Chapter 3
THREE
Ellie wound around the curvy mountain road toward Midnight Ridge, her shoulders knotted with dread at the fact that a body had been found tonight. If Cord thought the situation was suspicious, he must have a reason.
She had to take a look.
A new case was just what she needed to distract her from thinking about the conversation she should have with her parents. For weeks, she’d labored over revealing that she and Cord were personally involved.
Her father might be fine with Cord, but her mother would have something critical to say. As much as Vera was determined for her to marry, her idea of a man for Ellie would be a businessman dressed in a suit with a sizable portfolio to support her so she could stop working and have babies.
A businessman in a suit was so not her type. And children? Well, she wouldn’t say no to it somewhere down the line, but she wasn’t ready to tie the knot or settle down. Not yet anyway.
Maybe she and Cord would keep their relationship a secret from them a little while longer.
Decision made, she focused on maneuvering the switchbacks.
She’d hiked to Midnight Ridge before but not at night and not for a possible murder investigation.
Some locals around the area who came to the ridge because of the folklore claimed that the higher you climbed in the mountains the closer you were to heaven.
They had been dubbed the Believers. They insisted this was a sacred place and came here to pray and talk to their loved ones.
They’d also created an area to leave flowers and gifts to honor them.
If someone else had been up there with the dead girl, they might be looking at an accident, assisted suicide or… murder.
She’d see what Cord found before calling the ME, Dr. Laney Whitefeather, but she would request an autopsy and protect the body until a recovery team arrived. She had the ERT’s number on speed dial.
The time of day and the fog were her enemies now. It would be easier to see and collect evidence once daylight arrived.
She spotted the turnoff for the lower area of the ridge and spun onto it, then drove the graveled narrow road until she reached the parking spot the tourists and locals used. Once you parked, you still had to climb to the peak of the ridge.
She’d wondered what the suicide victims had been thinking when they made that trek. Why that hike hadn’t deterred them. Why logic hadn’t broken into their tumultuous thoughts and convinced them to turn around. If they’d called one of their loved ones to say goodbye.
The gray mist nearly blurred the sharp peaks of the ridges, adding an eerie chill to the stormy night. She grabbed her flashlight and stepped from the vehicle, securing her ponytail as she crossed the lot, then followed the trail to the base of the ridge where she saw Cord by the creek.
An older man was slumped on a rock in his coat, hunched over a small fire he’d crafted in the rim of an old tire. She had a feeling the fire was due to the falling temperatures, but also to ward off wild creatures who preyed at night. She assumed this was the witness. She’d talk to him later.
First she wanted to assess the scene.
Cord must have heard her footsteps as she approached and turned to face her.
“Sorry to wake you, El.”
“No problem.” She gestured to the old man. “Fill me in.”
Cord cleared his throat. “That man, Roman, called this in. Said he saw a girl jump from the ridge.” A deep frown pulled at the corners of his mouth as he pointed to the body. “Looks like she landed face-first.”
“Which makes it appear a suicide.”
“Don’t know yet. I haven’t gone out to look at her or check for a suicide note like they found on the other two girls this year. Didn’t want to disturb anything.”
Ellie folded her arms across her chest. “Good work.”
Cord’s frown deepened. “Not sure how reliable the witness is but he was lucid. Said he thought he heard a scuffle up there, like there was someone else with the girl.”
Ellie sighed. “And you believed him?”
Cord shrugged. “Could have been confused, but he thinks he heard an argument.”
Or hell, he could be senile or have an addiction problem. Which made things worse as far as him being reliable. At his age, she also wondered if his hearing and eyesight were impaired.
Cord hooked his thumbs in the hoops of his belt loops and raised his thick dark brows. “I know how you like to explore all possibilities.”
Dammit, he was right. And she trusted his gut.
“Okay, let’s take a look.” She pulled her phone and followed Cord, grateful she’d worn her good hiking boots with the no-slip soles.
For a long moment, she studied the scene.
The way the girl’s face looked crushed. Scratches marked her hands and arms. Fingernails broken.
Blood pooling under her battered face. Limbs at odd angles indicating broken bones.
What struck her as even odder were the black feathers strewn across the ground. One lay at the edge of the girl’s face, her hand almost touching it.
“Do you think those crow feathers were already there?” Ellie asked.
“I wondered the same thing. Crows are popular in the area, and people have been known to sacrifice birds here.”
“Because they’re omens of death?” Ellie murmured.
Cord shrugged. “Yeah. And some people think they’re guides to the afterlife.”
Ellie began snapping photographs. “So it’s possible the killer left them.”
“Raises questions,” Cord replied.
Ellie captured several pictures of the scene then picked her way across the slick damp rocks.
Her stomach clenched at the gruesomeness of the blood spatter that sprayed the stones. Ellie glanced up at the top of the ridge, her breath catching at the distance to the ground.
“She looks young,” Ellie whispered as she looked back at the girl.
“Yeah,” Cord agreed. “One reason I figured you’d be interested. Those other two suicides this past year were teenagers, too.”
Ellie understood where his mind was going. Three suicides in one year, all young girls. It did sound suspicious. And if the witness thought someone else might have been up there…
She stooped to get close-ups of the spatter, then eased toward the body. “We’ll look for a possible connection to the other suicides.”
She scanned the girl’s body, taking more photographs. Bruises, broken bones, blood. Then she knelt to do a quick visual exam, bracing herself for the horror of the girl’s crushed face.
“You don’t have to look, El,” Cord murmured. “Wait till the ME gets here.”
The cold air made it difficult to breathe and could affect decomp time. “You’re right.” A gust of wind brought the scent of death, and she swallowed hard. “I’m going to call Dr. Whitefeather and request an ERT.”
She didn’t intend for this girl to lie out here in the elements the rest of the night.