Chapter Fifteen
The Second Toll
Colors floated in the clouds as light woke Avalon. The bells at the Chimes Tower played—slow, deliberate, hollow. Something was wrong with the sound. Early morning walkers looked up the hill, uneasy, yet unsure why.
Zach was the first to see the shape. At first, he thought it was a banner—a dark scrap twisting in the wind.
But then, hair caught the light, long and tangled.
The horror of the situation struck harder than a hammer.
His stomach turned before his mind could form a thought.
The wind blew. It carried the smell of rot, salt, and copper.
He staggered backward. “What the hell—” His voice broke, unable to utter another word.
A woman hung by her neck, her body swaying in the breeze. Her face was cut, making her unrecognizable from a distance, but something about the way her hand curled inward, slim fingers hanging with a silver band, was familiar.
He shook his head, denial warring with shock as he tried to process what he was seeing. Each step closer drew a wave of nausea over him, his mind desperate to reject what his eyes confirmed.
It was her.
It was Heidi, the woman he’d been with at the airport two nights ago. Her perfume still lingered in his truck, still clung to his skin. He turned and vomited in the dirt, trembling as the chimes tolled above him, mocking his trauma.
Before he could call it in, Zach saw lights as a deputy’s SUV crawled up the road. He barely stayed on his feet when three figures stepped out: Sgt. Vincent Durante, and Deputies Evans and Duong. Their hands hovered near their weapons—something Zach had never seen on the island.
“Hello, Zach,” Durante said, his voice weary. He was a man with eyes that missed nothing. His attention was fully turned on Zach.
Zach nodded, unable to utter a sound.
“What are you doing up here?” Durante pressed as the three men stepped closer, but kept enough distance to react. Zach knew what this must look like, but he couldn’t grasp the full scope. Shock still owned him.
“I’ve been working here all week,” Zach finally managed.
“Why didn’t you call this in?”
Zach shook his head and cleared his throat. “I . . . I just saw her. I was going to call when I saw you driving up.”
Durante jerked his chin at Evans, who moved away, lifting his shoulder mic. “Get medical staged and call LA County Homicide,” Durante said. “Tell them we’ve got another one. And this is different. This was more violent.”
Zach didn’t want to, but he looked up again. Durante was correct. Lisa hadn’t been cut anywhere but her throat. Heidi had been marked. Was it the same killer? If so, why the change? Was the person escalating? A chill shuddered through him.
An ambulance, another patrol SUV, and two fire engines arrived in staggered bursts. Faces were shocked, no one knew what to do. This didn’t happen on Catalina. And now, there were two deaths far too close together.
“So, you were working up here and just . . . found her?”
The long pause told Zach the man didn’t believe him. He shook his head to clear it. He hadn’t been in love with Heidi, but she’d been warm beneath him less than thirty-six hours ago—now her body was on display in a gruesome way for all the world to see. It was inconceivable.
“I was checking on things,” he said. “That’s why I’m here so early.
I’ve been doing the tower restoration. I looked up and saw .
. .” He stopped, swallowed, cleared his throat, then met Durante’s eyes.
“I thought it was fabric at first, something that had blown in and gotten caught. Nothing but trash.”
“Are you working here often?” Durante asked.
“Off and on. I’ve been restoring the beams this month.”
“So, you have full access?”
Now Zach was irritated. How could they think he’d do this? They knew him. It was a small island; the locals knew each other. What was happening to their paradise?
“Do you think I did this?” Zach’s voice wavered, eyes narrowed in disbelief and hurt. His glare was close to breaking, emotions on the edge of spilling over.
There was a pause. Durante didn’t flinch. “I see you’re alone with a dead woman in a tower that very few have access to.” Another pause. “Tell me, Zach—what should I be thinking?”
Deputy Duong strung crime-scene tape from the truck bumper to the scrub, making a wide perimeter.
Evans logged times and names in his notebook.
Firefighters stood back, waiting for permission to approach.
No one crossed without Durante’s nod. Someone would remember who arrived first, who looked up . . . who didn’t.
Whoever did this hadn’t just staged a body. They’d staged an audience.
People were already climbing the tower’s interior stairs, but only the ones allowed—paramedics held at the base, fire and patrol waited near the landing, everyone moving carefully, the way they had at the bonfire.
“Someone wanted to make a point,” Durante said. “Her body and face are mutilated.”
“I don’t know who would do this,” Zach said.
“Did you know this woman?” Durante asked, not allowing Zach to look away.
Zach hesitated long enough that the sergeant’s gaze narrowed. He knew he’d be a fool to lie. It just sucked that the truth would make him look even more guilty. Maybe he was. This was the second death where he’d known the victim.
“Yes,” he finally said. “I sort of knew her.” He cleared his throat again. “I had a date with her.”
Durante’s brow lifted. “Hmm. Convenient.”
“I know how this must look, but I had nothing to do with it.”
“What’s her name?” Durante asked.
“Heidi.”
Durante waited, then let out a frustrated breath. “Last name?”
Zach’s shoulders sagged. “I don’t know.”
“So, it wasn’t someone you wanted to know too much about?” the sergeant taunted.
“It wasn’t like that. We were just having fun. It was mutual,” Zach said, defensively.
“Where is she from? How long has she been here? How much time did you spend together?” The questions came out in rapid fire. Zach was sure this was to throw him off. It was working; he was already rattled.
“We met at the Marlin four nights ago,” he said. “Had some drinks and laughs. Went fishing. Then I took her on a date two nights ago. We spent about six hours together. I brought her back to town, dropped her off, and haven’t spoken to her since. I don’t know anything else about her.”
Damn, it sounded bad, but that’s what happened.
There was another long pause. Durante and his deputies exchanged a look, then faced Zach again.
“You want us to believe that?” Durante asked.
“It’s the truth,” Zach said, his voice shaky with a hint of panic. He wasn’t going down for this. “You know me! Do you honestly think I’d hang someone from the damn bell tower?”
Durante studied him for a long, drawn-out moment, then shrugged. “I’ve seen you lose your temper before. I’ve also seen you go through women as if they’re nothing more than toys. Maybe this one didn’t want to play, and it ticked you off.”
Zach looked up at the tower, then forced his gaze away. He didn’t want the image burned into his mind, but it was too late. He’d remember her like this now.
“When are you going to cut her down?” he demanded.
“It’s an investigation. Preserving the crime scene is essential,” Durante said. “We’re not touching her until Homicide, and the coroner, lay eyes on everything.”
Zach sighed. He wanted to leave.
“Zach!”
His name was shouted. He turned and saw Cass running up the hill. Evans lifted a hand, stopping her at the tape. Durante looked at Zach.
“Another girlfriend?” His judgment was clear.
Zach gave him a disgusted look. “A friend.”
Durante spoke into his radio, then nodded. Evans raised the tape and waved Cass through. She rushed inside the perimeter and came straight to Zach’s side, throwing an arm around him.
“What happened?” she asked, tears springing into her eyes as she lifted her gaze to the horrific sight of Heidi swaying in the breeze with people working around her.
Zach looked at Cass, his face washed out, his eyes wild. He tried to speak and found he couldn’t. Cass let him go and stepped back, fear showing on her face. He wanted to reassure her, but had nothing left to give.
The sergeant didn’t miss the interaction. It probably made Zach look even more guilty.
Above the low buzz of radios, a distant thrum cut through the soundscape. Cass flinched and looked up.
“Is that—” she began.
The helicopter grew louder, blades chopping the morning air. Within minutes, Air Rescue 5 came into view, circling the scene before moving out to land at the helipad. It wouldn’t take them too long to reach the crime scene. It was a small town.
There were more questions, but Zach wouldn’t remember any of them. He was still in shock. He was almost relieved when, through the chaos, two LA County homicide detectives pushed through. This time, there was no pretending it was a one and done.
Durante moved away from Zach to meet them, gesturing toward the taped-off path and the tower. One detective shot Zach a quick, assessing look, but didn’t break stride. Suddenly, the island investigation no longer belonged to Catalina alone.
“We need to head to the station for more questioning,” Durante said when he returned. He looked at Cass. “You, too.”
“Me? I don’t know anything,” Cass said, horrified.
“You know Zach,” Durante said. His gaze sharpened. “And this is the second murder you’ve shown up to.”
“Everyone is talking about it in town,” Cass said. “I was walking, and then I heard Zach’s name and wanted to check to make sure he was okay.” Her shoulders dropped. “But, of course, I’ll come.”
“Good,” the sergeant said.
Zach knew trying to fight this would be foolish. The last thing he was going to do was argue. He looked back at the tower one more time, his mind looping the same thought over and over again.
She’s dead. She’s dead because she met me.