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CHAPTER

TWENTY-NINE

Logan turned away from the sight of the dead body.

He hated to feel relieved. But he did.

It wasn’t Morgan, but this was still a horrible crime scene.

“Gibson?” Duke’s voice stretched through the air.

“It’s clear.” He shoved his gun back into his shoulder holster.

Duke peered past him, and his eyes widened as he glanced into the room. “That’s . . . not Morgan.”

“It’s Knox.” Logan rubbed a hand over his face.

Facts continued to churn in his mind—pieces of truth that begged for his attention.

Duke shined his flashlight on what remained of Knox.

The man was arranged with grotesque precision against the back wall of the cabin. His body was positioned to mirror the composition of one of Morgan’s photographs. If he remembered correctly, she’d called it the “Forgotten Watchman.”

The photo was a haunting image of an abandoned hunting shack with a tattered coat still hanging on a hook, silhouetted against the window frame.

Only here, Knox’s body replaced the coat, his arms outstretched in a macabre parody of the original image.

“We need to call this in,” Andi reminded him gently. “There’s no time to waste.”

Logan nodded, already dialing.

Logan, Duke, and Andi waited outside, the bitter cold preferable to the ghastly atmosphere inside the ramshackle hunting cabin. Logan paced in front of the structure unable to stand still as adrenaline and dread coursed through him in equal measure.

He’d walked to the back of the house, flashbacks of Morgan’s award-winning photo hitting him.

It was of this exact hunting cabin. Everything had been recreated.

Except in her photo, there was no dead body—only an old coat.

His stomach churned with nausea at the thought.

Whoever had done this was sick. So, so sick.

Finally, the distinctive rumble of approaching vehicles broke the silence of the forest. Two patrol SUVs and an unmarked sedan appeared around the bend, lights flashing but sirens silent in deference to the dead.

“Here we go.” Logan squared his shoulders as the vehicles came to a stop.

Captain Ashcroft emerged from the first sedan.

The fact Ashcroft himself had come wasn’t a good sign.

Then Logan reminded himself that this man was one of his suspects. He’d been at the award ceremony that night, and he’d never mentioned it.

Ashcroft’s tall frame surveyed the scene with obvious displeasure. Flanking him were Trooper Reeves and Detective Yazzie, both looking uncomfortable at the obvious tension radiating from their superior.

“Gibson,” Ashcroft acknowledged with cold formality. His gaze shifted to Duke and Andi. “And the civilian interference team, I see.”

“The victim is inside.” Logan ignored the jab. “His name is Daniel ‘Knox’ Kohler, and he’s a former member of the Iron Brotherhood out of Denver. He’s been arranged to mirror one of Morgan’s photographs.”

“You’re certain of this?” Reeves’ professional curiosity overrode the awkwardness of the situation.

Logan pulled out his phone and found a picture of Morgan’s original photograph alongside the images he’d captured of the crime scene. “See for yourself.”

Reeves examined the comparison, her expression growing grave. “That’s . . . meticulous.” She glanced at the hunting cabin. “Same angle, same lighting effect from the window. He even positioned the body to match the folds in the coat from her photograph.”

“Which is exactly why this should be handled by troopers who are officially on duty,” Ashcroft cut in sharply, his cold gaze fixed on Logan. “You’re on personal leave, Gibson. Or did that detail slip your mind? Again?”

“A woman’s life is at stake, Captain.” Logan struggled to keep his tone neutral. “Morgan has been missing for five days. We have evidence now linking her disappearance to two homicides, both staged to recreate her photographs.”

“We?” Ashcroft’s eyebrows rose. “Last I checked, you weren’t authorized to conduct any investigation, much less recruit civilians.” He nodded toward Duke and Andi. “No offense intended.”

“None taken,” Andi said. “Though I should point out that as private citizens, we’re well within our rights to report our concerns to law enforcement—which is exactly what we’re doing now, am I right?”

Logan loved it when the lawyer in Andi emerged.

But this conversation had stirred up something new in her.

“Speaking of Morgan, maybe you’d care to tell me why you were at her award ceremony the night she disappeared.” Logan stared at his captain, waiting for his response.