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as Ruth had deserved more. And he intended to give
her all that was owed to her.
    Soon
she would not be alone. She would be a part of his Family . Soon she
would be with those who loved her so very much.
    His
fingers tingled with excitement. He was anxious for her to join Ruth. So
anxious in fact that it was a struggle to keep his distance.
    The
house was so quiet since he'd sent Ruth away. So lonely. He found himself wandering from room to room, hating the silence and the way
the wind made the shutters creak.
    The
house just wasn't the same without Ruth. She'd brought life to the house.
    God
but he hated the loneliness.
    He
swallowed a lump in his throat.
    The
loneliness would end soon.

Chapter
Three
    Tuesday, January 8, 12:10 P.M.
    The
overcast sky added an extra bite to the ice-cold wind that cut through Jacob's
leather jacket. He stamped his feet, hoping the extra blood circulation would
warm his body and restore some feeling to his toes.
    The
survey crew seemed to accept the cold as a matter of course. They'd remained
idle all morning, standing on the sidelines watching the police work as if it
were a location set for a television crime drama. Fifteen minutes ago they'd
broken out their lunches. It was a regular party.
    As
much as he wanted to leave, neither he nor Zack considered it. They wanted to
wait until Tess had finished taking her photographs, sketching out the scene,
and had released the body to the state medical examiner's office.
    Tess
had searched the victim's pockets, finding wadded tissue and a grocery store
receipt, but nothing that would identify her. She also searched the entire area
around the body for evidence but so far had found nothing out of the ordinary.
The wind wasn't helping matters either and could easily have blown evidence
farther afield. Jacob had expanded the search perimeter. He had ordered the
uniformed officers to fan out and search the area.
    Tess
hoped to preserve as much evidence that still might remain on the body. She had
ordered the woman's body moved away from the water and wrapped in a clean white
sheet. Once it was transported to the medical examiner's office, she would go
over it again and search for hair and fiber samples on the body.
    Tess
trudged up the hill, her expression grim. Her cheeks were pink and her lips
chapped. Wisps of dark hair peeked out from the skullcap on her head.
    Jacob
raised the yellow tape for her.
    Tess
ducked under the tape and arched her back, trying to work the knots formed
after hours of stooping. "Thanks."
    "Sure."
    Zack
moved away from the uniforms toward her. "You need a strong cup of coffee."
    "I
intend to have one as soon as I arrive at the medical examiner's office. When
I've warmed up, I'll go over the body again."
    Zack
looked like he wanted to argue with his kid sister, but he knew she didn't like
babying. "Sure."
    "I've
called the body removal team," she added. "They'll be here in a few minutes."
    "Did
you find anything?" Jacob asked.
    She
shook her head. "Not yet. And it's so damn cold our killer likely didn't break
a sweat when he dumped our victim."
    Sweat
mixed with the body's oils to create fingerprints. Without sweat, fingerprints
weren't always produced. "Do the best you can."
    "Will do."
    Zack
braced against the wind. "What can you tell us, Tess?"
    She
shoved out a breath. "The medical examiner will have to confirm all this but I
think whoever held her also injected her with something."
    "What
makes you think the killer did it?" Jacob asked. "People from all walks of life
have hidden addictions."
    Tess
sniffed. "The needle marks on her arms are fresh. And there are no signs of
older marks that would suggest she was a habitual user."
    "They
could be behind her knee," Jacob said. That had been a favorite spot of his
mother's.
    Tess
shrugged. "We'll see. But I don't think she's an addict. Doesn't
have the look."
    Many
didn't have the look if it was a new habit. "Why do you think the killer
injected her? Maybe she did it herself.