Page 2 of Close Quarters

“Will do. I have a question, though. When you say several, do you have a more specific number?” He wanted to make sure they had enough supplies on hand.

“Best guess, at least four. The kids came at different times, with Mason there the longest. But he said there was at least one who was there before him and disappeared while he was held captive. He said he remembers two others as well who vanished. Anne claims Jim handled most of the dealings with their clientele. She says she was just there to help kidnap the kids and keep them clothed and fed.”

“Do you believe her?”

“Maybe. When I talked to her, she was in the midst of detox for heroin, so she was a twitchy mess. I’m not sure she remembers much of what went on in that house with any clarity. When I asked her specifically about any of the kids disappearing before they kidnapped Mason, she said there were a couple, but couldn’t give me a specific number. I figure you’re looking for four to seven, maybe eight, bodies. I tried to get Jim and the judge to give me details, but they refused to say anything.”

“Jesus. That’s disgusting.”

“Tell me about it.” Seb’s voice was terse. “I can’t wait for this case to go to trial. I’m going to pin every charge I can think of on all three of them.”

“Okay. Let me talk to my team and I’ll get back to you.”

“Sounds good.”

Alex hung up and sighed. He had no idea where he was going to put that many bodies with only a quarter of a lab. He glanced at the filing cabinets against the wall. Maybe a quarter was too generous.

Pushing away from his desk, he stood and exited his office. More of Katie’s team had arrived, and they were busy moving things around to improve the flow of the room. He spotted his quarry, bent over a lab table, trying to reach the outlet behind it. Alex tried not to stare as he got a full view of her tight butt in her khaki jeans. Katie Mitchum might annoy the ever-loving shit out of him most of the time, but she was a knockout.

He walked over to her and cleared his throat. She glanced up at him.

“What now? Look, I’m trying to make some more space, okay?” She straightened, still holding the power cord.

“It’s not about that. Seb just called. We need to prep for an excavation.”

Her brow dipped with curiosity. “Okay, which cemetery?”

“Not a cemetery. The Paulsons’ place.”

“The human traffickers?”

He nodded. “Apparently, there are several children buried up there.”

A dark frown overtook her face. “I can’t believe Judge Brandt masterminded that whole thing. I hope he fries. When do we need to be ready?”

“Tomorrow, if possible.”

She bit her lip and looked around. “I’m not sure that’s doable, to be honest. I need to borrow a radar. Mine’s on order still.”

“Okay. What else do you need that you don’t have?”

“That’s it. Everything else I’d need for a body recovery I’ve already replaced.”

He nodded. “Sounds good. Get enough supplies and personnel lined up for at least eight bodies. That’s the high end, but we don’t want to be short on what we need once we get out there. I’m going to make some calls and see about finding you that radar. I need to talk to Amanda Pressley at the University of Colorado too. I think all our remains are going to be skeletonized, and I don’t deal with just bones.”

“Will do, boss.” Her mouth quirked as she gave him a sharp salute.

He rolled his eyes and plucked the cord from her fingers, leaning over the table to plug it in. “Get busy,” he said, straightening. Spinning on his heel, he went back to his office.

Exhausted, Katie fell into the chair at her desk and closed her eyes. It was eight p.m., and she’d been at work since seven that morning. Alex had come through with the radar and the forensic anthropologist. Both were meeting them at the Paulsons’ tomorrow morning, so she and her team had launched into overdrive to get things ready.

Her stomach growled, reminding her she skipped dinner and that lunch was the protein bar she kept in her desk. But she didn’t want to move. Her feet hurt and so did her back. She was only thirty-two, but right now, she felt more like she was sixty-two.

The soft snick of a door opening made her open her eyes. She swiveled to watch Alex step out of his office. Dark stubble dusted his jawline, and his chocolate hair with its hint of silver was mussed. She bit her lip as she watched him walk. Even rumpled, the man was a sight to behold. At a couple inches over six feet, the medical examiner’s muscled frame moved with a predatory grace. Intelligence sparked out of his bright blue eyes, and she knew if he smiled, they would crinkle at the corners. She’d never had a thing for older men until she met Alex Randall.

Although, he wasn’t that much older than she was. When he started working for the county, she peeked at his personnel file, more than a little curious about the handsome doctor, and discovered he had eleven years on her.

Her chair creaked as she shifted while she watched him walk to the door. He paused and glanced back.

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