Page 109 of Fatal Witness

“Good idea.” Alex motioned Hayes over. “I’m going to let Hayes take you to the house, but—”

“Can’t Mark take me?” Her blue eyes searched his face. “He ... makes me feel safer.”

That she felt safe with him touched something deep inside him. Maybe he was doing something right. He squeezed her hand. “Hayes is a good man, and I’ll send Gem with you. They’ll keep you safe until Alex and I secure the crime scene.”

“He won’t be long,” Alex added. “But I need to talk to him before we get your statement.”

Reluctantly Dani agreed, and after she and Hayes left with Gem, Alex turned to Mark. “I called the CSI team. Shouldn’t take Dylan and Taylor long to get here.” She rested her hand on her belt. “We know it’s not Keith. Any guess who it might be?”

He nodded. “Maybe. How long do you think the body has been here?”

Alex rubbed her temple. “Daytime temps have been in the seventies, so it wouldn’t take that long for the body to break down.I’d say from the smell, no more than thirty-six hours and probably more like twenty-four to thirty.”

“About the time Toby Mitchell has been missing.” Mark knelt, staring at the exposed hand. It did look familiar even though it was swollen ... “I noticed Toby’s hands the other day, and he has big hands like this and a cross tattooed on his left knuckle—like here.” He pointed to the cross with his pen.

Alex studied the hand. “You’re probably right. He’s not going anywhere, so we’ll wait for the CSI team so we don’t run the risk of disturbing evidence.”

Mark stood and scanned the area. “But why bury the body here? The killer had to know that with Dani back in Pearl Springs, if he buried the body this close to the Bennett house, we’d find it sooner rather than later.”

“Maybe the killer was sending Dani a message,” Alex said. “Or Toby and the killer were here together and got into an argument that Toby lost.”

Mark nodded. “He’s a big man and easier to bury than to move.”

“Good point.” Alex took out her phone. “Guess I better call the medical examiner’s office over in Hamilton County.”

They walked to the edge of the woods to put distance between them and the body. “I’d like to get Dani away from here,” he said. “Instead of hanging around here while we wait for the ME and the TBI agents.”

“That’s a good idea, once I get her statement.”

“Actually, I had in mind to take her to Mae’s house first. She told us where to look for the family photos. Hayes could go along for backup.”

Alex chewed the bottom of her lip.

“We got rid of her phone, so it should be safe enough to drive up to Mae’s, maybe stop at my house so I can check out the damage from yesterday.”

“Why can’t you do that by yourself?”

“You saw how she reacted to just going to the house without me. I don’t think she’d like it if I left.”

“Let me think about it, and I’ll let you know once Dylan and Taylor arrive.” Her phone rang. “It’s Hayes,” she said and slid the button. “What’s wrong?”

Mark was already sprinting toward the house. He burst from the woods to see Dani on the ground with Gem standing guard, keeping Hayes and the Tennysons away. “Free, Gem!”

He knelt, and once he rewarded the dog with soothing words and a gentle pat on the head, he shifted his attention to Dani. Mark pressed his fingertips to her wrist, checking for a pulse. It was fast. He stood and scooped Dani up in his arms just as Alex jogged up. “I’m taking her inside.”

“What happened?” Alex asked.

“She came out of the woods and just fainted,” Hayes said as he opened the back door.

Dani’s eyes fluttered open as Mark carried her into the kitchen. “W-why are you carrying me?”

He smiled at her. “I was hoping you could tell me.” Mark set her in a chair in the kitchen. “What do you remember?”

She frowned and slowly shook her head. Abruptly she stilled and her eyes widened. “The body!”

He knelt in front of her. “Yes, and Hayes was bringing you back to the house...”

A strand of her golden red hair had slipped out of the tie, and she hooked it behind her ear. “Gem came with us...” Dani turned toward the window, then she shook her head again. “That’s all I remember.”

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