I think Id like to check the body. You good here?
Oh yeah. This is streaming at its finest. No commercials or anything.
Good, she said. See you in a bit.
She leaned down and kissed him on the side of the mouth before leaving. She did it naturally and without much thought, even though it wasnt the most professional thing. It was a good reminder of just why they wouldnt be able to work together in this capacity after they were married.
Mackenzie left the little office space in search of the morgue while Ellington watched time unroll in fast-forward motion on the screen.
***The question as to whether or not Claire Locke had experienced starvation or dehydration of any degree during her time in the storage unit was answered the moment Mackenzie saw her. While Mackenzie was not an expert on the subject, there was a hollow look to the young womans cheeks. There might have been a similar look to her stomach as well but it was not clear due to the incision the coroner had made.
The woman who met her at the morgue was a rotund and eerily pleasant woman named Amanda Dumas. She greeted Mackenzie warmly and stood back against a small steel table that was adorned with the tools of her trade.
Based on your examination, Mackenzie said, would you say that the victim experienced severe hunger or dehydration before she died?
Yes, though I dont know to what extent, exactly, Amanda said. Theres very little fatty acid in her stomachhardly any at all. That, plus some signs of muscle deterioration, indicates that she experienced at least the first pangs of starvation. There are telltale signs of dehydration as well, though I cant be sure that either of those is what killed her.
You think she bled out first?
I do. And quite frankly, that would have been a blessing for her.
Based on what youve seen with the body, do you believe she was alive when she was placed in the storage unit?
Oh, without a doubt. And Id say it was against her will as well. Amanda stepped forward and pointed to the abrasions on Lockes right hand. Looks like she put up a fight of some kind and then tried her best to escape at some point.
Mackenzie saw the cuts and noted that one of them looked rather ragged. It could have easily been placed there by the grooved runner that the unit door ran within. She also saw the fingernail that had been torn.
Theres also bruising along the back of her head, Amanda said. She used a comb-like tool to move Claires hair aside. She did so with a loving sort of respect and care. When she did this, Mackenzie was able to see an angry purple bruise along the upper base of her neck where her skull joined it.
Any signs that she was drugged? Mackenzie asked.
None. I still have one chemical analysis Im waiting on, but based on everything else Ive seen, Im not expecting anything from it.
Mackenzie assumed the bruise to the back of the head along with the ball gag found in her mouth was more than enough reason for Claire Locke to not have raised any fuss or alarm when she was carried into the storage unit. She thought about the video footage again, certain that the driver of one of the cars was responsible for her murderand the death of the other person found last week, according to the reports.
Mackenzie looked back down at the body with a frown. It was a natural reaction to always feel some sort of remorse for anyone who had been murdered. But Mackenzie was feeling a stronger sense of sadness with Claire Locke. Maybe it was because she could picture her all alone in that dark storage unit, unable to properly move or call out for help.
Thanks for the information, Mackenzie said. My partner and I will be in town for a few days. Let me know if anything shows up in that last chemical report.
She left the morgue and headed back up to the main floor. On her way back to the little office she and Ellington were working out of, she stopped by the dispatch desk and requested a copy of the current file on Claire Locke. She had it in her hands two minutes later and carried it back to the office.
She found Ellington staring at the monitor, reclined back in his chair.
Anything so far? she asked.
Nothing concrete. Ive watched seven more vehicles come and go. One stayed for about six hours before leaving. I want to check with the PD to see which of these people they have already spoken with. For Claire Locke to end up in that storage unit, someone on this footage had to have driven her there.
Mackenzie nodded in agreement as she started looking through the file. Locke had no criminal record at all and the personal details didnt offer much. She was twenty-five years old, graduated from UCLA two years ago, and had been working as a digital artist with a local marketing firm. Divorced parents, the father living in Hawaii and the mother somewhere in Canada. No husband, no kids, but there was a note along the bottom of the personal details sheet that stated her boyfriend had been informed of her death. Hed been called yesterday at three in the afternoon.
How much time do you have left on that? she asked.
Ellington shrugged. Three more days, it looks like.
You good here while I head out to speak to Claire Lockes boyfriend?
I guess, he said with a comical sigh. Married life is coming up. Better get used to seeing me sitting in front of a screen all the time. Especially during football season.
Thats fine, she said. As long as youre fine with me heading out and doing my own thing while youre doing it.
And to show him what she meant, she headed back out. She called over her shoulder: Give me a few hours.
Sure thing. But dont expect dinner to be ready when you get back.
The banter between them made her incredibly happy that McGrath had allowed them to work this case together. Between the gloom and rain outside and her peculiar sadness toward Claire Locke, she didnt know if she would have been able to properly handle this case on her own. But with Ellington here, she felt that she had a piece of home with hersomewhere to return in the event the case got too overwhelming.
She headed back outside. Night had fallen and although the rain had once again settled down to a lazy drizzle, Mackenzie couldnt help but feel that it was an omen of sorts.
Chapter Seven
Mackenzie knew nothing about the boyfriend, as there was nothing about him in the notes. All she knew was that his name was Barry Channing and that he lived at 376 Rose Street, Apartment 7. When she knocked on the door of Apartment 7, it was answered by a woman who looked to be in her late fifties or so. She looked tired and saddenedand clearly not happy to have a visitor after nine oclock on a rainy Sunday night.
Can I help you? the woman asked.
Mackenzie nearly double-checked the number on the door but instead stated, Im looking for Barry Channing.
Im his mother. Who are you?
Mackenzie showed her ID. Mackenzie White, with the FBI. I was hoping to ask him some questions about Claire.
Hes really in no state to talk to anyone, the mother said. In fact, he
My God, Mom, a male voice said, coming toward the door. Im okay.
The mother stepped aside, making room for her son to stand in the doorway. Barry Channing was rather tall and had close-cropped blond hair. Like his mother, he looked low on sleep and it was clear that he had been crying.
You said youre with the FBI? Barry said.
You said youre with the FBI? Barry said.
Yes. Do you have a few minutes?
Barry looked at his mother with a small frown and then sighed. Yes, I have some time. Come in, please.
Barry led Mackenzie into the apartment, down a thin hallway, and into a generic-looking kitchen. His mother, meanwhile, sulked on further down the hallway and out of sight. As Barry settled into a chair at the kitchen table, Mackenzie heard a door close rather forcefully from somewhere else in the apartment.
Sorry about that, Barry said. Im starting to think my mother was closer to Claire than I was. And thats saying a lot, seeing as how I purchased an engagement ring two weeks ago.
Im very sorry for your loss, Mackenzie said.
Ive been hearing that a lot, Barry said, looking at the tabletop. It was unexpected and while I did cry like a baby when the police told me yesterday, Im managing to keep it together. Mom came over to stay with me to help me get through the funeral and Im thankful for her help, but shes a little overprotective. Once shes gone, Ill probably let all the grief out, you know?
Im going to ask what might seem like a dumb question, Mackenzie said. But do you know of anyone that might have any reason to do this to Claire?
No. The police asked the same thing. She didnt have any enemies, you know? She and her mother didnt get along, but it wasnt nearly to the level that would cause this. Claire was a sort of private person, you know? No close friends or anythingjust acquaintances. That sort of thing.
When did you see her last? Mackenzie asked.
Eight days ago. She came by here to see if I had anything I needed to put in her storage unit. We had a laugh over it. She didnt know I had the ring. But we both knew we were going to get married. We started making plans for it. Her asking if I had anything to put in her unit was just another way of reinforcing it, you know?
After that day, how long passed before you started to get frightened? I dont see where you filed a missing persons report or anything like that.
Well, Im taking classes at the community college, getting my GPA up to get back to college and finally finish. Its a huge workload and thats on top of a job where I put in forty to forty-five hours a week. So there would be four or five days that would go by where Claire and I wouldnt see one another. But after three days and no texts or calls, I did start to get worried. I went by her apartment to check on her and she didnt answer. I thought about calling the police, but it seemed stupid. And really, deep in the back of my head, I wondered if she had just up and left me. That maybe the whole idea of getting married had scared her or something.
On that last time you saw her, did she seem okay? Was she acting out of the ordinary?
No, she was great. In a good mood.
By any chance, do you know what she was going to the storage unit to store?
Probably some of her textbooks from college. Shed been carrying them around in her trunk for a while.
Do you know how long shed been renting that unit?
About six months. She was moving stuff from California and storing it. Againwe had this thing where we felt we were going to get married so instead of moving stuff straight into her apartment, she left some of it in the unit. Its why she rented it at all, I think. I told her she didnt need it but she kept saying how it would be so much easier when we moved in together.
I asked about Claire having any enemiesbut how about you? Is there anyone that would do this to hurt you?
Barry looked stunned, as if he had never considered such a thing. He shook his head slowly and she thought he might start weeping. No. But I almost wish there was. It would help to make sense of this. Because I just dont know anyone that would want Claire dead. She was justshe was very kind. The sweetest person you could ever meet.
Mackenzie could tell that he was being sincere. She also knew that she was not going to get anything out of Barry Channing. She placed one of her business cards on the table and slid it over to him.
If you think of anything at all, please call me, she said.
He took the card and only nodded.
Mackenzie felt that she should say something else but it was one of those moments where it was clear that there was nothing more to say. She made her way to the door and as she closed it behind her she felt a pang of regret as she heard Barry Channing begin to cry.
The rain outside was little more than a mist now. As she walked back to her car, she called Ellington, hoping the rain would die out completely. She wasnt quite sure why it was bothering her so much. It just did.
This is Ellington, he answered, never one to check his display before answering.
You done with watching TV yet?
I am, actually, he replied. Im working with Deputy Rising right now to cross off the people on the list that theyve already spoken to. Anything new on your end?
No. But I want to go to the storage unit that the first body was found in. Can you get that information from Rising and meet me in front of the station in about twenty minutes? And see if someone can get the owner on the phone.
Can do. See you then.
They ended the call and Mackenzie drove on, thinking of the grieving boyfriend she had left behindthinking of Claire Locke, alone in the dark, starving and terrified in her last moments.
Chapter Eight
Mackenzie and Ellington arrived at U-Store-It at 10:10. The facility was different from Seattle Storage Solution in that it was an actual building. The structure itself looked as if it had once been a small warehouse of some kind but the exterior had been prettied up with simple landscaping that was only half revealed in the small lights that bordered the sidewalk. Because they called ahead, a light was on inside as the owner and manager of the place waited for them.
The owner met them at the door, a small and overweight man with glasses named Ralph Underwood. He seemed pleased to have them there and didnt make much of an attempt to hide the fact that he was quite taken with Mackenzie.
He led them through the front of the building, which consisted of a small waiting area and even smaller conference room. Hed done a good job of making the place look warm and cozy but it still had the smell of an old warehouse.
How many units do you have here? Ellington asked.
One hundred and fifty, Underwood said. Each unit has a door along the back so things can easily be loaded and unloaded from the outside rather than having to come in through the front of the building.
Seems pretty efficient, Mackenzie said, never having seen a storage complex that was held totally within another building.
You said on the phone you were interested in learning more about the body I found two weeks ago, correct?
Thats right, Mackenzie said. Shed had Rising send her over the report and she read from it now, on her phone. Elizabeth Newcomb, age thirty. According to the police report she was found in her own storage unit, dead due to a stab wound to the chest.
I dont know about all of that, Underwood said. All I know is that when I came in that morning and walked the grounds like I always do, I saw something red along the edge of the unit door. I knew what it was right away but tried to convince myself I was wrong. But when I unlocked the unit, there she was. Lying on the floor, dead, in a pool of blood.