Faceless (Sinister Secrets Book 2) by Candle Sutton (best motivational novels txt) 📕

Time dragged. The waves lapped at the rocky shore, the soothing sound so at odds with the crime scene in front of him.

A boat chugged by out in the water, moving slowly. He’d like to think it was in an effort to not churn up the water, but he suspected it was more so the occupants could gawk at the scene in front of him.

Finally, the coroner rolled the body.

Dak edged closer.

Both eyes were swollen shut, the nose hooked at an unnatural angle, and part of the jawline looked broken. This man had taken a beating before his death.

All of which made it difficult to determine if the man was Jason Boggess or some other poor soul.

Dak tried to envision how the man must have looked alive.

It was possible this was Boggess.

It was also possible it was someone else entirely.

Looked like he’d have to wait for the coroner to run the prints or dental records through the system to find out for certain.

A weight settled over him as he headed for his Jeep.

One of their missing persons might have been found, but not in the manner he’d hoped.

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Kevyn rubbed her eyes and blinked, certain that strings of text were permanently imprinted on her vision.

She’d finished writing her report from the interrogation and arrest of Noelle Orson. Not a fun task on a good day, but an especially arduous one when three people were still missing and Noelle Orson had massively wasted their time.

If any of their victims died while they’d wasted time chasing Noelle’s false leads, that blood would be on Orson’s head.

Not that she cared. No, she was too worried about losing daddy’s precious money to be concerned about the lives of three other people.

Okay, that wasn’t fair. Even if it felt slightly true.

She checked the time and yawned. How had it gotten to be after six already?

Dak had been gone by the time Noelle’s lawyer had shown up and she and Sid had finished interrogating Noelle. It seemed unlikely he’d gone home early, but she wasn’t sure where he’d gone.

The rest of the team had probably left already.

She shut down her computer and gathered her belongings.

Movement at the door drew her eyes upward.

Caldwell? What was he doing here?

Maybe he’d found Mitch. Maybe had him in custody at this moment.

Honestly, she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

Things had been so crazy that she hadn’t given the matter another thought. Until now.

“Agent Taylor.” Caldwell nodded gravely. “Thought you’d want to know that we haven’t been able to locate your father.”

She bit back the urge to correct him. Mitch Taylor was not her father, not really.

Interesting that he’d made a trip down here to tell her that in person. “All right. Thanks.”

“His neighbor said she hasn’t seen him in a few days, but that she did see another man coming and going from his place. She thought it was suspicious, but the man had a key.”

“Okay.” What did he want from her?

“You still haven’t spoken to him?”

Was he asking not-so-subtly if she’d tipped him off?

“No. Not since the coffee shop.” His failure to show up that evening still stung, even though she knew she shouldn’t be surprised.

“We’re trying to track down an office, but since he’s freelance and doesn’t appear to rent office space, that’s proving a little tricky.”

She shrugged. “I’ve told you everything I know.”

“I’m sure you have.” While his tone was agreeable, his eyes gave him away. He was sure of no such thing.

Whatever. The truth would come out eventually.

All she needed to do was keep her nose clean until then.

And after. This was by far the best team she’d been a part of and she had no desire to lose that. Or to have a termination on her employment record, much less face potential criminal charges if they determined she’d aided in breaking any laws.

“Well. I’ll let you get going. Just wanted to give you an update.”

And try to read her. Too bad for him, reading people was her specialty. “I appreciate that.”

Caldwell left the office as abruptly as he’d entered. His voice drifted down the hall, but the words were too faint for her to decipher.

A moment later, Dak strode into the office. So he hadn’t cut out early for the day, not that she was surprised.

He looked at her as he dropped his badge on his desk and unstrapped his gun. “Did they get Mitch?”

At least Dak had the brains to not refer to that man as her father. “No. Caldwell said he stopped by to give me an update, but I think he really wanted to catch me in a lie. He thinks I might’ve tipped Mitch off.”

“He’ll figure it out.” Dak appraised her with a tilt of his head. “Heard you and Sid cracked Noelle. Nice job.”

“Wish we’d done it sooner.” She didn’t even try to mask her irritation. “When I think about how much time we wasted on her…”

“I get it.” He held up his hands. “And she’ll answer for all that. But we’re back on track now.”

She couldn’t handle it any longer. If he wasn’t going to offer the information, she’d ask. “Did you get a new lead?”

“Not really.” He leaned against the edge of his desk. “A body turned up. Male, brown hair. About the right height for Jason Boggess, but the body had been in the water.”

Ugh. That wouldn’t help the coroner. “Still waiting on identification?”

“Yep. I don’t expect to hear anything until tomorrow. The body’s out on Bainbridge Island, so it’ll take a little longer to get it back to the city for processing.”

That explained why Dak had been gone so long. Catching the