The Killing Vision - By Will Overby Page 0,62

get a shot of it.

“Lieutenant?”

Halloran looked up to see one of the younger officers at the door of the barn. “Yes?”

“Detective Chapman sent me to get you. He says there’s something you need to take a look at.”

Halloran snapped the picture and pointed to Brooks. “Get that tagged and bagged.” He followed the younger officer outside. “Find something in the Escort?”

The cop shook his head. “Kid’s car was clean. Got something in the dad’s truck.”

Several officers and Chapman were huddled around the passenger side of blue Ford pickup. Halloran came up behind them and laid a hand on Chapman’s shoulder. “What’s up?”

Chapman turned and held up something in his gloved fingers. It was Abigail Saunders’ driver’s license. “It was under the passenger seat,” he said. “Just laying there.”

“Get it bagged,” Halloran said.

“There’s something else,” Chapman said. He lifted his other hand. He was holding a pair of tweezers, and when Halloran saw what was in them he felt his knees go weak.

“I’ll be goddamned,” he said.

* * *

5:42 PM

It had been a damn fine day, Joel thought.

He and Dana had spent the remainder of the afternoon walking through the park and talking. Dana had chatted on and on about the murders like she was discussing a mystery novel. And while her enthusiasm and her wanting to help out were charming and energizing, Joel had been glad when the conversation had turned to something else.

They talked about their futures. Dana would graduate college next spring and hoped to become an elementary teacher. Joel could see her doing that. She was so much like a child herself—full of imagination and life. Little kids would love her. But as much as he enjoyed hearing her hopes and plans, he couldn’t help but feel a spark of jealousy. She knew what she wanted out of life. She knew where she was going. All he would ever be was a lowly peon, doomed to an endless dead-end job until he was worn down and able to draw his retirement.

But maybe with the right woman to spend the rest of his life with, it would be all right. Maybe the banality of life would be easier to take. Maybe Dana was that woman. He smiled to himself. Maybe she was the answer he had been searching for.

He still didn’t know why he hadn’t told her about Barry’s call, but he knew she would worry, and worrying Dana was not something he wanted to do. He smiled at that. Having a woman worry over him was not something he was used to.

He had just turned the corner below Wade’s house when the flashing lights caught his attention. Lots of them. He slowed the Explorer down to a crawl as panic filled his gut. Cop cars all over Wade’s lawn. What the hell was going on? Was someone hurt?

Then he spotted them—Wade, Marla and Derek—standing beside one of the cop cars. Wade was smoking a cigarette. Marla’s face was puffy, as if she’d been crying. Derek wore a fuck-all expression, like he had been mightily inconvenienced.

Joel turned into the drive and a heavily muscled cop raised a hand to stop him. “You can’t come in here,” he shouted.

Joel lowered the window. “This is my brother’s house. Is everything okay?”

The cop looked around behind him, then back at Joel. “Everything’s under control. Everybody’s all right.”

“Can I see him?”

The cop looked around again, then nodded. “Park over there out of the way,” he said, motioning to an empty area close to the road.

Joel pulled the Explorer over and climbed out, then threaded his way through the maze of lights and cars to where the three of them stood.

Wade spotted him first, and his face changed from indifference, to annoyance, to relief in a matter of seconds. “What are you doing here?”

“What’s going on?” Joel asked. “Is everything okay?”

“Some girl’s disappeared,” Wade said flatly. “They think me or Derek had something to do with it.”

“What? Who?”

Wade looked at him for a moment, then dropped his gaze to the ground. “Just a girl I know, okay?”

Joel glanced at Marla and saw fresh tears welling up in her eyes. She stared straight ahead as if she could wish herself out of here.

“They think she’s dead,” Derek said.

Joel looked at him and saw that what he had first thought was an expression of defiance was actually fear. The boy’s hands were trembling and Joel could see he had bitten off most of his fingernails.

Wade dropped his cigarette butt and ground it into the dirt