16

Boyett Farm

Good Hollow Road, Fayetteville, 4:15 p.m.

Vera paced the length of the room once more. Bent had called with an update on the latest find. In her opinion, the news changed everything.

What the hell was taking Eve so long? She was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago. They only had so much time before Luna would be home. Luna wanted Vera to go shopping in Huntsville with her. She d promised she would, so there was no backing out.

But first, Eve and Vera needed to talk.

Her cell vibrated, and she tugged it from her back pocket. If her sister was sending some lame excuse about not being able to come . . .

I know what you did.

A chill washed straight to her bones.

Vera stared at the screen. Opened the text message fully. The sender was not in her contacts.

She felt sick. Blinked. What the hell?

This couldn t be right. Vera shook her head. Tried to slow the racing in her chest.

A glimpse of movement beyond the window jerked her attention there. She eased in that direction. A small black car-a Mini Cooper-had pulled in next to Vera s SUV. She held her breath as the driver s side door opened. Eve emerged.

Thank God, she muttered, relief roaring through her veins.

Vera rushed to the front door, unlocked and opened it, then waited for Eve to reach the porch.

I had to borrow Suri s car.

As soon as Eve was across the threshold far enough, Vera closed the door. She couldn t hold this in any longer. They found another set of remains.

Eve made a face. What?

As if that s not bad enough, then there s this. Vera held her cell phone in front of her sister s face. The message she had received mere moments ago on the screen.

I know what you did.

Eve stared at the screen, then blinked. Yeah. I got one of those too.

Vera s jaw dropped. And you didn t tell me?

Eve shrugged. I just told you. And you just told me about yours.

True. But Vera had only just gotten hers like five minutes ago. When did you get yours?

Eve checked her cell. Showed Vera the screen. Four seventeen. Only two minutes after Vera received hers.

God, she wanted a drink. Something to steady herself, but she couldn t go there. It wouldn t be fair to her sister. Who the hell would be sending messages like this? No one knew . . . at least not if Eve was to be believed. Was it someone toying with them? Someone who hoped to prompt a response of some sort?

Eve searched her face. They found another set of remains. Really?

This was her reaction? Really?

Vera reached deep for calm. Really. The latest victim was male and appears to have been put in the cave three or four years ago.

Shit. Eve s eyes widened with something like surprise.

Vera studied her pupils. Had she been smoking pot? She was way too calm. The truth was, Vera could only control so much, and there was even less she could do. Particularly if Eve wasn t being completely forthcoming.

Just keep going. The females were all posed exactly like Sheree. But not the male. Apparently he was shoved into a crevice. Vera closed her eyes a moment. Dear God, she couldn t get the image of Eve posing Sheree out of her head. Just a kid trying to make this dead woman look like the people in the coffins at all those damned viewings they d attended. Vera had rounded up and placed the rocks. Eve had run back outside to gather wildflowers to put on the rocks.

All the while the bodies of two other women had been only a dozen or so feet away.

Who the hell had been using their cave? Even before they did?

Vera s heart pummeled her sternum.

This was insane. She had to sit down. She shuffled into the living room and collapsedm into the nearest chair. I don t understand. She watched as Eve came into the room and settled onto the sofa. How the hell could this happen? How could we not know about the others?

This part-this unbelievable escalating development-was far more troubling than some jerk sending the two of them messages. The messages could be some fool playing games.

No clue, Eve said, her voice sounding weary of the subject, her face equally so. But whoever did this seems to know we were the ones who put Sheree there. She shook her head. I mean, the text messages sort of suggest that s the case. What else could they mean?

Eve had a valid point. Vera scrubbed at her forehead. Who could possibly know what we did?

More importantly, who could have been killing people and leaving their bodies in that damned cave on their damned farm?

Take a breath. This was not the time to lose it.

I ve racked my brain, and nothing comes to mind. Eve stared at her cell. This is really crazy. Who would hate us this much? Enough to try and run me off the road and to send these messages?

Oh Jesus. Vera had put the event at the curve completely out of her mind after learning about the other remains. Maybe the driver actually had been nothing more than an idiot who d been preoccupied with his phone and ran to avoid the insurance and legal issues of an accident. Then again, what if the driver was the person who killed those other victims? Had he watched their inept efforts with Sheree? Had he gotten a good laugh? Or was he pissed that their carelessness-compared to his disposal of victims-had caused his work to be discovered?

If they re connected, Vera ventured, the accident and the text messages, then we re in over our heads and we re going to need help.

You want to tell Bent what we did?

That was the last thing she wanted to do. I honestly have no idea what to do.

Well, Eve offered, considering you re a cop yourself with fifteen years experience, if you don t know what to do, I sure as hell don t know what to do.

Vera rolled her eyes. On an ethical and cognitive level, I know what to do, Eve. I just don t know what to do on an emotional level. This was always about protecting you. Now it s grown into something far larger.

Now it s about protecting you too, Eve suggested.

Clearly. Vera hated that she sounded sarcastic, but it wasn t necessary for her sister to point out the obvious. Eve was likely thinking the same way. They couldn t go down that path. Playing the blame game wouldn t help. What happened was an accident, Vera went on. If I d been the one at home that day, it would have probably turned out the same way.

I know, Eve agreed, sounding bored of the subject.

This thing that s happening now, Vera said, looking Eve straight in the eyes to ensure she was paying attention, is different. Someone killed three people and hid their bodies in our cave. Killing three people at three different times is not an accident. The problem for us is that the killer ignored or reveled in finding Sheree s remains and probably decided we were responsible or maybe watched us do it. Or thought our father did. We can t be certain of anything. Except-the person who put those other remains in the cave is a murderer. If he s still out there, then we have reason to be concerned for our safety.

Vera took a deep breath. His work has been discovered, and he likely blames us-hence, the text messages, and maybe what happened on that curve as well. If we hadn t put Sheree where we did, the others might never have been found.

Yeah, I get it. Eve shifted her attention to her phone rather than maintain eye contact. I guess that was my fault.

A too-familiar sick feeling attacked Vera again. What was Eve hiding from her? There was something. Vera could not shake the feeling or ignore her sister s obvious detachment. What do you mean?

I m the one who suggested the cave. She glanced up. That makes it my fault.

Vera tried to recall the frantic conversation all those years ago. She was certain the decision had been a mutual one. We did this together, she reminded her sister.

Eve nodded but kept her attention on her phone or her hands.

You re certain there s nothing else you need to tell me, Vera nudged. Despite her need to trust Eve completely, she found herself holding her breath.

I don t believe this. Eve stared heavenward and heaved a big breath. What happened with Sheree -she glared at Vera- was an accident. You know that. You just said it. I damned sure haven t killed three other people. How could you think that?

Sadly that was the part that bothered Vera the most. Bent mentioned it just a little while ago. Rarely did a person see what was right in front of them when it involved a close family member or a close friend. She d experienced a devastating reminder just last week.

I know you didn t kill those two women. You were only eight or nine when they were murdered. I just need to know that everything is on the table-you re not holding back even to protect someone else.

We ve talked about this, Eve argued. The fact is, it seems like there s a lot we both need to know. Like who the heck sent those text messages. My first thought was Luna.

Eve s suggestion annoyed Vera. But more importantly Vera recognized it for what it was-an attempt to shift the focus. Her sister was definitely hiding something. But Eve had never responded well to being pushed. The issue would have to wait a little longer.

I think it s safe to say, Vera countered, that Luna is not involved with this. She has no idea we are.

I don t know why you think she s so innocent. What if Daddy figured out what we d done and told her at some point after his dementia got so bad? It s not impossible.

Vera supposed that scenario was conceivable. But she couldn t see her father knowing and never saying anything to her or to Eve. Still, it wasn t out of the question.

Vera shook her head. If Luna had learned the truth, we would have known it long ago. She would not have pretended otherwise.

Then who can it be? Eve demanded.

There was the rub. If Eve hadn t told anyone, and Vera certainly had not, that left only their father. But if he d discovered their secret, why would he not have demanded answers from one or both of them? Had he somehow discovered Sheree s remains after his dementia but before they were aware of the problem? Could he have decided she and Eve were responsible and had intended to confront them and then forgot? Or could he have, in the throes of his illness, believed he did it? Then again, maybe he killed the other two women and later, when he discovered Sheree, decided he couldn t confront his daughters for fear of them finding his secret?

Who the hell knew? What a freaking mess!

Bent has Daddy at the top of his suspect list, Vera admitted, in case Eve wasn t aware. Garth Rimmey had been there, too, but the older remains had dropped him lower on the list.

Makes sense. He was Sheree s husband. And maybe it was him. We can t be sure.

Vera s face pinched. You think Daddy could have killed those other two women? Then all these years later a man? Why? She made a what the hell face. I mean, at least with Sheree we can point to a potential motive, except it s irrelevant since we know what happened to her. The others . . . This was crazy. There was just no way their father was a killer. It can t be him. It just can t.

You re positive you didn t tell Bent what we did? Eve said quietly.

Vera drew back at the question. Of course I didn t tell Bent. He was gone before that happened. Remember? I had no way of contacting him. Until yesterday, he and I had not spoken in all this time.

Then how do we figure out who it is? Eve held up the phone, indicating the text message she had received.

I have a friend in Memphis who can run a check on the number the messages came from. Chances are it s a burner phone, and we won t be able to locate the owner. But we can try. Bent will do all he can to determine who ran you off the road, but frankly, that won t be easy, either, since we have basically no details about the other vehicle.

So what do we do in the meantime?

We stay alert. Make sure we re watchful and don t end up in a ditch somewhere. We keep each other informed of every little thing.

And keep pretending like we don t know anything?

Vera drew in a big breath. We don t know anything. What happened to Sheree has nothing to do with the other victims.

Eve s expression clouded. What if we re wrong and Daddy is a serial killer? Maybe he had it under control for all those years and then the dementia set him off, so he killed the last victim? He didn t argue when we decided to put him in Hillside. It was like he was glad to go.

The worst thing about her sister s suggestion was that it could be true.