One Last Breath by Sarah Sutton (speld decodable readers txt) 📗

The bones were fully exposed and intact, the sand carefully pushed to each side. It had the looks of a grave dug into the dune.

Dr. Harris sighed. “I can’t tell you a whole lot until I get these remains into a lab. But I did see this.” She pointed to a small, V-shaped bone jutting just under the skull. Tara and Warren both leaned in closer and could see a small hair-line break. “Fractures like this are very rare, except for strangulation.”

“So you think she was strangled?” Tara asked.

Dr. Harris nodded. “It’s very likely.”

“Do you know if it’s Alyssa White?”

“I just got her dental records sent over. Once I’m in the lab, in a few hours I should know for sure.”

Tara turned to Warren. She could see his eyes already wandering down the beach to where the other body was discovered. She knew they both had the same thought, wondering if the other victim was also strangled. But it wasn’t just the crime scene that their eyes wandered toward—it was Sheriff Patel, who was headed that way in the distance, his body appearing smaller the farther he trudged. Both Tara and Warren agreed to follow, and after thanking Dr. Harris, they carefully walked off of the dunes and continued down the beach.

The sand had already begun to dry after the storm, making it difficult to walk through, and so they moved toward the edge of the beach, just before the water. Every once in a while, a wave would push the water farther up the beach than expected, causing Tara to step farther up onto the sand.

At first, Tara and Warren were silent, but Tara could sense that Warren was planning to speak. She wasn’t sure if it was something to do with the case or her visit to New York, but she feared it was the latter. He kept looking at her, as if giving her an opportunity to speak first. But when she didn’t, he opened his mouth.

“Did you get back from New York last night?” he finally asked.

Tara could feel her face begin to redden, but then she reminded herself that Warren already knew the majority of her history. She nodded.

“Everything all right? I was surprised to hear you were heading up there on such short notice.”

Tara was getting tired of the incessant questioning, and it only made her feel the need to be more guarded. She knew Warren was coming from a good place, but she didn’t like feeling pressured to speak about something she didn’t want to. Tara had always been a very private person—and with good reason. So many times as a child she had trusted a friend or an adult, she had allowed herself to be vulnerable—to tell them details of her past, of how it all made her feel. But then they would look at her differently, they would whisper to others, and she would feel the perception around her change.

She knew Warren wasn’t like that—he looked out for her, he never once treated her differently after learning her story. Yet she still didn’t like feeling pressured to open up, even if it was coming from a good place.

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” she finally said. She knew her tone sounded defensive—it was hard to hide. “I just had something to take care of,” she added, making her voice sound more at ease.

Warren remained quiet, looking up into the distance as they neared the next scene. He squinted as the sun peeked slightly through a break in the clouds. Tara knew he had to have detected her defensive tone, but his face didn’t show it. It remained relaxed, almost as if he were expecting that response. He finally nodded as they turned away from the water toward the sand dunes where the other victim lay.

“I’m glad to hear,” he finally responded. It was clear that Warren didn’t plan to pry any further. Even though he didn’t show it, Tara knew he had gotten the hint, and she wondered if she was maybe too defensive.

As they approached the scene, Sheriff Patel looked toward them. He was standing with another detective. Tara knew her conversation with Warren was now over, and she shifted her focus as well as they stepped over the fence lining the dunes and trudged up the hill once again.

Sheriff Patel and the other detective stood around a hole in the sand as they held their shirts over their noses. As Tara and Warren approached, it was evident why. A scent crashed onto them, like a wave of water. It entered Tara’s nose and mouth instantly, and she felt her stomach churn. She lifted her shirt too, holding it just over the tip of her nose. Warren did the same.

They stepped closer, and Tara stared down into the crater dug in the sand. She immediately felt lightheaded from the smell and looks of the girl. Her body was a greenish blue from the early stages of decomposition, but Tara could still tell that she was clearly young—a teenager. She could tell by the small curve of her hips—a girl becoming a woman—and from the smoothness of her skin that at even at this stage of decomposition revealed her youth. She wore jean shorts ripped at the edges, a fitted black tank top, and white Converse sneakers that were caked in wet sand.

“How’d you find her?” Tara finally asked. The body must’ve been buried more than five feet underground.

“A cadaver dog,” Patel replied.

Tara nodded.

“Who was the last to see her?” Warren asked as he crouched down, taking a closer look at the body, and Tara did the same.

“Like I said, the last time she was seen was at work. She lives about a quarter mile from there and walked home after her shift. Her boss was the last to see her.”

As Patel spoke, Tara and Warren stared into the gaping hole on their hands and knees, still holding their shirts above their noses. The girl’s decomposing