“What do I tell her?”
Burke glanced back down at the trench. “Tell her to come out.”
He paused. “And tell her to keep it quiet.”
Riverbend Greenway — Later That Morning
A dark SUV eased up the slope and stopped beyond the cruisers. Dr. Evelyn Cade stepped out before the engine cut, already pulling on gloves as she crossed the gravel.
She paused at the edge of the tape, taking in the disturbed soil, the shallow trench, the strip of fabric pushing through the dirt. Then she stepped forward.
“Morning, Sheriff,” she said. “What’ve you got for me?”
Burke met her at the tape and lifted it so she could duck under.
“Dogs hit this spot yesterday,” he said. “We brought the bobcat in this morning. Third pass, we saw fabric and bone.”
Cade crouched beside the trench.
The snap of latex over her wrists was the only sound for a moment. The human part of the morning slid to the side; the work began.
Up close, she studied the angle of exposed bone and the way the cloth disappeared into the soil.
One look, then a measured exhale.
“The articulation is intact,” Cade said quietly. “There’s no evidence of surface scatter, animal activity, or movement through the soil profile. This body was interred here.”
Burke folded his arms. “In English, Doc.”
“Somebody buried them here,” Cade said.
She leaned back slightly, careful not to disturb anything.
“Adult,” she added. “I won’t guess sex out here. We’ll know more once everything’s back at the office.”
“How recent?” Burke asked.
“Too early to say on scene,” Cade replied. “I’ll need lab work before I put anything in a report.”
Scout crouched nearby, studying the disturbed soil.“Whoever put them here wanted them to stay,” he said quietly.
Cade nodded once. “Looks that way.”
She glanced up at Burke. “Whoever this is, we keep it tight until I confirm,” she said. “You start that rumor mill and the true-crime crowd will be camped out here before I can finish.”
Burke’s mouth flattened. “Phones off, no photographs, no chatter,” he said. “Nothing leaves this site until you, and I say it does.”
“Good,” Cade said. “I’ll need scene control for a few hours. Once the remains are lifted and documented, I’ll compare them against your old case.”
He didn’t have to ask which one.
“Caroline,” he said.
Cade met his eyes. “Caroline,” she agreed. “And anyone else who never made it home.”
He gave a short nod. “Quietly.”
“Quietly,” Cade echoed. “You’ll hear from me before anyone else.”
