Head buzzing with information, Jenna listened to Wolfe detail every minute of Isabella’s horrendous last moments. The prints matched, it was her, there was no doubt. Isabella had been in trouble with the law, small time, possession and obstruction, but she didn’t deserve to be murdered—no, mutilated—and left out for the wildlife to eat. The majority of Wolfe’s findings matched the other victims, the drug used, the method of dismemberment and the face to face strangulation. He was almost through and with Agents Jo Wells and Ty Carter watching via a video link, Jenna was anxious to hear their conclusions.
“There are two significant differences in this murder.” Wolfe glanced up at her. “I have reason to believe he strangled her to the point of unconsciousness at least twice. The various marks on her neck are an indication.” He walked to the screen. “More importantly, this.” He pointed to an X-ray of the victim’s neck. “In laymen’s terms, her neck is broken. From the marks on the flesh, I’d say from sharp downward pressure from a boot to the back of her neck. I’ve seen this injury before; it’s typically used in the military, a fast and lethal way to kill someone. I figure she
woke up when he started to cut her. He had to stop her screaming and finished her quickly.”
“I knew it! The killer’s made a crucial mistake. He might as well have left us a calling card.” Mind reeling with possibilities, Jenna turned to the screen. “Carter, didn’t you figure the killer might have been in the military? Did you have time to hunt down any suspects?”
“Nothing specific, but Kalo is on it. Now we have names it will be easier.” Carter stared into the screen. “We did compile a list of men living in or around Black Rock Falls who served in the military and there are many.”
Jenna nodded. “Jo, why do you believe the killer has changed his MO. Kane believes it’s because he was in a hurry and now, he’s escalating.”
“Yeah, I agree with Kane. He needed a quick fix and wanted to be noticed. By leaving the body beside the sign, he’s thumbing his nose at the sheriff’s department. He believes he’s invincible and this makes him very dangerous. If he’s cornered, he’ll kill without any thought or reason. Don’t try and talk him down, Jenna. There’s no reasoning with a psychopath when his psychosis reaches this level.” She turned to talk to someone and then turned back and smiled. “We’ve got something for you. Two of your persons of interest are ex-military, Axel Reed and Josiah Brock. This information would remove Claude Grady out of the equation, nothing in his background suggests military or unarmed combat experience. Do you have eyes on the other two?”
“One of them has vanished.” Jenna frowned. “Axel Reed still hasn’t returned home. Rowley drove up to his cabin at first light, he’s not there either. Josiah Brock was home, Rowley checked on his cabin as well. The killer must be using another cabin. Somewhere close by.”
“I don’t recall passing any cabins on the way up the mountain to Brock’s place.” Kane stared at his boots, hands on hips in deep thought. “If we could get a bird up, we’d be able to search. Right now, it’s hopeless.” He lifted his gaze to Jenna. “A cabin must have access to the highway. We’ve probably driven past it a million times.”
An idea came to Jenna and she headed for the door removing her mask and gloves. “I need to make a call.”
She called the office. Old Deputy Walters was on duty. He liked to come in a few times a week and help on the front counter. “Hey, I have a suspect who lives on the west side of the mountain, out on the backroad that goes way up top. He’s out of Snowberry Way. We visited one cabin high up and another cabin lower, maybe ten minutes’ drive away. Do you recall any old disused cabins out on that backroad between those two or beyond maybe?”
“There was one, out of Snowberry Way but it’s been a while since the rockslide.” Walters paused for a beat. “I’m not sure if it’s still there or if anyone would risk living there. The road is closed. There was a bad rockslide some ten years ago after a melt. The entire rockface just slid down. The town council posted warning signs and nobody goes near the place. That’s the only deserted one I recall. There is one up higher, a small place owned by a trucker, I believe, and then there’s another one further down with a mess of land around it.”
Exhilaration rushed through Jenna. He’d described both cabins she’d visited and she remembered seeing the danger signs. So, there was a cabin hidden up there. “Thanks. Tell Rowley to head out to the ME’s office and pack for bear.”
“Sure thing.” Deputy Walters disconnected.
Everything was sliding into place. She hurried back into the morgue. “I know where to find the cabin and hopefully the killer. It’s one of two men. Reed or Brock. Reed is my main suspect but I’m not discounting Josiah Brock either. He seems over cooperative to me and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if he is trying to slip under our radar. They both live in the same area and either one of them could be using the deserted cabin to keep the girls prisoner. If the killer is as unstable as Jo believes, we’ll need backup. Rowley is meeting us here.”
“I’ll come.” Wolfe pulled of his mask and gloves. “Emily, log the samples and Webber, get the body back into storage.” He looked at Jenna. “I’ll grab my gear.” He headed out the door.
Jenna smiled at him. “Thanks.” She turned to the screen. “We’ll call you when we get back.”
“Jenna.” Carter looked at her, his expression serious. “He’s got nothing to lose. Don’t take any chances.”
Jenna nodded. “I won’t and my team will watch my back. We’ll talk later.”
As Jenna hustled beside Kane to his truck, she turned to him. “We can’t allow this killer to slip through our fingers. We may be lucky and he’ll come in without a problem. Most psychopathic serial killers believe they’ll never go to jail but if he comes out shooting like Jo believes, I want you to take him down.” She walked to the back of his truck and stared him in the eye. “We can’t take the risk of him getting away and killing again.”
“I want it made perfectly clear, Jenna.” Kane handed her a liquid Kevlar vest. “If he shoots at us, I’m to take the shot, without your direct order.”
Jenna secured her vest and pulled on her coat. She attached her earbud and turned on the receiver. “Yes. I’m not risking my team or the life of another girl.” She handed him the case containing his sniper rifle. “Lock and load.”
Fifty-Nine
Jenna cleared her head to concentrate on bringing down a dangerous man. She looked at the three men before her, all willing to put their lives on the line to protect Black Rock Falls. Proud didn’t come close to how she felt about her team but being sentimental wouldn’t help in this situation. She’d play to her strengths and each member of her team was an asset. “We’ll park some ways from the cabin and go in silent. If the killer is there, we call him out and play it by ear.” She turned to Kane. “When we get there, get into position and then give me the go-ahead. Rowley you’re with me. Wolfe you take the opposite side to Kane and watch our backs.” She looked from one to the other. “We have two men as persons of interest at this stage and we don’t have proof either is The Sculptor, but right now both are sending up red flags. Don’t take chances. I don’t want any dead heroes.”
She instantly regretted deciding on a plan of action because deep down inside, she just knew something would go wrong. Predicting the actions of a psychopath was like crossing Niagara Falls on a tightrope, blindfolded. They headed toward Stanton Forest. Jenna rode with Kane and Wolfe was riding shotgun with Rowley. Snow built up on the windshield wipers and gathered around the windows as visibility decreased into a wall of white. As they traveled down Main, the vehicles ahead of them slowed to handle the rapidly changing conditions. She chewed on her bottom lip and looked at Kane. “We won’t make it up the mountain if this weather sets in.”
“We have to.” Kane’s hands tightened on the wheel. “If this is our killer, he is escalating fast and he won’t care about the weather, in fact I believe he’d welcome a blizzard to cover his tracks.”
By the time they reached Stanton, and the road opened onto a highway winding its way through the mountain, they’d left the local vehicles way behind. Jenna shivered as the crime scene flashers and tape came into view on the edge of town, she looked away in time to see someone bounding through the forest. “Slow down. I see someone.”
When Kane pulled off the road, she turned and looked behind her. “Back there. It could’ve been a woman but she was moving fast.”
Boom! Boom!
Jenna hit her mic on her com pack. “Shots fired! There’s a woman running through the forest about two hundred yards away, heading toward town.” She glanced wildly around. “Go back, there’s a fire break two hundred yards or so away on the left. It runs into The Devil’s Boulder. We can park there and take cover, if we can get through the snow.”