Tainted Mind Read Free Page B

with Boston PD. How that works, I'm not sure, since one is a county position and the other with the city. But in addition to her MD, she has a PhD in forensic psychology, and she also volunteers a lot outside the US with the Red Cross and Mercy Corps. Her domestic specialty seems to be violent crimes, which is what it looks like she does a lot of for us. Internationally, I'm not sure, but based on her background and the organizations she works with, I'd guess body identification, disaster response, and search and rescue stuff.”
    “A regular saint.”
    “She's good looking, too. Kind of has a young Sophia Loren thing going on. Great eyes. Nice hair. Oh, and she's an artist. She also does facial reconstructions.”
    “I thought reconstructions were done with computers?” Ian asked, not all that interested in the answer for now but knowing it might be useful later.
    “Some of the places she's been have probably never even heard of a computer before.”
    “So you're saying this really is a coincidence?” Ian shoved the last of his gear into the supply bag and zipped it up.
    “I'm about as much a fan of coincidences as you are, but we've seen stranger things.”
    Ian couldn't argue with that.
    “Maybe she'll help. Can't imagine you guys get too many dead bodies up there,” Damian suggested.
    “I'm sure she could. Whether she wants to or not is another issue. She's on vacation, doesn't seem to want to get involved.”
    “A woman like her? She probably works harder than we ever have. From her file it looks like she is on her first leave of absence since she started consulting with us eight years ago. In her spare time she travels to natural disasters. Can't say whether she's a saint or not, but she definitely has some demons riding her. I'm betting you can use that to your advantage. If you want to, that is,” Damian added.
    “Guilt her into helping.” Hearing the contemplation in his own voice made Ian cringe.
    “I like to think of it as encouragement.”
    Ian cringed again when it hit him—just how fucked up he'd become over the past decade-plus. The idea of using guilt on a stand-up fellow law-enforcement officer who was trying to take what seemed like a much-needed vacation had actually held some appeal, if only for a moment.
    Nice . If he ever had any doubt about what a dick he could be, he didn't now.
    “Thanks, Damian. I appreciate the intel.”
    “No problem. Let me know how it goes.” They disconnected and Ian gathered the last of his supplies. He placed a few calls to the off-duty deputies to request assistance and headed out into the night.

C HAPTER 3
    IAN WALKED INTO THE TAVERN and approached the bar.
    “You look like you need a drink, Ian,” Rob commented more than offered.
    “Thanks, Rob. Wish I could, but the day's not done yet.” He'd confirmed Dr. DeMarco's find, but there hadn't been much they could do in the middle of the night. As a result, he and a couple of cops from the state police had been up at first light and had spent much of the morning and afternoon removing the road piece by piece to see what they had. And what they had was indeed a complete skeleton.
    “I'm looking for Vivienne DeMarco. I know she's staying here. I tried her cell, but she isn't answering.”
    “Most likely can't,” Rob answered, handing Ian a cup of coffee in a to-go cup even though he hadn't asked for it. “She came in this morning asking about hiking trails. I pointed her to the Taconic Trail. If she's up there, she won't have cell coverage.”
    “Thanks, Rob,” Ian answered, taking a sip of the hot coffee. It wasn't cold out, not like the winter, and the rain had stopped, but it was still cool for early May. “Did you point her to a specific access point?” Rob nodded and mentioned the entry point off the Taconic Parkway about twelve miles south of town.
    Twenty minutes later, Ian drove to the end of a short dirt road, pulled into a secluded parking lot that sat halfway up a hill, and considered