The two rolled Candace to one side. “She’s a tiny thing,” Stella murmured. “That’s enough. There’s nothing here. Let’s put her back the way she was.”
After doing so, McGinnis rose from where he’d been squatting, joints creaking. “I have enough information to call the death and complete the paperwork. The body will go to the Byers County medical examiner as usual, right?”
Stella nodded. “I’ll make sure you get a report.”
Although the initial meeting between detective and coroner had been somewhat contentious, Mattie noticed that Stella seemed to be making more of an effort now that she was a formal member of the team. Perhaps Sheriff McCoy’s impeccable manners were rubbing off on her.
“Can you tell us anything about her family?” Mattie asked McGinnis while he was putting his equipment and notes back into his bag.
“She has two younger brothers. Mom’s a hardworking lady—often looks tired when she brings in the children.”
“And the father?”
McGinnis frowned as he stripped off his gloves. “I’ve never met him. Seems strange after all these years. Works at the mine in Rigby if I remember right.”
“Thank you for the information, Dr. McGinnis,” McCoy said. “Is there anything else you might be able to tell us?”
“Not off the top of my head. Other than the asthma, there’s nothing different about this child than any other that comes to my office. We can provide medical records if you want. Just bring us a warrant.”
McCoy nodded as he said good-bye.
After McGinnis left and was winding his way downhill, avoiding the areas that were marked with orange tape, Brody came uphill from farther south to join them. His eyes swept the scene, apparently taking in the stage of investigation they were at, and then stopped on Sheriff McCoy. “Has anyone told the parents yet?”
McCoy shook his head, looking grim. “Not yet. I’ll do it. Detective, do you want to join me?”
Stella’s face also showed distaste for the task. “I’d better. We’ll need to talk to them first. See if they have any ideas about how or why this happened to their daughter.”
Mattie stood very still beside Robo. She’d already thought about what her role should be, although she wasn’t too excited about it. “I’d better go with you too. I think we should get permission to go through Candace’s room, and I’d like to see if Robo finds any drugs. Or if he hits on something anywhere else in the house for that matter.”
Everyone’s attention turned toward Mattie, but Stella responded first. “I suppose you’re right. We’d better look into it, considering the drug problems we’ve had in town. And the sooner the better, before anyone has a chance to clean things out. Sheriff?”
“I agree. Deputy Brody, stand guard here until the CSU arrives and then work on a warrant for the girl’s house. Let’s call Deputy Johnson back on duty to stand by at the high school and show them the way up here. Tell him to stop anyone else from coming up the trail. We need to keep people away from this scene.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Brody said, his ice-blue eyes fierce. The last body they’d found was that of his sweetheart, and Mattie could tell that finding this one had reawakened his pain.
Stella fell in beside Mattie as they followed Sheriff McCoy downhill. “What are you thinking?” Stella asked.
“Nothing solid, but homicide. Drugs, teen infighting at school, random killing from someone passing through town, maybe someone either from school or her neighborhood that she was at odds with. But my primary suspect . . . her father.”
Stella looked at her sharply. “Why her father?”
Mattie shared her reasons—his absence at the house, his drinking.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Stella said.
They’d reached the area of torn-up terrain, now surrounded by tape. Sheriff McCoy had stopped beside it. “This could be where she was killed,” he said. “Or if her death was accidental, as Dr. McGinnis suggested, maybe someone was trying to help her with an asthma attack.”
“Seems like more of a scuffle than that,” Stella said, scanning the area and then looking back uphill. “Odd that the killer carried her uphill to leave her body.”
Mattie shared her observation that the gravesite was hidden from both the school and highway. “Maybe that’s why she was taken uphill. To avoid detection from down below.”
McCoy nodded his agreement. “Must have been someone with muscle.”
“True,” Mattie said. “Although she’s not very big.” And with a sense of outrage, it struck her again that their victim was only thirteen years old.
As a group, they turned and continued downhill toward their grim mission, delivering the news to Candace’s parents. And if Mattie’s suspicions about Burt Banks were true, they’d be delivering the news to her killer.
Chapter 4
At the high school parking lot, they loaded into McCoy’s silver Grand Cherokee, Stella riding shotgun and Mattie and Robo in the back seat, and drove to the junior high. There, Mrs. Ketler was waiting on the front steps with Burt and Juanita Banks, their expressions etched with concern.
Juanita Banks stared at them as they approached, her eyes moving from one face to another. She must have read something in them, because she blanched, and her body seemed to shrink as they drew near.
Sheriff McCoy led the way. “Please, let’s go inside,” he said, gesturing toward the school doorway.
Burt crossed his arms. “Tell us what you know.”
Juanita sagged, and McCoy stepped up to grasp her elbow, easing her down to sit on the steps. Mrs. Ketler hovered beside her.
McCoy straightened. “I’m sorry, but I do have bad news.” He cleared his throat and tugged lightly at his collar, his face showing his distress. “We’ve found Candace. And I’m sorry . . . she’s deceased.”
Juanita groaned, folding forward and hugging her belly.
“Oh, dear God,” Mrs. Ketler murmured. She sat down beside Juanita on the step and put her arm around her. “What happened?”
Burt’s nostrils flared as he sucked in a breath. “Are you sure it’s her?”
“Dr. McGinnis has identified her body for us,” McCoy said.
“That quack? What does he know?”
“Shut up, Burt. You don’t know anything.” Juanita’s voice wavered. With grief or with rage? Mattie couldn’t tell.
Stella moved closer to Burt, observing him, perhaps noticing the odor of liquor on his breath that Mattie could smell from a distance.
Burt glared at his wife and then shifted his gaze to McCoy. “Take me to her. I wanna see for myself.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that now. We don’t know your daughter’s cause of death yet, so we’re not letting anyone into the area where we found her.”
Juanita was moaning, holding herself and rocking, but McCoy’s words must have caught her attention. “Where? Where is she?”
“She’s near the high school, Mrs. Banks. We’ll let you see her as soon as we can.”
“We’ll go now,” Burt said, turning to head for his vehicle, a battered gray truck.
“Wait, Mr. Banks,” McCoy said. “I need you to stay clear of the area. We’re bringing in professionals to take care of Candace, and we need to give them space to do their work.”
Burt caught a toe on an uneven place in the sidewalk and stumbled while Stella stepped around to block his way, grasping his arm as if to assist him. He straightened, striking away her hand. Mattie and Robo moved closer, Robo’s hackles raised.