sent for DNA testing.” Virgil’s expression looked somber.
“What aren’t you telling me? Did you find other remains? A … child’s?” Kate refused to utter her daughter’s name, as if not saying it would make her worst fear impossible. “Tell me!”
Virgil reached across the table and gently gripped her wrist. “We can’t be sure the bones belong to just one person until the lab analyzes the DNA.”
“But you only found one skull.” Kate looked up at him, her mind processing the implications.
“It’s just too soon to tell what we’ve discovered or what else is still out there. We’re searching the area for any indication that this could be Micah or Riley Jo.”
Kate blinked away the grisly images that invaded her mind.
“I hate dropping this on you,” Virgil said, “but this is going to be breaking news within the hour. I wanted you to hear it from me—in person, not over the phone.”
“Where did you f-find the remains?” Kate said.
“Just a couple miles from here—in the woods. There was no way to determine if foul play was involved. It’s going to take the medical examiner for that.”
“You said a couple of teenagers discovered them?”
Virgil nodded. “They’re going down to the station now to give their statements. I’m headed back to the site. I’ll keep you informed. If I learn anything significant, I’ll let you know right away.”
“Thanks.”
Virgil withdrew his hands and folded his arms on the table. He spoke with a steady, compassionate voice. “We’ve both been dreading a discovery like this for a very long time. I can only imagine how much harder this is for you. Keep in mind we don’t know that these remains belong to Micah or Riley Jo. We can compare Micah’s dental records to the skull we found and get the results rather quickly. But it could take a couple months to get the DNA results back on each of the bones. I wish I could tell you I could speed up the process, but I can’t.”
“You said you were searching the area.”
“We are. We’re hoping to find some identifying article. Clothing. Watch. Jewelry. Anything like that.”
“A gold wedding band?” Kate said, feeling as if her heart were breaking all over again.
“That certainly would have withstood the elements. If it’s there, we’ll find it.”
“I should go out there in case you find something.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. We’re going to be searching all night. It’s dark. We don’t know that we’re going to find anything. Why don’t you stay home and rest? I promise I’ll call you immediately if we find something.”
“I don’t care what time it is,” Kate said. “I doubt I’ll be sleeping.”
Virgil gave her arm a gentle squeeze and stood. “I’ll let myself out.”
Kate couldn’t have moved if she’d wanted to. She was vaguely aware of Virgil walking through the living room and out the front door and wondered how many times he had done that in the past five years. Was this finally the beginning of the end?
A wave of nausea swept over her, and she laid her head on the table. No matter how much she wanted an end to the ominous unknowns that haunted her, closure wouldn’t come without heartache. And even if her beloved Micah and Riley Jo were proven dead, she would still be left wondering how they died.
Kate wanted to crawl into bed and fall into a deep sleep. But the night was young, and she would spend it staring into the darkness, waiting for Virgil’s call.
Chapter 11
Abby, still groggy from being awakened from a sound sleep, shuffled into the living room behind Grandpa and saw that the rest of the family had already gathered. She sat on the couch between Jesse and Hawk. Her mother sat in one of two easy chairs facing them, her eyes red and puffy and her expression somber. Grandpa sat in the other chair.
“I called this family meeting,” Mama said, “because I need to tell you the news the sheriff just brought. It’s hard to hear, but it’s important. In the woods, not far from here, a couple of teenagers discovered the remains of someone—an adult.”
Abby put her hands to her face and sucked in a breath. “Daddy?”
“They don’t know yet, but we have to brace ourselves for that possibility.”
“What do you mean by remains?” Hawk said.
“They found human bones.” Mama paused for a moment, her fist pressed to her lips. “And a skull. Virgil said it was an adult’s, not a child’s.”
Abby listened as her mother shared with