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Kyla's mom shook her head. "We've been monitoring his accounts, but there's been nothing. He's gone completely off the grid—even before the coma."
Kyla's heart sank. It seemed like they were at a dead end. Kyla nodded, her mind filled with worry. What if they didn't find them in time? What if John had hurt them? She shook her head as she checked on the pasta sauce. No, she couldn't think like that. John wouldn't harm the children, would he? It seemed unbelievable.
But he did hurt Rachel. He murdered her in cold blood. Don't forget that.
Chapter43
Iwas back at the station the next morning, getting ready for our meeting with Chief Annie when the phone rang, and I reached for it automatically, my eyes meeting Matt's across the desk.
"Agent Thomas?" the voice on the other end asked.
"This is she."
"Agent Thomas, this is Dr. Hernandez, the medical examiner you requested to examine the body of the victim buried in the yard."
I leaned forward in my chair, "Yes, Dr. Hernandez. What did you find?"
"I wanted to speak with you in person, Agent Thomas. Can you come down to the morgue?"
I glance at Matt before responding, "Of course, we'll be there in twenty minutes."
I hung up and turned to Matt, "Let's go. We need to speak with the medical examiner in person. The meeting will have to wait."
Matt nodded and stood up, following me out of the station and into my car. The drive to the morgue was silent, the only sound coming from the car’s engine. We were both exhausted from barely any sleep the night before. But getting John Baker for what he had done was a top priority. We'd have to sleep later.
When we arrived, we were greeted by Dr. Hernandez, who led us through the sterile halls to the examination room. The body of the victim was lying on a steel table, covered by a white sheet. Dr. Hernandez stood at the foot of the table, looking solemn.
"Agent Thomas, Detective Miller, thank you for coming," he said as we walked in. "I finished the autopsy, and the results are… disturbing."
I felt a knot form in my stomach as I stepped closer to the table. "What did you find, Doctor?"
Dr. Hernandez removed the sheet that covered the victim's body, revealing the gruesome details of the autopsy. The woman's face was unrecognizable, her features mangled and distorted by what looked like an intense beating. I felt bile rise in my throat as I took in the extent of her injuries.
"She's been assaulted, as you can see," he said and pointed to the marks and bruises. "Beaten."
I closed my eyes, trying to fight off the wave of anger and disgust that washed over me. "Do you have any leads on the suspect? Did you find anything on her?"
Dr. Hernandez shook his head. "The perpetrator wore gloves and a mask, so there's no DNA evidence. The weapon used to inflict the injuries was not found at the scene. She died from a stab wound inflicted after the beating took place. There was one single stab wound to the chest, which was fatal. It happened approximately forty-eight hours ago."
I felt a wave of nausea wash over me at the news. Two days ago. That was pretty recently. A single stab wound to the chest—that was a classic sign of a crime of passion. But who was this woman, and why did Baker murder her too?
I turned to Dr. Hernandez, my mind racing with questions. "Was there anything else? Any signs of struggle or defensive wounds?"
He shook his head solemnly, "No, Agent. It appears to have been a clean, swift attack. There were no signs of defensive wounds or struggle."
I clenched my fists, frustration and anger building inside me. "We could have used something to pin this on Baker. The fact that she was buried in his yard will have to be enough."
Matt placed a hand on my shoulder, offering a small measure of comfort. "We got him already for the murder of Rachel. He's going away for a long time."
I nodded, taking a deep breath to calm myself. "You're right."
I looked at Dr. Hernandez. "Were you able to identify her?"
"As a matter of fact, yes," he said, much to my surprise. I had feared it would take a long time to get this one identified and prepared myself to go over missing person's cases and ask locally if anyone knew her.
"Who is she?" I asked.
"Her name is Elyse Winters."
