“We took samples of soil around the body and the blood loss was minimal, so no, not alive. There is evidence of lividity in the lower regions of the body, which would be normal in a corpse in a sitting position, but if he’d been alive when his femoral artery was severed, he’d be sitting in a pool of blood.” Wolfe turned and uncovered the remains of Payton Harris. “Animals usually go for the soft parts, so the internal organs, genitals, would be a target, but in this case the gasoline would have kept them away. What clothes remain are soaked. It wasn’t just poured over him, it was dripped over to ensure full penetration of his clothing, hair. His hands were placed inside his pockets and his gloves were still damp when we examined him. There are no defense wounds on his arms, no sign of a struggle.”
“So, he just sat against the tree and allowed someone to shoot him?” Kane scratched his head. “His wife was asleep in the tent and he doesn’t try to fight? That doesn’t make sense.”
Jenna scanned the crime scene photographs. “He was looking up when shot. Is that your conclusion, Shane?”
“Yeah, from the angle, he was staring at the man who shot him.” Wolfe flicked up an image showing a simulated trajectory of the crossbow bolt. “From this I determined the shooter must be approximately six feet tall.” He looked at Jenna. “From the information we have on his wife, she was five-seven. I don’t think she is the shooter.”
Jenna turned to stare at the mangled remains of Payton Harris. “A bear did all this?”
“Nah.” Kane bent to examine the remains. “Parts have been carried away. I’d say a variety of wildlife were involved. Cats wouldn’t be able to drag the body so would take a piece after the bears had left, and dogs often run off with parts. The smaller bite marks are from other critters.”
“The food chain, as I mentioned.” Wolfe turned to her. “The bigger predators get in first and then down the line. The limb Atohi found was carried away by a dog and belongs to Harris.” He sighed. “It wasn’t robbery. He had five hundred in his wallet and all his credit cards.” He looked at Kane. “Possible scenario?”
“Are you asking me how I could trick a guy into sitting still while I shot a bolt into his head at close range?” Kane’s eyes flashed with something Jenna had never seen before as he tipped his head toward Colt Webber. “Webber is a hunter, so maybe you should be asking him?”
Jenna glanced from one to the other and cleared her throat. “I’d try and distract him.” She thought for a beat. “The time of death would add a variant. Have you figured out when he died?” She looked at Wolfe.
“Late Thursday to early Friday morning, going on rigor, decomposition, insect infestation, and taking the local conditions into account.” Wolfe lifted his chin and gave her a quizzical stare. “How do you distract someone in the middle of the night?”
“From the disturbed sleeping bags, the couple were asleep in the tent.” Kane was staring at his boots and then raised his head slowly and looked at Jenna. “I figure the killer knew the victim because there’s no sign of a struggle in the tent or anywhere else. Maybe he made up a story about seeing a bear close by or something and woke Harris.”
Inside Jenna’s head the scene played out. “If he’d mentioned seeing a bear, Harris would have woken his wife.” She looked at the three men. “It’s more likely they sat around the fire having a drink.”
“Okay, so the killer gets him outside.” Webber’s gaze narrowed in thought. “The first thing I’d want to do after being asleep is urinate—that’s normal, right?” He cu
t a gaze to Jenna.
She shrugged. “As there’s bears around here, would a guy be wandering off into the forest to pee?”
“Nah, it’s likely he’d have headed for the closest tree.” Kane leaned against the counter and folded his arms. “Forget the bear warning. I agree with Jenna he’d have woken his wife if an attack was imminent, but how did he get Harris to sit behind the tree?”
“It was a full moon, so he had an excuse to be out hunting.” Webber shrugged. “Maybe he said something like, ‘There’s that elk I’ve been stalking. It’s heading this way. Duck down behind that tree or it will see you. I’ll take it down from here.’ Or whatever.”
“Yeah.” Kane straightened. “Harris would have been staring at the killer waiting for him to make the shot and wham he got one straight between the eyes.”
“Silent and deadly.” Wolfe nodded sagely. “The sound wouldn’t have woken his wife. It gave the killer time to retrieve his can of gas and soak Harris’ hair and clothes. Maybe then he crawled inside the tent to retrieve their phones and woke June Harris. There are broken branches around the campsite but we can’t discount bears disturbing the area after the murder. I can’t say for certain there are signs of a struggle. The pine needles are so thick there are no footprints, but we know from the scratches and scat in the area bears frequent the clearing.” He looked from one to the other. “Shall we get on?” He moved to the body and rolled it over onto one side. “There are no marks to indicate any injury. No bruises or contusions to make me believe he fought for his life. I found nothing unusual in his blood to indicate any drugs. I’ve tested for the usual substances and I’m running a full tox screen, but I don’t believe we’ll find anything.”
Singing a tune in her head to disassociate herself from the horrific sight before her, Jenna concentrated on a paint fleck on the bench as Wolfe dissected what was left of the torso. He made comments as he went and everything not chewed on was perfectly normal. “So, he didn’t die of a heart attack or similar?”
“No. He was fit and healthy, a nonsmoker from his lungs, his heart is good. I’m sure the bolt is responsible for his death. I’ll be conducting a brain examination and dissection to record the damage. Do you want to stick around? It might take some time.”
Sorrow for the poor young man welled up, and Jenna swallowed hard. “No, that’s fine, just send me the report as usual. I’ve seen enough for today.” She turned to Kane. “Do you have any questions before we leave?”
“Yeah, I do.” He looked at Wolfe. “How far did the bolt penetrate into the tree?”
“Approximately three inches.” Wolfe turned to him. “Before you ask, it was a standard aluminum bolt, twenty inches long.” He sighed. “They are a popular generic brand. No fingerprints or foreign trace DNA fragments. I only found the victim’s blood and tree sap.”
“I’d assume a crossbow could take down game at forty yards, so to pierce the skull and the tree it must have been fired at close range to gain the maximum kinetic energy.” Kane unfolded his arms and straightened. “Consider that he’s shooting at a target about six inches wide, we have an expert on our hands. I searched the area for bolts, or signs of them hitting around the body. This killer pulled off a small target in the dark with pinpoint accuracy.” He frowned. “He’s good, damn good.”
Excited, Jenna turned to him. “So if he lives locally, he’d be known for his ability. Someone that skilled would be using the practice range. We’ll go talk to the owners and see if we can get a list. We’ll have a starting point.” She smiled behind her mask at Kane. “I knew together we’d work out this case.”
“Before you head out”—Wolfe lifted a cranium saw from the trolley—“Kalo called. He’s uploaded the security for the ranch onto your new phones. So, the video feed is available on demand. The cards you use to access secured areas here and at the office now include the gate at the ranch, but if you misplace your card, one call to Kalo and he’ll change the access codes. There is a scanner beside the front door to the house. To gain entry, you’ll need a retinal scan. Kalo has incorporated your scan, Dave’s, and mine into the system. I figured as you trust both of us, in times of trouble you’d like us to be able to assist you. You don’t need to set the security each time you come and go. It resets when you enter and leave. The tracker on Duke has been programmed so he won’t set off the alarm if he’s out doing his business. You’re good to go.” He tapped his pocket. “I’ll keep my phone on me at all times.”
Jenna laughed. “I feel safer already.” She gave him a wave and headed for the door.
Twenty
It was a perfect day for hunting humans. The wind had calmed some this morning, and the forest at the foot of Bear Peak was dense and shrouded in shadows. A tang of the wild hung in the air and overhead a murder of crows waited for the next chance of a meal. It was as if they anticipated his arrival in the forest. The birds either sat on the branches still and calm as if imitating black flowers, or they argued amongst themselves. Some whistled as if sending secret messages across the forest to their lookouts. At this time of year, with hunters field-dressing their kills, the crows could pick and choose their meals. Many disliked crows, but not him. They’d helped him and others like him many a time. As nature’s cleaners, once a flock had feasted on a carcass, only the bones remained.