Disclaimer: See Chapter one.
Chapter six
Sara came to a leisurely halt as she crunched over scattered dead leaves, slanting an eyebrow impassively as she reached the grey headstone obscured slightly by foliage that Grissom hovered intently over.
She studied it a moment, unwillingly reminded of her own father's gravestone, a place that represented mourning of a different kind for her; mourning for her innocence, and her lost, forgotten childhood. She shook her head, briefly taking in Grissom's stocky frame as he contemplated their latest puzzle.
The cemetery wasn't large, and after splitting up it hadn't taken them long to locate the grave they sought.
She stepped up to his side, reading the engraved inscription out loud after the pause of discovery set in. "Hayley Maree Barton. 17/10/1988 to 14/12/04. Beloved daughter and granddaughter. Rest in Peace. Well. Nothing more final than that".
He ignored her attempts at light banter, and she had to remind herself she was with Grissom, king of the unforeseen mood changes.
"This doesn't make sense".
Yeah, no kidding, she thought to herself. The lines of his face were hard and unreadable, even more so than usual. Though he had been more open and outgoing with her over the last two days than he had probably ever been, she felt like she was getting no closer to knowing him at all.
"So, as far as her grandmother knows, Hayley Barton has been dead for over six months", she said, wondering how on earth such a simple case had managed to grow so complicated.
"When we found her there was no decomposition", he noted, almost absently. She wondered if he had acquired Sofia's method of talking to herself. "She had clearly only been dead for a few hours. It's not as if her body was stolen and placed in Vegas four months after her death here".
"The ground doesn't look like it's been disturbed in the last few months, either", Sara observed, scuffing at the earth with her toe.
The cemetery was a remote area shrouded by surrounding forest, neatly concealed from the road above. The scenery might once have been soothing to her, but it now only held an ominous quality. The graves dated back no further than the early twenties from what she could see, and it was obvious Eildenbrook's population had not boomed much since that time.
Grissom drew in a deep breath, gazing around at the thick forest surrounding the clearing as if it yielded the hidden answers he sought. The pine smell was even more overpowering, and the blur of rich green closed in around them. "There has to be a rational explanation for this".
"I'm sure there is", she agreed. There had to be. Science was what they knew. Science and logic. There was no room for anything else.
"Okay", he said, drawing his words out slowly. "Maybe we should just go through what we know".
Sara nodded, brushing a strand of hair absently behind her ear. "Okay", she murmured. "Two months ago we found a homeless Jane Doe in a park. She had Eildenbrook written on the cover of a few novels in her backpack."
"Her description is identical to Hayley Barton, whom her grandmother claimed was murdered six months ago."
"She was found several weeks after her disappearance," Sara added. "The Sheriff assumed she was murdered by an anonymous traveller and she was buried right here". She frowned thoughtfully. "The murder would have to be investigated by outside authorities, though, right? Eildenbrook isn't big enough to have a homicide unit".
"Tonopah is the nearest city", Grissom observed. "It was probably in Nye County's jurisdiction".
Sara pursed her lips, looking down grimly. "I, um, hate to say this, but I think we need to talk to the Sheriff again".
He sighed tiredly, and she could sense the exasperation rolling from him in waves. "Yeah", he muttered dismally. "We really do."
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Sheriff Waters' office was a pathetic attachment on the back of the modest Eildenbrook Police Department building.
His secretary was a woman who could have been anywhere from Sara's age to her mid-forties, with deep lines pinching the corners of her green eyes, and limp crimson hair curled loosely over her shoulders.
They explained their business, and she instantly buzzed Waters over the office intercom, waving them in at his indiscernible, crackling response. They clearly didn't get visitors often.
He sat behind his towering desk in a faded easychair; managing to convey the same infinitely annoying superiority Ecklie was so talented at. Sara concluded that it was an art form that simply could not be taught.
He nodded to them briskly, clasping his palms together to form an apex on his stomach. "Mr. Grissom", he said calmly. "Miss. Sidle. I had a feeling I'd be seeing you again today".
He gestured over two seats in front of him, which they took reluctantly, a sure sign that they would be prolonging their visit.
"We need some information on Hayley Barton's murder", Grissom said frankly.
Waters lifted a bushy eyebrow, pressing his lips tightly together. "How do you know about that?" he asked abruptly.
"She's involved in an ongoing case. That's all we can discuss."
"And what kind of case would the Las Vegas Police Department have an interest in here in Eldenbrook?"
He nodded at their mirrored expressions of momentary surprise. "You have Las Vegas plates on your vehicle", he offered smugly. "Don't get many of those around here."
"Sheriff, I realise that you don't want to rehash an old, sensitive case", Grissom said tensely. "But this is important".
"And anything you hold back will simply impede our investigation", Sara added. "Which will only guarantee our stay for much longer."
The Sheriff looked apprehensive at this particular prospect, and cleared his throat gruffly. "All right", he said, somewhat curtly. "I'll tell you what I know".
"The LVPD appreciates your assistance", Sara said sweetly.
He shot her a deathly glare, muttering something no doubt offensive under his breath. "Yeah, I'll bet".
He motioned vaguely into the distance as he started his account. "Tonopah sent out a few of their guys to look into the murder, but it was fairly open and shut", he began grouchily. "Barton was stabbed in the chest, and her money was taken, and she was dumped on the side of the road. She obviously tried to hitch a ride out of town, and picked the wrong car for a lift. We get a lot of travellers passing through to Tonopah this way. This culprit was never found, and we had to close the case."
"How can you be so sure it was just a passing stranger?" Grissom asked seriously.
Waters frowned. "I don't know what folks are like in the big city, but we aren't like that around here. If anyone saw her trying to make her way out of Eildenbrook, they would have picked her up and taken her right on back to her grandmother."
Sara got the feeling their investigation had been anything but thorough, and Tonopah had obviously not felt the need to spare many of their own resources.
"Who found the body?" she asked, leaning forward slightly.
He sighed. "Local boy. Uh, Bobby, Bobby Harley. He moved on to college in Arizona a few months back now".
Sara lifted an eyebrow at that particular convenience, remaining silent.
"Where was she found?" Grissom spoke up.
The Sheriff leant back in his chair, considering the map over his shoulder broodingly. "About two miles north of the middle of town", he answered at last, nodding perfunctorily. "On the boundary of the Harley's property."
"Do you think the owner would mind if we went up there and had a look?" Grissom asked thoughtfully.
Waters shrugged carelessly, thoughts clearly drifting elsewhere. "Knock yourselves out. There ain't nothing you're gonna find up there that hasn't been found already."
"Well, thank you for your help", Grissom said politely.
He barely offered a wave in response as they departed his office.
They strode back out into the waning day, and Grissom glanced at her as they neared his car. "What do you think?"
"I think he's hiding something", she confessed, eyes fixed impassively on his stationary Tahoe.
He opened his mouth to say something in reply, and his cell phone interrupted him.
He sighed, answering briskly. "Grissom".
"This Marcus Henway guy is messed up, I gotta tell you".
Grissom furrowed his brow, taking in Greg's cryptic comment irritably. He clearly hadn't lost his penchant for drawing out information. "What did you find, Greg?"
Sara looked mildly amused by his unending frustration, leaning against the car beside him as she listened to his end of the conversation.
"Okay", Greg began. "I looked him up on the LVPD database. Henway has been arrested twice, once for public drunkenness, and once for assault".
Grissom waited, unimpressed so far. "And?"
"And he also happens to be the leader of a small and unpublicised religious sect in Las Vegas called 'LaVey's order'. Which, if you know anything about Satanism, you'll know is just a knock-off branch of—"
"—The Church of Satan. Based on the writings of Anton LaVey from the late 1960s", Grissom cut in.
He could hear Greg's muffled sounds of disgruntlement. "Man, is there anything you don't know? You're ruining my whole presentation here".
"Well if there was, I couldn't tell you, could I, Greg?"
The ex-lab tech sighed impatiently. "Yeah, well, anyway, they're a little kooky, even for Las Vegas. They live in a commune in a trailer park out somewhere near Lake Mead, and they're rumoured to get up to some pretty hinky stuff-- sacrificing live animals, drinking their blood, you know, your typical Satanic, Charles Mason loving stuff. They recruit young, naïve kids into thinking they're touching God, and by the time they realise any different, they're already in a little too deep, if you know what I mean".
Grissom frowned. This was a development he had not been expecting. "What about Delinda's Lounge?"
"No luck on that, so far. I'm still looking into it. I'm not sure if it's in Vegas, but it seems pretty likely."
"Okay. Thanks, Greg."
He replaced his phone, glancing at Sara a little dubiously. "It's possible Hayley Barton was seduced into joining a satanic cult somewhere in Vegas."
"You think that's why she was leaving town?"
"Maybe. It still doesn't explain the appearance of another body."
Sara chewed her lip. "This just gets weirder and weirder."
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Author's Note: I'm unsure exactly how accurate my information on Satanism is, so I hope this is believeable. Anyway, good stuff next chapter, I promise ;)