“Two minutes.” Wolfe’s voice came in loud and clear.
Jenna smiled at Kane. “Wow!” She turned as Blackhawk emerged from the trail. “Atohi has arrived.” She turned to him. “How far is it from here?”
“Twenty minutes.” Atohi went to his truck and took out a bottle of water. He drank and then turned to Jenna. “I’ve seen bears be kinder to a person than what I’ve seen today.” He shook his head. “There seems to be no end to man’s cruelty.”
A white van rumbled into the parking lot and Wolfe and Colt Webber climbed out. Jenna frowned. “Isn’t Em coming?”
“Nope.” Wolfe opened the back of the van and pulled out stretchers and his bag. “She has another exam today. This is the last one. She’s a little apprehensive and I think her place in medical college is secure, but waiting to see if she qualifies is always a worry. Black Rock Falls Medical College has pushed the bar pretty high, but with the internship she did with me and a good undergraduate degree, she should be okay.”
Jenna nodded. “I’m sure she’ll sail through.” She pulled on her backpack. “What do you have for me to carry?”
Once they were all set, they followed Blackhawk down the mountain and onto the trail. She moved up beside him. “What’s your take on the scene?”
“Someone used a crossbow to shoot two people and then went crazy with an ax or maybe knives.” Blackhawk kept his gaze straight ahead, but she could see his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed. “I’ve never seen anything like it before, it’s… indescribable.”
Thirty-Two
Walking beside Kane, Wolfe noted the way his friend kept up a constant scan of the forest as if expecting an attack. He kept his voice low. “Do you sense someone is watching us?”
“The forest is too quiet.” Kane peered into the canopy. “The animals seem to know if there’s another bad storm coming, or if there’s a bear hanging around. The birds usually warn of a problem and stay quiet when a storm is coming. This feels different, unless it’s the smell.” He pointed upward. “Crows are scavengers and yet they’re sticking to the trees. The stink from the crime scene has attracted them but something is keeping them up there. They’re not stupid and won’t feed if there’s danger.”
Wolfe looked ahead at Blackhawk. “I don’t think Atohi would walk into danger either. He knows the forest in all its moods.” He raised his voice. “How much further?”
“It’s about twenty yards around the next bend.” Blackhawk looked troubled. “You should all prepare your minds for a shock.” He nodded and turned back down the trail.
The smell was getting bad. Wolfe held up a hand. “Hey, hold up, everyone. We should stop here and suit up. I don’t want anyone stepping inside the perimeters of the crime scene before I’ve taken a look.” He dropped his end of the stretcher and placed his bag on the floor. After pulling out masks, gloves, and coveralls for Kane, Jenna, and Webber, he pulled on his gear. “From all accounts this murder is nasty. If anyone feels the need to puke, keep it well away from the scene. If you feel sick, walk away. We don’t need people passing out.”
“That bad, huh?” Jenna raised both eyebrows. “It would seem Rio gave you a little more information than he did me.”
Wolfe nodded. “I called him for details, Jenna. I needed to know what to bring with me. I can’t just bring a forensics kit and hope for the best.”
“It’s just ahead around the next bend.” Blackhawk turned to look at him.
“Okay.” Jenna climbed into coveralls and rolled up the legs. “I’m good to go.” She snapped a facemask in place and spoke through her com. “Rowley, we’re coming up to your position now.”
In his earpiece, Wolfe could hear Rowley’s response. He moved to the front of the group and led them around the next bend and into a small clearing. Rowley and Rio stood to one side, to allow him to pass. He scanned the area. Two bodies, or what was left of them. One, male, propped up against a tree, had been secured and used as target practice and the other, a woman posed to gain a shock reaction, was brutally disfigured. Camping gear and pots and pans lay scattered on the ground, but all personal effects appeared to be missing. Set in the middle of the clearing, a fire circle of stones had been disturbed, ash spilled out onto the grass. He touched his earpiece. “Jenna, are you one hundred percent sure they have James Stone in custody?”
“Yeah.” Jenna moved to the perimeter of the clearing and he caught her sharp intake of breath. “But this sure looks like his work. They’d contact me if he escaped, but I’ll call county and make sure they have eyes on him.” She walked away, pulling out her earpiece.
Wolfe turned to Kane. “Can you smell gas? This is another replica of one of Stone’s crime scenes, but when he committed murder, he had an accomplice. This was a frenzied attack. He’d have been drenched in blood, and I didn’t notice any blood spatter on the trail we came through and I was looking.” He turned to Webber. “Document the scene as best you can from the perimeter but don’t touch or walk in anything.”
“Yes, sir.” Webber took out a camera and began filming.
“I have my camera.” Rio waved it at Wolfe. “I’ve taken a few preliminary shots, but I can cover the scene if you want? It might save time.”
Wolfe nodded. “Knock yourself out.” He turned to Kane. “I don’t like this at all. It’s as if a crime scene photograph was leaked. This entire scene is staged. I figure someone is playing games with us.”
“Yeah, it’s too close.” Kane scrolled through the files on his phone. “Look at this—not exact but too close for a coincidence. The backpacks are missing, I’ll bet the phones are as well.”
There was so much blood someone must have left a trail, however minute, when they left. Wolfe scanned the area and could make out three trails leading from the clearing. He turned to Blackhawk. “Can you determine which way the killer left the scene?”
“I can try.” Blackhawk shrugged and moved through the trees, disappearing into the shadows.
Wolfe took in the scene as a whole and set a probable timeline in his head. He’d use Kane’s expertise in weapons trajectory to determine the height of the shooter. “Do you think there is more than one killer?” He pointed to the numerous angles the bolts made in the victims.
“Maybe, but this all looks up close and personal to me.” Kane shrugged. “Is it possible to narrow down the time of death?” His gaze hadn’t stopped searching the trees. “We’ve charged Adams with the murder of Payton Harris. There’s a window of opportunity where he could have killed these people and then gotten himself into work on the day we interviewed him.”
Wolfe shrugged. “I always use every resource possible to get the exact TOD, but there are many things against us here. We don’t have a witness, so we have to rely on science. The best I can do is an approximate TOD.”