The Bones Will Speak by Carrie Stuart Parks Read Free Book Online Page A

look at the landowner. This could be a convenient—”
    â€œI know where you’re going, but, if you pardon the expression, that’s a dead end. When I painted this place, I got permission from the owner. Ida Mae McCandless.”
    â€œWasn’t she the secretary at the Congregational church?”
    â€œYeah. Retired now, in her seventies, a widow, and hardly a serial killer.”
    â€œOkay, then . . .” He looked up at the distant sound of an airplane. The jet was a tiny speck in the sky.
    â€œIt’s an ideal spot for his work . . .” Gwen’s gaze drifted toward the structure. “Ideal.” She moved closer to the house.
    â€œWhat?” Dave asked.
    â€œThink about it, Dave. He abducted Mattie yesterday morning, kept her restrained and alive for almost twenty-four hours, then left. Why? He returned, but again the question is why.”
    â€œMaybe he thought she was dead and was going to bury her. He could have needed something, like a shovel.”
    â€œBut he brought a blanket. He was prepared. No, no.” She chewed her lip. “This place is totally hidden. No one would disturb him, yet he stopped short of killing her and left.” She looked up, then squinted. “We might just have an x factor.”
    â€œLike the television show? Aliens?”
    â€œThat’s X Files . An x factor is an unplanned . . . something that screws up the killer’s fantasy.” She stared at the farmhouse. “Not a weapon . . . His car worked just fine . . . The girl did something . . . No, I showed up after he left, so no witnesses interrupted him . . . no one. That could be it! It wasn’t a person that made him stop, it was time. Daylight.”
    â€œGo on.”
    â€œWhat if . . . what if he took a break, or noticed suddenly that the sun was coming up.”
    â€œ ‘The light disturbs the wicked and stops the arm that is raised in violence.’ ”
    â€œIsaiah?” Gwen asked.
    â€œJob. Just musing.”
    â€œI’m going to make a guess.” She bent over and pulled a blade of grass, then absently wrapped it around her finger. “He’s playing out his ritual . . . the lipstick . . . spraying her with perfume . . . whatever else.” Gwen snapped the grass in two and tossed it on the ground. “He suddenly noticed he could see her without his flashlight or lantern. He got up and walked to the door. Looked at his watch. Thought, Criminy, look at the time! ”
    â€œCriminy?”
    â€œYou get my drift. Anyway, the girl was almost dead. She’s certainly not going anywhere. Then he noticed the exposed bones. They’d be hard to miss in daylight. But he can’t kill and bury the girl and rebury the bones right away because he has a job, someplace he has to be. Maybe he even starts to dig, but realizes he needs to show up at work. He doesn’t want to arouse suspicion.”
    Dave nodded. “He checks in, or punches in—”
    â€œOr even has to leave to call in. Remember, there’s no cell reception.”
    â€œSunrise would be around six thirty.”
    â€œBut this is a north-south valley, so the sunrise would be somewhat later,” Gwen said. “Assuming he’d have to go home and shower, he might have to check in or be at work before eight.” “Well.” Dave shifted his weight. “That’s a lot of speculation and not a lot of elimination of suspects.”
    â€œHey, you’re the one who asked me for input. I’m not done. The proximity of the kill site to the dump site could mean he’s not particularly strong as it’s hard to move a body any distance, even a small one. He might also want to be near his former victims. Hmm. This reminds me of that serial killer over in Spokane about four or five years ago. He used both physical and psychological torture and liked young, slender victims.” She shook her head. “But I believe the victims were