Page 364 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

Jacob blew out a long breath. “When you have time of death, call me. I’ll come by the station, and we can get it on record that I was nowhere near her. Because Ididn’t do it.”

Hank tossed his plate in the sink with a terrifying clatter. “I’ve got to go, and you’re gonna lay that on me?”

“It’s not a big deal. I just want it confirmed it wasn’t me. Officially.”

Hank reached up and squeezed the back of his neck. “You’re unbelievable. But just so long as you’re clear, right? You’ve got issues, my friend.”

They both knew that wasn’t what was happening here. “Just call me when you know.”

Hank headed for the door without a look back. The cat meowed after him, but Hank shut the door in her face.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Early morning wind whipped through the canyon just outside of town. Addie braced against it, closed her car door, and buttoned her wool coat. Her badge hung from a chain around her neck. She should’ve brought a beanie. Or gloves.

Addie shoved her hands in her pockets and discovered a wrapped piece of gum. She popped it in and discarded the wrapper in a trash can beside the row of marked police cars. The ME’s van was here. She’d had to park three rows from the trailhead just to find a space.

The guy she now knew as Captain McCauley stood beside the trailhead map waiting for her. “Thanks for coming out.”

She stuck out her hand, and he shook it with his gloved one. “I appreciate being looped in even though it’s only my second day.”

“How’s it going? Being back?”

She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to remember who he was from high school. He seemed like the kind of guy who aged but managed to look the same. Just more refined.

Addie shrugged. “The town has changed a lot. It’s probably double the size it was.”

“Small town people think this is the big city. Big city folks come here for the slower pace of life, but they can still get those conveniences that aren’t in a small town.”

“That’s for sure.” Some places people drove all over for work and groceries. There was no need to drive an hour unless necessary in a town like this. Everything was fifteen minutes away, give or take. Seemed like that anyway.

“Want the rundown?”

“That would be good, thanks.” Addie preferred to know what she was walking into.

That, and the fact she’d been called here in the first place, meant the police department had reason to believe the body that’d been found was connected to the cases she’d been brought here to solve.

Considering Addie didn’t have a crime lab, or fellow agents on hand, the cops were the ones who would work this case. If it proved to be the same suspect as the ones she’d been handed, having federal weight behind the arrest might make a difference.

McCauley kept a steady pace. “Celia Jessop went missing three days ago. Twenty-three, steady boyfriend. He’s a loser, but we checked him out, and he had the flu. Claims they broke up a while back. He was bedridden the last week, so he hasn’t seen her for fifty-two hours at least.”

“Her car?”

“Still looking for it.” McCauley motioned back at the parking lot while the path ascended around the hill. “Wasn’t parked here. No one has found it abandoned around town. There’s a BOLO still out on it.”

“You think this is connected to my cases?”

“You’ll see, but yeah.” McCauley scratched at his chin. “At this point, it’s more of a gut feeling than anything else. None of them have the same MO. No correlations in the victims. No other way to link them or predict who he will strike at next.”

She’d been sure about Zimmerman—namely that she could trust him—and look how that turned out? One dumb mistake. Now he was getting back with his wife, and she got exiled. To advance her career. Supposedly.

The common denominator was the fact she couldn’t trust herself because she was putting her trust where there was no foundation.

She should probably call the Seattle field office and ask for help. Get a team here, so it wouldn’t be so obvious when she faltered.

They rounded the corner, and the scene came into view, taped off. Guarded by an officer and several others. The ME and his assistant. Crime lab, collecting evidence.

Addie laid a hand on his elbow. “I’d love to talk to you more about this. Dig into that gut feeling. It’ll help me work up a profile.”

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