Alex Barclay - Harm's Reach

‘Did you process the skin?’ said Ren.

‘Yup. No match,’ said Janine.

‘When you say “troubled teens”,’ said Ren, ‘how troubled?’

‘Zero to hero: addiction issues, attitude problems, problems with the law, eating disorders. I checked out their website when they opened to see what we were letting ourselves in for. And it costs an absolute fortune to stay there. They pull in a lot of spoilt little rich kids.’

‘Have you had any problems with them?’ said Ren.

‘Our guys have definitely brought a couple of runaways back,’ said Janine.

‘Runaways?’ said Ren. ‘Kids can run away from this place? Isn’t security tighter than that?’

‘I’m speculating here,’ said Janine, ‘and this is not official, but I think it’s all part of the treatment. The ranch’s policy is to trust the kids, because they know these kids’ parents have given up trusting them. So, management believes that because they have faith in these kids, they won’t disrespect them...’

Ren laughed.

‘I know,’ said Janine.

‘Is it privately owned?’ said Ren.

‘Very privately,’ said Janine. ‘By Kenneth and Kristen Faule. He’s ex-NFL... Broncos. They never had kids of their own, so this was their way of... you know “giving back”.’

‘Hate that expression,’ they both said at the same time.

‘They take in teens from all over,’ said Janine. ‘If their parents are flashing enough cash...’

‘They’re not going to give us access too easily,’ said Ren.

‘No,’ said Janine. ‘And I’ve met Kristen Faule. Do not be fooled by her Disney ways... she’s one of those cornered mama-bear types.’

‘Disney ways,’ said Ren. ‘Hmm. So, what was the nature of your meeting?’

‘Well, she came to pick up one of the kids that Kohler had brought in,’ said Janine. ‘Of course, she was pissed, like it was our fault.’

‘I’m rolling my eyes.’

‘She totally rubbed me the wrong way,’ said Janine. ‘Since the ranch opened, it’s like we’ve become unwitting participants in her treatment plan. She lets the kids roam free, we pick them up.’

‘Seriously, how many times has this happened?’ said Ren.

‘Fewer than my annoyance indicates,’ said Janine.

‘And what about the abbey?’ said Ren.

‘It used to be a religious abbey,’ said Janine, ‘but now it’s a “community of women”. As far as I can tell, it’s like a hippy commune, women’s shelter and self-sufficiency thing rolled into one. Really, though, I don’t see how they’re any different than the nuns; a bunch of women living together, saying prayers, doing charity work. They have basically no possessions — any money they do get is handed over to the director and distributed to whatever charities they all decide on. Three years ago, when I first took on The Flying G case, I spoke to the director...’

‘Slash head of the cult?’ said Ren.

‘Oh, they’re definitely not a cult,’ said Janine. ‘They’re missing the undercurrent of crazy...’

‘How big is the property?’ said Gary.

‘About one-hundred-and-fifty acres,’ said Janine. ‘You know something — if this girl is pregnant, this could have nothing to do with my case or The Darned Heart — she could have been headed to the abbey, if she was trying to get away from a bad situation.’

‘True,’ said Ren.

Gary had gloves on and was walking around the side of the Hyundai. He was opening the back door.

Grr. This is Janine’s scene.

‘I hope that’s your car door I hear opening,’ said Janine.

You’re a brave woman.

‘Please tell me you are wearing gloves,’ said Janine.

You’re a very brave woman. Gary will not dignify that with a response .

‘We got her purse,’ said Gary, standing up, swatting away the flies that had begun to gather. ‘And passport... Irish.’ He opened it. He looked at the photo, then at the victim.

‘Her name is Laura Flynn.’

Ren walked over to Gary. He handed her the passport. She looked down at the photo. Laura Flynn was a sweet-looking girl with light brown hair, kind blue eyes, a heart-shaped face. She was the type of girl a man would be happy to bring home to his mother.

I haven’t spoken to my mother in weeks. I hope she isn’t worrying about me. Does this girl have a mother somewhere worrying about her? Is some mother over in Ireland going to have to take the worst possible call to take as a parent?

Laura Flynn was just twenty-six years old.

The same age I was when I was diagnosed. She looked down at Laura Flynn’s body.

Twenty-six-years old. And I thought I got a death sentence.

Perspective, Ren. Perspective.

‘The lining is torn,’ said Gary, looking into the victim’s purse. He swiped his hand through the tear, found nothing.

‘That’s weird for a very new-looking purse,’ said Ren. ‘Maybe she was stashing something in there.’

‘Guys, how do you think an Irish girl like that could know anything about The Flying G case?’ said Janine. She paused. ‘To be open-minded, I will say “any of my cases”.’

‘And it’s an Avis rental, Janine, by the way,’ said Gary. ‘If you can work some magic.’

‘OK,’ said Janine.

‘No SatNav,’ said Gary.

They could hear Janine typing. ‘Hold on, guys, news just in: someone reported a burning vehicle at The Darned Heart at twelve thirty today.’

‘What?’ said Ren. ‘First a burning vehicle, half an hour later, a bank robbery, and two hours after that, a woman’s body is found...’

‘Sounds about right,’ said Janine.

‘Well isn’t this a darned part of Jefferson County,’ said Ren. She took Janine off speaker. ‘Come our way.’

‘Sure,’ said Janine. ‘I shouldn’t be more than an hour. And thank you so much for my plant — it’s beautiful. And your notes. You’re nuts.’

Oh, you have no idea. Or maybe you do.

Ren and Gary walked toward his SUV. They looked up when they heard the sound of an engine coming from the same direction they had driven in.

‘What, pray tell, is this?’ said Ren.

A minibus appeared up ahead.

‘We need to screen this off,’ said Gary. He took a crime scene screen from the trunk of his SUV and went back to the victim’s car. Ren approached the minibus, holding up her badge. The driver leaned out the window.

‘Where are you coming from?’ said Ren.

‘Boulder,’ said the driver, a warm-faced woman with a frosted nest of honey-colored hair. ‘Just taking m’ladies back to Evergreen Abbey.’ She smiled.

Ren looked in and saw twenty or so women. The ones who weren’t sleeping were craning their necks toward her and out the front of the bus.

Ren leaned into the driver. ‘We’ve got a crime scene up ahead... Is there another way you can reach the abbey?’

‘There sure is,’ said the driver.

‘If you wouldn’t mind,’ said Ren. ‘Thank you.’

She nodded.

You are dying to ask me what’s going on.

‘Can I take your name and the name of the director of the abbey?’ said Ren.

‘Sure,’ said the driver. ‘She’s Eleanor Jensen, and I’m Betty Locke, chaffeuse, locksmith, carpenter...’ She smiled.

‘OK, Betty, thank you,’ said Ren. ‘We’ll be in touch.’

Ren went back over to Gary.

‘Ladies of the abbey,’ said Ren. ‘Someone better go talk to them before this gets legs.’

This is beyond screwed up. There is a pregnant woman behind that screen in front of me.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Why, on this beautiful, seventy-degree, clear-blue-sky Monday is a pregnant woman lying dead on the side of the road?