Page 29 of Crime Lab Cold Case (Pacific Northwest Forensics #2)

Natalie pulled out of Michael’s grip. “Did you hear it, Michael? Did you hear the bell? He rang it twice. He’s responsible for Katie’s disappearance. I know it. He knows it.”

“Shh.” Michael took her by the shoulders and pinned her against the wall. “If that happened, if that’s what your heard, we’ll figure it out, but not like this.”

She sagged, all the fight draining from her body. “ If that happened? You don’t believe me? You didn’t hear the two rings?”

“I heard a very angry nurse ready to get us kicked out of here. How is that going to help?” He took her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist. “Let’s not give them that opportunity.”

Her head throbbed as the anger dissipated.

Michael was right, but she knew in her heart that they had their man.

He took Katie. He murdered Sierra and Alma.

He stopped because he almost drowned and became disabled.

Did he have a copycat now? Did the person who killed Raine mimic John Westfall to throw the cops off the scent?

She allowed Michael to lead her outside, and the crisp air hitting her face did its job. Her head cleared. Her brain clicked back into focus.

“It’s him, Michael. We have to tell the sheriff’s department. They need to investigate him thoroughly.”

They sat on a bench outside the facility, and he slung his arm across her shoulders. “They’ll have a hard time questioning him.”

She twisted her head to face him. “Is that supposed to be a joke?”

“It’s not a joke, Natalie. It’s the truth.” His body stiffened. “Uh-oh.”

“What’s wrong?” She followed the nod of his head toward a sheriff’s car pulling into the parking lot. “Oh. I’ll take all the blame. Don’t worry.”

The patrol vehicle parked, and two deputies got out and walked toward them, their equipment clinking on their duty belts. Michael murmured, “I know both these guys. We got this.”

One of the deputies tipped back his hat. “Michael? Did you already tell her?”

“Tell her?” Michael stood, resting his hand on Natalie’s shoulder. “Tell who, what?”

Natalie pinned her hands between her knees. If she got arrested out here, she’d be in big trouble with the Bureau.

“Mrs. Butler?”

“Wait, who?” Michael placed a hand across his furrowed brow.

Natalie stood up beside him, swaying a little.

“Mrs. Butler. Rachelle’s grandmother.”

“Here?” Michael jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the entrance to Shady View.

“Oh, sorry, man. I thought you came here to notify Mrs. Butler about her granddaughter’s death. Got my hopes up there for a minute that I wouldn’t have to do it.”

Natalie squeezed Michael’s bicep, her fingernails digging into the material of his jacket. “Rachelle’s grandmother is a resident of Shady View?”

The deputy dipped his head. “She is. She’s Rachelle’s closest relative in the area. They already called her parents in Atlanta, but her parents wanted someone to come out and tell the grandma.”

“Sorry you guys have to deliver the bad news.” He pinched Natalie’s waist. “Any updates on what happened to Rachelle?”

“I’m hearing suicide, but that’s just a rumor. I’m just telling you because…you know, you were her boss, and you’re my friend.” He put a finger to his lips. “You didn’t hear it from me.”

“No, no. Of course not. Appreciate it, man. We’ll let you get to it.”

Natalie walked beside Michael, afraid to talk, afraid to turn around. When they got into the car with the doors closed, Michael whistled. “What are the odds?”

“The odds that the man who owned the gun that shot at me two nights ago is in the same rest home as the grandmother of the woman who just turned up dead in her home after trying to tell me something? The odds of that being a coincidence are zero.” She grabbed Michael’s hand as he reached for the ignition button.

“We have to go back in there and talk to Mrs. Butler. She must know Westfall, know what he is. She told Rachelle, and someone on the outside took care of her for Westfall.”

“Stop, Natalie.” He brushed aside her fingers and started the engine.

“We cannot go back inside and grill an old woman who just lost her granddaughter. Your scenario makes no sense, anyway. I could understand why Mrs. Butler might be too afraid to tell anyone in authority about Westfall, although he doesn’t look like much of a physical threat, but why would Rachelle keep that information to herself.

If her grandmother told her something about Westfall, Rachelle would’ve gone straight to the police. ”

Falling back against the seat, Natalie covered her face with her hands. “I know you’re right, but there’s something just out of my reach. Some connection between Westfall and Mrs. Butler.”

“And the lab.” Michael clenched the steering wheel. “If what Rachelle had to tell you concerned only Shady View or John Westfall, why did she have to meet you at her house instead of the lab?”

“I wish I knew. Have there been any crimes at Shady View? Any evidence the lab has processed from there?”

“Not that I know of.” Michael shook his cup, and the dregs of his coffee sloshed in the bottom. “Do you want to get something to eat on the way back to your hotel?”

“I’m not very hungry.” As Natalie yawned, her phone rang. “It’s my boss. He liked my report, but I haven’t told him that I discovered a dead body.” She answered the call. “Hey, boss.”

“Brunetti, I want you on the first plane back to DC.”

He must’ve heard about her involvement with Rachelle. “I can explain. Dr. Butler is the one who called me. I believed she had pertinent information about the lab and my cold cases.”

He paused. “Who the hell is Dr. Butler?”

Natalie’s mouth went dry, and she peeled her lips apart. “What are you talking about then? You were happy with my work yesterday. Why the sudden turn-around?”

“Yesterday, I didn’t realize you were out there in Marysville under false pretenses, Nat Cooper. I don’t know who you think you are pulling a stunt like that, but I’m suspending you as of now. We’ll have an investigation when you get back.”

“Give me chance to tell my side of the story.” Natalie licked her lips and tried to keep her voice steady.

“You’ll get your chance—at your disciplinary hearing.”

“H-how…?”

“How did I find out?” he growled, which was never a good sign with Jefferson. “That’s the kicker. Not only did you humiliate me and the Bureau, I had to find out from an anonymous source and then do the research myself to verify.”

“I…” Jefferson had already ended the call before she could formulate an answer. She sat frozen, staring at the passing scenery, a green blur.

“What just happened?” Michael’s voice sounded a million miles away.

She cranked her head to the side, and a muscle at the corner of her mouth danced wildly. “My boss found out about my connection to Katie Fellows…from an anonymous source.”

“Somebody must’ve recognized you, but why rat you out to the FBI? Could it have been Reynolds?”

“It could’ve been Reynolds, but why would he want to remain anonymous? It also could’ve been someone who wanted all the evidence on the table. Someone who wants to connect Raine’s homicide to the others even more than I do.”

Michael’s eyes widened. “Just a minute. First you accuse me of hiding things at the lab, and now you think I squealed on you to your boss?”

“You know what, Michael? Just take me back to the hotel.” She folded her arms and clenched her teeth, more to hold back the sobs than in anger. “I’m done.”

* * *

Michael yanked at the front door of the lab, but it didn’t budge. He pulled again in anger, almost wrenching his shoulder, before the lock buzzed and clicked. By the time he stepped foot in the lobby, he’d remembered that he was the one who had closed the lab for the day.

Sam was standing behind the security desk with a worried look on his face. “Sorry about that, Michael. When you ordered the office closed, I figured that meant locking up, even though a few people did come in to work.”

“My fault.” Michael fumbled for his badge in his pocket and flashed it at Sam. “Habit. Who’s here?”

“Dr. Volosin, catching up. Nicole Meloan, cleaning up the evidence room for the inspection, and that kid Jacob is helping her.” Sam cleared his throat. “Sorry to hear about Rachelle.”

“Yeah, tragic.” Michael stomped up the stairs, his feet like blocks of lead.

He left his door open as he collapsed behind his desk. After everything he and Natalie had been through this week, she still didn’t believe he wasn’t the anonymous source who had reported her.

He didn’t want her to leave, ever. He’d wanted to make this right for her, to give her peace. But maybe now that everything was out in the open, that solution could be realized faster.

She could go to Ibarra now and tell him about that pendant. Someone had taken it from Katie and put it on Sierra. Those two cases were linked.

Could that old, wrecked man in the rest home really be responsible for the murders of three young women? And what did any of it have to do with Raine?

Natalie mentioned something outside Shady View.

She’d said something about someone on the outside assisting Westfall.

He hadn’t been able to discover much about Westfall before heading out to the rest home to see him, but he did have two children.

They must be adults. Were they still living in the area?

He logged in to his laptop and started checking databases. He wasn’t part of the law enforcement branch of the Washington State Patrol and didn’t have access to the same information as they did. He could probably circumvent protocol and get some info on the sly.

A shadow passed by the blinds of the windows that looked onto the rest of the office, and Michael glanced up.

A door closed quietly down the hall. Volosin wouldn’t be upstairs, unless he was going to the lunchroom, but if Jacob Reynolds was still in the office, he could be anywhere. He had access to most areas of the lab.