“Maybe—I’m not sure how much scent is left in the couple’s belongings, but he did find the backpacks.”
“Okay, I’ll get Wolfe to take a look at the bags and remains then we can fan out and search the immediate area. There might be something in the backpacks for Duke to use for a scent.” She turned to walk back to the horses. “I know you’re planning to explore the old trails but if something goes wrong you have people in town to look for you. Why do you think this couple came up here? It seems a bit strange for a couple out of California to wander so far off the usual tourist tracks and without a cellphone between them.”
“I have no idea but I figure if this couple went missing a year ago, we should have been notified.” Kane moved ahead then stopped and held a large branch back for her to pass. “Unless they didn’t tell friends or family where they were going, and that would seem a bit strange.”
“Maybe they don’t have a family.” Jenna lifted one shoulder. “But someone must have missed them. Problem is, people don’t want to get involved.”
“Yeah, but these people must have jobs and places to live, bills to pay. Someone must have noticed them missing.” Kane rubbed his chin. “At least we have names. I’ll search the database when I get back to the office and see if anyone lodged a missing person’s report.”
Jenna followed the path to meet Rowley and Bradford. What Kane had mentioned about seeing similar scenarios during his tour of duty had piqued her interest. She had a top profiler in Kane and valued his expertise. “You said you’ve seen this type of murder before, so what’s your take on the killer?”
“It’s too early to tell but I’m not jumping in on a psychopath profile just yet.” Kane moved to her side and stared into the distance. “I could give you a few different motives. For instance a love triangle, the killer stalking the couple and taking revenge on the guy for taking his girl.” He shrugged. “Or perhaps a military veteran living in the forest and having flashbacks of his tour in Afghanistan. Some suffer so bad they see people as the enemy and act accordingly. He could still be here living off the grid in one of the caves. There are hundreds of places he could be using all along the rock face.”
Jenna stared into the distance, contemplating his words. “Yeah, that makes sense. I guess we can add thrill-kill to the list.”
“Anything is possible at this point.” Kane shrugged. “The billboard notwithstanding, we seem to attract the crazies.”
Jenna nodded in agreement. “You sure have that right.”
When they met up with Rowley and Bradford, the deputies were sitting on a log chatting. She had been right to team the rookie, Bradford, with Rowley. They had become friends and worked out together at the local dojo. Deputy Webber, another recent recruit, was experienced but had requested to work with Wolfe. He had voiced an interest in forensic science and was proving to be an asset to her deputy slash ME. She recognized the benefits of having a partner on the job, and her two new deputies sure helped the department to run smoothly. She strolled into the clearing. “We found a body and two backpacks. We’ll head to Wolfe’s position then do a search of the area. There has to be a camp close by, so keep a lookout.” She walked to her horse and heard Kane behind her.
“Leg up?” Kane cupped his wide palms and offered them to her.
Relived, she nodded. “Yeah thanks. I’m a bit stiff from our workout this morning.”
“My fault, I didn’t leave us much time to cool down before we headed out, but you have to admit, getting up a half hour early for a workout keeps the stress levels down.” He smil
ed. “A spell in the hot tub tonight will help.”
Jenna nodded. “The walk eased the pain but I’ll keep that in mind.” She gathered her reins. “I’ve always tried to squeeze in enough time to work out no matter how hard the case, and I encourage my deputies to do the same. It’s part of my training I value a lot. Apart from being fit enough to handle the long hours it does help me focus.”
“There is always time. The way you have the team organized, someone is always working on the case.” Kane smiled. “We run like a well-oiled machine.”
Hoisted into the saddle, she waited for the others to mount then followed Kane along the trail, searching in all directions for any sign of a camp. At first, she had imagined the skull might have been someone lost in the forest many years ago, and being surrounded by thousands of trees now, she realized how frightening that would be. Becoming disorientated in Stanton Forest would be easy. Apart from knowing which direction was up or down the side of the mountain, everything was much the same. Pines as far as the eye could see and a wall of mountains. Without a GPS, the only directional advantage was gained by taking the trails closer to the waterfall and following the noise, but here somewhere in the middle she might as well be in any forest on any number of continents.
The image of the man tied to the tree flashed into her mind. So many questions surrounded him. What had brought him and his companion to this deserted part of the forest? The killer, as Kane mentioned, could be a military veteran, living off the grid and believing everyone was the enemy. He could be lurking somewhere close by, believing they were a military patrol. The idea made the hairs on the back of her neck stand to attention. She turned in her saddle to address her deputies. “Keep alert. We don’t know if we have a killer living close by.”
There would be no need to speak to Kane; he would already be scanning the area, searching for any movement. One thing for sure: once a marine always a marine. She glanced around, looking for any trace of habitation, and sighed; in the space of one year, the forest could swallow up a campsite. Bears could tear down a tent and scatter belongings in all directions. The killer could have ransacked the camp as well. Really, finding anything intact would be a miracle.
Not ten minutes later, she heard horses whickering then Wolfe’s blond head came into sight above the bushes. He turned and held up a hand like a traffic cop. Three horses, not two, were waiting patiently in a small clearing. Two she recognized as belonging to Wolfe and Webber, who owned the third? Had someone stumbled onto the crime scene? Wolfe had not contacted her in hours, and this part of the forest was not on a recommended trail. Deputy Webber was nowhere in sight, nor was the person who owned the third horse. Her instincts went on full alert and she noticed Kane stiffen and rest one hand on his weapon. This can’t be good. She cleared her throat and dropped her voice to just above a whisper. “Okay, dismount. We go on foot from here. Spread out, and keep alert. It seems we have a visitor.”
7
He took lunch at the Cattleman’s Hotel and his attention settled on Bailey, dressed in a garish, bright-pink jogging suit. They would be leaving after breakfast on Wednesday morning and taking the old trail through the forest that Nigel had recommended.
The area was familiar to him. In fact, the deeper into the forest they went, the better. They would be closer to his secret cave, and the likelihood of seeing anyone else would be remote. He liked to spend time enjoying the chase, although the thrill of stumbling over other hikers only added to the excitement.
When Bailey’s haughty tone of displeasure rose above the low hum of conversation in the restaurant, he lowered his gaze to his plate. So spoiled and used to getting her own way, she used her ample charms to get what she wanted. He moaned and rubbed his temples. Her whining voice was driving him insane. He needed a distraction before he lost his cool, and his mind filled with her running through the forest, tripping over then trying her feminine wiles on him. She would beg him not to shoot her or slit her throat. He bit back a laugh. She would be confused when he gave her a reply in the negative. No one dared to refuse her; she thought she was too damn precious. Not to me.
Killing her would soothe his brain. He could not allow her to continue to pollute the world. It was time for him and others of like mind to rid the population of these matriarchal, emasculating women. Women were on this earth to serve men and give them children, period. He closed his eyes and could feel the handle of his weapon against his palm. See the muzzle of his gun pressed hard against Bailey’s forehead. He would watch her bewildered expression as he squeezed the trigger real slow and put a bullet right between her eyes.
Sharing the thrill had come along by accident. He had discovered the dark web some years ago. Untraceable and safe, he moved like a ghost in complete obscurity in a place where everything, including a person’s life, was for sale—at a price.
8
On Jenna’s whispered command, Kane slid into the bushes. He could hear her behind him moving as silently as possible through the dry undergrowth. He used the trunk of a wide pine and turkey-peeked around the corner. Wolfe’s short wave to ward them off could be two things: Either he was in trouble or he did not want them contaminating a crime scene. Not being a man to take chances, he reacted the same way as Jenna and moved forward with caution. He patted his leg and Duke came to his side. He found it strange the dog had given no warning.
“Can you see anything?” Jenna had pressed her back against a tree.