The potential threat of another serial killer got her spine prickling with goose bumps. Since being promoted to deputy, she'd had to deal with a spate of murders and crimes that had tested her limits.
It was small comfort that, as her FBI agent sister Kerry had told her, crime in small towns was becoming more prevalent, and the FBI was seeing a spike in serial cases in smaller communities.
So, May knew it wasn't her fault. It wasn't through any failure of policing. It was simply a worsening trend that they were definitely picking up, right here in supposedly peaceful Tamarack County.
She climbed out of her car and Owen climbed out of his. The county coroner's office was set between the downtown area and the industrial area in Chestnut Hill. It was an official looking building, grim and square, which May thought suited its function, even though someone had tried to soften its look by placing small planters at the entrance.
Now, the planters were full of greenery and flowers. May glanced at them as she headed inside, but barely noticed them. Her mind was focused on what she needed to ask the pathologist who had handled the recent similar crime.
"Is Dr. Edgar available?" she asked the receptionist.
"She's doing an autopsy at the moment, but she should be finished in any minute," the receptionist replied. She was an older woman, with a kind face and gray hair wound in a bun.
"We need to speak to her urgently. Can we wait?" May asked.
The receptionist hesitated, her face shadowed with concern. Then she nodded. "I'll tell her you're waiting, Deputy."
May and Owen sat down on the steel chairs near the reception area.
"I'm going to check up on the recent crimes," May said to Owen in a low voice. She needed to try and pinpoint which similar crime it was.
Quickly, she accessed the database from her phone and scrolled through.
Since Tamarack County was not a murder hotspot — despite what May sometimes feared — it didn't take long for her to find the relevant crime report.
"Here it is," May said. "Two days ago, in the early morning, a woman called Hayley Meakin was found dead. She had been walking out in the fields near her home. The cause of death was a stab wound in the heart."
May stared at Owen, feeling a frisson of dread.
"This sounds very similar," Owen said worriedly. "A stab wound, and a victim found out in the crop fields. But who could be doing this, May? What's anyone doing, hunting people down with a bladed weapon out there in the countryside?"
At that moment, there were footsteps behind them, and May stood up hurriedly. Dr. Edgar was rushing out of the postmortem room, wearing her gloves, mask, and gown.
She was a blond, round-faced woman with calm blue eyes.
"Good morning, deputies," she greeted them. "What can I do for you this morning?"
"You did the postmortem on Hayley Meakin?" May asked.
Dr. Edgar nodded. "Yes. I investigated the initial crime scene and did the postmortem on her."
May was always amazed by how calmly this young doctor coped with the demands and horrors of her job. She'd never heard her sound anything less than calm and serene.
"What were your findings?"
Dr. Edgar tilted her head, remembering.
"I was called out to the scene late in the afternoon, as it was getting dark. The body was discovered on the border of a wheat field, adjacent to an apple orchard, on Howarth's Farm. I believe the victim lived a few miles from the farm."
"Go on?" May said.
"The body was probably about ten hours old, so we're guessing she went for a run in the mid-morning, as she was wearing running shoes and a sports top. She lived alone, so there was nobody to account for her movements at her home, but I understand she had family nearby," Dr. Edgar said.
"What about the cause of death?"
"It was a deep strike to the heart from a very sharp and slightly curved blade," Dr. Edgar explained. “Not a normal knife blade.”
May's mind was accelerating. Suddenly, she made a connection. She didn't know what had sparked the thought. Perhaps it was the fact these kills had all taken place on farms. Perhaps it was that scarecrow, that had made her think in a spooky way of the Grim Reaper.