Her Shallow Grave (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“Nah.” Wolfe examined a forearm hanging from the branch of a tree. “We might find some evidence on the twine he used. Cotton twine picks up fibers.” He shook his head. “Look at the holes. I’ll need to look closer but I’d say he drilled these when the limbs were frozen.”

“That’s not a good sign.” Kane rubbed his chin and stared at the tree. “Maybe he keeps the rest of the body. I’ve read about cases where killers keep their victims in the fridge, so anything is possible.”

“Dad.” Emily walked over and held out two evidence bags. “Not one woman, two. These hands don’t match, for one thing they’re both left hands and the nails are different in shape.”

Wolfe nodded. “We’ll keep them frozen. Pack snow around the bags and I’ll take a closer look when we get back to the lab.” He turned at the sound of Jenna’s voice. She was walking back toward his van with her protégé, Deputy Rowley, close behind.

“Rowley has some information. I figured you’d want to hear this in person.” She smiled at him.

Wolfe looked at Rowley. “What have you got?”

“The cut-through was here before we arrived last Friday.” Rowley puffed out great clouds of steam. “Someone had an accident on the slopes and the paramedics cut through the snowbank to get them out to the ambulance. I overheard someone talking about it at the front counter.”

“Hmm, so the killer would have known about the cut-through.” Kane stared into the distance. “That opens up a list of possible suspects.”

“Yeah.” Jenna nodded. “Someone working or staying at the resort, a paramedic, or someone who overheard another person talking about the accident.” She snorted. “We’ve got this one in the bag.”

“I wish.” Wolfe stared at the tree. “One thing’s for sure, we have another twisted SOB in Black Rock Falls.”

Four

Kane’s head hadn’t touched the pillow when Duke’s whine roused him from a deep sleep. The mountain air, exercise, and huge meal had tuckered him out. He’d been happy to remain at the ski resort for another night. Jenna wanted to speak to some of the guests who’d been in the vicinity of the murder scene the previous morning. They’d hunted down a few couples but by nine-thirty most had headed to their rooms and she’d decided to call it a night. He sat up and glanced at his phone; he’d been asleep less than half an hour. He looked at Duke. The dog whined and walked to the door, a signal he needed to go outside. At home, he had a doggy door, so Kane never needed to get up and walk him during the night. “It’s really cold outside, you sure you can’t hold it?”

Duke gave a low bark and scratched at the door. Kane sighed. “Okay, okay. We’ll need to bundle up, it’s way too cold to be going out for a stroll.”

He dragged on clothes and then fitted Duke’s coat. He pulled on his thick woolen hat and headed for the door. In the hallway, Duke let out two happy barks. “Hush, you’ll wake everyone.” He stared at Jenna’s door and hurried down the hallway. They took the elevator to the lobby and he gave the sleepy guy on the front desk a wave before heading outside. They made it through the two main doors and a blast of wind hit him, pushing the hood from his head and stinging his cheeks with ice. He glanced around, deciding which way to go. Lights spilled a yellow glow over the track that led through the trees to the cabins. He walked in that direction. It would be the best place to give Duke a run, as they’d at least be out of the wind inside the thick forest. Icy patches shattered under his boots and the bitter cold seeped into every crack of his clothing as he set off. He’d walked about twenty yards before Duke had found a suitable spot and took off vanishing into the undergrowth. The moon was high but the lights on the pathway made the forest appear dark and foreboding. “Don’t be too long.”

Kane stamped his feet and pressed his hands under his arms but standing in one spot wasn’t an option. He kept walking in the direction Duke had taken. Around the next bend the lights of a cabin burned in the distance about one hundred yards away. He frowned. This area of the resort was still under construction and as far as he was aware, the cabins weren’t in use. Appliances had gone missing earlier in the year from the construction site, so he wondered if it was another burglary. He lifted the back of his jacket to search for his weapon. Even out skiing he’d worn the holster in the small of his back. It was a habit and yet he’d walked out without it. He shook his head in disbelief and picked up his pace. When he reached the road, he slipped into the forest. Frozen pine needles crunched under his boots and moving through the trees and dead ice-covered vegetation took longer than he’d imagined.

The sound of an engine broke the silence and he ducked behind a tree as the lights of a truck came around the corner and then stopped outside the cabin. He heard a muffled scream as two men climbed out the truck. One of them was dragging a tall young woman with long red flowing hair behind him.

“Let go of me.” The young woman slapped at the man. “Have you gone bat shit crazy?”

“Shut up!” The second man grabbed her other arm and pushed her hard toward the cabin. “Get inside.”

Kane took off at a sprint, bolting out of cover and startling both men. He stopped in front of them. “It’s obvious she doesn’t want to go with you. Let her go.”

“Help me!” The woman struggled to get free. “They’re kidnapping me.”

“Take your hands off her and back up.” Kane took a step closer. “She’s not going anywhere with you.”

“Let me go!” The woman stared at Kane. “Call 911.”

“I said, get inside the cabin.” The first man opened the door, gave her a shove and she stumbled inside. He gestured to someone inside. “We have trouble. She’s not going anywhere. Get out here.”

The next moment three men stepped out, closing the door behind them. Kane looked them over; they were all younger than he was, maybe under twenty-five, and in good shape. They ranged in size from five-ten to about six-two. He could take maybe four or even five of them down, no trouble, but six and whoever else might be inside could be a problem. “Yeah you do. I’m Deputy Kane from the Black Rock Falls Sheriff’s Department.” He straightened. In his snow boots he towered to at least six-seven. “Kidnapping is a federal offense. Let the woman leave with me and I’ll walk away.”

“Do we look like we care?” The first man grinned at him, stepped away from the others, and shaped u

p, lifting his fists to his face. “When they find you in the morning, we’ll be gone and you’ll freeze to death.”

Kane inclined his head and smiled. “I don’t think so. Do you boys really want to spend Christmas in the hospital?”

“Man, there’s six of us and only one of you.” The first man laughed. “Has the cold frozen your brain?”

So there are six of you, huh? Kane shrugged. “Nope, I’m giving you a choice. Give me the woman and walk away or suffer the consequences.”

“You think you can take on all of us?” The first man snorted with laughter and looked around at his grinning companions before staring at him. “You won’t make it to the hospital.”