“Two adults and there’s a child.” His eyes filled with deep sorrow. “It’s harder with kids.”
Kalo hadn’t mentioned the Woods’ children. Stomach flip flopping, Jo nodded. “Yeah, I know.”
Many victims lived in her memories but her thoughts went immediately to Carter. She had no idea how he’d handle the sight of a child’s burned corpse and hoped it wouldn’t trigger a PTSD episode. A warning of what to expect might soften the blow. She pressed her mic. “Carter.”
“Miss me already?” Carter’s voice came through her earpiece.
“Can you be serious for once in your life, Carter?” Jo picked her way through the soaked floor and into the kitchen. The horrific sight before her made her legs weak. “We have three vics. Two adults and a young child. It’s about the worst I’ve ever seen.”
“You never saw combat, huh? Crispy critters are all in a day’s work. I’ll be there to hold your hand soon. Carter out.”
His false bravado didn’t fool Jo, or his sudden lack of compassion. He’d adopted a typical self-protection mode. She snorted. If that’s what it took to get him through, she’d just have to deal with it. Jo stood in the doorway and surveyed the scene, avoiding the charred remains of the three people sitting around a kitchen table. She needed to take in the entire picture, to get a feel for the killer. He could’ve killed them in any of the rooms. Why sit them around the kitchen table and not use the dining room? A stack of dishes and pans sat beside the sink waiting to be rinsed before being stacked into the dishwasher and yet under the thick layer of ash, she made out the precisely set table complete with glasses. It was as if they’d just sat down to dinner. She’d counted three people but the table was set for four. Had the killer included himself in the family gathering? She scanned the room taking note of the melted microwave, electric kettle and toaster blackened and misshapen. The refrigerator door hung open and the seal around the door had dripped molten plastic onto the tiled floor. One side of the curtains over the kitchen sink had burned and the other side remained untouched. The sight of a singed calendar, with birthdays circled, made her stomach cramp. She heard Wolfe speaking and moved to his side. Clamping her lips shut to stop them trembling, she surveyed the pathetic remains of a family. “What did you say, Shane?”
“The killer restrained the family as I suspected. He left nothing to chance, there’s an open gas can over there.” Wolfe glanced at Webber. “Anything left to indicate a robbery?”
“No, the front of the house is destroyed, the stairs are impassable, but the car is still in the garage.” Webber frowned. “Who’d do this to a family?”
“Just a minute.” Jo pressed her mic. “Carter, if the intention was to kill the family, how come the front of the house is the main point of the explosion? The kitchen has mainly fire damage, can you explain?”
She heard him walk through the door, his boots crushing glass and debris underfoot and turned to watch his expression. His gaze flicked around the room and then rested on her.
“He used C-4 and an electronic detonator. Zorro found part of it outside.” Carter held up an evidence bag with a burned piece of metal inside. “The direction of the blast depends on the shape of the explosive. He wanted to blow out the front of the house. I figure he wanted the family alive for as long as possible, so they’d burn to death.” He glanced around and spotted the overturned gas can. “He made sure by pouring gas onto the floor.”
“I agree.” Matt Thompson walked in behind him, squatted down, and took samples from the kitchen floor. He straightened and made notes on a clipboard. “I’ve completed my preliminary report on the cause of the fire.” He signed the bottom of the sheet of paper, peeled a copy from underneath, and handed it to Wolfe. “Arson, caused by a C-4 explosion and he used gasoline as an accelerant. I’ve collected samples for analysis and will forward the final report in due course.” He tapped the top of the paperwork with his pen. “If necessary, you can contact me on that number.”
“Okay, thanks for coming out.” Wolfe handed the document to Webber.
“Any time.” Thompson shot a glance at Jo. “It’s not often I get to work alongside the FBI.” He gave her a wave and then picked his way out through the backdoor.
Jo stared after him and then looked at Wolfe. “Why exactly did you call him out here from Black Rock Falls?”
“I needed an expert and there’s none with his qualifications in any other town.” Wolfe met her gaze over his facemask. “Louan, like most of the towns, has a volunteer fire department and as lives were lost here, it comes down to the local fire chief to file a report. I’ll file one as well, it prevents any unfounded negligence lawsuits and is essential for insurance claims.”
“I can see remnants of zip-ties around this victim’s ankles.” Carter bent to examine the corpse. “Is it the same for all of them?”
“Yeah.” Wolfe frowned. “He tied them and made it look like they’re all sitting down to a family meal.”
“What do you see, Jo?” Carter moved to her side.
Jo swallowed the bad taste in her mouth. “The killer hates the family unit and wants to destroy it. I’d say someone took his family away from him. He wants to inflict as much suffering as possible and wants to make them pay for his pain.” She glanced at Carter. “We’ll need a complete rundown on the members of this family, what they did for a living, their friends, everything. I want to know why he picked them. This isn’t random, it’s been planned and executed with precision.”
“I’d be interested to know if the killer injured them.” Carter’s eyes narrowed over his mask. “I don’t believe a man would allow his wife and kid to be tied up without a fight.”
Jo’s attention had moved to the refrigerator. On the shelf sat two lunchboxes. Two pink lunchboxes. She walked around the table and stared at them. “Webber, did you get shots of the lunchboxes?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Webber nodded at her. “I captured everything in here including the open drawer and the knife block. If someone broke into their home, they had knives here so why didn’t they fight back? I found a gun locker under the stairs. It’s fireproof and untouched. No one had a chance to go for their weapons.”
“Maybe they knew him.” Carter shrugged. “We’ll check all the locks and see if any show signs of forced entry but it will be difficult to prove after the explosion.”
An overpowering feeling of dread slid over Jo as she turned to Carter. “Two pink lunchboxes. Only one child. Where’s the sheriff?” She turned and ran out the backdoor.
She found the sheriff leaning up against his cruiser. “How many people lived here?”
“Four. Mr. and Mrs. Wood and two daughters, Jody and Sophie.” The sheriff wiped a handkerchief over his sweaty brow.
Chills ran down Jo’s neck. “How old are the girls?”
“Let me see. Jody would be about five and Sophie maybe fourteen, I guess.” The sheriff frowned. “Why?”
Jo stared at him through the Perspex shield covering her face. “We have one missing.”