Rowley hurried back to his truck and turned to Blackhawk. “Do you want to lead the way or ride shotgun with me?
“You drive.” Blackhawk headed back to his truck, grabbed his rifle, and climbed into the cab beside Rowley. “Follow the fire road.”
After following a grid of firebreaks, they parked in a fire engine turnaround. The place was more popular than he’d been led to believe. At least six other trucks had parked alongside the track, their noses pushed into the forest. Rowley climbed out and scanned the area. Droplets of water formed from the damp air like tears on the snowberry bushes as the falls roared close by. Black Rock Falls had a spectacular beauty but a tragic past. He’d watched a close friend commit suicide by jumping into the falls and his stomach twisted at the memory. He grabbed a few essentials from his truck and stuffed them in his duffle and then waited for the others to collect their gear. Walking in pairs they followed Blackhawk along a well-used path through the forest. Behind him, Wolfe carried a stretcher with Colt Webber, and Emily, blonde hair tied up in a ponytail, wearing a plaid shirt, blue jeans, and rubber boots, walked beside Webber with a forensics kit. Matt Thompson strolled beside Wolfe chatting about the weather.
They found a crowd of people on the edge of the lake when they’d arrived. For an unknown fishing spot, it hadn’t taken long for the news to get out and people’s morbid curiosity had gotten the better of them. Amazed that the public had made it there before him and the forensics team, he glared at the curious faces. The forest warden had kept everyone back using his horse to block the line of vision. Rowley moved beside Wolfe as they all stared into the rockpool. His stomach lurched; the river hadn’t been kind to the young woman and her battered body bobbed on the water arms outstretched.
“We’ll get her out.” Wolfe turned to Webber. “Come with me.”
“I’ll help.” Matt Thompson stepped forward. “Between the three of us if we step over the boulders, we’ll be able to lift her clear and carry her back to shore.”
“Okay.” Wolfe gave him a c
urt nod. “I’ll meet you over there but just you and me.” He turned to Emily as Thompson walked toward the water. “Spread out the plastic on the shore over there and open a body bag. I want her on ice as soon as possible.” He turned to Colt and lowered his voice. “Get the images and then video the extraction. Make sure to zoom in on any ligature marks. If this girl is Sophie Wood, it’s likely she was restrained with zip-ties like the others.” He looked at Emily. “If this is the case get her covered up immediately, we don’t need that information getting out to the public.”
“Gotcha.” Webber nodded and extracted the camera out of a bag over his shoulder.
“Maybe get a few shots of the crowd as well.” Emily peered toward the bank. “Jenna will want to know who was watching.”
Rowley pulled out his phone. “I’ll do that, they’ll be so involved in what you’re doing they won’t notice me.” He turned to Blackhawk. “Could you help the forest warden keep the crowd back?” He pulled a roll of crime scene tape from his duffle and handed it to him. “I’ll head over to speak to him as soon as I’m through here.”
“Don’t fall in the rockpool.” Blackhawk’s mouth turned down as he scanned the dark water. “There are many disturbed souls in there and they want revenge. The lake is angry. Be careful.” He turned away and headed toward the man on horseback.
Unease rolled over Rowley and a cool breeze seeped through his shirt, raising goosebumps as he stared after him. Atohi Blackhawk had knowledge way beyond his years. He understood the forest and all that lay within. There was a calmness about him that Rowley appreciated. He was glad to call him his friend. He moved his attention to the water. The lakes all through Stanton Forest reflected the deep blue sky. The water was known for being crystal clear and pristine, running straight from the mountains but here, with the trees closed in around the rockpool and with the excessive turbulence, it looked dark and foreboding.
As the team went to work, Rowley shook off the gloomy feeling stalking him and decided to get his own shots of the area. He photographed the crowd from all angles before turning his camera to the scene. He moved in close to capture the retrieval. If this girl was remotely involved in Jenna’s case, she would want to get eyes on the images as soon as possible. His gaze moved over the body of a young woman. Her skin was so pale it was as if all the color had been washed away. Her eyes were closed and long eyelashes brushed a bruised cheek. Her full lips held a distinct blueish hue and she had a dimpled chin.
She’d been pretty and he tried without luck to pull on the mask of professionalism, something both Jenna and Kane had in spades. They’d all witnessed gruesome scenes but somehow managed to put themselves outside the now. He’d seen it in Kane. One minute he was normal, the next his eyes would change to granite as if he held not one ounce of compassion but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Rowley bit down on his cheek to push the sadness away and clicked his camera phone as Wolfe and Thompson lifted her from the water with gloved hands. The girl’s head dropped forward, her soaked hair falling over her face. The cold water had likely delayed rigor mortis. When her feet broke the water every hair on his body stood to attention. Around one ankle was a zip-tie.
Twenty-Three
Exhilaration thrummed through him as the ME’s team wrapped Sophie’s body in a black body bag and zipped it up. He’d enjoyed every delicious second as they’d photographed and prepared her for her journey to the morgue. Avoiding the deputy’s camera had been easy enough, and by moving this way or that, he’d kept well out of any shots. A glow of satisfaction washed over him. He’d planned it just right to be there when her body was fished out of the lake. He’d known she’d end up here. The moment she fell into the swirling water in the Whispering Caves there could be no turning back for her. The crowd whispered suicide, but the truth was his alone to know. He’d enjoyed his time with Sophie, it had been rewarding. The thrill from a fire or bombing never lasted long enough and taking her had stretched out the experience.
He’d held his breath as she emerged from the water, her face untouched by her fall, and then he’d smothered a grin. It would have been inappropriate to smile at her battered remains with so many people looking on but being there and seeing her face again made his heart race. She was the opposite to her family, they’d burned to a crisp, becoming black and distorted—and she resembled an ice queen. Her skin so smooth as if carved in white marble but he could still make out the marks he’d inflicted to make her obey him. She’d soon learned to cooperate. Even the river couldn’t wash them away and she wore them like his signature. He’d owned her.
Twenty-Four
Duke had started to whine by the time Kane and Carter had finished filing their reports. They’d spent the last hour or so eating and working on their laptops in Aunt Betty’s Café. It was a soothing place to work, not too noisy but the constant flow of hot coffee and the delicious aromas of the daily special made it cozy. There was something about Aunt Betty’s Café that soothed even the roughest day, like sitting in your grandma’s kitchen and waiting for the cookies to come out the oven. Kane let out a contented sigh and caught Carter looking at him. “What?”
“This place, it’s special.” Carter rubbed his belly and sighed. “If I could bottle the smell and atmosphere, I’d make millions.” He glanced around the room. “I wish we had a place like it in Snakeskin Gully or Jo had set up shop here.”
“It reminds me of visits to my grandma, which were few and far between.” Kane smiled. “I’d eat all my meals here if I could and I figure by the flow of people through the door, many townsfolk feel the same way.” He sighed. “I’ll order some pies and have them delivered to the office, in case Jenna and Jo haven’t eaten yet.”
“Any excuse huh?” Carter chuckled. “I figure we go and walk the dogs; they’re getting restless.”
Kane finished his coffee and nodded. “Sure.”
Jenna hadn’t called to give them an update but Kane assumed she was insisting on a rape kit examination on Dawn and it would take time to organize a place for her to stay. He closed his laptop and looked at Carter. “There’s a dog friendly area in the park we can use and then we’ll head back to the office. I’m done waiting here for them. I’ll send her a message.”
“Good thinking. It will be crazy when Jo and Jenna arrive. They must be swamped. They haven’t added any reports to the files.” Carter collected his things and stood. Beside him Zorro snapped to attention, ears pricked and ready for action. “I guess it’s gonna be a long night.”
After ordering a takeout delivery, they stashed their laptops in his truck and Kane led the way across Main and into the park. One end of the park had an enclosure with swings and slides for young kids to enjoy but they headed in the opposite direction and let themselves into a fenced area reserved for dogs. Here the dogs could run unrestrained and had access to the perimeter of a wooded area through an open gate. The trees backed onto a line of houses set behind a high fence on Maple Drive. The local council had created a safe environment for dog lovers.
Kane closed the gate, grabbed a plastic bag from the dispenser, and pushed it into his pocket. He patted Duke on the head. “Off you go and have some fun.”
Beside him, Carter surveyed the area. “Is it safe? Zorro goes kinda ballistic when I give him the order to let loose.”
“Very.” Kane looked at Zorro. The dog’s entire body was trembling with excitement and his teeth clicked together making him look as if he was smiling. “I’ve never seen him so excited. Maybe he can encourage Duke to walk around some?”