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CHAPTER TWO

T he familiar scent of honeysuckle wafted through the air as Wade followed his former girlfriend down the narrow trail. His mind wandered back to senior year and the look on her face when he’d informed her he’d enlisted. He recalled the dagger she’d jabbed into his heart.

He’d loved her with every ounce of his being but hadn’t known how to help her through her grief, and his enlisting was the last straw as far as she was concerned. She told him she never wanted to see him again. Love wasn’t enough to make a relationship work. She’d taught him that lesson.

Voices farther down the trail cutoff his reflections. Emily slowed as they reached a curve in the trail. “We’re here.”

“Thanks, Em.”

“Sure.” She gestured back the way they’d come. “I’m going to head back.”

“You’re not sticking around?”

“I don’t think so.”

“So, you and Austin are an item?”

“He’s a nice guy.”

“In that case, I’m glad you found each other.” The thought stung. He wanted to be happy for her. But part of him wished she was alone. Like him. What a horrible person he must be. The notion discouraged any continuing conversation.

Emily took off down the trail, and he waved before turning back to greet the troopers and crime-scene investigators scattered about the area. “What have you found?”

Trooper Green lifted his notebook. “We didn’t want to disturb the scene before you arrived, but there appears to be an outline of a femur under the dirt, from the size it’s likely a woman, but could be a teen. Dental records might give us more.”

“We can hope.” He scratched his chin. “If we can’t get a dental match, perhaps they can extract DNA. It’s amazing what they can pull it from these days.”

“Maybe we’ll get lucky, and our Jane Doe will be identified quickly,” Trooper Green said.

Wade didn’t bother to comment on what he thought of luck. “Any clue when the ME will get here?”

“Should’ve been here by now.”

About fifteen minutes later, the medical examiner and his assistant showed up, and the real work began. Wade stood back and watched as they slowly uncovered the remains. Once they were able to view the remainder of the skeleton and see how precisely the hands were folded and the body was positioned, he suspected it wasn’t a typical crime of passion killing. This looked like something far more sinister.

Wade raised his head as Jamie strolled up to the cordoned-off area. He straightened and ambled over to her. “What kept you?” His eyes scanned her outfit from the drop earrings to the form-fitting skirt paired with slip-on sneakers. “Fancy lunch?”

“I do have other cases, you know.” She ducked under the tape and walked around the area before turning back to Wade.

The scent of orange blossoms and jasmine suffocated him as she approached. “I’m glad to see you ditched your high heels before hiking out here.”

“I learned my lesson at another crime scene. I keep running shoes in the car now.” She blinked, and then furrowed her brow. “There’s no chance the victim was attacked by a bear, is there?”

“Highly unlikely. A bear wouldn’t precisely position the body for burial.”

“I figured as much.” She sighed. “I was hoping this would be an easy case. I’ve spent the past few weeks working on a child abduction investigation.”

“Wish I had better news for you.” He lifted a shoulder. “You could take your vacation early?”

“I don’t think Ty would appreciate that. I need my vacation days for our honeymoon.”

“When is the big day?”

“If you opened your snail mail, you’d know.”

“I do check my mail. Once a week. I don’t recall the date though.”

“You didn’t RSVP either.”

“Sorry.” He gave her a lopsided smile. “You know I’ll be there.”

“With a plus one?”

“Doubt it.”

“There’s time to change that, but the wedding is next month, so let me know as soon as you can.”

He laughed. “Put me down for one.”

She narrowed her eyes disapprovingly but didn’t reply.

The forest shade did little to lessen the heat, so Wade wiped sweat from his forehead with the handkerchief he kept in his pocket. Detritus crunched underfoot as he hiked out to the parking lot. When he arrived back at his car, he made a call to request cadaver dogs. If all went well, it would result in nothing more than a waste of time and resources.

He disconnected the call as Jamie reached the lot.

“Are they coming?”

“They’re on another case this afternoon, but we can get their assistance first thing tomorrow morning.”

“That’s reasonable.” She sighed. “Should we call in the feds? The burial site is on state land technically, but it’s a mere twenty feet from Boulder Field which is a national natural landmark.”

“It’s a gray area.” He loosened his tie. “With a single victim, I doubt they’ll want to investigate. If the dogs find anything more, they may offer their assistance.”

“You going to call and warn them of that distinct possibility?”

“I’ll inform the lieutenant, and he can handle the politics.” He wiped his palms on his pants. “If anything more comes of this, I’d be glad for the feds’ help.”

“Me too.” She straightened her ponytail. “What’s with this heat?”

“It’s July.”

“Feels like July in the deep south. Aren’t we in the mountains of Pennsylvania?”

He chuckled.

Wade climbed atop the sun-warmed boulders for a better vantage point and gazed out over the area surrounding the natural wonder. He hoped to find anything that might help them identify the person who buried their Jane Doe. The CSIs found broken shrubs, but they could be from wildlife or the rangers who first secured the scene. They discovered boot prints and he knew that killers liked to visit their burial sites on occasion. The evidence found would most likely prove useless, but he figured anything that might give them a lead was worth exploring.

He wasn’t a forensics expert, but it appeared as if the body had been buried years earlier, and the medical examiner reluctantly confirmed as much before leaving the scene with the victim.

Wade raked his fingers through his hair and looked out over the rocks. God’s artistry never ceased to amaze him. He was aware of the evolutionists’ view on the formation of Boulder Field, but there was no doubt in his mind. God designed it.

The Lord knew exactly what happened to their Jane Doe. He sent up a prayer for guidance and direction.

Wade headed back toward the burial site and saw Emily leaning close to Austin, whispering. His gut churned. She hadn’t been his girl for a long time, so he shouldn’t have the urge to deck the other man. He sent up another prayer, this time asking for self-restraint. Seeing Emily again and knowing he didn’t have the freedom to pursue her was excruciating. How many times had he told himself he was over her? It didn’t matter. He refused to be the type of man who would compete for a woman’s affections. She was taken, and that was that.

Wade reclined against the unmarked sedan with a notepad in hand. He should have been jotting down his thoughts on the case, but his mind was elsewhere. The sun was beginning to fall below the tree line, giving them some much needed relief from the blazing heat. He was ready to call it a day.

Jamie came off the trail and meandered over to where he stood. “Long day.”

“Yep.”

“Is everything all right? You seem off your game today.”

He forced out a breath. “One of the DCNR rangers is a girl I dated in high school. We didn’t leave things well.”

She chuckled. “High school was a long time ago. I’m sure she’s over it.”

“You make it sound like I was at fault.”

“Weren’t you?”

“It was a mutual disaster.”

“Spill.”

“I enlisted. She told me she never wanted to see me again. End of story.”

“Her reaction seems harsh.”

“Her younger sister, Nora, went missing not long before I left for basic training. She was devastated, and I didn’t know how to help her. I’d always planned to enlist, but I’ll admit I was escaping the situation.”

“That’s a lot of pressure for a kid.”

“It was. But my time overseas was no walk in the park.”

“Wasn’t much of an escape, I take it?”

“Not at all.” He shrugged. “And in the rare quiet moments, my heart and mind were focused back home. On Emily. She was hurting, but I had no idea how to relieve her pain.”

“That is a huge burden for someone so young. Give yourself a break. You did what you could at the time.”

He looked up at the sound of a vehicle and squinted trying to identify the driver. Emily.

She slid from her SUV and strolled to where they stood.

“I’m surprised you’re still working.” Wade noticed her green eyes were rimmed with red.

“My shift ended two hours ago, but I was caught up handling a domestic dispute at one of the campsites. I’m leaving now but wanted to drive by and check on things here first.”

“Head home and get some sleep. We’re going to do the same.”

Emily’s eyes widened. “We?”

He took a certain amount of pleasure in seeing the shock on her face but couldn’t let her think there was anything between him and Jamie. “Separately.”

“For a second there, I thought you two were a married couple.”

“He missed his chance.” Jamie smiled. “My wedding is next month, and I’m not marrying this big oaf.”

Another vehicle approached, and Emily stared in its direction. Wade wasn’t surprised to see it was her boyfriend. Austin parked and sauntered over. “I thought I’d find you here. Shouldn’t you be on your way home by now?”

“I came by to check on things before I left. It’s not every day a girl finds human remains.”

“Thank the good Lord for that,” Wade said.

“It’s time to get going, Em,” Austin said.

She slid an arm around Austin’s waist and gave them a wave.

Wade waited until they both drove away before turning back to Jamie.

“Ouch,” she said.

“Yep.”

“You care deeply for this girl, don’t you?”

“Never stopped.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “But she found someone, so I’m going to leave it alone.”

“Good idea. Let’s grab dinner.”

“That’s a plan I can get behind.”

Wade leaned on his kitchen counter while Jamie bustled around in his kitchen. “When you said, ‘let’s grab dinner,’ I thought you meant at a restaurant.”

“My cooking is better.”

“I doubt you’ll be able to make anything fancy with what I have on hand.”

“Get out of the kitchen. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

He lifted his hands in surrender and left through the sliding glass doors onto the patio overlooking Lake Harmony. He’d gotten the place for a steal when the real estate market tanked. The three-bedroom, two-bath chalet was more house than a single man needed, but he’d expected to marry and have kids. Unfortunately, time marched on while he was busy with work, and he never met the right woman.

He watched as his neighbors’ children played on the dock. They were the perfect family. Would things have been different if he’d gone back for Emily? Maybe they would’ve been married with kids by now, but there was no point in dwelling on the past. It was time to think about the future. She had a man in her life. Maybe now he would be able to get some closure and move on, possibly even find someone to settle down with before he was forced to give up the dream of a family of his own.

“Dinner!” Jamie’s voice rang out loud and clear over the sounds of his neighbors’ kids playing.

He hurried inside. “You didn’t have to shout.”

“I wasn’t shouting. I’m loud by nature.” She handed him a plate. “Voila.”

“It smells like breakfast.” He inspected his food. “What is it?”

“A frittata.”

“Looks like quiche.”

“Nearly the same thing.”

He bowed his head and thanked God for his food before taking a bite. “This is delicious. Ty is blessed to be marrying a talented chef.”

“I’m glad you like the food. It was faster than going to a restaurant and waiting for a table.”

“True.” He stared out over the lake while he slowly chewed his food.

“What’s on your mind? That girl?”

“It’s past time for me to find someone to build a life with.”

“Why don’t we put you on one of those internet dating sites?”

“You can’t be serious.”

“All sorts of people meet online these days. Give it a shot.”

“I don’t think so.” He grimaced. “Let’s talk about the case.”

“I think there is more to it than meets the eye.” She lifted her chin.

“I know. It’s a strange case. Bodies are usually wrapped in something. A blanket, a tarp, or even a carpet. Whatever the murderer has on hand will do. The killer doesn’t want to see the corpse as he buries it. I imagine it’s disconcerting to look into a person’s face while you shovel dirt over them. But this guy wasn’t disturbed by it. He proudly displayed her. Assuming the killer is a he. There was something about the way she was positioned that’s bothering me, too.”

She tapped her fingernails on the table. “Nothing about this case is sitting right with me.”

“I don’t like it.” A shiver ran up his spine. “The cadaver dogs will arrive at the crime scene in the morning. If there are more bodies to be found in the area, they’ll find them, but Hickory Run is nearly 16,000 acres, so if he has more than one burial place in the park, we may never find his victims.”

“I sincerely hope we’re both wrong, and there’s nothing more out there to find.”

“Me too.”