Page 61 of Only Girl Alive

“Yes, just tired of the van.”

“It’s been twenty minutes.” He chuckled softly.

“Too long.”

They got back to work. The blood in the garage appeared to come entirely from the carcass. Collin bagged the knives after Eve took photos.

Eve felt impending doom deep in her gut. The church was notorious for moving its members to other communities when there was trouble. Eve didn’t know if they would bring the Wall family back here. They had not heard from Family Services though this wasn’t unusual. In the report, Ray had stressed the need to keep their case information from local law enforcement. Theirs was an ongoing investigation and Family Services dealt with this area a lot. In most circumstances, they could be trusted to keep quiet.

The evidence, which consisted of knives, prints, and DNA, was moved to the van. They did not have a positive on a knife or bloody clothing and they might never find them, but this case would be handled methodically, one step at a time.

They ate a quick meal standing up while waiting for the state techs to arrive for the grid search. When they finished lunch, Eve gave her team the bad news.

“We can start walking the grid around the outside of the house before the other team arrives. It will cut down on time.”

“You need to stay here,” Clyde said.

“I can walk and squat down. If I feel the slightest bit sick, I’ll stop.” She covered her heart. “Promise.”

“The idea of sitting on you is looking better and better.” His eyes flashed.

“I didn’t even need ibuprofen this morning. I’ll go crazy in the van.” She planned to be stubborn and insist if he pushed it.

“You’re walking next to me and I’m keeping an eye on you.”

“I’ll take her other side,” said Ray.

Having got her way, Eve was not going to object.

They searched the interior of the courtyard carefully. There were several child prints, but none matched Hannah’s shoes or came close to their size. Eve snapped a few photos to add to the report. Once the inside area was complete, they spread arm’s length apart and started walking slowly outside the wall, Ray positioned on her left and Clyde on her right. Circling the house, they established a twenty-yard perimeter. No further shoe prints were located. They then began searching the most direct route from the Wall residence to the Tanner home.

The techs arrived early. Eve didn’t want to admit it but she was tired. The sun was brighter, with no clouds. The temperature was somewhere in the high sixties. Her vest made her warmer and the extra weight didn’t help. Usually, she barely noticed it, but she wasn’t at one hundred percent, even if she hated admitting it.

They marked their location and walked back to the van where the other team waited. A large man with short red hair wearing tactical pants and a collared shirt with the state seal on it identified himself as Alex Taylor. They shook hands, grabbed water, and explained what they were looking for.

“All shoe prints. Another possibility is a knife. It doesn’t matter if it’s a pocketknife: mark it and we’ll bag it after I take photos. Also, any sign of clothing. We’re looking for things that don’t belong.”

The God squad and media had not returned. Someone had called them off.

Eve grabbed a baseball cap she kept in her evidence equipment bag to help block the sun. She managed another thirty minutes before she knew she wouldn’t make it. Her head was aching slightly and she needed to rest. She was angry that the assault was stopping her from doing her job, but she had to trust that if something was out here, they would find it without her.

“Halt,” she called, and turned to Clyde. “I’m done. I’ll take the SUV back to the hotel.” She took a sip of water. “You need to take over.”

“What’s wrong?” he asked with concern.

“Only a slight headache but I’m tired. I’ll just slow things down. The sun is getting to me. I promise I’m not on the verge of collapse.”

“Bina can go with you.”

“I can drive myself. I’ll go straight to the hotel and rest. I’m not nauseous or anything. I’m also doing as promised and playing it safe.”

“Okay, but call me when you get there. I’ll give you thirty minutes.”

Collin turned over the keys to the SUV. The line moved in after Eve started the hike back. They were about two hundred yards into the search. She removed her collared shirt and then her vest once she was at the vehicle. She wore an undershirt, which protected her modesty. Not that she cared right now. She put her outer shirt back on and tossed the vest into the passenger seat beside her. As soon as she leaned back and turned on the air, she felt better. A minute later, she rolled down the window and waved at the line, which had stopped to watch her. Clyde probably called a halt to make sure she was okay. He lifted his hand and she took off.

She felt like a failure for returning to the hotel, but Clyde would never forgive her if she passed out. She adjusted the air conditioning so it blew straight on her face.

She was a block from the Tanners’ home when she realized the officers in charge of scene integrity were gone, along with all the media that had stayed behind when they left this morning. A text came in on her phone.

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