Page 35 of Forensics of a Fable

“Is she tagged in the post?” Bel asked.

“Um… yes.” Gold clicked on the name hovering over the student’s face. It led them to a private profile, but the header image was all the detectives needed, for there was Jane Doe, staring back at them.

“Rebecca Kolm,” Bel read with a hint of triumph.

“And she knew Locks,” Olivia said, returning to the college photo. “Or he knew her,” she corrected. “This was taken at a crowded party, and judging by her position in the group, she had no clue Locks existed. By the direction of his eyes, though, he was watching her.” She pointed to the younger Locks.

“He unnerved the vet staff,” Bel said. “It stands to reason that was not a new personality trait. Can you pull up missing persons? I want to see if anyone reported Rebecca Kolm.”

Olivia granted Bel’s request. “No, no one has. Her job should have reported her missing by now. Maybe she had off?”

“That would explain why her family hasn’t questioned her absence either,” Bel added. “Come on, let’s go brief Griffin and get a deputy to track down Kolm’s information. It seems her poor parents don’t know their daughter is dead.”

“That can’t be…that’s not possible!” Mrs. Kolm sobbed, and Bel recoiled at the woman’s pain. She hated bringing devastation into people’s lives.

“She was just…” the woman trailed off as she convulsed, and her daughter wrapped her arms around her shaking shoulders. There was no Mr. Kolm. Seemed the man had split after Rebecca’s younger sister was born, leaving the three women together, which only made Bel hate herself even more for adding to this family’s loss.

“She was just here,” Mrs. Kolm continued. “Rebecca lives at home with me. My girl, my sweet girl.” The woman convulsed. “She’d gone through a difficult breakup, and I recommended she take a few days off to heal. She went on a camping trip, and… oh my god, I did this. I killed her. I made her go on that trip, so this is all my fault.” She collapsed in on herself in pain, and it took all of Bel’s strength not to cry. She wanted to scream, to rage at this injustice. Someone had come into her town, stealing people’s daughters, and she was no closer to finding the killer. She tried not to think of her dad, thankful he’d returned home. She didn’t want him to see her after this. Watching Mrs. Kolm tremble and wail offered her a glimpse into what he must have endured the night of her attack.

“This wasn’t your fault,” Bel soothed, voice somehow strong despite the hollowness in her soul. “You didn’t do this. You sound like a wonderful mother, and no one could have predicted this.”

“I should have, though,” Mrs. Kolm shouted. “She was my daughter, and I failed her.”

“You didn’t fail her. Only one person is to blame, and I promise, I won’t stop until I have exhausted every lead.”

“Do that,” the woman spat, her bitterness not aimed at the detectives but at the killer. “You find the bastard that did this to my baby, and you make him pay.”

“We will,” Olivia said, and Bel shot her a warning look. That was the one thing you never promised the victim’s family.

“We’ll do everything possible,” Bel corrected. “And I don’t wish to be insensitive, but can you answer some questions?”

“I… I don’t know.” Mrs. Kolm collapsed in tears again.

“Ask.” Rebecca’s sister spoke for the first time. Tears streamed down her face, but unlike her mother, her words were clear. “I’ll do what I can to help.”

“You said Rebecca was camping?”

“Yes, she was outdoorsy, unlike me. She hiked, fished, camped, biked, you name it.”

Bel and Olivia exchanged a look at the word hike.

“Bajka has a cute little campsite. It was Rebecca’s favorite since it was clean and safe,” her sister continued. “She would often be without cell reception, which is why we weren’t worried. Is that how he…” She choked slightly on her words. “Is that how he got her? Hiking?”

“We think so.” Bel nodded and then showed the girl a photo of Foley Locks, making a mental note to have a deputy check the campsite. “Do you know this man? Or did your sister?”

“I don’t think so. As Mom said, she lived at home, so I knew her friends. Besides, that guy’s not Rebecca’s type. Why do you ask? Is that the killer?”

“Right now, he’s just a person of interest,” Bel answered honestly. “His social media was how we identified your sister, and dental records confirmed her ID.” She showed her the college photo, and the girl squinted at it.

“I don’t recognize him, and I doubt Rebecca knew him beyond that party. He is not the kind she associated with.”

“Your sister’s ex-boyfriend?” Bel asked. “It was a messy breakup?”

“Yes, but he wouldn’t kill her.” She sounded convinced. “He was a decent guy, but he was lazy. It’s why they broke up. A man who couldn’t be bothered to get his life together in order to stop Rebecca from leaving isn’t organized enough to commit crimes.”

Bel nodded, getting his name just in case. “Did Rebecca have any friends or enemies that wanted to harm her? Did she owe anyone money?”

“No. She lived at home to be debt free. She had a decent saving account too. As far as enemies, I doubt it. Rebecca was nice but introverted. She loved people, but she preferred nature.”

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