underneath must be caving in.”
“Why?” she whispered, feeling that spark of anticipation again. She was on the verge of finding answers.
The urgency in Gabe’s voice meant he could sense it, too. “Because there’s an empty space beneath it.”
“Where that box used to be.” Retreating a step, Olivia ran her light over the stack again, stopping at a box three down from the top, about waist-high for her. “It’s backward. The logo doesn’t match up with the rest of the boxes in this stack.” An idea, just as clear as a crime scene marker, flashed through her head. “Hold this.”
After handing off the flashlight, she snapped a picture of the boxes with her phone. Then she hunched down to work her fingers into the seams between the boxes and pull the backward one out of the pile, as though removing a plank from a Jenga puzzle. Only, she was certain whatever she was about to find wasn’t any game.
She waited for a line of sandy grit to stop spilling through the seam in the bottom before turning the box around. “Look.”
Faint brown spots, five in the pattern of fingertips gripping the box to pull it from the stack, peeked out beneath the layers of dust.
“Is that blood?”
Olivia nodded and set the remnants of the box on top, snapping another photo. “I’ll take that to the lab for analysis.”
“So our killer who couldn’t get Dani’s blood off his hand pulled that box out. Why?”
“Your sink hole.” Olivia tugged the sleeves of her jacket and blouse up her arm and flexed her fingers at the opening. “If anything in the rodent family runs up my arm, I
will
be screaming, and I’ll have to shoot you if you tell anyone.”
Gabe moved behind her to shine the flashlight into the empty cavity. “Good to know you have a weakness, Detective. Your secret’s safe with me.”
Slowly, she thrust her hand into the void. Up to her wrist. Up to her elbow. She stretched her fingers, hoping she’d find anything except a clump of fur and a wormlike tail. “You’re sure it won’t show up on the front page of the
Journal?
Do you have any idea how many mice and creepy-crawly things three brothers can find and bring into the—”
The iron door slammed shut and Olivia yelped. She jerked her hand back as if she’d been bitten.
“Easy.” Gabe’s firm hand closed over her shoulder, steadying her as the light in the warehouse dimmed and he looked across to the doors. “I don’t think a rat did that. I wasn’t sure that wood was going to hold, anyway. Do you want me to find something sturdier to prop the door open with?”
“That’s okay. There’s still enough light in here.”
The warmth of Gabe’s hand remained on her shoulder as she reached inside the empty cavity again. But her startled heart rate didn’t seem to be slowing any as her fingertips brushed against stiff, nubby material. “I’ve got something.” She stretched half an inch farther and felt several hard, small items poke her through the dusty cloth. “If I could just reach... Got it.”
Olivia closed her fingertips around a bunch of long threads and pulled out the hidden treasure. The threads turned out to be the fringe on a long green scarf. A cloud of dust stung her eyes and made them water when it plopped into her hand. She coughed the irritation from her throat and set the wad of material on top of the boxes to unfold it. “Is this Dani’s?”
Gabe’s shoulder brushed against hers as he moved in beside her to shine the light on their newly discovered treasure. “She liked to wear scarves. And I know she had one on that night. But I couldn’t say for sure.”
Olivia tugged at the material, stiff with mold and damp clay, untying several knots. “There’s something tied up inside.”
The flashlight beam wavered. “Did you hear that?”
She hadn’t heard a thing beyond the rattle of whatever was inside the scarf clinking together. “Probably the building settling or some critter I don’t want to know about
“Why?” she whispered, feeling that spark of anticipation again. She was on the verge of finding answers.
The urgency in Gabe’s voice meant he could sense it, too. “Because there’s an empty space beneath it.”
“Where that box used to be.” Retreating a step, Olivia ran her light over the stack again, stopping at a box three down from the top, about waist-high for her. “It’s backward. The logo doesn’t match up with the rest of the boxes in this stack.” An idea, just as clear as a crime scene marker, flashed through her head. “Hold this.”
After handing off the flashlight, she snapped a picture of the boxes with her phone. Then she hunched down to work her fingers into the seams between the boxes and pull the backward one out of the pile, as though removing a plank from a Jenga puzzle. Only, she was certain whatever she was about to find wasn’t any game.
She waited for a line of sandy grit to stop spilling through the seam in the bottom before turning the box around. “Look.”
Faint brown spots, five in the pattern of fingertips gripping the box to pull it from the stack, peeked out beneath the layers of dust.
“Is that blood?”
Olivia nodded and set the remnants of the box on top, snapping another photo. “I’ll take that to the lab for analysis.”
“So our killer who couldn’t get Dani’s blood off his hand pulled that box out. Why?”
“Your sink hole.” Olivia tugged the sleeves of her jacket and blouse up her arm and flexed her fingers at the opening. “If anything in the rodent family runs up my arm, I
will
be screaming, and I’ll have to shoot you if you tell anyone.”
Gabe moved behind her to shine the flashlight into the empty cavity. “Good to know you have a weakness, Detective. Your secret’s safe with me.”
Slowly, she thrust her hand into the void. Up to her wrist. Up to her elbow. She stretched her fingers, hoping she’d find anything except a clump of fur and a wormlike tail. “You’re sure it won’t show up on the front page of the
Journal?
Do you have any idea how many mice and creepy-crawly things three brothers can find and bring into the—”
The iron door slammed shut and Olivia yelped. She jerked her hand back as if she’d been bitten.
“Easy.” Gabe’s firm hand closed over her shoulder, steadying her as the light in the warehouse dimmed and he looked across to the doors. “I don’t think a rat did that. I wasn’t sure that wood was going to hold, anyway. Do you want me to find something sturdier to prop the door open with?”
“That’s okay. There’s still enough light in here.”
The warmth of Gabe’s hand remained on her shoulder as she reached inside the empty cavity again. But her startled heart rate didn’t seem to be slowing any as her fingertips brushed against stiff, nubby material. “I’ve got something.” She stretched half an inch farther and felt several hard, small items poke her through the dusty cloth. “If I could just reach... Got it.”
Olivia closed her fingertips around a bunch of long threads and pulled out the hidden treasure. The threads turned out to be the fringe on a long green scarf. A cloud of dust stung her eyes and made them water when it plopped into her hand. She coughed the irritation from her throat and set the wad of material on top of the boxes to unfold it. “Is this Dani’s?”
Gabe’s shoulder brushed against hers as he moved in beside her to shine the light on their newly discovered treasure. “She liked to wear scarves. And I know she had one on that night. But I couldn’t say for sure.”
Olivia tugged at the material, stiff with mold and damp clay, untying several knots. “There’s something tied up inside.”
The flashlight beam wavered. “Did you hear that?”
She hadn’t heard a thing beyond the rattle of whatever was inside the scarf clinking together. “Probably the building settling or some critter I don’t want to know about
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