Page 124 of Almost Dead (The Cahills 2)

“We’ll need dental or DNA to be certain.”

Cissy nodded tautly several times, processing. “She was murdered.”

“We think so. Looks like a bullet wound to the back of her head.”

“Who killed her?” Jack asked. “The person who has our son?”

Paterno sidestepped. “We’ll know more after the autopsy.”

“But she was holed up in that house.” Cissy looked at him.

“Yes.”

She picked up the damned little mutt and held her close. “You thought she had an accomplice.”

“Could be a double-cross. Maybe your mother isn’t the person responsible for the crimes.”

Cissy said slowly, “I think whoever killed her called here.”

Paterno’s attention sharpened. “Called you?”

Jack nodded. “The FBI taped it from their van. They just came in and talked to us.”

“I hadn’t heard about the call.”

“There’s not much to tell. The woman basically taunted Cissy about having B.J. Said she’d taken him to ‘see his grandmother.’”

Paterno glanced at Cissy, and she repeated the entire conversation. She finished with, “Then she hung up. I can’t believe it. If Marla was dead…decomposing? What was she thinking? Beej was probably scared out of his mind.” Her face tightened, and she blinked against tears.

“We found a scrap of cotton fabric there. Fuzzy. Blue. Could be part of a blanket. We’re analyzing it.”

“That damned bitch! What’s she d

oing to my child?” Cissy was instantly livid. The dog whimpered, and she leaned over to let Coco down again.

Paterno asked, “Do you know anyone named Elyse?”

Cissy and Jack shook their heads.

“Elyse Hammersly?”

“No. Why?”

“That’s the name of the woman who rented the house where we found Marla. We think she’s also disguised herself as Mary Smith.” He pulled the copies of the lease agreement and ID from his pocket and handed them to the Holts.

Cissy just stared at the grainy picture on the copy of the Oregon driver’s license. Her pale skin turned ashen. “This woman is Elyse?” she whispered in disbelief.

“Wasn’t she here after the funeral? Serving?” Jack stared at the license photo too.

“You know her.” Paterno felt a jolt of adrenaline.

Cissy stared hard at the photo. Shock and fear registered in her eyes. “There has to be some mistake. This is a picture of Diedre Lawson, Detective. She works at Joltz. It’s a coffee shop I go to. She’s not really a friend of mine, but we know each other. No, you have to be wrong. I mean, I can’t believe that…Why?” Cissy started to tremble all over. “Are you telling me that Diedre killed my mother…and has my son?”

Jack swore pungently through clenched teeth.

Paterno’s brain was clicking. “Do you know that your mother had another child, a daughter, whom she gave up for adoption a few years before you were born?”

Cissy recoiled. “What are you saying? I have a sibling? No…The only sibling I have is my brother…half-brother…in Oregon. James, who lives with my uncle.”

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