Left to Vanish (An Adele Sharp Mystery—Book Eight) by Blake Pierce (books to read for 13 year olds .txt) 📗

to figure it out on her own. For now,though, there was a body waiting in Germany.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The trip from the airport passed in silence like the quiethush before a funeral. It wasn’t often that DGSI agents were able to reach acrime scene in another country before the body was carried away.

Again, perhaps predictably at this point, as they pulledinto the German countryside driveway, through the arching golden gates fleckedwith paint and along the smooth red drive, Adele spotted a mansion in thedistance. This time, the home looked old, and some of the walls were weather worn.Part of the roof was covered in plastic sheeting, suggesting reshingling. Shespotted a blue pool beneath the patio as the car drew nearer.

They pulled to a halt at the smooth roundabout, and AgentPaige exited the vehicle first, moving toward a waiting police officer next toa row of trees outside a small black gate.

The moment she stepped out, Adele’s senses were met by theodor of chlorine. She frowned, glancing from the pool to the still Jacuzzi. Hereyes traced the marble ground and the clear, slick blue porcelain slabs.Through the branches of the trees beyond, she spotted a small white and bluestructure—a barn or maybe a garage.

Adele’s attention was regained by Agent Paige, who wasscowling at the officer by the trees and waving angrily at Adele, gesturinglike a queen summoning a subject.

Reluctantly, Adele strolled over, quirking an inquisitivebrow.

“What’s he saying?” Paige demanded as Adele came close.

Adele hesitated, and then switching to German, said, “Excuseme?”

The officer in question was quite old with silver bangspoking out from beneath his hat, and a curling white mustache like a restingcloud. “I was saying the body is this way. The coroner is wondering when he canget to it.”

Adele shook her head. “I can’t be sure,” she replied inperfect German. “Could you take us there, please?” Then, translating in French,she said to Paige, “He just wants to know when the coroner can get to the body.”

Paige frowned, replying in French, “We haven’t even seen ityet.”

“That’s what I told him.”

“I see. Well, we don’t have all day.”

Adele decided not to translate this part, and instead fellinto step behind their new German guide, moving along the row of trees in thedirection of the waiting barn she’d spotted in the distance. There was no cautiontape here, a sure sign this was private property.

As they neared the old barn, the white-mustached officerled them around the edge of the structure and toward a row of wooden barrels.

Here, Adele spotted three other police officers movingabout the edge of the woods, or near the base of the barn itself. One of theofficers wore gloves and was gently moving one of the barrels to the side,rolling it over and checking the bottom with close scrutiny.

As the barrel moved, though, Adele’s eyes landed on thebody. Pale flesh—cold and clammy from a night abandoned behind the small barn.The eyes closed, mercifully, both hands rigid against the corpse’s sides,motionless.

Elke Schmidt, once upon a time. Now just a fleshy memory.

Adele blinked, feeling a sudden rushing headache. Otherthoughts threatened to bob to the surface in her mind, but she staved them offwith a growl and stepped forward, stooping low next to the body and frowning towardthe victim’s neck.

“Ligature marks?” Paige called, standing back and watchingthe scene with an unusual, nearly queasy expression. Paige didn’t fare well onthe flights, but this seemed different, somehow, than simple motion sickness.

Adele leaned in, eyes narrowed, breathing shallowly fromher mouth. Experience taught her that inhaling through her nose within thevicinity of any corpse was an odoriferous venture in self-punishment. Even acorpse as fresh as this one.

A couple of the German officers were standing back now,still examining the barrel, but using this attention as cover to keep theireyes on her as well. Every so often they murmured to each other in low voices,likely thinking the DGSI agents couldn’t understand them.

One was saying… “She’s young to take a case like this…”

“Boss thinks it’s a serial case,” the other murmured inreply, rotating the barrel.

“Serial?” the first said.

“Yes. Apparently the younger woman is experienced catchingserial killers.”

The second officer muttered an expletive in disbelief.

Adele could feel the expectations settling on her shouldersnow, and she shivered under the scrutiny. Herown gaze fixed on the corpse. Fingers probed out, not quite touching the body,but used like a magnifying lens to focus her attention. Her eyes narrowed asshe stared at the angry red marks circling Mrs. Schmidt’s neck. “Just like theothers,” she said, shaking her head. “The same odd markings. Like beads, orsmall bubbles.”

Agent Paige shifted uncomfortably behind her, and the olderagent said, “Strangulation?”

“Yes. As reported.”

“So this is a serial killer,” Paige replied.

Adele didn’t look back, preferring to scan the body forfurther clues. No defensive marks that she could see. The woman hadn’t beenable to put up much of a fight. Judging by where she’d been found, behind thebarrels, she’d been hiding. Which meant she’d seen the killer coming.

Adele straightened up, dusting off her pants.

“I don’t think she knew the killer,” Adele murmured.

Paige cleared her throat. “What makes you say that?”

“She was hiding back here. No defensive wounds, which meansthere was an initial attack.” Adele turned now, her frame still facing thecorpse, but her eyes now on Paige, who still maintained her distance, thequeasy look across her features. “If she had known the killer, why would shehave run, why would she have hidden?”

“Maybe he approached her threateningly. Maybe she had a badfeeling.”

Adele nodded slowly, glancing back. “Maybe. But the killerhas been careful up till now.” Adele trailed off and glanced at the victim’sfeet, her eyes narrowed. “Barefoot,” she said. “Scratch marks.”

“She ran through the forest?”

Before Adele could reply, a voice called out from the treesaround the barn.

All eyes swished in the direction, and Adele hurried aroundthe wooden structure to see a German officer waving her fingers and pointingtoward something in the grass amidst the row of trees.

Along with a grudging Paige, Adele hurried over, and wentstill.

“A mug,” said the investigating officer. A pretty,red-haired woman with a smattering of brown freckles. “And look, the groundhere is disheveled.”

Adele nodded in gratitude