Page 45 of The Hanging Dolls (Zoe Storm #1)

FORTY-FOUR

“Is there any emotion in your job that makes you curious?” Aiden asked.

Zoe sipped her chocolate milk and curled her legs underneath her. This couch was getting too comfortable. And so was his company. “Curious? I don’t know…”

“For me, it’s that conflict between the predator who wants to kill and then the morality construct that killing is wrong and how some of us succumb to the former,” he offered.

“That’s interesting, I suppose. For me, it’s the aftermath.”

“Aftermath of what?”

“Of doing something wrong.” Her mind began to float away as Rachel’s face transpired in her mind. “Guilt. How people deal with guilt. Even though I’m not around for that part, but I always wonder.”

“Not all killers you catch lack a conscience…”

“Exactly.”

He scribbled something down—the only thing that annoyed her. “Do you wonder what you would do in their situation?”

“Yes.”

“And what would you do?”

She lifted her eyes, smiling coyly. “Guilt is a private affair, Dr. Wesley. There are some emotions that I don’t share with anyone.”

“Terri!” Zoe called over the middle-aged woman with a prominent mole on her cheek. “Did you get a chance to check Sam Buster’s alibi?”

“I did. He did have a job interview at three thirty but he left it an hour later.”

“Four thirty, eh? That falls within our window.” Zoe crossed her arms. “How long would it take for him to reach Lucy’s place?”

“Ten minutes.” She shrugged. “I’m still digging into where he allegedly went after that.”

Zoe was surrounded by stacks of case files and a series of crime scene photos spread out before her.

The harsh fluorescent lights overhead flickered slightly, casting a cold, sterile glow on the room.

She picked up one of the photos, her eyes narrowing as she focused on the image of a small stuffed animal lying on the ground a few feet away from the crime scene hidden in the ferns. It had been recovered days later.

Why was the killer leaving toys? It was a symbol of innocence. The stuffed animals didn’t belong to the victims. Did they belong to the killer? They had no prints. Why would this be left at such a grisly crime scene? She closed her eyes, casting her mind back to the crime scene.

The ancient trees with gnarled trunk and knotty roots that looked like tentacles. Trees that looked like witches lived there. The ropes hanging ominously. It all meant something to the killer. Every little detail.

“That’s a rare find,” Terri said casually, preoccupied with something on her phone.

Zoe looked up at her. “The bear?”

Terri nodded, stepping closer to get a better look. “Yeah, it’s an antique. Not the kind of thing you’d see just lying around. My mom had one like it when she was a kid. They don’t make them anymore.”

Her interest piqued. “Are they easy to come by?”

“Not really,” Terri replied, rubbing her chin. “I tried to buy one for my kid a few years ago. Thought it’d be cool for grandmother and granddaughter to have the same toy but I couldn’t find one. No store has it. This must belong to the killer.”

Zoe’s gaze returned to the photo, her eyes scrutinizing the toy.

Something didn’t add up. The bear didn’t look old.

There were no signs of wear and tear, no discoloration in the fabric.

In fact, it looked like it had been well preserved, almost as if it had been kept safe for years.

Not something that had been used or played with.

“This doesn’t look like it’s been around for decades.

If it’s new, then maybe we can trace where it’s from. ”

“Let me do a quick search. If it’s an antique piece, then maybe some collectors sell it.” She tapped away on her phone. “No stores are selling this model, but… there was a buyer on eBay. The seller listed it as sold two weeks ago.”

“Contact the buyer. We need to find out who purchased that bear.”

Her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen and saw her sister Gina’s name flashing. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. She could use a break.

“Hey, Gina!” Zoe answered, trying to inject some cheer into her voice.

“Zoe, it’s about time you picked up!” Gina’s voice bubbled through the line, as lively and warm as ever. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for days! Are you buried in work again?”

“Guilty as charged,” Zoe admitted, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes for a moment. “It’s been a rough week.”

“Well, you need to come up for air every now and then, sis. Life’s too short to be all work and no play. Speaking of which, guess who’s been asking about you nonstop?”

Before Zoe could answer, she heard a little voice in the background, followed by the sound of the phone being passed around.

“Aunt Zoe!” her nephew’s excited voice came through, loud and clear. “It’s me, Danny!”

“Danny! Hey, buddy!” Zoe said, her smile widening. “How’s my favorite nephew doing?”

“I’m good! We’re learning cool stuff in school. I wanted to tell you!” Danny’s enthusiasm was contagious, and Zoe felt her spirits lifting just hearing the excitement in his voice.

“Oh yeah? What cool stuff are you learning about?”

“Biology!” Danny exclaimed. “We talked about recessive traits, like how some things get passed down from our parents, but they don’t always show up unless both parents have them. Like, if someone has blue eyes, it’s because both their parents have the recessive gene for blue eyes.”

Zoe’s eyebrows shot up, impressed. She was glad that at least one person in the family was interested in science. “Wow, Danny, that’s awesome! You’re really getting into this science stuff, huh? What other traits did you learn about?”

“Um, we talked about hair color too. Like, if both parents have brown hair but carry the gene for blonde hair, their kid could have blonde hair if they both pass on that gene. And dimples! Dimples are a dominant trait, so if one parent has them, the kid probably will too.”

“That’s really cool, Danny. Sounds like you’re going to be the family scientist in no time.”

“I wanna be!” Danny said, enthusiastically. “I like figuring out how things work.”

Zoe chuckled. “You’re going to do great things, Danny, I just know it.”

“Thanks, Aunt Zoe! Mom says I have to finish my homework now, but I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Deal. You be good for your mom, all right? I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Okay! Bye, Aunt Zoe!”

“Bye, Danny.”

The line went quiet, and Zoe’s smile lingered for a few moments longer. She had almost forgotten that she was neck-deep in a case where someone was leaving dead girls in the woods. Her stomach recoiled at the thought of someone hurting Danny.

She picked up Lucy’s picture and studied it. Could it be that Sam Buster took her? He was a crass man, a brute. She could imagine him hurting Lucy. Especially the way he leered at the thought of her.

But then she noticed something. How Lucy had attached earlobes. Exactly like Carly. It was Danny’s words that made her search the Internet for dominant and recessive traits. Attached earlobes were a recessive trait just like Lucy’s blue eyes. But Scott had brown eyes and free earlobes.

The possibility ricocheted through her, making her queasy. Was it possible that Scott wasn’t Lucy’s father? Had Carly lied?