“That’s possible. Strands of her hair were also caught in tree branches on the path and two different footprints indicate she may have been struggling or trying to escape someone. ERT is taking a plaster cast of them. I also found toe imprints/scuff marks from her sneakers along with a shoe matching the one in the bushes down there. If she planned to take her own life, she may have changed her mind. Or…”
Ellie hesitated a second as if she was following his logic. “Or she was pushed.”
“It’s possible. We need to know more about her and her mindset.” The wind tossed his shaggy hair across his forehead and he ran his fingers through it. “We need ERT assistance up here. And to cordon off this area and return in the daylight to search the path and woods. If someone was here and got away, hopefully we’ll find evidence to prove it.”
“Absolutely. Bring Benji with you when you return. He’s been invaluable on other cases.”
Cord was grateful to have a SAR dog. She went quiet for a minute as Dr. Whitefeather called her name.
“What is it?” he asked.
Ellie sighed. “Laney found a suicide note in the pocket of her jeans.”
A tense beat passed. “What does it say?”
“Hang on. Let me take a look.”
Cord murmured okay then directed Luke to continue searching for forensics. If a second person had been with the girl, they needed to know who. And exactly what happened.
This job and his own past had definitely made him suspicious of everyone. Every fall or death that looked accidental could be a crime in disguise. It was taking its toll on Ellie, too. Although she’d never admit it.
“Listen to this, Cord. ‘I’m so sorry for leaving you, Iris. I never deserved you in the first place. I love you, but you’ll be better off without me.’” Ellie’s voice cracked. “‘Love, Mommy.’”
Cord clenched his jaw. “She has a child.”
Ellie’s breathing rattled out, erratic with emotions. “Yeah. But where is the child now? And is she safe?”
Fear hit Cord square in the chest. He’d seen too many horrors in his life. Parents who hurt their children. Abused them. Abandoned them. Left them to die.
He hoped to hell the little girl Iris was all right and still alive.
TEN
Panic seized Ellie. She’d heard of mothers killing themselves and even their children or taking their children with them to the grave. Dear God, she hoped that wasn’t the case here.
“Cord, this just changed everything. Contact the rescue and recovery team to look for the little girl nearby or in the woods. If we’re dealing with a missing or injured child, the stakes just got a lot higher.”
“Copy that. I’ll get right on it and call for backup.”
“I’ll ask the ME to fast-track the ID process so we can find her family.”
As they hung up, Ellie studied the stream a few feet away from where the girl had met her death. It was narrow and shallow, but the water was frigid and ran for miles until it fed into the river. If the witness’s statement about time of death was on point, a couple of hours had already passed. Who knew how old this child was and if she could survive if left on her own. And if Iris was in the woods…
Ellie struggled to halt the terrifying thoughts. Although wolves didn’t frequent the trail, there were other dangerous animals. Coyotes. An occasional black bear. Even wild hogs.
She shuddered at the images that assaulted her, then took a deep breath. She didn’t yet know who the girl was or the age of her child. Hopefully if the teen had planned to take her own life, she’d left her child in the safety of someone she trusted or loved.
A family member. The baby’s father. Someone she knew would take care of Iris.
Ellie’s stomach churned. Unless by her comment, she meant the child would be better off in heaven.
Stop catastrophizing, Ellie.
Although, considering the number of brutal murders and serial killer cases she’d worked, that was impossible.
She rushed to talk to Laney. An ID might lead to a picture of the girl to present on the media. She sure as hell couldn’t show her shattered face as it was now.
“Will do,” Laney agreed. “I’ll send her DNA and prints to the lab ASAP. Hopefully we’ll have an ID by morning.”
