46
He arrived back at the Cattleman’s Hotel in time for lunch. His business in town had not taken long, and after watching the local news broadcast, it was obvious Colter Barry had not been able to offer a clear description of the killer, described as Caucasian, between five ten and six feet tall, wearing camouflage gear. He chuckled. That description covered at least fifty percent of the men in town at this time of the year.
He passed Paul and Mariah on the way to the restaurant and headed for the stairs. He had discovered so much about them in a short time. Simply by following them into the hotel elevator and leaving on the same floor, he had their room numbers. Obtaining a pass card had been easy. He had “accidentally” tripped over one of the housekeeping staff and removed the card from the cord on her belt without her noticing.
Not a soul passed him in the hallway, and the excitement of entering Mariah’s room made his hands shake. She had dressed in a hurry. Clothes littered the bed and it was easy to see which side Mariah preferred by the open book on the bedside table. He touched her intimate belongings and, staring at his reflection in the mirror, rubbed them over his nose, inhaling her scent. His expression showed an urgent desire to kill her—on a face none of his prey would ever see.
He lay on the bed, wishing housekeeping had not made up the room, and pressed his head in the pillow to leave an indent. Tonight, she would place her face there and maybe smell a hint of his aftershave. He swung his legs off the bed and reluctantly stood then selected a pair of silk panties from the drawer. After kissing them, he laid them on top of the old map on the nightstand then selected a lacy bra and draped it over the phone. Would she notice? Would she sense he had been there, would she feel his kiss on her underwear?
It took effort to leave and not hide inside the cupboard to watch her, but the fun was in the hunt. Killing her in the hotel was not an option, although he would have enjoyed it. He smiled to himself, imagining how she would react when he told her how close she’d come to dying in her bed.
After spending the night before viewing footage from his favorite hunts, he had great plans for the next kill—for Mariah especially. As he walked through the restaurant entrance, his mouth watered at the sight of the couple chatting over their meal. They were creatures of habit and dined here every day. Before he finalized his plans, he needed a little more information about his prey and wanted an excuse to get closer. As perfect as Mariah and Paul appeared, hunting people from out of state or overseas had always been a better option. It was often weeks before their relatives reported them missing. He turned to the maître d’. “Is that Sheriff Alton over by the window?”
“No, that is Mr. Benton and Miss Crane out of Washington and in town for the conference, I believe.” The maître d’ gave him a smile. “I must admit I did mistake her for the sheriff as well. They could be related but it’s not worth my job to pry.” He turned to a waiter. “Ah, Erik will show you to your table.”
He smiled at Erik. “Is the table over by the window available? It’s such a nice day.”
“Of course.” Erik led the way.
After ordering, he stared at the window, watching the couple in the reflection in the glass. Paul Benton and Mariah Crane, enjoy your meal while you can. He caught a few bits of their conversation but nothing more about their plans for the weekend. His only option would be to set up his trail cams ahead of time then wait and watch before following them to their camp. His heart pounded. Being so close to his prey yet unable to touch was excruciating.
His attention drifted to Paul; he would be no fun at all. A big man was always a threat but by hitting him in just the right spot in his lower spine, he would be paralyzed and under his control. He had become quite the expert on disabling his prey. Once he removed the male, the hunt could begin, although Colter Barry had gotten away. He would need to make sure he incapacitated them in future. He would show Paul how a dominant male should treat a sassy-mouthed bitch, then he would take him apart piece by piece. Or he might gain interest from his viewers by offering him as target practice. Now that would be fun.
He would leave Paul’s remains for the bears. After all, they would enjoy a good meal before winter. The forest had such a useful ecosystem, so many critters ready and willing to move in and take out the trash. Leaving a trail cam hidden high in the trees to watch would be entertaining, but with the sheriff stumbling over his kills of late, it wouldn’t be worth the risk.
With Paul as bear meat, Mariah would gain his full attention. She would be begging and trembling, just the way he liked his women. He stared into her reflection in the glass, imagining her torso dripping with blood. His skill of dissection would keep her alive and experiencing the delight of excruciating pain for as long as he decided. What would she offer him to stop? He grinned. I never stop.
His attention slid to the slash of red surrounding her white smile; the ripple in the glass distorted the color into a smear of blood. He bit back a groan; he could almost taste Mariah’s mouth, cold and set in a silent scream, pressing against his lips. His cave would be close by and his friends would enjoy some female company. He grinned into his glass of red wine. I’m going to keep her.
47
After hunting down places that kept the old maps, and making inquiries about anyone who had asked about the old trails, Jenna had taken down notes about a few vague memories but had found nothing of value. Armed with a list of the owners of the backpacks, Jenna set out with Kane after lunch to the Cattleman’s Hotel.
As they stepped from Kane’s rig, the wind picked up, swirling the fall leaves around their feet. Jenna looked up at the gray sky; the weather had been unpredictable of late with showers and sudden drops in temperature as if winter had made plans to arrive early this year. She glanced up at Kane. “I’m sure glad the fall dance isn’t until next weekend. I’m not sure we could handle the workload right now.”
“We’re fortunate to have the Blackwater deputies assisting Walters to guard Colter Barry at the hospital.” Kane’s expression was grim. “I’ll feel happier when we have him locked in a safe house.”
Jenna walked through the glass doors of the hotel, almost colliding with Ethan Woods. He gave her a contemptuous glare, slammed a black Stetson on his head, and brushed past her. She stopped in the entrance and turned slowly to watch his progress to a black truck. “I can’t believe the judge allowed Stone to post bail.”
“Wolfe found zip at the barn to suggest he used the place to wash up after killing Lilly. We know he was in the area and have him on video, but so far we only have circumstantial evidence, he was involved in the murders. The trespassing charges are all we have on him.” He smiled at her. “The judge had no choice but he is still on our radar. He fits the description Barry gave us, was in the area, and fits the profile.”
“Oh, I figure he could be the killer, but being a nice guy seems a stretch of the imagination. I’ve only seen his nasty side.” Jenna strolled to the front desk, noticing the display of maps and other brochures set in a holder.
In her periphery, she noticed Nigel heading their way. She offered him a smile. “I’m after some information.”
“I’m at your service as usual, Sheriff Alton.” Nigel cleared his throat. “As long as it doesn’t contravene our privacy policy.”
Jenna took out her notebook. “As you are aware, three murders occurred in Stanton Forest recently and we also have a cold case. We are aware that two of the couples stayed here; one couple stayed at the motel.”
“That in itself isn’t unusual; most people take rooms here.” If Nigel had been a bird, he would have fluffed his feathers. “I hope you’re not suggesting that is a reason for their murders?”
“Not at all.” Jenna shrugged. “We figured as out-of-towners they must have gotten their information about the safe hiking trails from here.” She leaned on the counter. “Do you recall Bailey and Jim Canavar asking about the old trails?”
“Well, I sure do.” Nigel pressed a hand dramatically against his chest. “I gave them a map and showed them some of the old trails up near Bear Peak. Good Lord, you don’t think I sent them to their deaths, do you?”
“No.” Kane rested one hip against the counter and gave Jenna a meaningful stare. “Do you remember anyone else here at the time, anyone who could have overheard the conversation?”
“It was busy at the time. Yes, I do remember there being a line of people waiting. Some were annoyed because I chatted to them, but no, I don’t recall anyone specific.” Nigel’s face paled. “Oh, and Erik asked me for an old map recently for one of our customers. He is one of the waiters in the restaurant.” He glanced from one to the other. “It’s not unusual for couples to head off on their own to the more remote areas. These old maps are in high demand. I gather tons of people prefer to hike in the remote areas and commune with nature.”