Break the Silence (Detectives Kane and Alton)

nto the water, and drowned.”

The chlorine in the water hadn’t disguised the smell of death: not rancid yet but the awful smell of the first signs of decay. The young man’s face was a mess, his nose near flattened and the tip pushed up. His skin was pale and rippled from a long time spent submerged in water, and his eyes stared into nothing, cloudy like a dead fish. She frowned. “So, what makes you think otherwise?”

“Every death is suspicious unless proved otherwise. Do you know what he was doing prior to his death?” Wolfe looked at her expectantly.

Jenna dragged her gaze away from the body. “If he’s on the football team, yeah I do. They all went to a coaching clinic or whatever over the weekend. They train every morning, and if he lived in Lyons’ house, there’s a possibility he could’ve been involved in Chrissie Lowe’s rape. Why?”

“See here on his ankles, both sides have a tiny, half-moon indent?” Wolfe pulled a magnifying glass from his pocket and handed it to her. “I’m not 100 percent sure but I figure they’re nail marks. Sure, they could’ve happened during group sex, I’ve seen worse injuries; but if not, someone could’ve grabbed his feet as he was climbing the ladder and pulled him in a downward motion. He’d lose his grip and his face would hit the top rung.” He cleared his throat. “I have to consider every angle before I make a decision, Jenna.”

“That would take strength.” Rowley stared into the pool as if weighing up the facts. “Because some of him would’ve still been in the pool. It’s hard to exert force under water.”

Jenna nodded, glad to see Rowley add his conclusions. “That makes sense. So is this another probable homicide?”

“Ah…” Wolfe frowned. “When I’ve conducted an autopsy, I’ll let you know my decision.”

“Do you have a TOD?” Jenna pulled out her notebook and found her pen. “I gather he’s been in the water all night?”

“Yeah and the water temperature messes with the readings, so I don’t have a time of death, but going on the skin deterioration, I’d say at least eight hours.” Wolfe pulled a body bag from his kit. “We’ll get him loaded into the van.” He looked at her. “We need a positive ID. Have you found anyone who might know him? I’ll need permission from his next of kin.”

Jenna shook her head. “Not yet. Do you mind waiting until the dean gets here? He might recognize him.”

“Sure.” Wolfe indicated with his chin toward the locker rooms. “While we’re waiting, I’ll take a look in there as well. I found a towel on the bench, so I gather he left his belongings in a locker. The students are required to carry a photo ID card with them. Emily has just gotten hers.”

“I’ll go. They leave them open, so the locked one will be his.” Rowley headed off in long strides.

“Call me when you locate the locker and don’t touch anything,” Wolfe called after him.

Jenna looked at him. “No Webber this morning?”

“No.” Wolfe shook his head. “I thought it best as he’s trying out for the football team.” Wolfe had lowered his voice to just above a whisper. “I figure the less time he’s seen with us, the better. I’ve given him backdated paperwork to say he’s been doing an internship in my office since starting college, just in case Seth Lyons questions him. Webber seems to believe Lyons is involved in the rape case and will be trying to get closer to him.” He narrowed his gaze. “I don’t envy him.”

Footsteps in the hallway caught Jenna’s attention and she turned to see Kane with David Bent, the dean, coming toward them. She stood her ground and waited for them to reach her. She took in Bent’s neat appearance: professional in a dark brown suit with leather patches on the elbows, but his expression was one of horror at the sight of the body. She waved her hand toward the corpse. “Do you know this man?”

“Ah, yes. Dear God, what happened?” Bent stared at the corpse and then slowly back to her. His Adam’s apple moved up and down as if he couldn’t find the words. He visibly gathered himself. “It’s Peter Devon, another member of the football team.”

Another coincidence? Jenna made a note. “Thank you. Ah, the medical examiner will be able to give you the details.” She indicated to Wolfe.

“Right now, it looks as if he slipped getting out the pool and struck his head.” Wolfe moved to her side. “I’ll be able to give you more information once I’ve completed my examination.”

Jenna glanced at him. Wolfe was a master of not offering a cause of death without absolute proof. She led Bent away from the body. “We’ll need to notify his next of kin. Mr. Wolfe will need their permission to conduct an autopsy.”

“He’s out of Helena and his father is a close friend of mine.” Bent pushed a hand through his hair in an agitated manner. “I think it should come from me. I’ll make a video call.”

“Thank you.” Jenna took a card from her pocket and handed it to him. “We’ll also need permission to search his belongings, including his vehicle. I know it’s difficult to ask for things like this, but I can assure you it’s necessary.”

“Why?” Bent narrowed his eyes at her. “Is there something you’re not telling me, Sheriff?”

Jenna shook her head. “No, you have the same information as I do right now, but when an unusual death occurs, we make sure no stone is left unturned. A scanned copy will be fine. If you can arrange to have the parents send it straight to me, we’ll be able to release the body to them without an unnecessary delay.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Bent turned away and left, muttering under his breath.

Jenna turned to Kane. “Get anything out of the security guards?”

She listened as Kane went over everything he’d discovered. “Another CCTV failure? Well, that’s convenient. Take a look at the body—what do you see?”

Jenna waited for Kane to examine the crime scene and chat with Wolfe. Then Kane pulled on a pair of gloves and assisted as Wolfe maneuvered the corpse into a black body bag and zipped it up.

As Wolfe packed up his forensics kit and collected the samples, she turned her attention back to Kane.