Vulnerable (Morgans of Nashville 4)

Georgia bit into her bagel, refusing to take the bait in front of Amber. “I could see that.”

“I bet you can,” he said. His phone buzzed and he glanced at the display. “How did you afford a school like St. Vincent? Pretty pricy.”

“Scholarship. The guidance counselor at my middle school found it and told me. I didn’t really care, but she knew it was a good thing for me. She always believed in me.”

“Your grades were average,” Jake said.

“I had a great opportunity, but didn’t have the sense to see it. It was foolish.”

“How so?”

“Kids from my world don’t get lucky breaks like I got.”

Jake’s phone buzzed again and he glanced down at the display, frowning. “Ladies, finish up while I take this call from my boss.”

When Jake left, Amber loaded her fork with pancakes. “He’s homicide, I’m assuming?”

“Correct. And his boss, Deke Morgan, is head of the Nashville Homicide Department, and also my brother. He’s the one that gave me the go-ahead to look into this case.”

“You’re lucky to have a brother. I always wanted one.” After Amber swallowed her bite, she cut another slice. “Deke must be an older brother?”

“Older by ten years.”

“How many Morgans are there?”

“Four. Three boys and me.”

Amber shrugged as if shooing away something that bothered her. “I was an only child. I always wondered what it would be like to have a brother.”

Georgia glanced out the diner window to see Jake standing on the sidewalk, phone to his ear. His broad shoulders filled an expertly tailored suit jacket that tapered to a narrow waist. He paced as he talked.

“You and Detective Bishop are friends?” Amber asked.

Georgia realized she’d been caught staring. “Not exactly friends. But he’s a great cop.”

Amber’s gaze searched. “You don’t like it when other women flirt with him.”

Georgia stiffened. “Why do you say that?”

“You tense. It’s very slight, but I see it. I guess it’s something all women notice about each other.”

“You’ve read me all wrong. There’s nothing between us.”

Amber smiled. “But he wants something more. I saw it when he looked at you.”

“I doubt it.”

Jake returned to the diner, his expression dark. “Amber, Georgia and I need to respond to a crime scene. Can you find your way home?”

“Sure. I’ll be fine.”

He tossed twenty bucks on the table. “Take your time and enjoy your meal. We’ll be back with you soon.”

“Yeah, sure. Okay.”

Georgia collected her backpack and followed Jake outside. “What’s that about?”

“A hiker and his dog found a body at Percy Warner Park. Likely a young girl placed in a cave.”

A chill rolled over Georgia’s skin. “Is there an identification yet?”

He opened her car door. “No. But the uniforms on the scene want us there ASAP.”

She slid into the car, glanced back at the diner and found Amber in her booth nodding to them with a slight smile. As Jake settled behind the wheel, she asked, “What do you think about Amber?”

“Jury’s still out.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Tuesday, October 3, 10:00 A.M.

A dozen marked police cars with lights flashing and a forensic van greeted Jake and Georgia when they arrived at the park.

The entrance to the northern path was blocked with yellow crime scene tape and a uniformed officer stood guard. Jake extended his hand. “How’s it going, Randy?”

Randy was mid-sized with a thick chest and muscled arms. “Right now, not much to say. Guy and his dog found a body and called us. Forensic techs just got here and until the body is processed there isn’t much to report.”

“How far up the trail?” Jake asked.

“About a half mile. Fairly easy hiking.”

Georgia glanced toward the forensic van, half tempted to jump in. “Is Brad Holcombe here?”

“Yeah,” Randy said. “He’s about twenty minutes ahead of you.”

Brad Holcombe worked the Forensic Department with Georgia and had joined the team about five years ago. In his early thirties, he was tall, trim, and sported a mop of blond hair. She considered him one of the best in the field and he was as meticulous as she. “Great.”

Randy held up the tape and the two ducked under it and headed up the trail. The morning remained crisp, but bright skies suggested the sun would warm the air to another unseasonably warm day. Early into October, it was always a mixed bag with weather more often turning warm as cold. By November, it would stay colder but, for now, bright days like this remained possible.

She thought back to the last few days’ temperatures, and her mind immediately turned to accelerated decomposition rates. Whatever they were going to find would not be pretty.

* * *

Jake recognized the smell of human death the instant they rounded the corner and came upon the collection of cops. The stench, in his mind, was dense, wet, and sickeningly sweet. It always tightened his belly and sent his muscles bracing. Oddly, most of the bodies he dealt with in homicide were fresh. There were lots of nasty things to experience around the murdered victim, but usually not the smell.

“Damn.”

Georgia moved past him to Brad. “What do you have?”

“I’ve only shined a light into the cave, but I can see the body of a dead woman.”

Jake moved forward and studied the narrow opening. “Brad, can I borrow your light?”

“Sure.”

Jake clicked on the light and shined it in the cave. Putrid air wafted out of the opening and smacked his senses. The smell, simply the breakdown of chemicals in the body, told him death had occurred at least twenty-four hours to ninety-six hours ago. He would become accustomed to the smell, but his clothes would reek and his dry cleaner would cuss and charge him double.

The light bounced off the low-lying rock ceiling down onto the outline of a body. No missing it was a dead woman. By the looks, she’d been young.

Georgia switched on her own light and crouched close. Her shoulder brushed his and he caught the faint scent of soap clinging to her skin. This would be the last nice smell for hours. “Are you aware of any missing women?”

He nodded. There was a BOLO—a Be On The Lookout—that had come across his desk late last night. “Missing teenager. Brown hair. Nineteen. She’s not been seen for a few days. Roommate reported her missing. Parents were traveling, but are back in town.”

Georgia leaned closer to the opening. “She fits the description.”

Jake rose, handed the light back to Brad and dusted his hands. “Yeah.” He pulled out his phone and pulled up his text messages. “Her name is Elisa Spence. She’s a sophomore in college.” Not every BOLO stuck with him, but when it came to a young person, he never forgot.

“Looks like it’s time for Brad and me to do our thing.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, staring at the narrow opening. “I don’t envy your work.”

She shrugged as if this were a walk in the park. “Are you kidding? I live for this kind of thing.”

* * *

With a camera dangling from her neck, Georgia and Brad stood at the entrance of the cave. While she snapped pictures, Brad sketched the scene, marking distances and the

general layout. Detail at this stage of the game was critical. Both knew very well that one day they could be sitting in a courtroom justifying every iota to the judge, jury, and attorneys.

Rick, Georgia’s older brother and Jake’s partner, had also arrived on the scene. Rick had come up through the canine unit and he and his canine, Tracker, had had an impressive record. The two had been on a routine traffic stop when the car’s driver had fired on Rick, hitting him in the hip. As the driver approached Rick with gun drawn, Rick was able to press the door release button on his vehicle, freeing Tracker. The dog lunged at the driver as the second shot was fired. The canine was hit, but the shooter was startled, giving Rick enough time to fire the kill shot. Both Rick and Tracker had recovered, but neither was certified to return to patrol duty. Rick transferred to homicide and Tracker ended up with Rick’s new wife, Jenna.

After Georgia snapped over fifty pictures of the area, she signaled uniformed officers to remove the stones still blocking the cave’s entrance. Slowly, the jagged entrance grew wider and wider, sending waves of death rolling out of the darkness like a black thundercloud.

Moving closer, Georgia took more pictures of the cave entrance, the flash offering quick glimpses into the darkness. Each burst of light illuminated the body, which she now knew lay on its back, hands positioned neatly over her heart. She was fully dressed but her blouse, though it had been straightened, appeared torn at the sleeve and the collar.

She heard the rumble of rocks sliding down the hill and turned to see Jake and Rick. Both men’s expressions were dark.

Jake had removed his jacket and tie and had rolled up his sleeves. “Looks like you’re about to go into the cave.”

When he was all business, she could deal with him. She even liked him. They talked about decomposition rates, blood splatter, and stippling. No innuendo. No messing around. Safe. “I’m headed in now.”

She held up her camera so the detective could see the crime scene images on her viewfinder. “As you can see, the body is positioned in the middle of the cave. She’s fully dressed with the face covered. The cave is about seven feet deep and four feet high. Doesn’t appear to be any other access to the cave, but I won’t know until I get inside.”