Page 91 of Line of Sight

Don’t argue with me on this one.

Not that he wanted to climb into a boat and row across the dark green water, but right then his senses were pushing him,propellinghim to that island.

Gary studied him for all of three seconds before letting out a sigh. “Fine, but Riley and I will go in first. You got that?”

“Got it.”

They climbed into the boat, and Gary took the oars to scull across, edging the hull through the thick layer of green weeds. Dan tried not to look at the water. Common sense told him there were no bodies waiting to break free of their green slimy bondage.

His imagination told him a different story.

They reached the other side, and Gary clambered onto the bank, waiting until he and Riley were on land before tugging the boat a little higher to prevent it floating away and strandingthem. They trudged through the snow toward the remains of the shack, following the same deep prints they’d seen across the lake.

“NowI know what this reminds me of,” Riley muttered.

“What?” Gary asked.

“Strangers on a Train. Bruno kills Guy’s wife, Miriam, at a fair. On an island to be exact.”

That was enough to send shivers down Dan’s spine. “How does he kill her? I hadn’t gotten that far.”

“He strangles her.” Riley reached the shack first, followed by Gary, their guns held high. He gestured to Dan. “Wait here.”

Dan couldn’t suppress a shudder as the two detectives went inside the broken shack. A moment later, a strangled cry rent the air, and Riley came out in a hurry. He bent over and puked, his hands on his thighs, the sound harsh in the still air.

Dan swallowed. “Oh God. This is really bad, isn’t it?”

It was no good. He had to see. Invisible fingers pushed him toward the gaping entrance where doors had once been. Gary stood, his gun by his side, his face contorted as he stared at the far wall. The lack of a roof meant there was a lot of light in there.

Too much light.

Two posts had been driven into the ground, and hanging from them, secured by cuffs, was a naked figure, arms stretched up and out, knees bent.

Around his waist was the skin that had been removed from his body, hanging in folds like a garment. The face has been skinned too, and what remained was like something out of a horror movie.

Dan lowered his gaze and froze. “That’s Greg.”

Riley came back, wiping his mouth on a paper tissue. “How can you tell?” he rasped.

Dan pointed to Greg’s right leg, just above the knee. “Because of the scar. We saw it when we interviewed him.”

Gary swallowed and pulled his phone from his pocket.

Dan couldn’t stay in there a second longer. He turned, ran out, fell to his knees, and lost his lunch.

Riley was there a moment later, his hand on Dan’s shoulder. “Yeah, my thoughts exactly.” He handed Dan a Kleenex. “I have more if you need ’em.”

Dan didn’t think that was likely. He’d gotten to the dry heaves.

Gary joined them and crouched beside Dan. “You okay?”

“I’ve been better,” he quipped. Gary helped him to his feet, and Dan gazed into his eyes. “Have you seen anything like that before?”

Gary shook his head. “I think that was a first for all of us.” His expression grew grim. “I know you’d rather not go back in there, but there’s something I think you should see.”

Dan knew he wouldn’t ask unless it was necessary. “Okay.” He and Riley followed Gary back inside the shack. Gary pointed to the remains of the wall behind them, where writing in red paint stood out.

At least Dan hoped it was paint. He stared at the five words.