Page 59 of What We May Be

“Clear,” Charlie confirmed from where she stood in the kitchen at the rear of the house.

“Bedroom drawers are tossed.” Jaylen entered the compact kitchen, ducking his head to avoid the over-door transom. “Clothes are half gone, the rest falling off hangers. She packed in a hurry.”

“Any hits on the APB?” she asked Diego, who’d followed Jaylen into the kitchen.

Shorter than Jaylen, he didn’t have to duck, but he did have to turn his broad shoulders sideways to get through the narrow door. “Nothing yet, but Rachel’s alerted the highway patrol in all surrounding counties and states.”

“The alarm by her bed was set for six this morning,” Jaylen said. “It was switched off, so either she never turned it on, or she turned it off this morning before she left. If she didn’t leave until this morning, then she can’t be more than a state or two away by now.”

“Charlie!” Sean shouted from outside. “Get out here!”

She exited the back door off the kitchen, Diego and Jaylen behind her, and found Sean standing by the trash bins.

He held open the black trash can lid with a gloved hand. “Take a look.”

She peered inside, seeing only white trash bags at first, but upon closer inspection, she spied a red plastic bag sticking out from beneath the top white one. There was an imprint on it, partially obscured, but she’d bet Sean’s Harley it was a biohazard symbol.

She called Diego over. “Get in here and take pictures before I pull the bags out.” She stood beside Jaylen as Diego snapped pictures with his phone.

“Clear,” Diego said after a minute, trading places with her again.

Charlie pulled out the first white trash bag and exposed the red biohazard bag. She nodded to Diego, who took another round of pictures, before she removed the bag and set it on the trash can lid. She carefully unsealed it and held open the flaps.

Sean whistled over her shoulder. “Jackpot.”

Indeed. The bag contained several used syringes and empty Diprivan vials.

“Diego, snap a few more pictures, then get this inside.” She ripped off her gloves and moved out of the way. “Jaylen, call the station and get CSU down here. I want a full sweep.”

Once Diego and Jaylen were finished, she asked Sean, “Did you check the other bins?”

He shook his head. “Got lucky on the first one.”

“You take blue. I’ll take green.”

He moved to the recycle bin as she lifted the lid on the compost. Her breath caught and she released the lid as if she’d been burned.

“Nothing here,” Sean called.

“Here either,” she lied.

“CSU will be here in ten,” Diego shouted from the window.

Sean took her elbow in his hand. “You okay?”

She nodded sharply.

“You’re lying.” His fingers tightened on her elbow. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

Her eyes cut to the compost bin, and Sean’s other hand followed, lifting the lid. He peered inside, then lowered the lid slowly.

“Beth could’ve had those for any number of reasons.”

“I know that,” she said, voice flat, though the tremor in her limbs likely gave her away.

“There’s little reason to think this case has anything to do with your family beyond the connection to Trevor.”

Except it could if someone else knew the truth about her mother’s death. A cover-up. And their killer was letting Charlie know they were in on the secret by leaving behind a bouquet of red roses, her mother’s favorite flowers. The ones Charlie regularly took to the cemetery, that she’d tossed into her father’s and brother’s graves.

“Charlie, what aren’t you telling me?”

She was saved from answering by a text alert. Shrugging out of Sean’s grasp, she retrieved her phone and read the message from Abel. “Tracy finishes her shift at two. We need to get back to the station.”

“Charlie,” Sean said, his eyes searching, full of concern.

“I’m fine.” She mustered as calm a stare as possible, which he either bought or decided not to question. Following him to the door, she glanced once more at the compost bin. They had the evidence to close the case today, but something told her it wasn’t the full story.

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