Page 33 of Silent Ridge

“I did. He’s got the mug with the lipstick and the things you found outside here, but he doesn’t have a DNA sample from the victim yet. He’s waiting on the autopsy. He says he can get us pretty quick results. I think he was excited to be working on something like this with me.”

“Can you call Dr. Andrade’s office and see if they have a time for the autopsy yet?” I don’t want to go. I remember what happened last time. The sight of all that cutting triggered some memories best forgotten. Ronnie had weathered it like a veteran. But she’s not seen, or done, the things I have.

“I think he already did the post. He’s sending samples to Marley at the lab. His secretary said he wants to talk to you.”

Me. What have I done now? “Okay, I’ll call him. Can you start writing up what we did yesterday?”

She hands me a set of typed sheets. It’s the report I just asked for. I don’t know how she manages to type so fast with a fractured wrist.

“I didn’t put anything in there that can lead anyone to Gabrielle or her son,” Ronnie says quietly. “I’ve got another report with all of that information saved on a thumb drive. I don’t want someone getting into my computer.”

Ronnie has been sitting at a vacant desk since coming on board. She was originally only here to do a rotation through the various sheriff units. She would have been with us a week at most but my last case changed that. She is still a reserve deputy, but I think Sheriff Gray has other plans for her. She doesn’t have her own computer and has had to work off of the office server. I need to get her a password so she can protect her things. I think of doing that because of Nan and the fact that someone is stalking me. Which means they could be stalking Ronnie as well.

“Ronnie, you need to keep alert until this is over. I don’t want a repeat of last month.”

“That wasn’t your fault, Megan. If you hadn’t been there…” The shocked look on her face is real. “I owe you my life. Do you think the killer is coming after you?”

I do. I’m torn between not panicking her and keeping her aware enough to not become a victim. She’s a grown woman and so I decide to tell her enough to keep her on her toes.

“Let’s step outside.”

She follows me outside. I want to get a little distance between us and Super Nan. We walk out to where I found the cigarette butt, the candy wrapper and the lace underwear.

“This is where I found that stuff on Monday.”

She looks back toward the office. She had seen the picture collected from the crime scene. “The person taking the picture was here,” she says.

“I’m guessing. But if they were, look how out in the open this is. Anyone could have seen them.” But I didn’t.

“They weren’t too worried about being noticed,” she says.

“Or they didn’t look suspicious in the least. We have to consider that the person who took the picture is one of us.” I don’t know that, and I don’t even think that, but I want her to be souped-up alert. The expression that crosses her face tells me I’ve done my job in that regard. We’ve already run into that scenario once.

“I don’t want to talk much in the office. And I don’t want to leave anything out on the desks until we have a better handle on what we’re dealing with.”

“I understand. I won’t make copies until we’re ready to go to the sheriff. Have you told him your concerns?”

The sheriff knows what my concern is. He knows I’m going to keep this below the radar if possible. I don’t want anyone to put me together with Monique’s past. I still don’t know where Michael Rader fits in, if at all. He’s a wild card. I wouldn’t put it past him to be setting me up for Monique’s murder. He knows about me. He could be the one leaving my picture everywhere. The fact that Dan has the same pictures worries me.

“While I call Dr. Andrade, I want you to do something for me. As discreetly as possible.”

She picks up a notepad from my desk and a pen.

“Michael Rader,” I say. “He’s a white male, middle-aged, may be in law enforcement somehow.”

She raises an eyebrow at that last.

“Gabrielle gave me the name,” I tell her, and that’s not a lie. “See what you can find, and this is just between us.”

“Of course,” Ronnie says.

I call Dr. Andrade.

Thirty-One

I was put through to Dr. Andrade immediately. Normally the secretary would have asked questions and said the doctor would call me back.

“Andrade here, Megan.”

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