “Chief Harris, I’m Sheriff Mike Foster.” He extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, circumstances notwithstanding.”

Jess shook the man’s hand. “I appreciate your call, Sheriff. We’re anxious to find out what’s going on here.”

“Come on in. We’re still waiting for the coroner and the evidence folks.”

Jess and Lori followed the sheriff inside. The overhead lights had been turned on although the illumination they provided was minimal, and the curtains had been pushed aside, but the grime on the windows prevented much light from getting through. Rustic wood floors, walls, and ceilings, along with a stone fireplace, continued the old farmhouse design theme to the interior of the home. The pale yellow paint on the walls was in serious need of a fresh coat. A tattered sofa and chair along with a couple of tables were the only furnishings. No television, only an old radio that looked more like a piece of furniture.

“Straight in front of you is the kitchen,” the sheriff explained. “Down the hall we got three small bedrooms and one bath. Margaret Brownfield’s body is in the bedroom at the end of the hall on the left. Looks like she’s been gone for a few hours. We put out a BOLO on her daughter, Amanda. No sign of her or the old clunker she drives.”

“Amanda is Maddie’s mother?” Jess hoped Amanda wasn’t a murderer in addition to a negligent parent.

Sheriff Foster dragged his hat off and smoothed his hair before settling it back into place. “Unfortunately for that little girl, she is. She’s got an arrest record that includes drug possession, disorderly conduct, and petty theft. Most folks think she’s a little crazy.”

“Is there a father in the picture?” Jess was guessing not based on the drawing Maddie had made.

Foster shrugged. “I can’t say for sure. There’s a boyfriend and he’s unaccounted for as well. We checked with his employer but he hasn’t been to work in weeks. Name’s Brock Clements. He’s pretty much a no-good drunk. According to the neighbors, he’s been hanging around here for months. We got a BOLO out on him and his old truck, too. It was his momma who found Margaret. She came over here looking for her son since he hadn’t been home in a while.”

“Two of my detectives are having a look around outside,” Jess let the sheriff know. “Detective Wells and I will start in here, if you have no objections.”

“Make yourself at home, Chief. My crime scene is your crime scene.” The cell on his hip rang. “Excuse me, ladies.”

Jess was grateful the house wasn’t full of cops, but there was no way to know how many had tracked through when the scene was first discovered. Since none wore gloves or shoe covers and she hadn’t noticed any discarded protective wear, she had to assume they’d left prints behind.
Fabulous
.

“You want to start in here?” Lori asked.

Jess nodded. “Then we’ll move on to the kitchen.”

The victim was dead. They could do nothing for the woman except find out who murdered her. The best way to do that was to understand how she lived and who might have been at odds with her or wanted something she possessed.

Two framed photos of Maddie sat on one of the tables. In one of the photos, she sat in the lap of a thirtyish woman with brown hair. Jess picked up the photo and looked at the woman’s nose and mouth. Those were about the only two features they’d been able to see in the video footage of Maddie being dropped off.

“That’s the woman who dropped Maddie off,” Lori said, voicing the conclusion Jess had reached as well.

Jess passed her the photo. “I’m guessing that’s Amanda, her mother.”

“I’ll check with Sheriff Foster.”

While Lori made the ID, Jess moved to piles of newspapers in one corner of the room. Stacks of the local newspaper as well a smaller pile of more recent editions of the Birmingham News. Jess picked up the top copy and noted the headline about the gruesome murders she had investigated last week had been cut from the front page. As she sifted through the piles, the one thing the papers had in common was that any news related to Jess and her investigations in Birmingham or to Spears were missing.

It looked as if she had a fan. Was it the mother or the grandmother?

In the kitchen, the rustic country look continued. A few wall cabinets held dry and canned goods as well as the usual cooking and eating utensils. The fridge hosted a gallon of milk and a block of cheese, both near their expiration dates. A couple of packs of meat were wrapped in butcher paper and stored in the freezer. A stick figure drawing very similar to the one Maddie had drawn today hung on the side of the fridge. A small bag of apples lay on the counter.

There were no indications of forced entry or a struggle in the kitchen or the living room. Nothing appeared out of place. That same quiet she’d noticed outside permeated the inside of the home. Jess couldn’t help wondering if the silence was why Maddie didn’t like to talk or to be with other children. She was accustomed to quiet.

Lori caught up with Jess in the hall. “The woman in the photo is Amanda, Maddie’s mother. She’s thirty-eight. Never been married, but according to the sheriff, her list of boyfriends would make the top ten list of Jackson County’s repeat offenders. Drugs and assault mostly.”

“One mystery solved.” Jess could imagine the sort of life Maddie had endured.

The first bedroom on the right was the little girl’s. A small bed and dresser along with a few toys and the pink walls made the room a little brighter than the rest of the house. Plain white curtains adorned the single window that looked out over the front yard. Jess picked up the doll lying on the bed. It was the kind with a soft body and painted hair. Its dress was home made.

Jess placed the doll back on the bed and moved on to the next bedroom on the right. This one smelled like incense and was littered with empty beer cans. A narrow bed and dresser were the only furnishings. Lori pushed the curtains to the side of the single window to let in more light. Apparently, the sheriff had taken a quick look in here and decided there wasn’t anything to see.

Three of the four walls were the same yellow as the living room and hall, but the wall behind the bed was draped with striped sheets. At the foot of the bed, Jess lifted the sheet from the wall and had a look underneath. Startled, she drew back, let the sheet fall back against the wall.

Lori looked from Jess to the sheet. “What’s back there?”

Jess took a deep breath and ordered her pulse to slow. “Let’s get those sheets down.”

Lori climbed onto the bed and tugged the ends of the sheets loose from the nails holding them. Jess piled them onto the end of the bed.