He was on his way back across the field when he found the brown paper bag. He’d looked inside and seen the yellow-and-white fabric. He’d tucked it under his arm, and was almost back to the Eagan house when one of the others called him for assistance. Billie Eagan had just about collapsed at the edge of the field. He set the bag down to help carry her into the house.

When he went back for the bag a few minutes later, it had disappeared.

He had walked into the field again, and looked all around the back of the house, but the bag was gone.

Some of Jason’s friends had gathered in the yard-they’d all taken part in the search for Melinda-but the bag wasn’t there. He’d thought maybe one of them had picked it up, but when he asked if anyone had found anything that might have belonged to Melinda, they all said no.

He’d hoped against hope that the bag hadn’t contained anything important. All he’d seen was some yellow-and-white fabric.

But as soon as he’d spoken with the Stiles girl, he’d known what was in the bag.

Melinda Eagan’s birthday dress.

He should have told someone at the time, but he hadn’t. He was new to the force. If the old chief had known that evidence had disappeared because the rookie had left it unattended in the field, well, they probably wouldn’t be calling him Chief Walker today. It was a lesson Walker had never forgotten.

He’d turned his back for just a few minutes, and the damned bag had disappeared into thin air.

Billie hadn’t taken it. She was with him and his partner. Jason was being questioned at the time.

So, who had taken it? And why?

And why did it seem to matter more now than it had then?

12

“Hey, Regan, how’d it go?” Lorna called from the front porch, where she sat in one of the rocking chairs.

“Pretty much par,” Regan replied as she walked toward the porch. She smiled at the man sitting in the rocker next to Lorna. “You must be T.J. We have a mutual friend in Mitch Peyton.”

“So I understand.” T.J. stood and offered both his hand and the chair. “He mentioned you when he called me on Thursday.”

“No, keep the rocker, I’ll sit right here on the steps.” Regan lowered herself to the top step. “So what did he say?”

“What did who say?” Lorna asked.

“Mitch,” Regan responded, looking intently at T.J.

T.J. shrugged. “Oh, just that you had a friend who needed a little help with something he thought I might be able to assist with.”

“That’s all?” She frowned.

“Well, he did say that you and he were friends, that you worked together on some case up in New Jersey a couple months ago, and you’ve stayed in touch.”

“Oh.” Regan appeared disappointed to hear that Mitch hadn’t had more to say about her.

“What did you learn from Chief Walker?” Lorna asked.

“Not a whole lot,” Regan admitted. “There’s been no trace of Melinda found, not an article of clothing, nothing. I asked. So to answer your earlier question, the dress wasn’t recovered. He still thinks the mother killed the brother, by the way. This in spite of the fact that all the remains recovered show that every victim was an adolescent male with a fractured skull. What are the chances the mother killed all the other vics? Is she a big woman? Could she have taken these guys?”

“She’s a tiny thing, thin, frail. And back then, she was a heavy drinker. I don’t think she’d be hauling strangers across the field to kill them. She wouldn’t have had the strength.”

“What makes you think the bodies were all strangers?”

“There haven’t been that many young males reported missing in Callen since the beginning of time. They had to have come from someplace else.”

“Is someone doing a search on missing persons in the area?” T.J. asked.

“Not yet. I asked about that, and Chief Walker said they don’t have the manpower right now.” Regan leaned back against the porch rail. “Apparently everyone is out in the field, digging.”

“I’m sure they have computers,” T.J. said.

“Maybe they don’t have anyone on staff trained to do the searches,” Regan offered. “I’ve run into a lot of smaller police forces that don’t know how to access or input information into the national databases. Some others, I’ve found, simply don’t want to be bothered.”

“Maybe we could help them out. Do a little research for them.” T.J. smiled.

“How would we do that?” Lorna asked.

“We’d call Mitch and see if he can do a search for missing boys between the ages of, say, twelve and eighteen, over the past, what, twenty-five years?” T.J. thought for a moment, then said, “They should probably be bringing in the Bureau, anyway. They’re going to be in over their heads, if they aren’t already.”

“You’ll never get Chief Walker to admit that.”

“It’s a capital case, there’s every indication that there could be a serial killer involved here. It has FBI written all over it,” T.J. told them. “Regan, why don’t you give Mitch a call, see what he thinks.”

“I’ll do that. And we’ll ask him to go back thirty years, just in case.” Regan reached for her handbag and took out her phone and began to dial.

“When’s Billie’s preliminary hearing?” T.J. asked Lorna.

“One day next week, I haven’t heard a date yet.”

“I’m betting the charges are dropped between now and then. You know I haven’t thought they had enough evidence against Billie, but with these other victims being found,” he shrugged, “I don’t see them proceeding at this point. Unless they can finger her for all the killings, I think they’re going to have to go back to square one. I guess I’ll have a better feel for it after I’ve met Billie.”

“We can do that now, if you like,” Lorna suggested.

“The sooner the better.” T.J. stood. “You’re coming with me, though, right? I think she’d be much more comfortable if you were there.”

“Sure. I’d planned on being there. Let me give her a call and let her know we’re stopping over.” Lorna got out of the chair and went into the house.

“Where is everyone going?” Regan asked as she put her cell phone back in her handbag.

“Lorna and I are going over to talk to Billie Eagan.”

“I’ll wait here. For one thing, I think the poor woman would probably feel overwhelmed if the three of us showed up. Besides, I’m waiting for Mitch to call back. I had to leave voice mail.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Lorna asked as she came out through the front door.

“Not at all.” Regan got up and walked over to the rocking chair Lorna had been sitting in. “It’s a beautiful day, the humidity has dropped, it’s nice and shady here on the porch, and I have a book in here somewhere…”

Regan began rooting through her handbag.

“Here we go. The newest thriller from my favorite author.” She moved the chair, then sat and rested her feet on the porch railing. Since she was shorter than Lorna by several inches, the rail would have been out of reach if she hadn’t moved the rocker. “I’ll be right here when you get back.”

“Okay, if you’re sure.” Lorna swung her bag over her shoulder and followed T.J. down the steps.

Regan waved them on.

Lorna paused next to T.J.’s car.

“Maybe we should drive over.”

“Isn’t Billie’s house right across the field?”

“Yes, but it is several acres away.” She was still staring at the car.

“You’re incredibly subtle.” He took his keys out of his pocket and opened the driver’s-side door.

“Great. I’ve been dying for a ride in this machine all week.” Lorna grinned, opened the passenger door, and got in.

“You should have said something. I’d have been happy to show ‘er off.” T.J. slid behind the wheel and started the engine. “You want the top up?”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Just asking. Some women don’t like to have their hair blown around.”

“I’m not one of them.”