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"It's in the back," said one of them before leading us through the house and into the backyard, where the body was laid out on a stretcher.
I rushed over to the medical examiner, who was meticulously examining the body. The corpse was caked with dirt and mud, seemingly untouched by human hands since being pulled from the ground. Its eyes were closed, but I imagined them open, wide, and lifeless—just like Rachel's had been. She was naked—just like Rachel had been.
"What do we have here?" I asked, feeling a knot form in my stomach. Was this one another of John Baker's victims? Had he killed before?
"It's a female, approximately thirty-eight years old," she said matter-of-factly. "No identification on her, but she's very obviously been stabbed to death. A single stab wound to the chest."
I let out a frustrated sigh. It sounded just like what had happened to Rachel. This was getting grim. John had a motive for killing Rachel since she wanted to leave him. But why this woman? What was his motive for killing her?
"All right, we need to find out who this Jane Doe is. Can you say if there’s a sign of who she might be or who did this?"
The medical examiner shook her head. "Not yet, but we'll run some tests and see what we can come up with. I'll keep you updated."
"Thanks."
I walked over to the stretcher and took a closer look at the woman's face. She was beautiful, with long dark hair and striking green eyes. It was clear that she hadn’t been dead for long, and I couldn't help but wonder how long she had been buried out there in the dirt. The dirt looked freshly dug, and the fact that the dog had found it told me it was new, or it would have been found earlier. I shuddered at the thought. I hadn't even considered that John Baker might have killed before. But now, I wondered how many times….
Matt came up beside me, looking pale and shaken. "Do you think it's another one of his victims?" he asked quietly.
"I don't know," I replied. "But we need to find out. I suddenly fear there are more. We need to find out if there are more of them buried out here."
"I'll make sure of that."
I took a deep breath and stepped back, trying to keep my emotions in check. This was no time to panic or let my feelings get the best of me.
"But first, we need to identify this victim. We need to know who she is and her relationship with John Baker."
I turned to the group of officers standing by and gave them a stern look.
"Start canvassing the neighborhood. Ask everyone if they've seen or heard anything suspicious in the last 24 hours. Ask them if they have seen a woman come here or know who she might be. We need to find out who this woman is and who did this to her," I commanded.
The officers nodded in agreement and quickly dispersed, heading off in different directions to begin their search.
As they left, I turned to Matt and whispered, "This is going to be a long day. Are you ready for this?"
Matt looked at me with a determined expression. "Absolutely. I'll call your mom and have her stay with the children when they come home from school—and pick up Angel from daycare."
"Tell her to make sure Alex brushes his teeth. I found out he hasn't been doing it lately."
Matt smiled vaguely. "Of course."
With that settled, I took a deep breath and headed back to talk to the woman next door whose dog had found the body.
I had a feeling that this case was going to be even more complicated than I had initially thought. John Baker was becoming more and more of a mystery to me, and I didn't know where to start.
Chapter40
THEN:
Emma's stomach rumbled loudly, breaking the silence between the two girls. They had been walking for hours, and the sun had set long ago. The streets were deserted, and most of the shops had closed. Lily glanced at her sister, her own stomach protesting against the lack of food. The two little girls had no idea where to go or what to do. Their stomachs were rumbling with hunger, and they had no money to buy food.
"I'm hungry," Lily complained and held her stomach.
"I know," Emma said. "Me too."
Lily had tears in her eyes, and they spilled down her cheeks. Emma couldn't stand seeing her like this.
"I need food," she said.
