Chapter 9
Nine
Medical Examiner Shane Wolfe glanced at his daughter Emily as he circled the coordinates given to him by Carter.
“It looks like we’re gonna need boots and coveralls for this one.
If someone’s been using the cattle burial plots for hiding bodies, we’re gonna be wallowing in mud for the next three months, maybe even a year. ”
Emily had settled in well and took her job as medical examiner very seriously.
In the last few months, she had been called into service by the Helena office and conducted her own forensic investigation into a suspicious death.
Wolfe figured her experience in Black Rock Falls during her training had been beneficial, as she’d come up close and personal not only with the victims but also some of the serial killers as well.
She was tough and had found herself a very strong man in Johnny Raven.
He hated to admit it to himself but he really believed they’d make a good match—as long as they didn’t rush into anything.
“I’m guessing Norrell should’ve been here rather than me.” Emily held on to her seat as they dropped to the ground. She wasn’t good with heights. “It makes me wonder if this case overlaps with the cold case Jenna is working on at the moment.”
“That would be very coincidental, wouldn’t it?
” Badge-holding Deputy Colt Webber removed his headset as the chopper’s rotors slowed down.
“Even if the cold case killer was in their early twenties, we’d be looking at someone in their mid-forties to fifties.
Rhett’s parents were burned to death in a cabin, and this looks more like someone tried to hide a crime.
I figure we’re looking at something completely new here. ”
Wolfe scanned the area before unstrapping his belt and turning to look at the others.
“I’m glad y’all have an opinion but don’t go rushing into any conclusions until we’ve examined the body.
” He indicated with his chin to the pile of dirt.
“I don’t want anyone taking one step toward that mound of earth until it’s been completely processed.
Carter dropped his chopper down over there by the looks of things.
They did climb out of the chopper but didn’t go more than ten feet.
Get suited up.” He climbed from his seat and made his way to the back of the chopper to collect his things.
He led the way toward the mound of dirt, carefully checking for footprints. He turned to the others. “Whoever did this drove the vehicle to the gravesite and then dumped the body.”
“So they dug the grave before they murdered the victim?” Emily moved beside him and stared at the arm sticking out of the soil. “Look at the position of the arm. It’s as if the victim tried to dig themselves out.”
Wolfe looked at her concerned expression.
“Maybe not. We’ll check the lungs for any soil residue.
We’ll need to go real slow exhuming the body.
” He turned to Webber. “Get some footage of the complete site, then photographs. We’ll gather everything we need from the chopper.
” Above, the sound of a chopper approaching thrummed in the silence. “That must be Jenna and Dave.”
They all turned as Carter dropped his chopper into the field close by.
After a few moments, Jenna jumped down and he walked away from the gravesite to meet her.
“I’m not sure what we’ve got yet. We just arrived.
If y’all give us a few minutes to record the scene, we’ll move in to exhume the corpse.
At this point I don’t even know if it’s just the arm. ”
“By the smell, it’s been here a couple of days.” Jenna pulled a face mask from her pocket and pressed it over her nose. “Male or female?”
Wolfe shrugged. “Unknown at this time.” He turned as Webber called his name. “There are spare boots and coveralls in my chopper. I suggest you suit up, unless you want to stand back here and watch from a distance?”
“No way.” Jenna followed him back to the chopper with Carter and Kane close behind.
“I hope it’s coincidental this happened when we’re investigating a twenty-two-year-old cold case.
” She shook her head slowly. “It sends shivers down my spine to even imagine that there’s a killer close by.
There are so many people working on this ranch it could be anyone or none of them. ”
“Don’t worry about the kids.” Carter walked to her side. “I told Rhett to stay inside the house and keep the doors locked. He was happy to do that and he carries a sidearm now. He has an excellent alarm system. I don’t figure anyone is getting into that house.”
“That’s good to know.” Kane ambled up beside them, constantly scanning the area.
“We had someone watching when we were out earlier today. We figure they work here. They were driving one of the ranch trucks. It seems to me they were interested in what we were doing out here. It could just be one of the ranch hands checking out strangers on the property. Maybe when they saw Rhett they decided to go back to headquarters.”
Back at his chopper, Wolfe indicated to the pile of coveralls and rubber boots he carried.
“Suit up. The soil looks damp. We’ll use the small spades to remove some of the soil around the body.
” He glanced at Kane and Carter. “If you’re planning to help, I’ll show you the technique.
It’s frustratingly slow, but we don’t want to damage the body. ”
“Did you find any evidence apart from the tire tracks?” Jenna pulled on coveralls. “Any footprints?”
“No.” Emily pulled on a face mask. “Whoever did this covered the body and cleaned up all around. Likely using machinery. The tire tracks are all we could find.”
An hour or so later, they had uncovered the head and torso of a badly beaten woman.
With help from Kane, they managed to pull the body free of the mud.
In an attempt to preserve evidence, they eased the victim into a body bag.
Straightening, Wolfe sighed as Webber stepped in to zip it up.
“There’s not a chance of using an image of the victim to identify her.
Even her own mother wouldn’t recognize her.
” He turned to Jenna. “It’s clear she has olive skin, black hair, and brown eyes.
Taking into account the bloating, I would say she is young.
Maybe between eighteen and twenty-two, small build, approximately five-feet-five, at a guess, from Latino descent. ”
“Okay, I’ll make inquiries with Bowman. He’s the rancher.” Kane removed his coveralls and then peeled off the gloves. “If she worked here, someone must have noticed her missing.”
“They wouldn’t have heard her screaming.” A look of despair crossed Jenna’s face. “Not with gaffer tape wrapped around her mouth.” She shook her head slowly. “What kind of monster does that to a woman?”
“I’d say, one close by.” Carter sat on the edge of his chopper changing his boots. “From what I’m seeing, people are coming and going all the time. This is likely someone passing through. The MO is different to Rhett’s parents’ murders. They’re likely not connected.”
“Really?” Jenna stared at him, hands on hips. “Do you know how many serial killers change their MO? Well, I do. Heaps of them. They’re smart and can spin on a dime if necessary. If they were predictable, we’d catch them before they murdered again.”
“I’m aware.” Carter’s eyelashes dropped over his eyes, hiding his expression.
He shook his head as he pulled off his gloves, balled them up, and tossed them into a bag Wolfe had offered for the garbage.
He lifted his gaze to her and sorrow etched his face.
“I’m just sayin’ that no one has reported finding a badly beaten corpse lately and no one has been reported missing from around these parts.
This looks to me like a new type of monster, and hopefully one just passing through. ”
“Go easy on him, Jenna.” Emily frowned. “We’re all unsettled by finding that poor woman.”
“I’m so sorry, Ty.” Jenna pressed her fingertips to her temples and blew out a long breath.
“I didn’t mean to jump down your throat.
It’s just seeing someone beaten to death makes me angry.
I’ve seen men do this to women they’re supposed to love.
Everyone tells them to leave but most have nowhere to go.
It’s a vicious circle that often ends up with something like this happening.
Trust me, I know.” A tear ran down Jenna’s cheek.
“This shouldn’t be happening in my county. ”
“Did something bad happen to you, one time?” Carter moved closer. “Give me his name and I’ll go with Dave and pay him a visit.”
“No need.” Kane put a protective arm around her. “He’s long dead but things like this bring back bad memories.” He pulled her close. “You got this, Jenna. We’ll take him down. You’re not alone now.”
Concerned, Wolfe exchanged a meaningful glance with Kane.
He’d been aware Jenna had been placed in witness protection eight years ago but didn’t know why.
She’d been the champion of abused people since becoming sheriff and set up a charity to build the Her Broken Wings Foundation, an ever-expanding home to care for and support anyone facing abuse.
Now everything became clear. Her fierce independence and reluctance to accept Kane’s protection in the field, something he’d been trained to do, had made life difficult for both of them early on but everything made sense now.
He rested a hand on Jenna’s arm. “I’ll need to collect soil samples and clean the body.
I’ll do the autopsy in the morning at ten. I can call you with the results.”
“No way.” Jenna straightened and stepped away from Kane. “I need to be there.” She pointed to the body bag and lifted her chin. “She needs us to be there.”
Nodding, Wolfe met her tragic gaze. “Okay. We’ll finish up here. You need to get back to your boys. They’ll be wondering what happened to you.”
He waited for Jenna and Kane to climb into Carter’s chopper and turned to Emily. “Did you know about this?”
“Nope.” Emily held her hat as the chopper lifted into the air and headed back to the ranch. “She’s the strongest woman I’ve known, apart from Mom. Is she going to be okay?”
Nodding, Wolfe gathered evidence bags and handed them to her.
“Yeah, Jenna’s seen things hard to forget.
” He shook his head. “She’s been in tough situations, and some cases come back to haunt her.
This is one of the reasons I’m so tough on all of you when it comes to men.
You never want to be in a situation like that poor woman. ” He indicated to the grave.
“I know, Dad.” Emily walked beside him back to the mound of dirt. “Now let’s concentrate on how to help Jenna catch this animal.”