them to me, though.”
Eric nodded. “Without touching, can you tell me if the doll on the bed is familiar to you?”
She leaned over. “I’ve never seen that before in my life.” She straightened, eyes wide and wild, and wrapped her arms about herself, as her husband leaned in for a look.
Mr. Koburn scowled. “What does this mean? Did she run away? She left a note. Where did that come from?” He looked at Aaron then back at the doll. He whispered, “Was she kidnapped?”
Eric removed an evidence bag from his pocket and, using his gloved hand, tucked the doll into it. “We’re not sure.”
Aaron said, “I know you have business associates here, but we would like to have our forensics team come by and process this room.” Mr. Koburn nodded, his hands clenched, his jaw set.
“There is still a chance she ran away?” Mrs. Koburn asked.
Aaron shook his head. “There’s a chance, but in my opinion, it’s a small one. I think we should look at this like a kidnapping until we know it’s not.”
“But the note … ” Tears welled in Mrs. Koburn’s eyes.
“Notes can be forged,” Eric said.
“Of course they can.” Mr. Koburn frowned. “We should have looked at it this way from the beginning. I’m sorry.” Eric couldn’t tell if he was talking to Aaron, his wife, or his missing daughter. To Aaron he said, “Call your team. My associates are leaving now.”
• • •
The afternoon came and went. Twilight deepened into night. While the forensics team swept the room, Aaron and Eric checked the backyard. Olivia’s bedroom balcony attached to a system of balconies and decks that led to the yard. The lawn was bordered by a short rock wall. Beyond that, the hillside sloped to a road below.
Eric paced the rock wall. Her scent was here; the kidnapper’s had to be as well. Days had passed since she was reported missing. Winds had blown. Animals had crossed the trail. Still, he had to find something. The kidnapper would have had to crawl over the wall, taken his time, stayed down. Eric knew if he wanted to find a scent this would be the place to do it.
Finally, something caught his attention behind a garden of ornamental grass. He’d stooped to get a good whiff and saw a slight indentation in the dirt when Aaron tapped him on his shoulder. “Hard to find something in the dark.”
“Yeah.” Eric cleared his throat. “Do you have a flashlight?”
Aaron grunted, clicked on a small LED light, and handed it over. “I heard you sniffing.”
“Hay fever,” Eric said. Aaron obviously didn’t want to let this go, but maybe he could be distracted. “I’ve got a partial shoe print. I think he took this route over the wall.”
Using his radio, Aaron called someone over to take a cast of the print. They looked for fibers or any other signs of the kidnapper’s passage and found nothing.
“Did you get a list of Miles Koburn’s business associates?” Eric asked. The cold trail irked. He’d expected to find some other evidence, something else that would allow him to find this girl.
“And the service people,” Aaron confirmed. “The Koburns’ as well as their neighbors’. You know the feds are automatically notified on kidnappings. They arrived while you were scoping out the hillside.”
“Are we off the case?” Eric stretched and crawled over the wall down the hillside to the road below. No skid marks.
“No, not entirely. We have a good relationship with the local office. They’re keeping us in the loop. We just have to do the same.” Aaron scratched his cheek.
“No reason to follow the same leads.” Eric inspected the side of the road. Gum, cigarette butts, and bits of glass, but that was all.
“Exactly. They’re having their lab work on the shoe print and the doll.” Aaron made a note on his tablet.
Eric’s gut said the normal avenues—interviews with the girl’s school friends and knocking on doors at ten o’clock at night—wouldn’t work. And the regular service people
Eric nodded. “Without touching, can you tell me if the doll on the bed is familiar to you?”
She leaned over. “I’ve never seen that before in my life.” She straightened, eyes wide and wild, and wrapped her arms about herself, as her husband leaned in for a look.
Mr. Koburn scowled. “What does this mean? Did she run away? She left a note. Where did that come from?” He looked at Aaron then back at the doll. He whispered, “Was she kidnapped?”
Eric removed an evidence bag from his pocket and, using his gloved hand, tucked the doll into it. “We’re not sure.”
Aaron said, “I know you have business associates here, but we would like to have our forensics team come by and process this room.” Mr. Koburn nodded, his hands clenched, his jaw set.
“There is still a chance she ran away?” Mrs. Koburn asked.
Aaron shook his head. “There’s a chance, but in my opinion, it’s a small one. I think we should look at this like a kidnapping until we know it’s not.”
“But the note … ” Tears welled in Mrs. Koburn’s eyes.
“Notes can be forged,” Eric said.
“Of course they can.” Mr. Koburn frowned. “We should have looked at it this way from the beginning. I’m sorry.” Eric couldn’t tell if he was talking to Aaron, his wife, or his missing daughter. To Aaron he said, “Call your team. My associates are leaving now.”
• • •
The afternoon came and went. Twilight deepened into night. While the forensics team swept the room, Aaron and Eric checked the backyard. Olivia’s bedroom balcony attached to a system of balconies and decks that led to the yard. The lawn was bordered by a short rock wall. Beyond that, the hillside sloped to a road below.
Eric paced the rock wall. Her scent was here; the kidnapper’s had to be as well. Days had passed since she was reported missing. Winds had blown. Animals had crossed the trail. Still, he had to find something. The kidnapper would have had to crawl over the wall, taken his time, stayed down. Eric knew if he wanted to find a scent this would be the place to do it.
Finally, something caught his attention behind a garden of ornamental grass. He’d stooped to get a good whiff and saw a slight indentation in the dirt when Aaron tapped him on his shoulder. “Hard to find something in the dark.”
“Yeah.” Eric cleared his throat. “Do you have a flashlight?”
Aaron grunted, clicked on a small LED light, and handed it over. “I heard you sniffing.”
“Hay fever,” Eric said. Aaron obviously didn’t want to let this go, but maybe he could be distracted. “I’ve got a partial shoe print. I think he took this route over the wall.”
Using his radio, Aaron called someone over to take a cast of the print. They looked for fibers or any other signs of the kidnapper’s passage and found nothing.
“Did you get a list of Miles Koburn’s business associates?” Eric asked. The cold trail irked. He’d expected to find some other evidence, something else that would allow him to find this girl.
“And the service people,” Aaron confirmed. “The Koburns’ as well as their neighbors’. You know the feds are automatically notified on kidnappings. They arrived while you were scoping out the hillside.”
“Are we off the case?” Eric stretched and crawled over the wall down the hillside to the road below. No skid marks.
“No, not entirely. We have a good relationship with the local office. They’re keeping us in the loop. We just have to do the same.” Aaron scratched his cheek.
“No reason to follow the same leads.” Eric inspected the side of the road. Gum, cigarette butts, and bits of glass, but that was all.
“Exactly. They’re having their lab work on the shoe print and the doll.” Aaron made a note on his tablet.
Eric’s gut said the normal avenues—interviews with the girl’s school friends and knocking on doors at ten o’clock at night—wouldn’t work. And the regular service people
Similar Books
