Edge Of Darkness (Arrow's Edge MC #2) - Freya Barker Page 0,53

“You had stuff to show us?”

“Yes. Follow me.”

He leads the way into a room with end-to-end stainless steel counters filled with microscopes and other odds and ends of equipment. A woman working at one of the stations lifts up her head when we come in.

Parnak hands us each a pair of gloves.

“We’re still examining some of the evidence, so handle it carefully. Lydia is trying to see if she can get any biological material off some of the items that could tell us which victim it might belong to.”

He points at a tray next to the woman who is looking at something under the microscope. On the tray is a collection of teeth, a couple of rings, a belt buckle, what looks like an earring, a watch, and a necklace.

I pull out my phone and start snapping some pictures of the items on the tray.

“We’ll have pictures which we’ll include in our report,” Parnak volunteers.

“I know, but this way I’ll have them on hand. You don’t mind, do you?”

He shakes his head. “Be my guest.”

I make sure I have isolated shots of each piece of jewelry before I tuck my phone back in my pocket.

“Don’t forget this,” Lydia says, pulling a small pendant from under the microscope.

I bend over for a closer look and suck in a sharp breath.

“The chain was no longer attached,” Lydia continues, oblivious to my shock. “Just this pendant. Looks like a bean or something with a couple of stones set in.”

“Two peas in a pod,” I whisper, trying to control the shaking of my voice. “Peridot and topaz.”

“You okay, Bucco?”

I plaster on a smile I hope doesn’t look too deranged. “Just peachy.”

He leaves it alone until we get back in his truck.

“Now you wanna tell me what that was all about?”

No, I don’t. Putting it into words makes it real and I’m not ready for that. True, the possibility has always been there something happened to Dani, but I always had hope this was perhaps all a big misunderstanding.

I take in a deep breath, force down the lump in my throat, and dive right in.

“Topaz is my birthstone, my birthday is November. Peridot represents August, which was my best friend’s birth month. I had that pendant made at Sunwest Silver Co on Lomas Boulevard in Albuquerque, in June or July of 2005.”

“What the hell?”

“It was for my best friend Dani’s twenty-fifth birthday. As far as I know, she always wore it.”

“I’m gonna need more than that,” Tony says sternly. “You don’t even wanna know what I think the odds are at this point, your transfer from Albuquerque to Durango was just a change of scenery.”

“I have my file at my apartment.” At his raised eyebrow I clarify, “The file on Dani’s disappearance.”

_______________

I leave Ramirez sitting on the loveseat to read through my notes and move to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. I need it. I’m pretty sure my tea isn’t going to cut it this afternoon.

He’d listened attentively while I gave him the history on Dani, leading up to the last phone call. Then I handed him my file. While he reads I try to keep my hands busy, so my mind doesn’t wander to places I’m not ready to face yet. It’s always possible she gave that pendant to someone else, or maybe she had it stolen. I also can’t imagine her having a baby without letting me know. It’s too early to jump to conclusions, despite what my gut is telling me.

I kill time puttering around the apartment, tidying up, throwing in a load of laundry, and washing this morning’s dishes. I’m just putting the last of them back in the cupboard when Tony walks up, dropping the folder on the island.

“Do you have a few Ziplock baggies?”

I dig in my drawer and pull a few out, handing them over. I’m not sure what he wants them for until he slips each of the postcards in a separate baggie.

“DNA.”

He looks up at me. “The stamps, yeah. One of the most overlooked sources of DNA.”

“I can’t even wrap my head around this. If it’s her, how did she end up in a grave with two other bodies? And she never once mentioned a child.”

To my horror, the tears start rolling. I whip around and grab a tea towel, pressing it to my face while I hear a mumbled, “Fuck,” behind me. “I’m sorry, Lissie.” I feel his hand between my shoulder blades.

“I’m fine,” I quickly mutter, stepping out of his reach