The Missing

Staring up at her were the parietal and occipital bones that made up the human skull. Jane or John Doe was lying facedown in the grave. The skull was a dark, rusty color, and there wasn’t any hair.

Evan handed her a brush from her kit. Darby scooped away more dirt, alternating between her fingers and the brush.

‘I don’t see any insect activity. No soft tissue… No muscle tissue, cartilage or ligaments. Fully skeletonized would be my guess.’

Darby pointed to a dark web of lines on the ocular section of the skull. ‘These are dendritic impressions. You see these root etchings when a skull’s been buried for a good amount of time. I should call Carter. He’s the state’s forensic anthropologist.’

‘How many people does he have working for him?’

‘I’m not sure. Two, I think. Carter has experience in exhuming mass gravesites. He also works for a group that travels to third world countries – places where there are mass graves from genocide and wars.’

The sound of branches snapping back grew louder. Someone was heading this way. Probably Banville, she thought.

‘I wonder if there’s a full set of remains buried in there,’ Darby said.

‘This spot could be a dumping ground.’

‘The ground’s too wet to use ground-penetrating radar,’ Darby said. The machines Carter sometimes used looked like futuristic lawn mowers. They required traction on hard, dry surfaces. ‘I’m going to call Carter. I don’t want to dig any more and risk damaging whatever bones might be buried in here.’

Evan glanced off at the trail. Darby looked over her shoulder.

Standing on the level ground above her were four men dressed in suits. The tallest of the bunch, a man with a crew cut, said, ‘Special Agent Ma

‘Who’s that?’ Darby asked.

Evan walked away without answering. Darby stood up and brushed the mud off her jeans.

Coop’s cell phone vibrated in her back pocket.

Darby stripped off her gloves. The cell phone’s signal was low, the reception scratchy. She barely heard Coop’s voice. Darby told him to hold on a moment and paced the area until the static eased. She pressed a hand over her other ear.

‘What did you say, Coop?’

‘I said they kicked me out of the mobile lab.’

‘Who did?’

‘Our good friends from Club Fed,’ Coop said. ‘The FBI has taken over the investigation.’

Chapter 55

‘It happened about twenty minutes ago,’ Coop said. They’re taking me downtown.’

‘Why?’

‘They have some questions about the investigation. Has Ma

‘No.’ But I have a feeling I’m about to find out, Darby thought. ‘What reason did they give you for taking over the case?’

‘They didn’t. Two of their agents were killed by the bomb in the van, so I’m guessing they’re using that as their way in. I can’t talk long. I snuck away and borrowed Romano’s phone.’

‘Is Banville there?’

‘I haven’t seen him. Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but I think it might have something to do with CODIS. After you left, the computer came back with a DNA hit. I saw it on the screen. Whatever it is, it’s classified. I couldn’t access it. Shit. Here they come.’

‘Call Leland,’ Darby said. ‘I’ll see what I can find out.’

Darby headed up the slope. Everyone stopped talking.

The tall man with the crew cut handed her a business card – Assistant Attorney General Alexander Zimmerman from the Department of Justice. Oh boy.

‘Your business here is concluded, Miss McCormick,’ Zimmerman said. ‘Once you reach your crime scene vehicle, you’re to turn over all materials and related evidence to Special Agent Vamosi. He’ll escort you out. You’re to follow Agent Vamosi to the Boston office.’

A man with a pie-shaped face stepped up next to her.

‘This is a missing persons investigation,’ Darby said. ‘You don’t have any jurisdiction –’

‘Two federal officers are dead,’ Zimmerman said. ‘That gives me jurisdictional control. If you have any questions, you can take them up with your attorney general.’

‘Why is there a classified DNA sample on CODIS?’

‘Good-bye, Miss McCormick.’

Darby turned to Evan. ‘Can I speak to you for a moment?’

‘I’ll talk to you later,’ Evan said. ‘You need to get going.’

Darby’s face reddened. She would never forgive him for the way he had dismissed her.

‘You called them out here, didn’t you?’

Evan didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. The look on his face said it all.

‘You’re trying my patience, Miss McCormick,’ Zimmerman said.

Darby didn’t move, didn’t take her eyes off Evan. ‘You know who Traveler is, don’t you? Those listening devices were our best shot at finding Traveler, and you knew what he was capable of and let us walk right into that trap.’

The skin on Evan’s face tightened. He stared at her with the same cold, penetrating gaze she had witnessed at the lab.

‘What about Carol?’

‘We’ll do everything we can to find her,’ Evan said evenly.

‘I’m sure you will. I’ll make sure I tell her mother what safe and capable hands her daughter is in.’

Vamosi took her arm. It was either go or fight him.

‘I need to get my kit,’ Darby said.

‘I’m sorry, but it needs to stay here,’ Vamosi said. ‘We’ll return it to you when we’re done.’

Two federal agents were going through the crime scene vehicle. An unmarked car blocked the trail. Darby had to wait while Agent Vamosi examined items of interest.

Her phone vibrated again. The caller was Pappy.

‘I’ve been trying to reach you all morning. What are you doing with Coop’s phone?’

‘My phone’s busted,’ Darby said, walking away from the Explorer. ‘What’s going on?’

‘I have some good news about the paint chip we recovered from Rachel Swanson’s T-shirt. The German database came through with the ID. It’s the car’s original paint job. The color is called Moonlight White. It’s a one-of-a-kind paint manufactured only in the U.K. – that’s why we couldn’t identify it. The paint was used exclusively for the Aston Martin Lagonda.’

‘The one from the James Bond movies?’

‘The name was made famous in one of the James Bond movies, but the model I’m talking about, the Lagonda, is an early series two, manufactured in the U.K. in the late seventies – seventy-seven, I think. The vehicle was cleared for sale here in the U.S. in eighty-three. They made a conversion kit that had a color TV in the front as well as the back. Back in the day, they sold for 85,000 pounds, which works out to, by today’s conversion standards, roughly 150,000 U.S.’

Darby watched as Agent Vamosi went through her backpack. ‘That’s quite a price tag,’ she said.

‘I don’t know how much they’re worth now. They’re probably more of an odd collector’s item. Only about a dozen or so of these cars were sold in the U.S. We’re talking about a very limited – and very select – pool of buyers. A car like that should be easy to track down.’

‘Where are you right now?’

‘Sitting at home, still trying to absorb what happened. I was out yesterday collecting paint samples at a junkyard. It was a last-minute opportunity. If I didn’t take it, I would have been inside the building when it… when it happened.’

Agent Vamosi handed the backpack off to one of the agents and came for her.

‘I didn’t know your mother was sick,’ Darby said. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘I think you should see her. She’d love the company.’

‘Is someone there?’

‘Yes. Listen, I need to get going. The FBI has some questions for me. I have to head down to the Boston office.’

‘The feds have taken over the investigation?’

‘Correct,’ Darby said. ‘Who else have you told about your mother’s illness?’

‘No one but you.’

‘Keep it that way. I’ll try you on your cell in a little bit.’ Darby hung up.

Vamosi stood in front of her. ‘Can I have the pictures in your back pocket, please?’