Not if his body was dumped in a different place from where he died.
Youre grasping at straws. Gandt directed his comment to the M.E. ID him and then well go from there.
The sheriff could be right. The victim could have been a drifter. Or a man from another town. Hell, he could have been one of the two prisoners whod escaped jail a couple years back, ones whod never been caught.
But the sheriff should at least be looking for evidence near where the body was found.
Gandt strode toward his squad car, and Dugan used his phone to take photographs of the bones. Dr. Longmire offered a commentary on other injuries he noted the body had sustained, and Dugan made a note of them.
Then Longmire directed the medics to load the body into the van to transport to the morgue, making sure they were careful to keep the skeleton intact and preserve any forensic evidence on the bones.
Dugan combed the area, scrutinizing the grass and embankment near where the bones had washed up. He also searched the brush for clues. He plucked a small scrap of fabric from a briar and found a metal button in the mud a few feet from the place where hed first discovered the bones. He bagged the items for the lab to analyze, then conducted another sweep of the property, spanning out a half mile in both directions.
Unfortunately, Gandt was right. With time, weather and the animals foraging in the wilderness, he couldnt pinpoint if the body had gone into the river here or some other point.
Frustrated, he finally packed up and headed back to town.
But a bad feeling tightened his gut. Gandt had closed the case involving Sage Freeports missing son and Lewis too quickly for his taste.
How would he handle this one?
BY LATE AFTERNOON, news of the bones found at Cobra Creek reached Sage through the grapevine in the small Texas town. She was gathering groceries to bake her famous coconut cream pie when she overheard two women talking about the hikers that had been recovered safely.
The checkout lady, Lorraine Hersher, the cousin of the M.E., broke in. A body was found out at the creek. Nothing but the bones left.
Sage inched her way up near the register.
Who was it? one of the women asked.
Dont think they know yet. Liam said he was checking dental records. But he said the man had been dead about two years.
Sages stomach clenched. Two years? About the time Rons car had crashed.
Could it possibly be...?
Desperate for answers, she pushed her cart to the side, leaving her groceries inside it, then hurried toward the door. The sheriffs office was across the square, and she tugged her jacket around her, battling a stiff breeze as she crossed the street.
Sheriff Gandt had been less than helpful when Benji had gone missing. He wouldnt want her bugging him now.
But shed long ago decided she didnt care what he thought.
She charged inside the office, surprised to see Dugan Graystone standing inside at the front desk. Shed seen the big man in town a few times, but he kept to himself. With his intense, dark brown eyes and brooding manner, some said he was a loner but that he was the best tracker in Texas. Tall, broad shoulders, sharp cheekbonesthe package was handsome. Half the women in town thought he was sexy, while the other half were afraid of him.
Dr. Longmire stood next to him, the sheriff on the opposite side of the desk.
All three men turned to look at her as she entered, looking like theyd been caught doing something wrong.
Sage lifted her chin in a show
of bravado. I heard about the body you found at Cobra Creek.
Dugans brown eyes met hers, turmoil darkening the depths, while Gandt shot her one of his condescending looks. She couldnt believe the man had ever been married and understood why he wasnt anymore.
She had heard that hed taken in his ailing mother, that the elderly woman was wheelchair-bound, difficult and demanding. Even though she disliked Gandt, she had to admit his loyalty to his mother was admirable.
Who was it? Sage asked.
Dr. Longmire adjusted his hat, acknowledging her with a politeness bred from a different era. The body belonged to Ron Lewis.
Sage gasped. Youre sure?
Dental and medical records confirm it, the M.E. said.
Sages legs threatened to give way. She caught herself by dropping onto a chair across from the desk. Tears clogged her throat as panic and fear seized her.
But shed been in the dark for two years, and she had to know the truth.
Even if it killed her.
Was Benji with him?
Chapter Two
Sage held her breath. Sheriff, did you find Benji?
Sheriff Gandt shook his head. No. Just Lewiss body.
Relief spilled through Sage. Then my son... He may still be out there. He may be alive.
Dugan and the medical examiner traded questioning looks, but the sheriffs frown made her flinch. Did he know something he wasnt telling her? Was that the reason hed closed the case so quickly after Benji disappeared?
Ms. Freeport, Sheriff Gandt said in a tone he might use with a child, Dr. Longmire believes Ron Lewis has been dead since the day of that crash. That means that your son has been, too. We just havent found his body yet. Probably because of the elements