“Just leave that to me.” Wolfe disconnected.
Jenna inched around the well and bent to take photographs of the scuff marks. She turned to Carter and Jo. “We’ll need to search this place all over. Collect and photograph anything you find that might give us a clue who did this. Even a single hair.”
“I’m on it.” Jo moved to her side. “Look around you. The scene carries many of the same traits we’ve seen in the other murders. It’s an isolated place. I don’t figure the victim dropped her purse. It was the only weapon she had and if it were me, I’d have thrown it at the killer, in an attempt to get away. The prolonged fear factor is evident in all the crimes. Here we have the confined space.” She pointed to the well. “Look at the drag marks from her heels. To make them without the killer leaving a footprint took skill. The killer kept their feet on the gravel around the well, leaving no trace behind. I seriously doubt we’ll find any evidence. This murder, like the others was a very sophisticated well-planned kill.”
Jenna heard the Beast rumble to a halt on Stanton and the next moment Duke bounded toward her, the sheriff’s department’s badge hanging from his collar, reflecting in the sunlight. She smiled. As a tracker dog, Duke had become a valuable part of the team. When Kane came into view, she turned back to Jo. “There’s something else.” She glanced around and then waved Carter toward them. “Just wait until Dave gets here. I’ve noticed something significant.”
She led them out into the sunshine and met Kane. She gave him a rundown of what had happened. “Okay. Jo pointed out the connections between the crime scenes and how they link the cases together.” She explained Jo’s theory. “But there’s something else that’s waving red flags at me. All these murders happened in isolated places and chances are we wouldn’t have found the bodies for weeks, but we did. Why? First, we followed a message that sent us out to Snowberry Way and the murder of Doris Wagner.”
“Then Jolene Darvish tells me about the suspicious break-in of her food locker and someone running her off the road.” Kane narrowed his gaze. “Both instances would warrant further investigation. The killer would know we’d roll up to Jolene Darvish’s cabin to follow up.”
Jenna rubbed her arms, suddenly chilled. “Then we had the mud message saying that Rio was involved. We discover a kid on a bike told him that Flora Carson had seen a prowler. A kid no one can identify. She could have already been murdered before Rio arrived.”
“It was as if they’d left the mud message as a backup in case Rio didn’t call in to tell us where he’d gone—as if they knew he’d left alone to check on Mrs. Carson.” Jo frowned. “If you hadn’t arrived when you did, Rio would have recovered from the drug. They wanted you to find him, sprawled out on the floor with the knife and body.”
Chewing on her bottom lip, Jenna nodded. “Most folks would know that only one of us mans the 911 emergency line overnight. A call for a prowler wouldn’t normally be a problem—a drive-by usually, as most times it’s people’s overactive imagination or tree branches rubbing against houses in the wind.” She shrugged. “It has to be a local, with eyes on our usual procedure.”
“Yeah, someone is playing us. It’s not a coincidence when another kid shows up with the purse of a victim stuffed into a well.” Carter scratched his cheek. “Right after you’d received a call from Bret Carson, a supposedly worried neighbor who just happened to show up at his grandma’s murder scene—and the person who he claims saw Rio’s truck outside can’t be questioned because she’s down a well. Yeah, it’s as if someone is directing traffic. Not many people come here in spring and the smell wouldn’t likely reach the houses. She could have been here for a long time before we discovered her body. Did Maggie ask the kid what he was doing here? She has his address as Maple. That’s the other end of town, and not his usual route to school, is it? What was he doing here or was he delivering a message from the killer, so we’d find Harriette Jefferson down the well?”
“Which means they’re watching us.” Kane scanned the area. “And right now, they’re one step ahead of us.” He turned to Jenna. “When Rowley and Rio get back to the office, maybe send Rowley to drop by the kid’s address and find him at the school. If he’s not there, we’ll know we’re being played.”
Jenna pulled out her phone. “Sweep the area for evidence. I’ll make the call and when Wolfe finishes up here, we’ll go and have a nice long chat with Bret Carson.”
FORTY-TWO
Kane ducked out from under the twisted tree branches and went to Jenna’s side. “There’s nothing, not as much as a footprint. What did Carson say when you called him?”
“Not much. I just told him to wait and we’d be along soon and that we had another call to attend to.” Jenna shrugged. “He said he’d keep on calling her friends and would wait for us.” She looked up at him. “I know where he lives if he decides to leave.”
Pushing the Maglite back inside his pocket, Kane smiled. “He won’t move, especially if he’s trying to outsmart us. If he is involved, which is possible as he seems to know everyone in the quilting circle, he certainly slipped under our radar.” He peered into the clearing. “Wolfe has pulled out the body.”
“Let’s take a look.” Jenna pulled out a face mask and pressed it to her nose. “Oh, that stinks. I’ll never get used to the smell.”
The body with white wrinkled skin was in an advanced state of decomposition. Surprised, Kane lifted his gaze to Wolfe. “I always believed cold water preserved a body. This looks like it’s been here for a lot longer than overnight.”
“The water is stagnant and there’s the remains of dead critters down there as well. It’s a health hazard. I’ll report it to the local council. It needs to be filled with cement to prevent the spread of disease.” Wolfe met his gaze. “In normal circumstances, yes, you’d be correct, but in putrid water, filled with organisms and bacteria, a body’s decomposition is increased.” He pointed to the neck. “Ligature marks cutting deep. Strangulation using a cord of some kind and, from the crossed lines, I’d say it happened face to face.”
Disgust rolled over Kane and he turned to Jenna. “Up close and personal. The killer wanted to see the victim’s fear and feel the life drain out of her. It takes strength to make a sustained mark like that and the kill
er must keep up the pressure for at least four minutes to ensure their victim dies. That’s a long time. Any shorter and the victim regains consciousness.”
“If you wanted to make a quick kill and dispose of the body down the well, what would you do?” Jenna pushed a strand of hair behind one ear. “And looking at the scene, they didn’t want to stab her. It would have been too messy. They’d have risked leaving evidence behind when they tossed her down the well.”
Kane glanced away for a second or two. He disliked being asked how he’d kill someone. That part of his life was over… well, for now at least. “Breaking the neck is the cleanest way to kill, silent and instant.” He met Jenna’s gaze. “It takes strength and technique. It is also done from behind and that would rob the killer of watching the victim die. I know you’re thinking military-issued weapon and now maybe this guy had military training, but none of these kills tell me military.”
“Nope.” Carter moved to Jenna’s side. “What we’ve seen is inefficient ways of killing. Military is the opposite: a fast kill and move on. What I’m seeing is focused and brutal, for the killer’s pleasure.”
Nodding, Kane looked at Jenna and shrugged. “I agree. The strength could come from drugs. Someone on crystal meth often has incredible strength and bursts of unreasonable temper. You need to cast your net over a wide area. This could be any one of our suspects.”
“Okay, I’m done here.” Wolfe stepped into the circle of people. “I’ll do a preliminary back at the lab and put this victim on ice. We’ll concentrate on the Flora Carson autopsy today.” He looked at Jenna. “If I move it until three, will it fit into your day?”
“Yeah, thanks.” Jenna smiled at him. “I have another person of interest to speak to, so that will work out fine. It’s a shame Emily will miss the autopsy.”
“She’ll be back by three, so she’ll be able to observe.” Wolfe touched his hat. “See you later.” He headed for his truck.
“Are you coming with us to interview Bret Carson?” Jenna looked from Carter to Jo and back.
“Yeah, I’d like to observe his body language.” Jo turned to Carter. “You?”