choked back a wave of nausea when he got his first look at the bloated lump of flesh that had once been a human being. The only thing about the body that still looked human was a knotted, slimy clump of long hair.
“Female, approximately eighteen to twenty-five,” Lindsey replied.
“How long was she in the water?”
“I’m estimating seven to ten days.”
“Which would fit the time period that Ruby Denton has been missing,” Freddie said.
“We’ll need dental records to confirm the identity,” Lindsey said. “But one thing I can tell you is whoever she is, she was well cared for at one time in her life.”
“How can you tell?” As far as Freddie could tell, she was a lump of decomposing flesh.
“Her teeth are gorgeous. Probably had orthodontics.”
For some reason, that detail made Freddie unreasonably sad for the parents who’d soon hear their child was in the morgue.
“Is there anything else you can tell us?” Gonzo asked.
“I can’t be sure, but there’re possible ligature marks here.” Lindsey pointed to the neck area.
“So she might’ve been strangled.”
“It’s a theory.”
“That and the teeth are more than we had ten minutes ago,” Gonzo said. “Keep us posted on the ID.”
“Can you see about getting me Ruby’s dental records?”
Freddie’s stomach turned again at the thought of asking her parents for such a thing.
“Yeah,” Gonzo said. “We’ll take care of it.”
“What’s the plan?” Freddie asked on the walk from the morgue back to the pit.
“Let’s talk to Ruby’s parents.” Gonzo checked his watch. “And then we can call it a day.”
As they went into the pit, Detectives Jeannie McBride and Will Tyrone were returning from a call.
“What’ve you got?” Gonzo asked them.
“A double suicide,” Jeannie said.
“You’re sure that’s what it was?” Gonzo asked.
“There was a note.” Jeannie handed it over to Gonzo, and Freddie moved in for a closer look.
I’m sorry it has come to this. Our financial problems have gotten to the point where we’re going to lose the house. Please take care of our kids. They don’t deserve any of this.
“Aw, damn,” Freddie said. “How old are the kids?”
“They’re both in college,” Jeannie said. “The father’s brother is taking care of notifying them. He told us the husband lost his job two years ago, and his benefits were running out. They couldn’t pay the mortgage and the bank was going to take their house. The last time he saw his brother, they talked about him declaring bankruptcy to get out from under the mortgage. He said the brother was worried about how they’d eat and where they’d live.”
“It’s so sad,” Will added, “that they felt they had no other options.”
“How’d they do it?” Gonzo asked.
“Pills,” Jeannie said. “The empty bottles were on the bed between them. His brother told us he’d had back surgery last year, and they used the leftover narcotics to OD. They were found holding hands.”
“Take care of the paperwork,” Gonzo said, “and call it a day.”
“Where’s Sam?” Jeannie asked. “We’re supposed to go to our last dress fitting together.”
Freddie glanced at Gonzo. “Um, well, there’s been a situation.”
“What kind of situation?”
Freddie took them through the sequence of events that’d happened earlier, ending with the phone call Gonzo had received about Alex from the Secret Service.
Jeannie shook her head in disbelief. “Wait... So what you’re saying...”
“Someone has made a threat against their family, so the Secret Service has them all under protection.”
“Where?”
“We don’t know.”
“What was the threat?”
“We don’t know that either.”
“How long—”
“We don’t know anything more than what we’ve told you, Jeannie,” Gonzo said. “Believe me, I want to know how long they’re going to hold my son, and I can’t get even that much out of them.”
“It must’ve been bad if they took everyone, even her sisters.”
“We’re working under that assumption.”
“I feel like a selfish jerk for worrying about my wedding at a time like this when something much bigger is going on, but what’ll I do if she can’t be there?”
“I doubt whatever this is will go on for more than a week,” Gonzo said. “If it does, I’ll be losing my mind, so we can lose our minds together.”
“I’m sorry,” Jeannie said. “I don’t mean to make it about me when your child is being held somewhere, and you have no idea where he is. That’s way worse.”
“The whole thing sucks,” Gonzo said. “Imagine what it’s like for the Secret Service agents who’re stuck with Sam.”
That made them all laugh and relieved some of their tension, although Freddie could tell that Jeannie was still freaked out. After having been held by a psycho last year, she’d be hit harder than most by this latest development. Will must’ve been having the same thought because he squeezed Jeannie’s shoulder in support.
“Try not to worry,” Gonzo said. “At least we know she’s in good hands and being kept safe from whatever’s happening.”
“There is that,” Jeannie said.
“I’ll take care of the reports,” Will said. “Go on ahead to your fitting.”
“Are you sure?” Jeannie asked her partner.
“Positive. You’ve got better stuff to do.”
Jeannie glanced apprehensively at Sam’s dark office before she nodded to him. “Thank you. You’ll let me know if you hear any more about Sam and Nick?”
“We will,” Gonzo said.
“Okay, then. I’ll see you guys in the morning.”
After she left, Gonzo said, “I’m going to check on Chris, and then we can go talk to Ruby’s parents. Give me five.”
“You got it.” Freddie went to his cubicle and tried to wrap his mind around what’d transpired out at the river. He had to put his observations into a narrative that would make sense on a report, when none of it made sense to him. Beckett had emailed his contributions, which Freddie would combine with his own. He could hear Gonzo still on the phone with Christina in the LT’s office, so he called upstairs to Lieutenant Archelotta.
“Hey, it’s Cruz,” Freddie said when Archie picked up his extension. “Just checking to see if you’ve picked up anything about the threat to the lieutenant’s family.”
“Not a thing. I’ve got people digging deep and we’re coming up empty.”
“What the hell? How can there be a threat that’d warrant the family being collected dragnet-style and there be no sign of it anywhere online or in any of the usual places?”
“I