Page 45 of Lost Lake
He opened slatted bifold doors to her closet. Hanging on a hook, he found a green US field jacket. “Found the army jacket in that picture.”
She left the nightstand drawer open and joined him at the closet. She snapped several pictures, then took the jacket out. “Could be the connection to a military attacker we’re looking for.”
“Or if you believe what she wrote on the back of the picture, it belongs to the boyfriend.” He pointed at the shoulder, his heart thumping with excitement. “A few short dark hairs. Color matches the guy’s hair in the picture. Could give us DNA and most importantly, the name of Kenna’s killer.”
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Gabe wanted to rush out of the room and get the jacket to the forensic lab for testing, but he forced himself to remain calm. Not only so El didn’t pull him off this investigation because he couldn’t control his emotions, but also to see what she had to say. To get that second opinion is so important in law enforcement. In life generally.
Her eyes lit up. “Definitely too strong of a lead to leave here.”
“When word gets out about Kenna’s death, the jacket owner could come back for it. Especially if he’s the killer. Or even if he isn’t, he probably doesn’t want to get involved.”
“I have large evidence bags in my kit in the family room. We can go bag it there.”
He followed her, but hadn’t missed her strong emphasis onwe. She wanted him to accompany her. She didn’t need his help, but she couldn’t leave him without supervision.
They made quick work of bagging and labeling the jacket, then returned to the bedroom where El looked under the bed, while he completed his closet search.
She soon got to her feet. “Nothing here. Moving on to the bathroom.”
He finished the last storage box and followed her to the only bathroom.
El went straight to the mirrored medicine cabinet, revealing toothbrushes and toothpaste, along with children’s acetaminophen and ibuprofen, and a bottle of adult acetaminophen.
“No illegal drugs.” She closed the door and squatted to look under the sink. “Nothing here either.”
Gabe grabbed the trashcan and held it out to El. “A positive pregnancy test.”
“Shedidknow she was pregnant. I’ll bag it for DNA and prints.”
Another secret Kenna had kept from him. “With the test sitting on top of the trash, the father could know too. Or what if she was seeing two men and the second man found out it was the other guy’s baby?”
El looked at him. “A definite motive for murder, but you didn’t even know about one guy, do you really think she was hiding two men from you?”
“Doubtful, but we have to look at all possibilities. Maybe her neighbors have seen men coming and going and can help us figure that out.” Gabe didn’t wait for El, but hurried through the house and into the living room.
He fixed his hands on bended knees, and dragged in air, his lungs aching for it. His heart aching too. He didn’t want to spend a moment of time thinking he didn’t know Kenna as well as he thought. But he had to do his job and that meant considering things he didn’t want to think about.
El entered the room, and he expected her to give him a lecture on going ahead of her.
When she didn’t say anything, he rushed out the door. She had to secure the building and he went to the back of her vehicle,where she couldn’t see his emotional meltdown, giving him time to clear his head.
El soon joined him and opened her trunk to secure the evidence and her kit. “The jacket is too good of a lead to wait on getting the DNA processed. I’ll have a deputy pick it up and bring it to Sierra to include in the package she’ll have delivered to the lab today.”
She took out her phone and talked with Ulrich. And Gabe looked across the drive at Mrs. Z.’s bungalow, where she sat on her porch in an old cane rocker. The bright blue house color had faded, but lovingly tended garden beds surrounded the structure. Still, the building needed major repairs that her money didn’t stretch to. Gabe had offered to help her, but like Kenna, she refused financial help. He’d settled for making minor repairs for her.
El pocketed her phone. “We’ll meet up with a deputy and give them the jacket, pregnancy test, and photos of the suspected boyfriend.”
“I appreciate your sense of urgency. This could be the guy who has Lucy.” With that horrific thought in his brain, he headed across the drive.
Mrs. Z moved her rocker in a rhythmic dance. As he got closer, he could make out her pink-and-purple house dress with a flowered apron over the front.
She caught sight of them, came to her feet, and waved. “Gabe. Gabe. Yoohoo. Over here.”
She met him at the top of the steps and swept him into a fiercely tight hug. Her body round and padded, she always smelled like vanilla and honey. “Land sakes. It’s been way too long since I’ve seen you.”
He pushed free of her arms. “Sorry. I’d like to have come by more often, but we’ve been swamped with setting up the new business.”
