by D. K. Hood
“I’ll head back. Tell Jenna I’ll meet her in the parking lot and guide her here.” Blackhawk gave him a long look. “Keep a tree to your back, this crazy man might still be around.”
“Sure, thanks.” Rio turned away, walking a few paces back down the trail to get some distance from the scene. He needed to breathe but his throat was tight and his heart pounded in his chest so fast his head spun. He called the sheriff. “It’s Rio, ma’am. We have two mutilated bodies, near Bear Peak. We found a late model SUV in the Bear Peak parking lot. It might belong to this couple. We’ll secure the area. Blackhawk will meet you at the Bear Peak parking lot and guide you here, but I’ll send the coordinates.
“Remain on scene until we get there. I’m waiting for Sam Cross to arrive, and as soon as I’ve spoken to him, we’ll be on our way. Dave’s here, I’ll ask him to inform Wolfe.” Jenna’s professional demeanor impressed him. “Is it a bear attack?”
Rio shook his head. “Not unless they’ve started using crossbows in this part of the forest.”
Thirty-One
It was difficult for Jenna not to be intimidated by Sam Cross, especially when the lawyer pressed his knuckles into her desk and glared at her. Refusing to be bullied, she drew in a breath through her nose and eyeballed him. Her position as sheriff made her the chief law enforcement officer of Black Rock Falls County, and it was obvious she needed to remind him. The time had come to stand her ground and to stop allowing a defense lawyer to walk all over her. She often wondered if he acted this way because he liked to throw his weight around and look important, but of late his demeaning attitude toward her had become personal. She needed to put a stop to it—and now. “In case it slipped your mind, we are both officers of the court. My job is to apprehend suspects and present evidence in a crime to the DA. He decides if the evidence is enough to proceed. It’s not within my power to issue an arrest warrant on circumstantial evidence and you darn well know it.” She lifted her chin, refusing to give him the upper hand. “The DA believes we have a case, and your client will be taken to county.” She didn’t break her stare at his angry face. “I’m sure you know the drill, Mr. Cross. There’ll be a bail hearing in the morning, which we’re opposing.”
“Like I said before.” Cross tipped back his Stetson and shook his head in disbelief. “Hold off with serving the arrest warrant until you have more information on the bodies in the forest. If the TOD is over the period my client was in your custody, it proves his innocence.” He straightened.
Jenna hadn’t known he’d been outside her office door when she’d informed Kane about Rio’s call, and of course Sam Cross had overheard the conversation and her plans to leave to examine the crime scene. She shook her head. “That’s not going to happen. At this time, we have no idea what my deputies have found in the forest. Until the ME has examined the remains and the scene, there’s no reason to delay the serving of the arrest warrant. I’d be negligent in my duty not to do so. I can’t just hold your client indefinitely, and if I didn’t carry out my duties to the letter, as sure as hell you’d find a loophole somewhere to have him released.” She sucked in a deep breath. “Of course, should evidence come to light that exonerates your client, you’ll be the first to know and can take the appropriate steps at that time. Right now, the DA has decided he wants Riley Adams where we can keep an eye on him.”
“I’m going to petition the DA for a stay on the warrant until the ME has examined the remains.” Cross pushed his hands into the back pockets of his jeans and stared at the ceiling as if wishing for divine intervention. He let out a long sigh. “This is a reasonable request. You could be holding the wrong man and have a killer out there.”
Jenna stood at the sight of Kane at the doorway. “Do what you must, but I have a crime scene to secure. If you’ll excuse me?”
When Cross turned on his heel and brushed past Kane without another word, Jenna stared after him. She looked at Kane. “From now on, when we’re discussing a case, we close the door. He overheard my call from Rio and now wants to put a hold on the arrest warrant for Adams.”
“Well, he’ll have to take it up with the DA.” Kane shrugged. “I already served the warrant and Adams is on his way to county. It’s out of our hands and we have more important things to deal with today.” He grabbed Jenna’s jacket from one of the pegs behind her door and tossed it to her. “Put this on. Rowley just called; it’s freezing in the mountains.” He shrugged into his coat. “Wolfe will meet us at the parking lot at Bear Peak along with Atohi. I’ve already packed our backpacks and we’re ready to leave.”
“I’m ready.” Jenna slipped her Glock into the holster on her duty belt, inserted the earpiece of her com, and pulled a woolen cap over her head. She slipped on her thick winter jacket and pulled up the hood. “Let’s go.” She glanced down at Duke. “Is Duke coming?”
“Sure.” Kane whistled his dog. “His coat is in the Beast.” He led the way down the stairs.
The cool breeze smelled of the first snow and brought with it a reminder that winter wasn’t too far away. The sun usually sat in a blue sky that went on forever, but this morning low cloud cover had diluted its warmth. She glanced down Main, taking in the mass of decorations. As people walked by the displays, they triggered the sounds of wailing and howls. Motion-sensing automatons came to life, some so real they made her heart race. At times, because of the horrific memories of the past, her mind superimposed crime scenes over the displays and she had to visit the macabre scenes to convince herself they were fake. Why did Halloween bring out the crazy people? It had been a happy time when she was a child with the trick-or-treating, outrageous costumes, and laughter. Of late, the poisoned candy everyone was wary of had been replaced by psychopaths roaming Black Rock Falls. Would this be the new normal for her town from now on?
She climbed into the truck and looked at Kane. “I hope you brought the mentholated salve. From what Rio said, I figure we’re going to need it.”
“I have, but Wolfe will have some anyway.” Kane turned onto Stanton and accelerated. “You know, Sam Cross had no right to be on your office floor without permission. If he’d spoken to Maggie, she’d have given us the heads-up he was on his way.” His attention remained fixed on the road ahead as they shot past an eighteen-wheeler. “He only acts that way with you. During my interview with Adams, he was like a normal annoying lawyer. I’m not sure of his endgame—defense lawyers usually want us to cooperate with them and he’s sure making an enemy out of you.”
Jenna stared at the forest flying by and caught sight of a herd of deer moving through the trees to lower ground, their coats glistening in the shafts of dappled light. Again, the beauty of the forest had been sullied by murder. She sighed. “He’s good at his job but I just need to be better at mine. Since he allowed a killer to walk from my custody, I make doubly sure we don’t leave any loopholes for him to exploit.” She turned in her seat to look at him. “The problem is, I do have concerns about the Adams case. It all seemed too good to be true. The evidence pointed to Adams without a doubt, but now we have another murder in the same area of Stanton Forest using a crossbow. If it happened while Adams was in our custody, we’ll have accused an innocent man.”
“He had plenty of time to kill, clean up, and get to the nursing home. You have to admit two murder scenes with evidence of a crossbow as the weapon is too much of a coincidence.” Kane flicked her a glance as they took the turn off the highway to Bear Peak. “The time of death is going to be crucial.” He frowned. “With the temperature dropping so fast, I don’t envy Wolfe’s task. The entire case will hinge on the timeline we have for Adams.”
As they pulled up beside Rowley’s truck, Jenna ran the plates of the late-model SUV. She waited for the response and looked at Kane. “The truck belongs to Emmett Howard out of Sleepy Creek. He is married to Patricia and they are in their late twenties.” She downloaded the details and license images to her phone. She pulled the satellite sleeve out of her pocket and secured it to her phone. “Will o
ur coms work so close to the mountain?”
“Sure.” Kane gave her a slow smile. “These are way past our paygrade when it comes to technology. I’m not sure how Wolfe obtained them. The satellite network for these covers the entire world. These little earpieces are top secret, and up to this year the technology was intended for aircraft. They receive and transmit to everyone in our team at the same time. Only bad electrical storms or dense cloud cover will affect them.” He pushed on his earpiece. “Wolfe, what’s your ETA?”
“Two minutes.” Wolfe’s voice came in loud and clear.
Jenna smiled at Kane. “Wow!” She turned as Blackhawk emerged from the trail. “Atohi has arrived.” She turned to him. “How far is it from here?”
“Twenty minutes.” Atohi went to his truck and took out a bottle of water. He drank and then turned to Jenna. “I’ve seen bears be kinder to a person than what I’ve seen today.” He shook his head. “There seems to be no end to man’s cruelty.”
A white van rumbled into the parking lot and Wolfe and Colt Webber climbed out. Jenna frowned. “Isn’t Em coming?”
“Nope.” Wolfe opened the back of the van and pulled out stretchers and his bag. “She has another exam today. This is the last one. She’s a little apprehensive and I think her place in medical college is secure, but waiting to see if she qualifies is always a worry. Black Rock Falls Medical College has pushed the bar pretty high, but with the internship she did with me and a good undergraduate degree, she should be okay.”
Jenna nodded. “I’m sure she’ll sail through.” She pulled on her backpack. “What do you have for me to carry?”
Once they were all set, they followed Blackhawk down the mountain and onto the trail. She moved up beside him. “What’s your take on the scene?”
“Someone used a crossbow to shoot two people and then went crazy with an ax or maybe knives.” Blackhawk kept his gaze straight ahead, but she could see his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed. “I’ve never seen anything like it before, it’s… indescribable.”
Thirty-Two
Walking beside Kane, Wolfe noted the way his friend kept up a constant scan of the forest as if expecting an attack. He kept his voice low. “Do you sense someone is watching us?”
“The forest is too quiet.” Kane peered into the canopy. “The animals seem to know if there’s another bad storm coming, or if there’s a bear hanging around. The birds usually warn of a problem and stay quiet when a storm is coming. This feels different, unless it’s the smell.” He pointed upward. “Crows are scavengers and yet they’re sticking to the trees. The stink from the crime scene has attracted them but something is keeping them up there. They’re not stupid and won’t feed if there’s danger.”
Wolfe looked ahead at Blackhawk. “I don’t think Atohi would walk into danger either. He knows the forest in all its moods.” He raised his voice. “How much further?”
“It’s about twenty yards around the next bend.” Blackhawk looked troubled. “You should all prepare your minds for a shock.” He nodded and turned back down the trail.
The smell was getting bad. Wolfe held up a hand. “Hey, hold up, everyone. We should stop here and suit up. I don’t want anyone stepping inside the perimeters of the crime scene before I’ve taken a look.” He dropped his end of the stretcher and placed his bag on the floor. After pulling out masks, gloves, and coveralls for Kane, Jenna, and Webber, he pulled on his gear. “From all accounts this murder is nasty. If anyone feels the need to puke, keep it well away from the scene. If you feel sick, walk away. We don’t need people passing out.”
“That bad, huh?” Jenna raised both eyebrows. “It would seem Rio gave you a little more information than he did me.”
Wolfe nodded. “I called him for details, Jenna. I needed to know what to bring with me. I can’t just bring a forensics kit and hope for the best.”
“It’s just ahead around the next bend.” Blackhawk turned to look at him.
“Okay.” Jenna climbed into coveralls and rolled up the legs. “I’m good to go.” She snapped a facemask in place and spoke through her com. “Rowley, we’re coming up to your position now.”
In his earpiece, Wolfe could hear Rowley’s response. He moved to the front of the group and led them around the next bend and into a small clearing. Rowley and Rio stood to one side, to allow him to pass. He scanned the area. Two bodies, or what was left of them. One, male, propped up against a tree, had been secured and used as target practice and the other, a woman posed to gain a shock reaction, was brutally disfigured. Camping gear and pots and pans lay scattered on the ground, but all personal effects appeared to be missing. Set in the middle of the clearing, a fire circle of stones had been disturbed, ash spilled out onto the grass. He touched his earpiece. “Jenna, are you one hundred percent sure they have James Stone in custody?”
“Yeah.” Jenna moved to the perimeter of the clearing and he caught her sharp intake of breath. “But this sure looks like his work. They’d contact me if he escaped, but I’ll call county and make sure they have eyes on him.” She walked away, pulling out her earpiece.
Wolfe turned to Kane. “Can you smell gas? This is another replica of one of Stone’s crime scenes, but when he committed murder, he had an accomplice. This was a frenzied attack. He’d have been drenched in blood, and I didn’t notice any blood spatter on the trail we came through and I was looking.” He turned to Webber. “Document the scene as best you can from the perimeter but don’t touch or walk in anything.”
“Yes, sir.” Webber took out a camera and began filming.
“I have my camera.” Rio waved it at Wolfe. “I’ve taken a few preliminary shots, but I can cover the scene if you want? It might save time.”
Wolfe nodded. “Knock yourself out.” He turned to Kane. “I don’t like this at all. It’s as if a crime scene photograph was leaked. This entire scene is staged. I figure someone is playing games with us.”
“Yeah, it’s too close.” Kane scrolled through the files on his phone. “Look at this—not exact but too close for a coincidence. The backpacks are missing, I’ll bet the phones are as well.”
There was so much blood someone must have left a trail, however minute, when they left. Wolfe scanned the area and could make out three trails leading from the clearing. He turned to Blackhawk. “Can you determine which way the killer left the scene?”
“I can try.” Blackhawk shrugged and moved through the trees, disappearing into the shadows.
Wolfe took in the scene as a whole and set a probable timeline in his head. He’d use Kane’s expertise in weapons trajectory to determine the height of the shooter. “Do you think there is more than one killer?” He pointed to the numerous angles the bolts made in the victims.
“Maybe, but this all looks up close and personal to me.” Kane shrugged. “Is it possible to narrow down the time of death?” His gaze hadn’t stopped searching the trees. “We’ve charged Adams with the murder of Payton Harris. There’s a window of opportunity where he could have killed these people and then gotten himself into work on the day we interviewed him.”
Wolfe shrugged. “I always use every resource possible to get the exact TOD, but there are many things against us here. We don’t have a witness, so we have to rely on science. The best I can do is an approximate TOD.”
“Approximate will be fine.” Kane turned as Jenna moved into the clearing.
“Stone is still locked up.” Jenna walked to Wolfe’s side. “I asked the warden to send a guard to make sure. He didn’t have to; he has him on CCTV. At this moment in time, would you believe Stone is in the prison library? He likes to read.”
“The model prisoner, huh?” Kane shook his head. “We need to look into his time in jail more closely because something isn’t right.”
“Yeah.” Jenna stood hands on hips. “I have the same feeling.”
As soon as Webber and Rio had finished documenting the scene, Wolfe turned to Jenna. “You know the drill. We’ll process the scene together. Mark a
ny body parts, footprints, and blood spatter you find. I’ll do a preliminary examination of the victims. I want to take their core body temperature asap, then we’ll pack them up and get them to the lab.”
“Okay.” Jenna beckoned Rio and Rowley. “Do a grid search of the area, these people must have had backpacks or personal items. Hunt around until you find them.” She turned to Wolfe. “I want to be with you when you examine the bodies.”
“Yeah, so do I.” Kane looked at Wolfe. “Do you mind?”
“Nope.” Wolfe picked up his bag and stepped with care toward the body of the male and crouched beside him. “He’s still in rigor and from the extent, I’d estimate death occurred longer than twelve hours ago, less than twenty-four.” He lifted the man’s shirt and used a probe directly into the liver. “The body temperature will tell me more. It’s important I take the temperature first. The body cools to the surrounding temperature between twelve and twenty hours. I’ll need to consider the overnight conditions and I’ll be able to give you an answer when I get back to the lab. We have formulas to determine a more accurate TOD than the estimate I could make now.” He looked at Kane. “We’ll need to pry him from the tree to transport him, but if you could do a crossbow bolt trajectory analysis on him, I’ll go and take the body temperature of his companion.”
“Sure.” Kane dropped his backpack to the ground and bent to retrieve his equipment.