“He’s the next interview we need to have. Is he a good cop? A fussy one? A live-and-let-live type about the rules? What would he have noticed about Scott Florist?”
Gabriel smiled at the questions. “I’ll start by mentioning Susan Florist introduced Phil Peters to his future wife, so there was in general a good vibe between the two couples. Susan and Jenna were friends, often seen together around town, shopping or grabbing a coffee. The guys were friendly, and not just as partners on the job. I don’t think they hung out at each other’s place, not as close as that, but still, friendly.”
“Okay. That’s useful.”
“Scott and Phil were very different individuals. Phil was a former Navy investigator, came from a strict and disciplined world. He liked to control things in a rather nitpicking kind of way, though that was fine. If you keep the small things under control, the big ones are more manageable. Scott Florist liked that about him, actually. It’s why they most often partnered together. They liked each other’s style. Different ways of getting there, but the same intensity to get the job done right. They worked well together, no friction in that relationship.”
“Think Phil will talk about Scott?”
“He’ll talk to us,” Gabriel assured her. “He’s retired now, lives over in Indiana, about a two-hour drive if you want to talk in person. This case has always mattered to him. Phil and Jenna’s wedding was that Sunday, and Scott Florist was to stand up as the best man. Scott and his family go missing Friday morning. The wedding almost got postponed. In fact, his fiancée, Jenna, said that would be best. But my dad talked them into going ahead as planned-the honeymoon cruise was already paid for, and it was non-refundable.
“Looking back, that was probably a mistake, not delaying things. While on his honeymoon, Phil was calling in at least three times a day, offering ideas and asking questions. As soon as they got back to town, Phil started right in, working the case around the clock. That caused problems in the new marriage. I seem to remember them living apart for a time. But they’ve been back together for the last… what, eight years? Jenna might be as helpful to talk with as Phil. Jenna and Susan were good friends long before Phil entered the picture.”
“They have any children?” Evie asked.
“No. I know Jenna likes kids-she worked for the school district here. So it surprises me they don’t have three or four by now. That may have been part of the marriage tension for all I know, not being able to have children for some reason.” Gabriel’s cellphone rang. He checked the readout and tensed. “Josh,” he told Evie. “Yes, Josh,” he said into the phone.
“You need to come right away. Will just gave me the signal to get Grace out of here.”
Gabriel flinched. “We’re on our way.” He met Evie’s gaze as he pushed back his chair. “Human remains at the farm.”
She closed up the file. “Adult or child?” she asked as she stood.
“Don’t know yet.” He saw a massive sequence of events coming at him in the next few hours and shifted into triage mode. “I’m calling state crime-scene folks next, but until I know what we’re dealing with, the lid stays on. I’m not bringing in my own deputies yet.”
“It has to be that way, Gabriel. You’ll know more in a couple hours.”
He nodded, already speed-dialing his dad’s number. He got his voicemail, left a message for his dad to call Evie. “When he checks in with you, tell him what’s going on. What time are Ann and Paul due in with Rachel?”
“Six.”
“Josh will have Grace at his place, or he will have taken her to our parents’ house.”
“I’ll make sure they know. Head on out to the farm, Gabriel. I’ll get locked up, post security here, make sure Grace is settled with Rachel before we drive out. We can talk then about what we tell Grace, if tonight or tomorrow morning makes the most sense for when to do so.”
“Thanks, Evie.”
“We knew this day was coming. Go ahead and work the scene. You’ll deal with it because you have to.”
He nodded. “I’ll call you as soon as I have details.” He headed out to the farm, speaking to the crime-scene personnel as he drove. He hoped the remains were that of Grace’s parents, but realistically he knew the odds favored the Dayton girl. He could only hope it wasn’t someone else they didn’t even have on their radar yet.
Gabriel parked behind Will, shut off his truck, and bowed his head over the wheel. “God, you know how I get when I’m dealing with death. Don’t let me puke.” He sighed, got out, pulled a couple of water bottles out of the cooler behind the seat. He made another call. “Will, I’m here. How do I find you?”
“Second deer blind, then east. You’ll see red flags I haven’t cleared yet.”
Gabriel slung the evidence-collection bag across his shoulder, picked up the camera bag, moved to the back of the truck and got his shovel. He walked at a good clip across the pastureland, then into the woods.
Will was sitting on a fallen tree trunk, shovel beside him, legs outstretched, boots crossed, seeming relaxed until you saw his grim expression. Will simply nodded to an oval patch of ground on the other side of the faint animal trail.
A wild blackberry bush had tried to grow, and a red flag was planted at the east side of it. A small tree had come down, its branches spread in a tangled mess across the ground. Will had scraped away fallen leaves with his boot and shovel, so the ground was moist dirt with traces of crushed mushrooms. He’d dug a hole alongside the fallen tree.
“The bone is about eight inches down, pretty much right at the flag,” Will said. “Either the femur bone of a child or the radius arm bone of a woman-they’d be similar dimensions just looking at the center few inches. It’s old skeletal remains. I’m guessing it’s a child, feet about here”-Will pointed-“lying that direction.”
Gabriel handed his brother one of the water bottles, pulled out the camera from the bag, pulled on a pair of gloves, and went to kneel by the flag and the hole. He used his gloved hand to gently move aside the dirt. It was human bone. Hard to tell if it was a child or a woman, but it definitely was human.
He studied the area. “State crime-scene people are going to be an hour getting here. But they were already packed for this possibility, as I’d given them a heads-up a search was in progress. Have you seen anything on the surface that suggests this is anything other than an old gravesite?”
“I’ve walked it in a spiral outward and I’m finding only vegetation,” Will replied.
“I’ll take some photos. Then we’ll get that tree moved and the area cleared.” Gabriel took his shovel and skimmed away a wider circle of leaves. “It’s still somewhat wet ground-that will make it easier getting to the rest of the bones.”
“It would be worth getting the other flags cleared while we wait for people, confirm this is the only site we need them to work for now,” Will suggested.
Gabriel nodded his agreement. “I’m sorry it was you who turned this shovel of dirt, Will.”
“Someone was going to do it. I’m glad it wasn’t Dad. Are they bringing in generators and lights or should I make arrangements?”
“They’ll have what they need, I’m sure of it.” Gabriel began snapping photographs of the scene. “You need to tell Karen what you’ve been doing out here. Go spend some time with her tonight.”
“Yeah. What do you figure? A few hours we’ll know child or adult?”
“I think I can convince them to clear dirt back from the visible bone before they start the rest of the excavation, get us that basic answer. How this bone is positioned will tell them how the body is resting.” Gabriel could feel himself building an emotional distance from the reality of the scene. “Dad’s going to be out here soon. We need something for him to do.”