Page 50 of Cold as Hell

I spin the chair to face him. “The abrasions make it look as if we’re back to the kidnapping scenario, but my brain keeps wanting to make that mistake because that’s where it started. If Lynn went missing, then the same fate that almost befell Kendra must have befallen her. If we found her naked and dead in the forest, thatmustbe murder, probably following rape. When the cause of death seems to be hypothermia, it could still be that scenario—she froze to death afterward. Now we find abrasions on her wrists and ankles? Clearly her killer tied her up. Except there’s no sign of rape so…”

I roll my shoulders. “This doesn’t need to be connected to Kendra. Yes, Kendra was drugged and dragged into the forest and, yes, a day later, Lynn died out there, but that doesn’t mean it was the same situation.”

I pick up my pad and jot notes. “Abrasions on the wrists and ankles. Very light, almost invisible. Found on a woman who was known to be seeking sex outside marriage.” I pause and shake my head. “Which doesn’t mean shehadsex outside marriage.”

“The bondage could be with Grant.”

“So the sex and marks happen earlier in the day. Later, when the storm hits, she tries going home during the storm and gets lost.” I press the pen tip to the paper. “But we still have a second- hand report that Thierry was seen leading her home, which he denies. I need to find out who said that.”

Dalton rocks back on his heels.

I look up at him. “We can’t fly out today anyway. I can answer this question first.”

“Not arguing. I was just going to ask if you’d let Will and me handle making the rounds. When we find the person who hailed Grant, we’ll bring them in to speak to you.”

I glance at the closed door. “If you want Will, I’ll need to take over assisting in the autopsy.”

“Can you do that while sitting down?”

I manage a faint smile. “I can try.”

April hasn’t found anything new in the autopsy. There’s no sign of liver disease, which would argue against alcoholism as the cause of those spots. Nor is there anything that argues against hypothermia as the cause of death. In short, if we’d found Lynn fully dressed in her apartment, we’d have been stumped. Hypothermia is a stealthy killer, leaving few traces behind, and none we’d normally look for.

April is stitching Lynn up when a knock comes at the door. Then a voice follows.

“Casey? Eric said you needed to speak to me.”

The heavy door muffles the voice, and my first thought is that it’s Grant, and I hop off my stool and move quickly to the door. Then I replay the words. Grant doesn’t call me Casey.

“Hold on,” I say.

I quickly wash up, and hurry back to the door and ease it open just enough to slip out, which isn’t easy while eight months pregnant. Luckily, the person waiting is considerate enough to back up and give me room. That lets me get the door closed before he can look inside.

The waiting-room light is off, the shutters still closed, so I need to light the lantern to see who’s there.

“Marlon,” I say with a smile. “How are you holding up?”

“Good. Eric says you’re looking for the person who called out to Grant last night, saying they saw Lynn.”

“I am.”

“Well, that’d be me.”

I wave him to one of the waiting-room chairs. Then I lower myself into the other.

“You hailed Grant?” I say.

“I did, and I only just discovered that Lynn was missing or I’d have spoken up sooner. After we got the shutters open this morning, Phil put me on inventory duty. I didn’t know anything was wrong until Will asked me to help find the guy who hailed Grant… which was me.”

“You saw her with Thierry?”

“Thierry?” His brow furrows. “Is that who she was with?”

“Isn’t that what you told—?” I wave it off. “Let’s back up. Yesterday, when the storm hit, Grant figured Lynn was waiting it out at the store. As soon as it died down a little, he went to check on her. He was outside the store when someone passing by shouted that they’d seen Thierry helping Lynn home during the storm. Was that you?”

“I was out doing a quick patrol. I saw Grant peering in the store window and so I called that I saw someone helping Lynn home during the storm.Someone,not Thierry.”

“So whodidyou see with her?”

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