“No, sorry. He’s been gone for two weeks, so we’re excited he’s finally coming home. We’re booking farther out for him, but the consultations can be done by our nurses or aestheticians.”

  “Okay, I think I’ll wait. When will he be back in the office?”

  “On Monday. Would you like an appointment for next week?”

  “I’ll call back then.” I hung up and gave Renz a wide-eyed look. “I can’t believe it isn’t him. We’re barking up the wrong damn tree.”

  Disappointment was written across Renz’s face. “Hopefully, those few leads will give us something to work with.” Seconds later, his phone rang. “It’s probably Taft wanting an update.” Renz fished his phone from his pocket and frowned. “It’s Captain Taylor, but you just talked to the police station.”

  “Maybe one of the leads is legit,” I said.

  “Maybe.” Renz answered, said uh-huh, yeah, and several curse words likely thrown in for good measure. Then he said we would be right there and hung up.

  “What the heck is going on?” I asked as I put everything into my briefcase.

  “We need to take over the leads the PD got from the tip-line calls.”

  “Okay. No big deal, but why the cursing?”

  “They have another murder on their hands.”

  “Shit! Same MO?”

  “The details are sketchy. I guess two officers went to conduct a wellness check on a homeowner and smelled a toxic odor coming from the house. They went into the rear yard, where the smell was the strongest, saw a bathroom window open, and realized the odor came from that room. With the chief’s okay, they breached the house and found something in the tub.”

  I frowned. “Something in the tub? You mean someone?”

  Renz shook his head. “It wasn’t exactly clear, but we need to take a look for ourselves. Come on. Let’s go.”

  We arrived at the police station minutes later and asked to speak with the chief. Either we would get a logical explanation then take over the tip-line leads, or we would join the detectives at the home the officers had gone to.

  Chief Taylor met with us in his office. The expression on his face showed he was clearly shaken. “I’ve never heard of such a thing, but according to the officers who conducted the wellness check, there are decomposed remains in the tub but not decomposed naturally.”

  “Can you explain that better?” Renz asked.

  Chief Taylor groaned. “Decomposed likely with acid. A hazmat unit is en route, and I told my guys to wait outside the residence.”

  “What the hell? Were they able to tell if the body was male or female?”

  “No, but the homeowner on record is a female named Ruth Bedford, thirtysomething and single.”

  “Who called in the wellness check?”

  “Her best friend, who has tried to reach her since Wednesday night. Apparently, she called and texted several times yesterday, and finally this morning, after still no response, the friend called us.”

  “We’ll need to speak with that friend. This isn’t necessarily an FBI situation and doesn’t sound like it’s related to our case, yet killing somebody with acid that requires Hazmat to remove the remains isn’t normal.”

  “Not that murder is a normal behavior to begin with,” Renz added, “but this sounds especially disturbing. I think we need to take a look before Hazmat removes the body. Besides that, we don’t know that the deceased is the homeowner. Maybe Ruth Bedford did the killing.”

  Renz’s words stuck with me. Was it a coincidence or a deliberate act since we now had another murder victim who couldn’t be identified?

  “Forensics has to process every room inside the home. We need to learn with absolute certainty who the person in the bathtub is. Meanwhile, we’re going to need a couple of hazmat suits and the home’s address,” Renz said.

  Chapter 25

  It was obvious that we were close to the home on Rose Drive. The street was barricaded at the nearest intersections to through traffic, not that residential streets were overly busy anyway. When Renz pulled up, an officer stood at the barricade nearest us.

  “Sorry, sir, you’ll have to back up and take another street.”

  Renz held out his badge and faced the officer.

  “FBI? Okay, go ahead.”

  We waited as the officer moved the barricade out of the street.

  He called out as we passed, “Make sure you don’t block any of the emergency vehicles.”

  I wondered what kind of emergency there could be after the fact, but the white hazmat van was there along with two squad cars, and I was sure Forensics would arrive soon. I pointed at an open spot where Renz could parallel park. We would have to walk past only three houses before arriving at the one where all the action was taking place.

  Renz flagged down one of the men wearing a white-hooded jumpsuit and a respirator.

  For the second time in less than five minutes, Renz pulled out his badge. “We need to get inside before the body is removed. We also need two hazmat suits and respirators to use.”

  The man lifted the respirator from his face. “One minute, Agent. I have to go inside and get the supervisor in charge.”

  We waited at the sidewalk for several minutes until that same man stepped out of the house with another man at his side. He pointed at us then went about his business. The other man, the one who I assumed was in charge, headed our way while pulling off his respirator.

  He called out as he got closer. “I’m Joe Brand, the lead here. What can I help the FBI with? We’ve got to clear the fumes out of that house.”

  Since Joe seemed somewhat bristly, Renz took the lead. “We’re in Roanoke investigating several murder cases. We need to see that body before you take it away.”

  “It isn’t a body anymore, and you aren’t protected from the toxic odor.”

  “Then we’ll need two respirators to use. Hazmat suits would be nice too.” Renz stood his ground until Joe nodded.

  “Fine, but time is of the essence. If we don’t dispose of that mess soon, we’re going to have environmental and air-quality complaints flooding our phone lines.”

  “Understood. Can a DNA sample be taken from the remains?”

  “Not my field.” Joe jerked his chin to our left. “Ask them. The respirators and suits are in the back of the van. We can’t dillydally around.”

  “Right.”

  We looked to our left and saw the forensic guys heading our way. They needed to suit up as well.

  Without saying anything else, Joe turned and headed for the house.

  As we slipped on the hazmat suits, Renz asked about the DNA. “Will the substance that killed that person destroy their DNA?”

  “Possibly, but first, we’d have to know what the toxin was. If the body is already decomposed like we’ve heard it is, then the chances are that acid was a factor and the DNA may very well be destroyed. We’ll have to pull some samples before Hazmat disposes of it.”

  Renz tipped his head toward the house. “Then let’s go have a look.”

  My head spun with images of what we would find in the tub, none of them good. I didn’t vomit easily, but I wasn’t sure I had ever seen anything as horrific as what we were supposedly about to see. I would know soon enough whether I was going to lose my breakfast or not.

  We walked into the already crowded hallway and past two of the Hazmat workers. After excusing ourselves several times, we reached the bathroom. The forensic team asked that everyone exit for the moment so they could get a few pictures before the entire room was compromised. I was sure it already had been.

  Renz and I stood back while Forensics snapped pictures of the fabric from the victim’s clothes that remained in the tub. After seeing strands of hair still intact, I elbowed Gavin, the forensic specialist we had spoken with outside, and asked if he could take pictures of and bag some of that hair. He gave me a nod and continued photographing what was in the tub and the rest of the bathroom. He scooted back and allowed Renz and me a look.

  There wasn’t much that resembled a body. Melted flesh and congealed bone were all that was left of the person. Because the fabric that remained was peach-colored, I assumed we were dealing with a female, and I made note of the blond hair. I left the room and headed into the bedroom, where several framed photographs sat on the dresser. One picture showed two women at Disney World, one a blonde and the other a redhead. I wondered if that was the friend who’d called in the welfare check. We would soon find out.

  I returned to the bathroom, tapped Renz’s shoulder, and tipped my head toward the bedroom. He followed me, and I showed him the picture. After unfastening the Velcro tabs on my jumpsuit, I reached into my pocket, pulled out my phone, and snapped a picture of that photograph.

  “Let’s get out of here. I’m sure the PD will have their detectives go through the house, and we can meet up with them later. Right now, we need to find that caller and talk to her.”

  I pulled Gavin aside and told him I needed copies of everything he and his team had gathered and photographed. I gave him my card and asked him to call later in the day. With that, Renz and I returned the gear to the Hazmat van and left.

  Once we were closer to our car, I sucked in a mouthful of fresh air before speaking. “Do you think it’s a coincidence that the remains in the tub are unidentifiable, like the others?”

  Renz pulled back, seemingly surprised. “Do you think the cases are related?”

  I shrugged. “I have no idea, but we need to learn more about Ruth Bedford and why someone hated her.”

  “Or why she hated someone else that much.”

  I huffed. “And once again, that’s the problem. We don’t know who the hell the victim is.”

  We headed directly to the home of the caller, and while Renz drove, I checked in at the crime lab with the remaining members of the forensic team, who compared our victim’s DNA to Rita Norman’s and that of the uncle of Linda Thompson.

  After hearing the results, I punched Renz’s shoulder. “They have a match. Deena Norman is Jane number two!” I felt elated, but it was a short-lived sense of happiness. All it meant was that our dead Jane now had a name and that Rita could bury her daughter and have closure. It was a victory for us but a time of sorrow for the survivors, and learning the victim’s identity still didn’t lead us to a suspect.

  After calling first to make sure she was there, we neared the home of Ruth’s best friend. So far, we had the identity of only one victim, and that discovery had confirmed that the initials on the women’s cheeks were actual clues. As soon as we caught our breath, we would continue down that path, but first, we needed to know if the remains in the tub belonged to Ruth Bedford. We hoped to find out plenty about her from the best friend, Dani Simpson.

  Renz pulled along the curb in front of Dani’s house minutes later, and we headed to the door. It took only one knock before she opened it. I held my badge toward her so she wouldn’t have to ask who we were, and I immediately noticed the red hair.

  “Agents, please come in. We can talk in the living room.”

  I didn’t know if anyone had contacted her after the wellness check, but I was sure she’d figured out that something bad must have happened or the FBI wouldn’t have been knocking on her door.

  Dani pointed at the couch, and we sat down. She faced us on the love seat and stared as if waiting to hear the words most people dreaded.

  “Is Ruth dead?”

  Not really knowing how to respond, I looked at Renz and let him take the lead.

  “We aren’t sure, Dani.”

  “How can you be unsure? She’s either alive or dead. There’s no in-between.” Tears rolled down her cheeks as she waited for an explanation.

  I pulled out my phone and showed her the picture I had taken at Ruth’s house. “Is this Ruth?”

  Dani looked at the photograph. “Of course it is, and that picture sat on her dresser. You were at her house, so why can’t you say what’s going on? I’m worried sick about her.”

  “There are human remains in the home, but we can’t confirm that they’re Ruth’s.”

  The stunned look on Dani’s face spoke for her. She needed to understand what I meant by that.

  “Dani, the remains can’t be identified,” I said.

  “Are they burned?”

  Renz spoke up. “No, but we can’t go into detail. What we need from you are answers to anything that will explain what happened to Ruth, if the remains are even hers. I will say that we are leaning that way since you haven’t spoken to her since Wednesday evening.”

  “And I texted her a million times since then without getting a response.”

  “Dani, what does Ruth do for a living?”

  “She’s a paralegal at a law firm downtown.”

  “Do you know if anyone would want to harm her, and if so, who that person might be?”

  “Not at all. Ruth has a great life, and she recently hinted around about a man she was seeing.”

  “Really? What did she say about him?”

  “Only that they were getting closer every day, that he was very attractive and a professional. I assumed he was an attorney at the firm. Ruth was kind of secretive about him.” Dani looked at the floor. “I think he was married or at the least had a girlfriend. I’m sure Ruth would have told me more, otherwise.”

  “And you don’t know his name?”

  Dani shook her head. “Did he do this? Did that new boyfriend kill Ruth? Did she find out he actually was married?”

  I held up my hands. “It’s too early to know anything. Like we said, we don’t have a positive ID on the victim yet. Do you know of a woman named Deena Norman? Had Ruth ever mentioned her name?”

  “Doesn’t sound familiar, but if Ruth knew her well enough, the number would be on her phone.”

  I nodded. “Who is Ruth’s next of kin, and why didn’t they report her missing?”

  Dani huffed. “Her mom passed away two years ago from cancer, and her dad is a loser. He never calls her.”

  “No siblings?”

  “Yeah, a brother who she only talks to on holidays and birthdays. He lives in New Orleans.”

  “His name?” Renz asked.

  “Kevin.”

  “Would you happen to have his phone number?”

  “No, but that number, too, would be on Ruth’s phone or somewhere in her desk.” Dani teared up again. “The body is Ruth’s. I just know it. She would have called me otherwise. My best friend in the entire world is dead.”

  I didn’t have the heart to tell her there wasn’t a body, but that also made me wonder who would take care of Ruth’s final expenses or what the process was when Hazmat had to dispose of remains. It was something I needed to ask.

  Whoever Chief Taylor assigned to go through Ruth’s house would need to see if she had a will. They would also have to locate her phone to see if there was any reference to that new boyfriend. I was champing at the bit to find out who he was and have a talk with him.

  I gave Dani my card, then we thanked her and left. We had to let Rita know that Deena was indeed one of the Janes being held at the medical examiner’s office in Roanoke. Rita would have to arrange everything going forward as far as Deena was concerned. We didn’t have to keep Deena’s body any longer, and we had plenty of photographs to consult if we needed to. Renz and I would take care of searching Deena’s house since anything of importance that we found could lead us to the killer—or a connection between Deena and the other victims.

  Chapter 26

  Before stopping by the police station, we headed to the crime lab. Connie Jones, one of the forensic techs, went over the DNA comparison between Rita and our Jane who was found at the stream. Statistics showed that children and parents had a fifty percent DNA match, and Rita was definitely Jane’s mother. From now on, Jane would be called Deena Norman, not Jane Doe number two. The DNA of Linda Thompson’s uncle didn’t match Jane number one, so I needed to press harder on the person who’d filed the missing persons report for Lorraine Tilley. If I had to, I would visit her in person. Later, I’d go through the most recent reports to see if any new ones had come in since we still didn’t have an identity on the woman found in the Lynchburg dumpster.

  We suddenly had so much to do that I knew I needed to write things down in order of urgency. First, we had to tell Rita that Deena had been identified. We also wanted to question her about Deena’s friendships, or lack thereof, and find out if Deena had ever talked about anyone bothering her. Even people or incidents mentioned in innocent mother-and-daughter conversation might actually be clues that we could follow up on.

  We thanked Connie and left the crime lab with copies of the reports, which I had put into my briefcase. During the drive to the police department, I dialed Rita’s number.

  “Do you want me to pull over during the call?” Renz asked.

  I shook my head. “Nope. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing. It’s the telling her that’s tough.”

  I set the phone to Speaker and tapped the keys, and Rita picked up on the third ring.

  “Hello.”

  “Rita, it’s Agent Monroe calling. We have news from Forensics about your hair samples.”

  Her voice quivered as she spoke. “Okay, what were the results?”

  “I’m sorry to say that they were a DNA match with our Jane Doe. The woman who was discovered at the Green Hill stream is indeed Deena. You have my deepest condolences.”

  Rita coughed through the phone line. “I need to process this, Agent Monroe. Right now, I can’t think.”

  “I understand, but we need to know what Deena’s occupation was, then we’ll talk more tomorrow.”

  Rita blew her nose then responded. “She was a commercial real estate agent.”

  I wrote that down. “Thank you, Rita. You have my information, so please call me tomorrow, and we’ll talk. I’ll walk you through the process going forward, but we need to find Deena’s killer, so the more we learn about Deena from you, the better. One more thing, Rita.”

  “Yes?”

  “We need to look for evidence of anything suspicious in Deena’s home. May we have your permission to do that, and did Deena keep a key outside?”

 

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