Page 246 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

Emily’s spine stiffened.

“Hey. It’s not Nora. You know it’s not her.”

“I know. She’s been gone more than ten years. As awful as this sounds, I almost wish it was her. It would be nice to have answers after all this time.”

“The chances of you stumbling on your sister’s body are astronomically low. But that sentiment isn’t awful at all. I understand your need for answers.”

He put his arm around her shoulders, and she allowed the contact. When she pulled away, her gaze traveled down the trail. He looked to see what caught her attention, and his eyes met Austin’s.

What was he doing? He had no business comforting Emily. She had a man, so he needed to back off. His jaw tightened, and he nodded to Austin before walking over to find Valerie, Mason, and the canines.

Wade went backout to his Crown Vic and dialed his lieutenant, Mac, to fill him in. “We’re going to need a forensic anthropologist out here. We have another possible grave site.”How many more bodies would there be?“If there are three victims and they all turn out to be nothing but skeletal remains, I’m out of my depth. I’m sure the medical examiner is too. We need an expert.”

“Make the phone call.”

“I will. I don’t think we’ll be able to keep this out of the national press.” Wade’s stomach churned at the idea of unsavory national news in his community.

“I’ll worry about that. You concentrate on figuring out who did this,” Mac said. “I’ll call the FBI and let them know there is the possibility a national landmark could be disturbed.”

He called the office and got the number for a forensic anthropologist. When he spoke to her, she agreed to drop everything she was working on and come right out. It would be a while before she arrived, but the crime-scene investigators were pulling in again, so there was plenty to keep him busy.

After the CSIs headed down the trail, Wade meandered over to Boulder Field and took a seat on one of the massive rocks. He shook his head at the graffiti nearby. The unsightly scribbles bothered him that there were people in the world who could look at God’s marvelous work and think they could somehow improve upon or destroy it. He wasn’t sure what their motivation was, but he didn’t like it. In this gorgeous place where God’s presence was palpable, one should find serenity and peace rather than be confronted with human destructiveness.

Did the blood of the victims buried here cry out to God like the blood of Abel had?The idea comforted him in a strange way. The Lord knew what evil had taken place here, and He’d allowed it to be brought to light.

A hand on his shoulder shocked him out of his reverie.

“You okay?” Jamie’s brows drew together.

He sighed. “I will be. This case is getting to me.” He stood, and the two of them walked together. “I assume you heard the grisly news?”

“About the cadaver dogs?” She nodded. “It’s not a bad thing, Wade. We’ll be able to provide closure for families if we dig up more remains.”

“I’ve spoken to enough families to know there is no such thing as closure.”

“You may be right, but it’s better for them to know and to be able to bury their loved ones in cemeteries.”

He looked up at the sky. “This is an awkward case for me.”

“Emily?”

He nodded.

“Tell me more about her?”

“What’s to tell? She was a cheerleader. Starred in all the school plays. Would’ve graduated top of our class if it hadn’t been…” His voice trailed off.

“For her sister.” Jamie reached up and patted his cheek. “I think you need to find some time to talk to her. You can’t change the past, but you can share how you feel.”

“That would be most inappropriate considering she’s in a relationship with another man.”

“I’m not referring to those particular feelings.” She frowned. “Talk to her about your unresolved guilt. Ask for her forgiveness. And while you’re at it, forgive yourself.”

“That’s a tall order.”

“I know.” She squeezed his hand. “You’ll be all right. Let’s go see what secrets Hickory Run wants to reveal to us today.”

God would do the revealing, but Wade kept the thought to himself. Jamie was aware of his faith. They’d worked together while he went to Bible college online. She didn’t understand when he told her God called him to be a pastor. Nor did she share any part of his faith. He hoped she’d come around, but he didn’t want to pressure her to the point that she drew further from God instead of closer to Him.

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