The Crying Season: An edge-of-your-seat crime thriller Read online

  It seemed to take ages for Kane to get back to her and then when a voice came in her ear it was Wolfe.

  “From the evidence collected and until proved otherwise, I’m assuming we have the remains of Dawson Sanders and Paige Allen. Of course, this is just for our own reference, until I can verify the identities by the dental records and DNA. We have Sanders’ remains in a body bag. I have taken soil samples, so I’m pretty well done here. Once we have stowed these onto the horse, I’ll come to your position.”

  “Roger that. I’ll send Kane the coordinates.”

  Jenna contacted Rowley and Blackhawk, and a few minutes later they came through the trees toward them. She noted how Blackhawk guided Rowley well away from the path she had taken. When they reached her side, Blackhawk peered at the remains. She moved to his side. “Did you find anything?”

  “Not yet but those bones have been carried here. Can you make out the marks on the bone and the leather belt? They’re animal teeth marks and it likely dropped them here to feed its young. See the marks are different sizes?”

  “Yeah, now that you mention it, I can make that out.” In an effort to keep the image of the poor woman being some animal’s dinner well and truly out of her mind, she turned to him. “I’m waiting here for Wolfe. As we have the position of the skull and now this, will you be able to work out which way she ran?”

  “Nope but we’ll keep to this animal trail. It’s more likely if the killer had a woman with her hands tied, it would be easier to drag her along a path rather than through the forest.” Blackhawk turned without another word and headed into the trees.

  “Do you want me to go with him, ma’am?” Rowley’s dark eyes rested on the remains for a few seconds before moving to her face.

  “Yeah, stay with him and let me know if you find anything.” Jenna pulled out her GPS and sent her coordinates to Kane. She waved Bradford to a fallen tree. “We might as well sit down and rest up until they get here.”

  Jenna shrugged off her backpack and pulled out a bottle of water. She removed her hat and tossed her hair, glad of the cool breeze. The weather, although sunny, was getting colder by the day and yet hikers came from all over to trek through the forest. She had noticed how Bradford moved with ease over the rough terrain and seemed to have unlimited energy. The rookie was settling in well; she listened and, from what Rowley had told her, was becoming very good at martial arts. “Homicides are difficult. How are you coping? Any problems?”

  “No, not at all, ma’am.” Bradford removed her hat and set it on the log beside her. “I like Rowley as a partner as well. He is very easy to get along with. I’m doing okay with the unarmed combat side of things but I’ll never match Deputy Kane’s skill on the shooting range.”

  She hid her smile. “Not many can, I’m afraid.”

  “I asked him to give me some advice and he was very helpful but he said I should be able to strip down a Glock and reassemble it with my eyes closed.” Bradford gave her an “is he for real?” look and shrugged. “He told me I should be able to do that with any weapon I own.”

  “It comes down to practice.” Jenna shrugged. “Stripping it blind is something I can do, and I would say Rowley and Webber can as well.” She sipped her water. “Knowing your weapon is very important. I’m glad Kane took you to the practice range. He mentioned he wanted to see how you were progressing. Don’t be surprised if he invites you to the gym. Webber works out at one in town and Kane drops in there from time to time to put the others through their paces. I guess he’s been waiting for a report on your progress from Rowley.”

  “I’ve never met a deputy like him before; he is more like a drill instructor.” Bradford chuckled.

  “Who is like a drill instructor? Me?” Kane’s voice came from behind her.

  “Yes, you.” Jenna turned and glared at him. “Dammit, Kane, do you have to creep up on people? We are at a murder scene, in case it slipped your mind.” She welcomed Duke’s return by patting the dog’s head and going about removing the burrs from his coat.

  “I wasn’t creeping, ma’am.” Kane gave her a brilliant smile. “If I had been, I’d have said ‘Boo.’” He flashed Bradford a satisfied smile. “Oh, come on, Paula, a drill instructor? I’m not that bad, am I?”

  “Well, I guess not.” Bradford’s cheeks pinked.

  “I’m just a perfectionist and want to make sure you’re capable of handling any type of weapon.” Kane dropped his backpack and let out a long sigh, then his attention settled on Jenna. “Wolfe and Webber are right behind me, ma’am.” He dived into his backpack for his bottle of water.

  Jenna pushed her water back into her backpack and stood. “I see them now.” She glanced at Bradford. “Go and help them with their gear.”

  She turned to Kane. “How did it go?”

  “We have the remains packed away and enough footage to make a movie. Webber found one undetermined bullet casing. Wolfe will be able to tell us more after he gets the victims back to the lab.”

  13

  After listening to Wolfe’s hurried report on Dawson Sanders’ remains, Jenna led him to the bones she had found and waited with interest for his comments. “I can’t find anything else in the vicinity; do you think these were buried?”

  “Most likely carried here and consumed by animals.” With gentle care, Wolfe removed the bones then placed them in a bag. He gathered soil samples then glanced up at her. “Dawson Sanders was wearing a belt so we have to assume this belongs to Paige or the killer. It could be a vital clue. If these bones belong to Paige Allen, we know the killer tied her arms behind her back before death. There would be no other reason, and if that is her skull, the killer subjected her to a vicious attack before killing her.”

  “Blackhawk figured the marks on the bones are of animal origin.” Jenna pushed on her hat and stared at the thin white bones. “He is with Rowley and they are searching in the direction of the skull’s location.”

  “It will be difficult to find the complete skeleton of Paige Allen; animals could have spread parts all over.” Wolfe passed an evidence bag to Webber to label. “Unfortunately, cadaver dogs will be no use either; they search for the smell of rotting flesh.”

  Jenna’s earpiece crackled and Rowley’s voice came through.

  “We’ve found more bones.” He gave his position. “They look small. I figure we’ve found the missing parts of Paige Allen.”

  “Roger that, we are on our way.” She scanned the pile of equipment and her deputies’ exhausted expressions. It had been a long day. She turned to Wolfe. “Head to the coordinates with Kane and Webber. We’ll follow behind with the rest of the gear.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “I need to duck behind a bush before we go.” Bradford waved a hand absently toward the undergrowth.

  “Sure.” Jenna turned, surprised to see Kane coming back down the trail. “Is something wrong?”

  “Not really.” Kane’s eyes searched her face. “You look all in and I’m starving. I have two huge steaks in my refrigerator. Would you like me to cook for you tonight?” He smiled.

  Jenna let out a contented sigh. “That would be wonderful. I’ll pick up some hotcakes from Aunt Betty’s on the way home. I could eat a horse.”

  “Deal.” Kane picked up one of the bags, and with a whistle to his dog, he hurried off in Wolfe’s direction.

  Jenna hoisted on her backpack then picked up one bag of equipment. “You okay, Bradford?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Bradford came out of the bushes, straightening her clothes, and then bent to pick up the other bag. “Do you ever get used to the murders?”

  Jenna shook her head. “Not really.”

  “I was hoping you’d say yes.” Bradford sighed.

  Jenna could see Kane in the distance and quickened her pace, eager to discover more information on what had happened to Paige Allen and Dawson Sanders. Two young people enjoying a hike in the forest. She came up with a few different scenarios. The killer did not fit into the same classification a
s some of the others she had dealt with during her time in Black Rock Falls and they had no missing persons’ reports from any of the neighboring counties.

  The last killer they had investigated targeted teenage girls, not young couples. The MO here was different to the killer in Black Rock Falls last summer, and it made her wonder if a jealous lover was responsible; or could it have been an opportunistic kill? It would be interesting to hear what Jill Bates, the forensic anthropologist from Helena, discovered after she examined the remains.

  In the meantime, she would discuss her thoughts with Kane over dinner, although he preferred no shoptalk when they spent their downtime together. This case was so intriguing, she could not wait. His insights would help her decide which way to take the investigation.

  “Where do you want the bags, ma’am?” Bradford moved to her side.

  Dragged out of deep thought, Jenna smiled at her. “Over there with the other gear.” She followed and dropped her bag then removed her backpack.

  The wind had picked up and she glanced skyward. The last thing they needed was rain but above only a few white clouds blocked the sun. After pushing her way through the bushes and avoiding a patch of poison ivy, she moved to Rowley’s side in a small clearing. “What do we have?”

  “The majority of Paige Allen’s bones, apart from the hands.” Rowley’s forehead creased. “Wolfe believes she wasn’t murdered here. We searched around and discovered some clothes about ten yards down the trail. I asked Wolfe before collecting them, and he said to go ahead.”

  “Okay.”

  Interested, her attention moved over the bones spread over the ground and sticking out like mushrooms from the forest floor. When Blackhawk walked to her side wearing a sorrowful expression, she noticed a pair of jeans in his hands. “What is it? What have you found?”

  “These clothes are almost intact. They haven’t been torn apart.” Blackhawk slid the jeans inside an evidence bag and passed them to her. “The underwear is inside as if they were pulled from her feet first. An animal would shred them to get to the flesh.” He gave her a concerned frown. “We found her boots as well and they are still laced up.” He motioned toward Rowley. “He has them.”

  “Ma’am.” Rowley held out an evidence bag containing a pair of hiking boots. “We were very careful not to disturb the area but these were thrown under a bush.” He pointed into the woods. “I think Wolfe needs to take a look over in that area. One of the trees has a few holes in it on one side; too many for a random shooter.”

  The breeze had turned into a howling wind and cold seeped through her clothes, chilling skin damp from walking. “Okay, thanks. Leave the evidence with Bradford and go tell him.” She went to her backpack and bent to pull out her jacket. The sun lost its heat around two in the afternoon, and this high up the ranges, the temperature could drop below zero at this time of the year.

  “Do you think he raped her?” Bradford was staring at the clothes inside the evidence bags. “From the damage he did to her face, he was a mean son of a bitch.”

  Jenna pulled up the zipper on her jacket and turned to Bradford. “Unless he left his DNA on those jeans, we’ll never know. Unfortunately, the remains will tell us little in this state. We can only hope the killer made a mistake and left a fragment of evidence behind. If he has, Wolfe will find it, and by now Kane will have an outline of a profile for the killer.” She sighed. “This case is different from any I’ve handled before.”

  “Deputy Kane suggested I familiarize myself with some of the old cases, and none of the killers seemed to kill for fun.” Bradford picked at her fingernails as if the topic disturbed her. “The bullet wounds and the arrow through the head look like the killer was enjoying himself.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.” Kane walked up to them with an unreadable expression. “This murderer kills for fun. In all the other homicides we’ve investigated, we discovered the killer had suffered trauma in their past that triggered their behavior. This one is dangerous because we don’t have a pattern of behavior yet. Unpredictable is the hardest to catch. I’ll need to look for similar crimes and see if this killer has struck elsewhere before I profile him.” He turned to Jenna. “We have a probable crime scene. Wolfe is still collecting evidence.”

  Jenna nodded. “Show me.”

  “Roger that.” He glanced back at Bradford with an expression etched in stone. “Stay here with the evidence. I’ll send Rowley and Webber back then you can start hauling everything back to the horses.”

  Jenna followed him into the bushes and touched his arm to get his attention. “It’s getting late and cold. I can’t believe you want to come up here for a hiking weekend… We’ll freeze to death.”

  “Nah.” He turned and grinned at her. “We’ll walk the trails during the day and spend the night in a cabin. There are at least six plateaus in the area I planned to visit. There are views up here you can only see by foot. Or we can cheat a bit and bring the horses.” He held the bushes back for her to pass. “I promise you’ll be as warm as toast. We have to do it soon though, before winter. There is no way I’m coming up here once the snow comes, cabin or no cabin.”

  “Okay, we’ll talk about it some more over dinner.” She surveyed the scene and glanced at Wolfe. “How long do you figure these bones have been here?”

  “A year or so.” Wolfe meticulously collected soil samples after removing the bones scattered at the base of the tree. He dropped onto all fours and peered closely at the ground then taking a brush from his bag feathered away the dirt. “Well, look what we have here. A diamond engagement ring and there’s an inscription inside.”

  “What does it say?” Jenna moved closer and peered over his shoulder.

  “Paige and Dawson forever.” Wolfe dropped the ring into a small plastic bag and sealed it.

  “They are the same names on the driver’s licenses we found in the backpacks.” Kane’s eyes narrowed. “If that ring is real, it would have cost a fortune.”

  “So we can rule out robbery as a motive.” Jenna let out a long sigh. “At least we have something to go on. With the identities of the victims we’ll be able to locate relatives and find out when they went missing.”

  “Just a minute. For now, we are assuming the remains belong to Allen and Sanders, and they probably do.” Wolfe brushed the leaves from his pants and his cool gaze lifted to their faces. “All we have are bones and I do not intend to sign off on the identity of either victim until I have positive proof. This means dental records or a DNA test.” His attention settled on Jenna. “The female victim’s bones have been scattered over some distance. In truth, we’re only surmising this is one person; it’s easy to jump to conclusions.”

  “That’s fine by me.” She nodded then turned her attention to Kane. “If the remains are Paige Allen’s, how do you figure the murder went down?”

  “It would have been brutal.”

  Jenna stood to one side and watched as Kane recreated the murder.

  “Going on Wolfe’s deductions, the woman was likely shot in the back same as the other victim.” Kane’s brow wrinkled into a frown. “We have to assume from the distance between the two crime scenes she was running from her killer. She falls to the ground and the killer ties her hands with his belt and props her up against a tree.” He moved to a tree with a distinctive bullet hole. “We have no idea what she endured before he killed her.”

  “No, not without a body.” Wolfe shook his head. “We have nothing conclusive to indicate rape but I believe the killer removed her clothes and there is every indication they were dragged from her. The indentations on the bones need closer examination, but I believe we have both animal and knife markings.” He moved closer to the tree, indicated to the bullet hole, and lifted his concerned expression to Jenna. “From a preliminary examination of the remains, she had blunt force trauma from maybe the grip of a pistol then he shot her between the eyes at close range. The damage to the skull is extensive. The bullet traveled through the skull and embedded in the tree.” />
  Jenna could visualize the horrific last minutes of the poor woman and ground her teeth. Alone and helpless, she probably witnessed her fiancé’s murder then ran for her life. She dragged in a deep breath. Death had come again to Black Rock Falls. She raised her chin to look at Kane. “I gather it will be some time before we’ll have an approximate time of death but what can you tell me about this killer?”

  “It depends if we find more victims.” Kane leaned nonchalantly against a tall pine. “If the two victims are the extent of his murder spree, and taking into account this crime scene and comparing it to the death of the other victim, then this could be a one-off crime of passion.”

  Jenna nodded. “Yeah, I’ve seen quite a few domestics and the man always attacks the woman’s face.”

  “It’s common in homicide as well.” Kane rubbed the dark stubble on his chin. “This was particularly vicious, so a jealous lover, ex-boyfriend would be someone we need to look at.” He sighed. “If we find more victims, we’re talking about a whole different ball game.”

  “Okay, so worst case scenario?” Jenna swallowed the lump in her throat. “I have a real bad feeling about this murder.”

  “A thrill-killer who hates women or a particular type of woman.” The nerve in Kane’s cheek twitched. “Unpredictable and happy to bide his time until he gets the perfect victim—think Bundy. He liked college girls: long brown hair, similar body type. This type of psychopath is your typical nice guy but he is intelligent, cunning, sly, and as slippery as an eel. I would say Caucasian, late twenties to mid to late thirties, or maybe older if he has been doing this for some time.” His lips flattened into a thin line. “If this is the profile of our killer, the male victims are collateral damage and no woman who resembles our female victim is safe in Black Rock Falls.” His attention moved over her. “As we’re talking, five six with shoulder-length black hair between twenty and thirty-five… That includes you, Jenna.”