At the same time, the forensic work continued. Dr. Bell completed the full examination of the remains and confirmed the preliminary findings. The young couple had died from asphyxiation and crushing pressure.
The head injuries had been caused by a blunt object but were not fatal. That meant the victims were alive when the concrete was poured. Investigators found no evidence of sexual assault and no signs of a prolonged struggle.
The conclusion was that the attack had been sudden and the victims had little chance to fight back. Meanwhile, forensic specialist Max Zane took a close look at the cabin itself. He noticed that the floorboards had been removed and then carefully put back in place.
Beneath them was the deadly slab, nearly six inches thick. Zane collected samples of the concrete and sent them to the lab. A week later, the report came back—and changed everything.
The concrete contained a specific additive, including a plasticizer sold under the name Riplast. Zane checked supplier records and found that only one company in the region had sold that mix: BuildMix Supply. He requested archived orders from June 1995.
In the company’s basement storage, they found an old invoice dated June 18, 1995. Order number 347 listed delivery of one cubic yard of concrete to the Reeds’ cabin at 6:00 a.m. In the line marked “Customer,” the name Greg Sanders was written clearly.
Zane photographed the document and called Walsh immediately. The detective got the information during lunch. After reading it, he went straight back to the file.
The records showed that Greg Sanders had obtained power over the cabin on June 15. And the concrete order had been placed for June 18, before anyone officially knew the couple was missing. That meant the pour had been planned in advance.
Walsh requested Sanders’s address and drove there at once. The Realtor lived in an upscale condo in a brick building built in the late 1990s. Walsh went up to the seventh floor, rang the bell, and Sanders himself answered.
Greg Sanders looked younger than his years, impeccably dressed, and smelled of expensive cologne. He politely invited the detective into a well-appointed living room. Sanders settled into an armchair, adjusted his cuff links, and waited.
Walsh started broadly, asking whether he remembered the Reeds. Sanders gave a practiced sigh and called their disappearance a terrible tragedy. He claimed he had only helped them with paperwork for their move overseas.
Walsh shifted to the power of attorney, and Sanders confirmed that Daniel Reed had signed it himself. According to Sanders, the clients had asked him to keep an eye on the cabin, and later he decided to sell it. Then Walsh asked him point-blank about the concrete order in his own name…
