“This is a first, a psychopath taking orders during a kill. Usually they are in almost a trance of self-centered bliss.” Kane sifted through the images. “How much of this do you have?”
“That’s it.” Wolfe pushed a hand through his hair and gave Kane a weary look. “I used every technique I know but this organization is very smart; they broadcast then autodelete. This is why I only found a trace of the video.”
Jenna’s stomach clenched at the horrific shots and the realization of exactly what Wolfe had discovered. It wasn’t long ago that she had been that woman, tied, naked, and helpless with a maniac hovering over her. This was her trigger, the scene that caused a chain reaction in her mind and sent her tumbling into a flashback. A wave of nausea washed over her and she thrust the memory to the back of her mind and replaced it with a butterfly perching on a flower. As her control dropped firmly back into place, she folded her hands on the table and took a deep breath. She was determined to catch this man before he could harm anyone else. “We at least know why he needed the trail cams now, and the body cam.” She glanced at Wolfe. “No leads on the killer? No images of him at all?”
“Nope. He is using a voice distorter as well, and what we do have is fragmented; the FBI will see if they can clean it up but it’s doubtful.” Wolfe leaned back in his chair. “I do have information on the backpacks.” He sifted through the photographs in the file. “I’ve uploaded all this information to the appropriate files. As we have at least three people, I named the file ‘Backpacks’ for an easy reference. I’ll leave it to you to chase down what information I found on them, but at this stage I would assume they are deceased.” He sighed. “Until you determine if they are dead or alive, we have nothing to investigate. However—” Wolfe pulled an evidence bag from his pocket and placed it gently on the table “—one of the bags had a small camera wrapped in a pair of socks. Unusual as most people use their cellphones to take selfies, but as luck would have it, I found images of a couple with Bear Peak in the background. They are in the file, and the FBI cross-checked the images on all available databases; the couple is from France and went missing two years ago.”
“It’s a Nikon.” Kane’s face held a puzzled expression as he peered at the camera. “Blythe senior said he hadn’t sold anything from the bags; perhaps he was telling the truth.”
Jenna stared at him in disbelief. “If he found valuables, he should have handed them in.”
“Well, technically he did.” Kane met her gaze. “He gave them to me.”
“What else did you find, Wolfe?” Jenna reached for her coffee and sipped.
“The contents of each bag gave clues to the identity of the owners. Tags in clothes had names and we found a credit card inside a concealed pocket. Out-of-state and overseas visitors, all of them. Likely one woman and three men, going on the contents of the backpacks. The woman in the photographs has dark hair, which is significant. I found blood trace evidence on all of the bags, and it is degraded but it is human.” Wolfe’s lips formed a thin line. “People don’t leave expensive cameras and credit cards behind. I found a similarity between these bags and the ones we took from the crime scenes. Someone or something covered these bags with organic material from the forest floor. From the rate of decomposition and fungi growth in the organic material, I believe someone attempted to bury them at one time.”
“That would be hard to do in the forest with the number of animals foraging around.” Rowley looked up from making notes. “They are inquisitive. A bear will tear a camp to shreds looking for a snack, same with a backpack. I’m surprised the bags are intact.” He rubbed his chin. “I haven’t seen bobcats bury things.” He smiled. “Apart from their poop.”
Jenna got to her feet and stared at the whiteboard. “What jumps out at me is the killer or killers are targeting hikers who are unfamiliar with the area.”
“It also means we have more bodies in the forest.” Kane’s gaze moved over the evidence. “Depending on how far back the murders occurred, we will have a difficult time finding them.”
“Don’t forget Lilly Coppersmith came from Blackwater.” Bradford leaned forward in her chair. “She should have been familiar with Black Rock Falls.”
Jenna shook her head. “Not necessarily; this might have been her first visit.” She stared at Colter Barry’s name for a long second then tapped the whiteboard. “We need to speak with him again. I want to know how he happened to be on a remote trail and if he discussed his trip with anyone in town.” She turned and looked at Kane. “Someone is watching these couples; they find out where they are heading, and if it is in a remote area, they set up the trail cams then kill them.” She turned her attention back on Wolfe. “How long would it take to set up a pay-per-view?”
“If they have subscribers, as long as it takes to send a text.” Wolfe’s chair creaked as he leaned forward. “Live-screening is instantaneous. They would launch an app and there would be at least two people involved. The killer and a moneyman who does the grunt work, likely a black hat he is working with and trusts to a certain degree. Remember, in the world of the dark web, people are ghosts without faces, they are usernames or simply codes. I would say the moneyman pays the killer a retainer or advance then a percentage of the take.” He sighed. “For the killer, it’s a win–win situation. He gets the thrill of the kill and a bulging bank balance.”
“Untraceable?” Jenna huffed out a breath.
“Yeah, I’m afraid so. I can’t even give you a heads up if they set up again. They move the download mirrors and only the subscribers get the link.” Wolfe pushed to his feet. “That’s all I have to report, ma’am, and I need to get back to the lab. I’ll call if anything significant comes through from the samples we took at the crime scenes and send my full report by email.”
Jenna smiled at him. “Thank you. I appreciate the time you’ve put into this, Wolfe.”
“Just doing my job, ma’am.” Wolfe pushed on his hat and headed for the door.
&nbs
p; Jenna sat down and sifted through the file Wolfe had left on the desk. “Okay, this will take a couple of days to work through. Rowley, I want you and Bradford to search for the backpack people and see if you can find any reports on them. The first place to contact is their embassy or local police. They would know if their families had reported them missing and when.” She tapped her bottom lip. “If you come up empty, find out if they left the country and when. While you’re doing that, Kane and I will pay Colter Barry another visit.”
45
At the hospital, Jenna greeted the deputy from Blackwater sitting outside the elevator on the secure floor. The Blackwater Sheriff’s Department had supplied men for shifts around the clock, with Walters filling in where possible. “Thank you for your help. I gather three deputies are staying at the motel until we can get Mr. Barry to a safer location?”
“Yes, ma’am, and with Kane here making sure Aunt Betty’s Café keeps us well fed, there won’t be any lack of volunteers the next time you need assistance.”
Jenna bit back a smile. “That’s good.”
She led the way to the hospital room with Kane close behind and smothered a gasp at Colter Barry’s bruised and battered face.
“Good morning, Mr. Barry. How are they treating you?”
“I’m okay. I have drugs for the pain.” Barry’s bloodshot eyes settled on her face. “My folks came by to see me last night and I’ll be going home as soon as the swelling goes down on my spine. The doc says there’s no permanent damage but it was close.”
“That’s good.” Jenna pulled up a chair and sat down. “We are going to arrange for you to stay in a safe house until we catch Lilly’s killer. You are the only person who has seen him and he doesn’t know you can’t identify him.”
“Okay. I guess.” Tears leaked from Barry’s eyes. “Do you know what it feels like to be helpless while some maniac kills the person you love?”