Page 36 of The Creekside Murder (Pacific Northwest Forensics #1)

There’d been a moment, however, as he’d watched his brother walk through the prison gates a free man when the weight of the world seemed to lift from his shoulders.

Everything he’d worked so hard for his entire adult life had come to fruition, and his family finally had a chance to heal and be whole again.

The elation had faded almost at once because his brother’s physical appearance outside the prison walls was shocking.

Looking back, Jon wasn’t sure why he’d reacted so viscerally.

After all, he’d witnessed firsthand Tony’s transformation over the years.

The wavy hair that had once made high-school girls swoon had grown down his back, and he wore it pulled back in a scraggly, dull ponytail.

Then came the crazy patchwork of tattoos all up and down his arms and around his neck.

The boyish swagger of a high-school football star was replaced by the surly wariness of a convict.

He’d bulked up because prison was about nothing if not survival of the fittest.

During his first few days of freedom, Tony had spent most of his time sitting in the sun with his face tipped to the sky.

By the end of the second week, he’d begun to open up a little about his time in prison and to even crack a smile now and then.

He started to talk about getting a job and maybe going back to school.

His plans for the future thrilled their mother.

Jon hadn’t seen her so happy in years. Everything seemed to be working out until Clay Stipes blew into town with a murder-for-hire scheme that threatened to ensnare the whole Redmond family.

The peal of the ringtone startled him from a deep reverie. He picked up the phone and answered anxiously. “Tony? Where the hell have you been all night?”

The caller hesitated before identifying himself. “This is Marcus Campion.” Another pause. “I’m afraid I have some bad news about your brother.”

* * *

A FEW MINUTES after Nate’s call, Veda headed to the garage to check her kit and the supplies she kept in the back of her SUV.

A jolt of caffeine would have helped clear the cobwebs, but no time for coffee.

She still had a few things to do before she set out for the cemetery.

Besides, adrenaline had already made her jittery.

Experience had taught her that she was better off sipping water and practicing relaxation techniques on her way to a crime scene.

Her forensic kit included everything from vials and syringes for collecting samples to paper jumpsuits, gloves and shoe covers to protect the crime scene.

In a separate bag, she kept rubber boots, sneakers and an extra set of clothing.

If the body hadn’t yet decomposed, she wouldn’t need to change at the scene, but better to be safe than sorry.

She’d learned the hard way that the smell of death was nearly impossible to remove from a vehicle once the stench had penetrated the carpet fibers and circulated through the air vents.

She opened the garage door and stepped outside. Drawing in the night air, she stood with eyes closed and tried to ground herself. Images of Lily flitted through her mind. She could almost hear her sister’s voice repeating her brother’s warning.

Don’t borrow trouble, Veda. Be patient and let the answers come to you. You’ve always been the clever sister. You’ll know what to do.

If only that was true, but Veda had never been as shrewd as Lily had made her out to be.

She hadn’t been blessed with the same powerful combination of beauty and brains that her sister had possessed.

Before that fateful night, everyone in town would have sworn Lily Campion had a brilliant future ahead of her.

Veda was known as the quiet sister. Smart enough and pretty enough, but never Lily’s equal, and she’d always been fine with the comparison.

As she grew older, she’d become comfortable in her sister’s shadow.

With all the attention focused on Lily, Veda could pretty much do as she pleased.

But her sister’s murder had changed everything.

The once-playful camaraderie between the Campion siblings vanished overnight.

Easygoing Nate had morphed into a control freak.

Owen, the wild child, became rebellious and reckless.

Veda retreated inward. For too many years, they’d remained virtual strangers.

Their mother’s heart attack had brought them closer, but even now, Veda couldn’t say she knew her brothers any more than they knew her.

She had no idea what either of them were capable of these days.

Tony Redmond’s release from prison had pushed a lot of dangerous buttons.

She watched the clouds for a moment longer before climbing into her vehicle and backing down the driveway. Leaving her neighborhood behind, she sped through the deserted streets. As she neared the destination, she began to mentally gear up for the task at hand.

Cedarville Cemetery was located within the city limits, giving the Milton Police Department jurisdiction over the crime scene.

The historic graveyard was surrounded on three sides by a forest that cast deep shadows even on the sunniest of days.

The place had once fascinated Veda. Some of the interments dated back to the Civil War era, and as a kid, she’d spent many Sunday afternoons with her grandmother wandering through the headstones and monuments.

Like her grandmother, Veda had always sought out quiet little corners, and it could be argued that she still preferred the company of the dead to the living.

Not for the first time, she wondered what Lily would think of her profession.

Her family had never understood her decision to specialize in forensic pathology, even Nate who knew better than most the value of a skilled medical examiner in the autopsy room.

Her brothers found her professional choices strange and her solitary lifestyle puzzling, and she was okay with that, too.

She pulled her SUV to the curb and parked behind the coroner’s van, relieved to note that the movers had already arrived on the scene.

She would need one of them to video her examination of the body while the other took photographs.

The county morgue was a small office. Everyone pitched in where needed.

The wind was up, and she could see flickers of lightning in the distance. Goose bumps rose at the base of her neck and along her bare arms. She had a bad feeling about the weather.

Climbing into the paper jumpsuit, she grabbed her kit and then followed the voices she heard on the other side of the fence.

The sound echoed eerily in the dark, and she found herself shivering again as she approached the gate.

Her brother met her just inside. A point of entry had been established using wooden stakes and crime-scene tape.

A portable floodlight had been set up near the body, casting a harsh glare over the immediate area.

With the backdrop of monuments and mausoleums, the scene struck Veda as surreal.

If she peered beyond the illumination, she could still picture the silhouette of the old stone angel that loomed over the other headstones.

She’d once loved the romantic legend behind the crumbling statue, but for a time after Lily’s death, Veda could have sworn the angel took on her sister’s features.

The perceived likeness had unsettled her because rather than emanating a heavenly aura, the marble face seemed icy and judgmental.

Rationally, Veda knew the accusatory visage had been born out of her guilt.

She wasn’t responsible for her sister’s murder, and she knew Lily would never have blamed her.

Yet how many sleepless nights had she spent agonizing over what she could have said or done to stop her sister from leaving the house that night?

She remained outwardly composed as she tightened her grip on her case.

Nate said quietly at her side, “When was the last time you were here?”

“To Cedarville? Years ago.” She glanced around the shadowy landscape. “Hard to believe I used to find this place peaceful. Almost spiritual in a way. Now it just seems sad and oppressive.”

“The reason you’re here may have something to do with that perception,” he said.

“True.”

She fell silent, her gaze fixed on the prone outline of her sister’s killer.

She tried to stay focused, but memories continued to assail her.

Lily daydreaming in the backyard hammock.

Picking flowers from their mother’s garden.

In a yellow sundress waving goodbye through the open window of Tony Redmond’s truck.

Lily keeping secrets.

Who was he, Lily? The man you fell for that summer. Why wouldn’t you tell me his name? And why did he never come forward after you died?

At the back of Veda’s mind, a tiny doubt had been flickering for seventeen years. Had the wrong man been sent to prison?