Page 69

CHAPTER FOUR

A weight pressed down on Wade’s chest. He opened one eye, and his German shepherd licked his chin. “Morning, Ruger.” He removed the dog’s paw and rolled onto his side to squint at his clock. “Five o’clock, already?”

The dog ran from the room, so Wade took the hint and rose from bed. After a quick trip to the bathroom, he dressed in shorts and a t-shirt and met Ruger at the door. As usual, he waited there with his leash in his mouth. Wade clipped the leash to his collar and opened the door.

This morning was a beautiful day for a run around the lakefront community. It would heat up later, but he drew the cool mountain air deep into his lungs and savored the moment. His workday would start as soon as his run ended. For now, he’d enjoy the time with his best friend. He smiled down at his dog.

All too soon, Wade trudged into the house and unclipped the leash. Ruger promptly dashed to his bowl to await breakfast.

Once he’d fed the dog, Wade picked up his cell and dialed his lieutenant to update him on the case and let him know the cadaver dogs were expected at the crime scene first thing.

Wade asked his boss to run interference with the press since whenever the news media caught wind of cadaver dogs being brought in on a case, national coverage followed. If the lieutenant could distract them with an update on the case, they might manage some work without meddlesome reporters intruding on their crime scene.

Wade met the handlers and their dogs at the park entrance to escort them to Boulder Field. He lowered his window, and the woman driving did the same. “Valerie McKenna, I presume?”

“Yes. This is Mason Black.” She nodded toward her passenger. “He’s Chase’s handler.”

“I’m Sergeant Brunner. If you’ll follow me, I’ll get you through to our crime scene. We’ve blocked off the area, so I may need to get out and remove the barricades.”

“We’ll be right behind you.”

Wade escorted them to the road leading to Boulder Field. When they arrived at the barricades, a ranger vehicle blocked their path. Emily was forcing the heavy barricade out of the way. He slipped out of his Crown Vic and joined her. With a grin, he easily moved the barricade.

“I had it,” she mumbled.

“Still hate accepting help?” He smiled.

“Don’t act like you know me, Wade.” She frowned. “I’ve changed quite a bit in eleven years.”

“My apologies.” He wiped his hands on his slacks. “I didn’t mean to be presumptuous." He glanced back at the van with the dogs and their handlers. “I need to get these guys situated, but I’ll put the barricade back first.”

“No. You go ahead.”

“Emily, it’s a lot easier for me to move it. Go ahead of me.”

Her chin lifted in defiance.

“Fine.” He tucked back into his vehicle. The stubborn girl he’d loved had grown into a bullheaded woman.

Wade parked and waited for Valerie to do the same. He shouldn’t let his agitation with Emily occupy his mind when there was work to be done. After stepping out of his sedan, he slammed the door unnecessarily. A prayer for peace formed in his heart and some of his frustration dissipated.

The dog handlers exited their vehicle, stretching as they did. Valerie McKenna glanced around the lot. “No bathrooms?”

“Only portables. Sorry. I didn’t even think about your drive in.”

“No worries. We’ll be fine with the porta potties.” She gave him a tight smile. “In the meantime, Radar and Chase will need to use the facilities.” She let her dog out and clipped his leash to his collar. Mason followed suit, and as soon as they were out the dogs had their noses to the ground ready to work.

“Seems they’re eager to get to it, so we’ll let them lead the way,” Valerie said.

Wade made eye contact with Valerie. “Thank you for bringing them. I’ll be nearby if they find anything.”

Valerie held up a whistle. “We’ll use this to get your attention.”

The dogs took off down the path, but they didn’t get far before they both sat in the middle of the trail. “Is something wrong with them?”

“When they sit like that, it means they’re indicating. They caught the scent of decomposition.”

“Could it be a deer carcass nearby or another animal?”

Mason shook his head. “Unlikely. They’re trained to recognize the difference.”

“Oh.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I’d hoped this would be an exercise in futility, and we would wind up with only the one body.”

“Was your victim found near here?” Mason pulled a dog toy out of his pocket and held it out for Chase who grabbed hold for a game of tug of war.

Wade watched as the handler rewarded his canine for a job well done. “We’re not even close to where the victim was found. That’s another quarter mile down the trail.”

“Then I’d say you have a second body.”

“I’ll mark the spot. You can go on ahead and see what else the canines discover.” He frowned. “Whistle if they do, and I’ll come out to mark the spot.” Wade hoped there wouldn’t be any more discoveries. He dislodged his phone from the holder on his belt. “I need to call this in.”

Later that afternoon, Wade leaned against his car and watched Emily pull into the parking area. She joined him and frowned.

“What are you doing lurking in the lot?”

He sighed. “The canines found something else, and I needed a moment alone.”

She let out a choked laugh. “All this craziness is because I accidentally stumbled on a skull.”

“No, Em.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “This is all because someone out there decided to kill at least one woman and bury her in a state park near a national landmark.”

“Do you think the dogs were right? That there could be two more bodies?”

“They’re well trained. Unlikely they’re wrong, but it is possible the same victim was moved multiple times.”

She wrinkled her nose. “But you don’t think that’s the case?”

“We brought in the dogs for a reason.”

“Right.” She sucked in a deep breath and stared off in the distance. He squeezed her shoulder before removing his hand surprised she hadn’t pulled away.

“I’m going to check on the progress down there.”

“Need any help?”

“I’m not sure, but if you’re offering, come along with me. We’ll know soon enough what we’re dealing with. Do you think you can get another ranger or two out to the road to let the excavators and CSIs in?”

“Absolutely.” She made the call before the two of them headed down the trail.

Wade checked on the slow progress his team was making uncovering the victims, then stepped away.

Emily followed. “Do you think we stumbled on ancient burial grounds?”

“The first Jane Doe found wasn’t ancient. The medical examiner thinks she’s been here less than a decade.”

Emily’s spine stiffened.

“Hey. It’s not Nora. You know it’s not her.”

“I know. She’s been gone more than ten years. As awful as this sounds, I almost wish it was her. It would be nice to have answers after all this time.”

“The chances of you stumbling on your sister’s body are astronomically low. But that sentiment isn’t awful at all. I understand your need for answers.”

He put his arm around her shoulders, and she allowed the contact. When she pulled away, her gaze traveled down the trail. He looked to see what caught her attention, and his eyes met Austin’s.

What was he doing? He had no business comforting Emily. She had a man, so he needed to back off. His jaw tightened, and he nodded to Austin before walking over to find Valerie, Mason, and the canines.

Wade went back out to his Crown Vic and dialed his lieutenant, Mac, to fill him in. “We’re going to need a forensic anthropologist out here. We have another possible grave site.” How many more bodies would there be? “If there are three victims and they all turn out to be nothing but skeletal remains, I’m out of my depth. I’m sure the medical examiner is too. We need an expert.”

“Make the phone call.”

“I will. I don’t think we’ll be able to keep this out of the national press.” Wade’s stomach churned at the idea of unsavory national news in his community.

“I’ll worry about that. You concentrate on figuring out who did this,” Mac said. “I’ll call the FBI and let them know there is the possibility a national landmark could be disturbed.”

He called the office and got the number for a forensic anthropologist. When he spoke to her, she agreed to drop everything she was working on and come right out. It would be a while before she arrived, but the crime-scene investigators were pulling in again, so there was plenty to keep him busy.

After the CSIs headed down the trail, Wade meandered over to Boulder Field and took a seat on one of the massive rocks. He shook his head at the graffiti nearby. The unsightly scribbles bothered him that there were people in the world who could look at God’s marvelous work and think they could somehow improve upon or destroy it. He wasn’t sure what their motivation was, but he didn’t like it. In this gorgeous place where God’s presence was palpable, one should find serenity and peace rather than be confronted with human destructiveness.

Did the blood of the victims buried here cry out to God like the blood of Abel had? The idea comforted him in a strange way. The Lord knew what evil had taken place here, and He’d allowed it to be brought to light.

A hand on his shoulder shocked him out of his reverie.

“You okay?” Jamie’s brows drew together.

He sighed. “I will be. This case is getting to me.” He stood, and the two of them walked together. “I assume you heard the grisly news?”

“About the cadaver dogs?” She nodded. “It’s not a bad thing, Wade. We’ll be able to provide closure for families if we dig up more remains.”

“I’ve spoken to enough families to know there is no such thing as closure.”

“You may be right, but it’s better for them to know and to be able to bury their loved ones in cemeteries.”

He looked up at the sky. “This is an awkward case for me.”

“Emily?”

He nodded.

“Tell me more about her?”

“What’s to tell? She was a cheerleader. Starred in all the school plays. Would’ve graduated top of our class if it hadn’t been…” His voice trailed off.

“For her sister.” Jamie reached up and patted his cheek. “I think you need to find some time to talk to her. You can’t change the past, but you can share how you feel.”

“That would be most inappropriate considering she’s in a relationship with another man.”

“I’m not referring to those particular feelings.” She frowned. “Talk to her about your unresolved guilt. Ask for her forgiveness. And while you’re at it, forgive yourself.”

“That’s a tall order.”

“I know.” She squeezed his hand. “You’ll be all right. Let’s go see what secrets Hickory Run wants to reveal to us today.”

God would do the revealing, but Wade kept the thought to himself. Jamie was aware of his faith. They’d worked together while he went to Bible college online. She didn’t understand when he told her God called him to be a pastor. Nor did she share any part of his faith. He hoped she’d come around, but he didn’t want to pressure her to the point that she drew further from God instead of closer to Him.

A woman slid out of her silver Subaru Legacy looking disheveled. She pushed her glasses back up on her nose and turned to face him. “I’m Dr. Mastriano.”

“Sergeant Brunner.” He held out his hand to shake hers, but she had to shuffle her bags around before she could return the gesture.

“Want to show me what you’ve uncovered so far?”

Wade nodded.

“I’ll spearhead things from here on out to make sure no bones are damaged during excavation,” she said.

“Follow me.”

Jamie met them on the trail a second before a whistle split the air. How many more times would the dogs hit on something? “Sergeant Strauss, this is Dr. Mastriano, the forensic anthropologist I was telling you about. Would you be so kind as to take her to meet the team of crime-scene investigators? I have to run out to meet with the canines and their handlers.”

Jamie looked at him skeptically. “We can send a trooper or a ranger to tag the site where the canines indicated.”

“No. I’ll do it. I have some leads I need to follow up on anyway.”

“What leads?”

“We can talk later, and I’ll tell you all about them.”

“Uh huh. Sure.” Jamie smiled at the doctor. “How was your ride in, Dr. Mastriano?”

The two of them turned and started down the trail, and he hiked out in the opposite direction.