Chapter 12
Aharsh electronic ring cut through the darkness of his bedroom like an alarm announcing disaster. Noah fumbled, his hand found his phone with the automatic response of someone who'd learned that bad news didn't keep normal hours.
"Sutherland."
"Noah, it's Savannah. We've got a situation up at a remote cabin in the north end of town. They need BCI out there immediately."
“Is there a body?”
“Not that we know.”
“Then why am I being asked to go?”
She hesitated. Noah was already reaching for his clothes, the adrenaline of emergency response flooding his system.
“A white rental van is on fire, looks like the one that podcast team has been driving around town. License plate matches the registration for Landry. Also, there is a big GO HOME sprayed on the side panel."
“Shit.” He'd been expecting something like this ever since Keith Dwyer's death.
"And you said there is no sign of the occupants?"
"Doesn’t appear to be. Vehicle's completely burned, but we haven't found any remains. Could be they got out before the fire took hold, could be..." Savannah's voice trailed off, leaving the darker possibilities unspoken.
"I'll be there in twenty minutes. Have county secure the scene and don't let anyone contaminate the evidence."
Noah dressed quickly in the darkness, his mind already shifting into investigative mode despite the personal implications of what he might find. Landry had been reckless, ignoring warnings and pushing into dangerous territory with the kind of arrogant confidence that got journalists killed.
The drive to the cabin took Noah through the heart of High Peaks, past darkened storefronts and sleeping neighborhoods that looked peaceful in the predawn quiet. But beneath that surface tranquility, Noah could sense the tension that had been building for days.
The cabin sat deep in the Adirondack wilderness, accessible only by a narrow dirt road that wound through dense forest for several miles.
It was the kind of place that attracted hunters and fishermen looking for isolation, or people who had reasons for wanting to conduct business away from prying eyes.
The nearest neighbor was at least half a mile away, which explained why the fire had burned for so long before being discovered.
Now the site attracted a different kind of attention.
Police vehicles and fire trucks surrounded the smoldering remains of what had once been Landry's rental van, their emergency lights casting red and blue shadows across the skeletal remains.
The smell of burning plastic and gasoline was heavy, mixed with the smell of whatever accelerant had been used to ensure the vehicle's complete destruction.
Fire Marshal Davidson approached as Noah climbed out of his truck, his soot-stained gear and grim expression telling the story before he spoke.
"Started getting calls around 9:15 PM from residents down the mountain who could see the glow.
By the time we got here, the vehicle was fully involved along with the cabin. "
Noah studied the burned-out shell of the van, noting the way the fire had consumed everything combustible while leaving the metal frame twisted into abstract sculpture. "Any indication this was accidental?"
"Not sure but I don’t think so. We will have K9 out here to detect accelerant. But I get a sense someone doused this thing and lit it up like a bonfire. You can smell the gasoline residue even through all the other burned materials."
"And Pierce or his team?"
"There's no sign of any occupants, no remains, no indication that anyone was inside when it went up. Local PD called the hotel where they are staying at. The team is still there. It’s Pierce who isn’t. They said he’d received a threat only hours ago."
Noah felt a chill that had nothing to do with the night air.
Bodies in vehicle fires usually left some trace—dental remains, bone fragments, jewelry that survived the flames.
The complete absence of human evidence suggested either that the occupants had escaped before the fire started, or that they'd been removed before the vehicle was torched.
"Witnesses?"
"A resident along the access road reported seeing a white van drive past. Said it was moving fast, like someone was in a hurry." Davidson consulted his notebook. "But it never came back down, and nobody reported seeing any other vehicles in the area."
McKenzie approached from the perimeter of the scene, his flashlight beam dancing across ground that showed tire tracks and footprints in the muddy soil. "Ay, Laddie, we've got another problem. Found some evidence that suggests this wasn't just an abandoned vehicle torching."
He led Noah to a spot about fifty feet from the burned van, where the beam of his flashlight illuminated dark stains on the ground that looked suspiciously like blood.
"Could be from an animal, but the pattern suggests human bleeding.
And there's signs of a struggle—disturbed earth, broken vegetation, like someone was dragged or carried. "
Noah crouched beside the stains, studying them with the forensic eye that had been trained by years of processing crime scenes.
The blood was still relatively fresh, probably deposited within the past few hours.
The distribution pattern suggested someone who'd been injured and either fallen or been placed on the ground before being moved elsewhere.
"Get crime scene techs on this,” Noah said. "I want photographs, measurements, blood samples for DNA analysis. And expand the search perimeter—if someone was injured here, there might be additional evidence scattered around the site."