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Peeking into the bathroom at the far end of the small room, Teddi’s face scrunched up in disgust. “If the peepholes don’t get us, I think the lead paint will.”

The air was stale as if the room hadn't been disturbed in weeks, if not months. The coating of dust on the small linoleum table by the window told her they were the first residents in just as long.

Teddi started counting things off as she dropped onto her bed with a rusty squeak. “No TV, the radiator is already crying, and the shower head looks like it’s playing house to something furry. I’ve never felt safer.”

Vera chuckled and then pinched her lips between her teeth. Teddi and bugs were life-long enemies. She needed to give it a thorough rinse herself before she would be willing to use it.

Dropping her bags on the bed closest to the door, she double-checked the items inside. Gloves, forensics kit, basic first aid products, cold weather gear rolled into small cylindrical shapes. A fleece-lined black cap, digital camera and few extra odds and ends. She palmed the small flashlight hooked to her belt to check it was still there.

Avoiding Sheriff Malis was a top priority. He was sure to shut down every witness and crime scene before they got a chance to check for themselves. Building healthy relationships with local law enforcement was paramount to successful investigations, especially with the media-fed idea that the Feds waltzed into small towns across America and took over whatever they saw fit. It was a false idea that bred animosity that she often had to untangle to work in tandem with locals. Sheriff Malis was different. She knew she was stepping on his toes but his resistance to additional help in the morgue and the lack of reports made Vera willing to piss him off if it came down to it. He didn't seem like a man accustomed to teamwork so they'd just have to work around it.

A dark voice at the back of her mind told her that her pattern of overstepping wasn't new. She just hadn't been willing to realize how often she'd been doing it over the last few years. Where there was once rigidity and black-and-white rule-following, she could now see a handful of reminders that she'd deviated from those rules when she thought it was worth it. Sylen wasn't a town that seemed to care about the rules. A land so insulated that it thought it was a law unto itself and it had taken Alex. He could have easily become another number on a list of nameless victims on the NMPD website. Crossing a few more boundaries would be worth whatever toll, if it meant finding him justice.

“So, Alex's crime scene first, or do you want to rest?”

She knew the question was coming yet it still felt like a punch to the throat. Not Alex. Not yet. Vera needed to get the lay of the land first, feel everything out a bit more before she was ready to face it. “No, let’s go see the crime scene for the local men first. We don’t have unlimited time and the forest is going to cut out any useful daylight.” She replied, pulling on a heavier jacket. The temperature felt at least ten degrees lower from Fort Collins to Sylen. Grabbing her bag, she headed for the door, already hating the claustrophobic feel of the dark motel room.

Teddi didn’t follow, standing with her hands on her hips. “You know you can take some time, right? No one would blame you. Alex is family.”

Teddi’s phone began vibrating on the bed. Both of them looked toward the buzzing.

A pretty blonde’s photo took up the screen, her pouting kiss at the center just under the name “Autumn”. Teddi made no move to answer it.

Something dark and vicious coiled inside Vera.

“Vera…”

She didn’t give her a chance to finish. “I don’t need time. I need to do my job.” Grabbing the motel key, she headed to the car.

Chapter 11

Vera

Vera erased the text message for the fourth time before sending it.

She settled on the least likely thing to piss Ximena off. They hadn’t spoken since leaving town and it felt wrong to let the distance between them muddle even further with resentment and anger. The idea of giving her little sister details about what was happening was too morbid and yet she didn’t want to leave her wondering. She weighed the idea of asking Teddi if J and Mackey checked in on her already but it would open up a discussion she didn’t want to have.

The three words washed away the knot of uncertainty. She put her phone back in her pocket.

At the bottom of the unofficial reports Teddi printed were the coordinates for the crime scene of Adam Maller and Jackson Grennan. Teddy saved them to her phone back at the OIA office, making the confusion of navigating Sylen’s forests only slightly less stressful.

It turned out to be easier to find than either of them expected. Four miles from the motel, they pulled off at a hiking trail sign. It was well preserved, the paint appearing fresh as it read “Seven Point Trailhead” and listed the seven-mile loop distance.

Vera picked at the hangnail on her thumb, considering the other site they needed to visit. Teddi was right to suggest going to Alex's crime scene first. It was the oldest of the three and therefore needed to be checked before the elements wiped away the final chance of finding any evidence. The likelihood of any remaining behind was slim, but they needed to check it. Suddenly there was the Grand Canyon-sized difference between investigating a stranger’s murder and a loved one: basic things like crime scene checks were a necessary evil instead of a basic duty. One she wasn't ready for.

When she pushed open the car door she was grateful for the slap of cold air. Inhaling deeply, she let it burn down the back of her throat. The tension in the car since they left the motel was thick enough to choke on. Without speaking, they unloaded their gear.

Autumn. Beautiful, blonde, Autumn. Vera kept trying to get rid of the acidic feeling in her stomach at the image of the woman Teddi was obviously involved with. It wasn’t her business anymore. Distracting herself from it, she took a look around the small parking lot just off the shoulder of the thin, two-lane road.

“There are fresh tire tracks and the sign is in good condition. Local favorite or a multipurpose spot, possibly. It’s barely out of the way of the main road.” She noted as she left the crunch of gravel and stepped silently onto the dirt trail. The path allowed just enough room for the two to walk side by side, unruly branches reaching out to graze them as they entered the woodland.

Teddi hummed her agreement. “Path is well worn too. Makes you wonder if the killer wanted the bodies found. It’s only a seven-mile hike and looks like it gets used.”

Vera agreed as her boot slipped off a half-buried rock. Trying to right herself before she went down, she grabbed for the closest thing she could. Teddi’s outstretched arm was already waiting.

“Alright?” She nodded, her fingers digging into Teddi’s forearm beneath the layers of cold weather gear. She could feel every one of her fingers burning down into her skin.

“I’m fine.” Releasing her arm, she continued.