Find Her Alive (Detective Josie Quinn #8) - Lisa Regan Page 0,31
road that led to Keller Hollow. They passed the cemetery on the way there, and just as Heather had said, there wasn’t much to it. It wasn’t gated. It was merely a plot of land that had been carved out of a forested hill, its headstones lined up neatly in rows. A single asphalt road split the middle of it, leading up and over the crest in the hill. As they drove past, Heather said, “Mr. Webb is buried up on the other side of the hill. You couldn’t see Nicci’s vehicle from this road which means that anyone who drove in after her and approached her wouldn’t have been seen from the road.”
Keller Hollow appeared, a small collection of houses nestled along the rural route. Heather pulled into the driveway of a small, two-story house with blue siding and black shutters. Beside them were two other vehicles—both sedans, one red and one silver. As they got out, Heather pointed to the silver car. “That’s Nicci’s car. We did process it but didn’t find anything. The other car is Monica’s. She’s usually home. She’s taking online college courses. Plus, with a toddler and the cost of childcare, it’s tough for her to get out of the house much.”
They stepped onto a porch that was littered with brightly colored toddler toys: a play lawn mower, a cozy coupe car, and a plastic ice-cream stand complete with plastic ice-cream cones in all flavors imaginable. Before Josie could take it all in, the creak of the screen door drew her attention. A young woman stepped out, holding a little girl on her hip. Both had dark hair, pale skin, and narrow noses like Nicci Webb.
“Monica,” Heather greeted her.
Monica’s blue eyes traveled from Heather to Josie and Gretchen and back. She drew in a deep, stuttering breath, and said, “She’s gone, isn’t she?”
Heather’s face was drawn with sympathy. “Can we go inside?”
Wordlessly, Monica led them inside the house. More toys were scattered across the living room. The furniture was well worn, as was the tan carpet. Family photos hung from the walls. Most were of a family of three—Monica stood circled protectively by her parents at various ages, bracketed by a much younger Nicci and her husband. He was taller than his wife, barrel-chested and bearded with kind eyes and a wide smile. His own expression held none of the strain that his wife’s did. Then he disappeared from the photos, eventually replaced by Nicci’s infant granddaughter.
Josie tore her eyes from the photos to take in the rest of the room. Houseplants sat in each corner and on the end tables. Everything in the room except the toys looked very old, and yet the place felt homey and warm. A blanket had been spread on the floor, with various dolls on it. Monica set her daughter down on it and handed her a sippy cup. “Annabelle,” she said, a tremble in her voice. “Mommy has to talk to these ladies, okay? Why don’t you sit here and play and watch TV for a while, okay? I’ll put on your favorite show?”
Annabelle pointed to the television and cried out, “Paw Patrol!”
Monica kissed her cheek and smiled back, even as a tear sneaked down her face. “You got it, baby.”
Once Annabelle was fully engrossed in Paw Patrol, they all sat down—Gretchen and Josie on the couch and Heather and Monica on the love seat. Heather made introductions while Monica twisted her hands together in her lap. “Just tell me,” she said. “Just tell me where you found her.”
Heather said, “Your mother’s remains were found near a rental cabin in Denton.”
Monica closed her eyes for a moment, sucking in several deep breaths. “Remains?”
Gretchen cleared her throat and when Monica opened her eyes again, she said, “She was badly decomposed, I’m afraid. We weren’t able to determine her cause of death or even how long she’s been dead, but we estimate that she probably passed away shortly after she went missing.”
“She didn’t go missing,” Monica said.
Josie said, “You’re right. Someone took her, Monica.” She glanced at Gretchen. She knew they couldn’t disclose the bone display. Not at this stage in the investigation. Not that she wanted to tell Monica about the ghastly way her mother’s bones had been displayed. “But we’re not sure where she was killed. It was clear from how clean the scene was that her remains had been brought from another location and placed there.”
Monica’s brow furrowed. “You said Denton? I don’t think my mom’s