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Hehoped it was the latter.
“Yes, I’ll be in charge of the case and will lead the team,” he said, and her shoulders seemed to lower a little.
“I know this is difficult—it must be,” Mitch said. “We’re going to find whoever is responsible for this.” He repeated the words he’d spoken to her yesterday evening.
“Can I see her today?” Zoe asked.
He gave a sad smile and nodded. “Of course. Lana is in the hospital morgue. I can take you there whenever you’re ready to go.”
He saw the change in her eyes before she said the word. The resolve. The fighting spirit of a soldier. “I’m ready now,” she said, then quickly looked around. “I mean I know you’re busy, so I can come back later—”
“Now is good,” he said, gently cutting her off. He grabbed his keys. “I’ll give you a lift there, if you’d like?”
She hesitated a moment but he wasn’t sure why. “Sure, that would be great.”
“If you’d prefer to drive, that’s not a problem. I can meet you there,” he said, giving her a pass.
She shook her head. “No, it’s fine, truly. I thought for a second I might be putting you out, but obviously you need to go to the morgue regardless of who drives, so...” she trailed off.
Mitch gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s not a problem. I promise,” he said, hoping she heard the sincerity of his heart in those words.
“Thank you, then. A lift would be great...” She gave a lopsided smile. “I don’t actually know where the hospital is.”
He grinned, gesturing toward the front of the station. “If you don’t know where something is in Redwater, just drive a lap of the town and you’re guaranteed to find it,” he said light-heartedly, like it was a joke, but it was actually the truth. Redwater was about eight blocks by eight blocks in size. Unless you drove around blindfolded—which would be a serious breach of the law—you couldn’t miss the hospital, which sat atop one of the only hills.
Mitch led Zoe to the parking lot at the back of the station. He buckled his seat belt then sent a message to the coroner, advising her they were on their way. Maria had prepared Lana last night, so he knew she would be ready for them anytime today.
“You said last night there were multiple bodies found in the woods,” Zoe said, and Mitch’s eyes darted toward her. She swallowed hard before continuing. “What did you mean by that? A mass grave?”
Mitch inhaled a deep breath. Once again he had to deliver news he felt would destroy her, because no one should have to know their loved one had been strung up between two trees by a monster. People should die surrounded by their loved ones and laid to rest in peace. Lana hadn’t experienced any peace when she’d died, of that Mitch was sure, and he didn’t think any of the other victims had either.
Thinking back to her words, he supposed it could be considered a mass grave, but not by the normal definition. He wondered if now was a good time, considering they were only a few minutes from the hospital, but then again—when was a good time for this conversation?
“Not exactly,” Mitch said, choosing his words carefully. “The bodies were... suspended between trees, bound by their hands and feet.” He said the words as gently as he could, but when she turned to him and blanched, he knew that no matter how gently he said it, it wouldn’t matter.
“What do you mean?” she asked with a shaky voice. “I don’t understand... what do you mean they were bound by their hands and feet? She was upside down? Or...” With every word she spoke the pitch of her voice was a little higher, a little more frenzied.
Mitch pulled up at the back of the hospital and turned off the ignition.
He looked into her eyes—gems that still sparkled despite her grief. “This is a cold description, but it’s the best I can give you to describe it. The bodies were positioned like a hammock between two trees. A rope was tied around their feet and secured to a tree. Another rope was tied to their arms—positioned overhead—and tied to an opposing tree. I’m so sorry, Zoe,” he said when her eyes welled.
She drew in a shuddered breath and when he thought she was going to break down, she blinked, drew another breath, and hastily wiped her wet eyes. She looked back at him stoically. “Can we go inside?” she asked.
He paused a moment, almost marveling at her bravery, but he knew her pain and grief had made her strong—and that brought him no joy. To lose any family member was hard. To lose them all was enough to break anyone.
“Of course,” Mitch said, grabbing his car keys, opening the door, and climbing out. Their eyes met as she walked to the front of the car. He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. She blew out a tight breath as her eyes loomed on the hospital like it was a maze she might never find the way out of.
“Are you sure?” he asked, even though he knew there was no way to ever be ready for something like this.
“Yes,” she said with a confident nod but a tight voice.
He led the way to the blue door and pressed the intercom. “Maria, it’s Mitch. I’m here with Zoe Seacombe.”
The door beeped and he pushed it open. They took the stairs to the basement and as they walked the long hallway to the morgue, Mitch’s eyes flickered between Zoe and the floor. He felt like he needed to say something, but he didn’t know what. He’d done this before with other relatives, and he’d never felt the need to say something. Small talk in situations like this seemed unhelpful. So, instead, he said a silent prayer for Zoe before he opened the door into the morgue.
Maria walked in to greet them. “Zoe, I’m Maria, the coroner. I’ve been taking care of Lana since she was brought in. Would you like to see her?”
Mitch marveled at Maria’s gentle nature, the way she so respectfully spoke of the dead.
