Chapter 5 #2
Looking at Evie’s pale and beautiful features, her clear blue eyes and riot of red curly hair made him wonder if the killer would have tried to come after her eventually. She was beautiful enough to attract attention. He moved closer to her as the voices in the distance grew louder.
“We need to go this way,” a male voice that wasn’t Rueger’s said.
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Rueger groused.
“I do. Trust me, it’s this way.” Rueger obviously hadn’t come alone, which made sense. They’d need to process this like the earlier crime scene, even if this was simply a body dump site.
Cam straightened his spine, holding himself steady as he wondered how soon he’d feel the cold steel handcuffs binding his wrists.
It wouldn’t be long, he knew. Rueger was desperate to arrest someone, and he was the most likely suspect.
To his surprise, Evie stepped closer to him, her shoulder touching his upper arm.
“We’ve got this,” she murmured.
It was a humbling display of solidarity. One he wasn’t sure he deserved, but one he appreciated anyway.
“I see them.” Rueger’s voice was louder now.
“Me too.” Cam eyed the officer who walked beside Rueger. The guy appeared to be a few years younger than Cam. He examined the guy’s facial features, but the cop didn’t look at all familiar.
“Jackson?” Evie’s surprised tone made him frown. “I didn’t realize you were with the Grand Haven Police Department.”
“Evie.” The tall, thin officer nodded at Evie, then cut his gaze to Cam. “I remember you, Cam. I was a freshman when you and Evie were seniors.”
“Jackson Dupree.” The face finally registered.
He’d recalled seeing Jackson at the lakefront; it was the main hangout for all local kids during the summer.
The young, skinny kid he remembered was obviously a seasoned cop now.
One that knew how to use GPS coordinates to hike through the woods. “I remember now.”
“Show us the body,” Rueger said bluntly. “Then I want to hear again how you came across this location.”
Cam stepped back, lightly tugging Evie to the side so the detective could see the arm they’d uncovered in the dirt. Rueger let out a muttered curse as he spied the blue mottled arm exposed to the elements.
Then the detective abruptly straightened and turned his scathing gaze to Cam. “You really expect me to believe you found this victim by accident?”
“Not by accident, no.” Cam held the detective’s gaze. “Bruno led us to the gravesite. He sat and barked to bring us to the scene.”
“That’s your version of the dog ate my homework.” Rueger sneered. “He’s not a trained police dog. I don’t believe Bruno found this grave on his own.”
“Bruno knows the scent of the killer.” Evie’s tone was sharp.
“I think Bruno scented this guy while he was in the act of burying his victim the night before last. By the time I let Bruno out, the guy escaped. Bruno was gone for a long time, and when he returned, he had Skye’s forearm bone in his mouth.
” Her gaze bounced between Jackson and Rueger.
“I think he stopped there because he knew it was a place associated with the killer.”
“Now I know you’re off base.” Rueger waved his hand toward Bruno. “There’s no way the killer’s scent remained at the scene of Skye Gray’s remains for fourteen years.”
Evie took a step toward the detective. “I didn’t say that.
I said he associated the bone with the killer.
I’ve heard some killers return to their victims’ graves to refresh their memories of what they’d done.
Who’s to say the killer didn’t bury this victim, then came back to visit the site of Skye’s remains? ”
Cam noticed Jackson gave Bruno a long look, as if assessing whether the dog was smart enough to have tracked the killer’s scent. For a moment, he wondered if Jackson was the killer but then reminded himself the guy had been a skinny freshman when Skye had been murdered.
Besides, if Jackson or Rueger were involved in killing women and burying their bodies in the nature preserve, he felt sure Bruno would let them know. From the way Bruno acted, he suspected the animal may have had some police K9 training prior to his being rescued by Evie.
The dog acted very similar to the bomb-sniffing dogs he’d worked with during his two tours in Afghanistan. Cam wasn’t a trained K9 handler but recognized a smart dog when he saw one.
It was a little disturbing to think that Bruno was the only one who would recognize the killer should they ever find him. And even then, only by the guy’s scent.
“Detective? Didn’t we hear about a young girl going missing that had a flower tattoo?” Jackson’s question had Cam turning toward him. Jackson was kneeling in the dirt brushing soil away from the rest of the exposed arm.
“Maybe, but we’re not going to discuss that in front of our main suspect.” Rueger gestured toward Cam. “Call the ME, let him know we have another victim.”
“Okay.” If Jackson believed Cam was a murderer, he didn’t let on.
“Did the ME find anything regarding Skye’s cause of death?” Evie asked.
“That’s not your concern.” Rueger’s attitude rubbed Cam the wrong way. Without Evie and Bruno, the police wouldn’t know about a killer walking in their midst. “Why are you out here in the nature preserve anyway?”
“We were hiking.” Evie crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive gesture. “That’s not against the law.”
“Yeah, an innocent hike that led straight to a second victim.” Rueger’s mocking tone had Cam curling his fingers into fists.
He wasn’t a violent man; he’d only gone after Dan Johnson back in the day when he’d forcefully dragged his girlfriend into the water.
Logically, he knew Rueger was goading him into losing his temper, and he forced himself to remain calm with an effort.
“I noticed your home address is Chicago, Walker. That’s not very far away.
You could have easily driven back and forth to murder these victims. And that’s how you conveniently stumbled across this most recent victim. ”