Chapter Six
The Mark of a Killer
The terrifying truth almost brought Ava to her knees. Wax had taken another woman. The clock was ticking on the victim’s life.
Ava’s spine tingled as if she were being watched. Impossible now. Wax would have known her next move and escaped before coming across law enforcement heading their way.
Just residual effects of being back on the hunt.
She still held the proof of his sick sense of humor in her gloved hand. Caleb’s flashlight cut through the snowy darkness beyond their hiding place. Everything around them appeared to have gone still, almost as if all the outdoor creatures were aware of how serious this was.
Nothing moved in the light, yet Shadow continued to growl. Even the dog was on edge.
There was no doubt in her mind that Wax would have stuck around long enough to see her reaction to finding the note. The blood. He wanted to remind her that they had unfinished business.
Within minutes, the darkness near the road above them was broken by police lights strobing the countryside.
Their backup had arrived.
A sense of frustration soon overshadowed the brief moment of relief. They’d been so close, and she’d let Wax slip away. Would she get another chance? Ava couldn’t shake the feeling that soon she and Wax would meet up again and one of them wouldn’t survive.
A few minutes later, uniformed rangers, along with Deputies Vaughn and Archer, Agent Novak, and other special agents in tactical gear, poured into the clearing.
“Agent Blake!” Novak spotted her and headed their way. “Is everyone all right?”
“Yes, we’re fine,” she said, though her pulse still pounded.
She told him about what had happened. “I want you and the rangers to secure the perimeter from the woods to the ridge above until ERT can get here. Tell them I want every footprint marked, every scrap of evidence photographed before it’s buried under this snow. ”
“Yes, ma’am,” Novak confirmed.
“He left a note. Get this to our forensics team as well as the fabric swatch.” She handed both to Novak. “Run fibers, chemical traces, anything that’ll tie him to a location.”
“Copy that.” Novak left to see to her orders.
Rachel appeared beside her, pale but steady. “There’s no sign of him. Somehow, he got away.”
“He’s smart. He left before our people could arrive.” Ava exhaled deeply, in momentary defeat. No matter what, she wasn’t letting him vanish again.
◆◆◆
By the time she and Shadow arrived at Cedar Creek along with Rachel and Caleb, the mountain had been secured, and the rest of her team was coming from Billings—agents from behavioral, field, and forensics divisions. Members of the Redeemed Unit would be in Cedar Creek the following day.
“We need a temporary command center set up in town,” she said to Rachel. “The obvious place would be the police station. I want communications established, mapping ready, and coordination with local law enforcement. Wax is escalating. Every second we waste, another woman dies.”
“Can I make a suggestion?” Caleb asked and Ava nodded.
It was still strange working with him again.
“You can use my family’s lodge. It’s about twenty minutes from here.
It’s large enough for your team, and it's off-season, so there won’t be any other guests there.
Being outside of town, it shouldn’t draw too much attention. There’s plenty of beds for everyone.”
Ava hesitated. “Caleb, that’s—”
“It’s not a problem,” he said, meeting her gaze from the passenger seat. “You need a base close to the trail and away from curiosity seekers. It’s the best option.”
Something unspoken flickered between them that made her heart trip over a beat. Trust, memory, and the shadow of all they’d survived. Ava finally gave in. “Thank you. That’s very generous.”
“I’ll let our people know,” Rachel’s voice intruded into the private moment breaking the spell.
Caleb gave her the address.
Ava shifted in the driver’s seat exhaustion weighing down her limbs. “Thanks, Rachel. Do you need to tell your parents we’re coming?” she asked Caleb and noticed his smile seemed forced.
“They moved to a warmer climate two years ago. A lot has changed since you were here last.”
There was something in his tone that warned her not to ask questions. But Ava’s curiosity wouldn’t let go of what he’d said. Caleb and his parents had always been close. Had something happened to change that?
“Our people know where to go,” Rachel said once she ended the call. “Should we head over and get the command set up?”
Ava glanced at the time. After midnight. Still, despite the late hour, she wanted to speak with the medical examiner right away.
“I’ll drop you and Shadow off. You can get everything organized,” Ava told her fellow agent.
Shadow heard his name and sat up from his position next to Rachel.
Ava leaned back enough to pet the dog’s head. “Time for you to get some food and rest, boy.”
The dog made a grumbling sound that pretty much confirmed he understood what she said and disagreed.
“Where are you going?” Rachel asked, while her gaze locked with Ava’s in the rearview.
“To speak to the medical examiner. I’m hoping he can provide us with some information to help find this creep. The clock is ticking on our latest victim.”
Ava flipped the SUV around and drove back in the direction they’d come. Once she reached the isolated road Emily had taken, she veered off onto another, more cared-for road.
After traveling some distance, the drive to the lodge appeared through the weather. Two lamplights on either side of the entrance worked like a beacon in the storm.
She drove down the pristine, snow-covered drive to Caleb’s family lodge. In the past, she’d spent several different holidays with his parents. Having been raised in foster care, Ava loved his tight-knit, loving family.
Once Ava parked out front, Caleb turned to Rachel. “I’ve texted the manager to let him know what to expect. His name is Oliver. He should be there waiting for you.”
“Thanks.” Rachel got out and tried to coax Shadow from the vehicle. The dog’s distrust of strangers became apparent quickly. He wasn’t going anywhere with Rachel.
“It’s okay. He can come with us,” Ava assured her. “We’ll see you in a bit. Once everyone arrives, have them get started going over the information we have now.”
She waited until Rachel was inside before pulling away.
“He’s gone through some trauma of his own.” Caleb indicated the dog as they retraced their path back to the main road.
She flinched. Caleb knew her story. Knew the horror she’d gone through. That was probably why she and Shadow just clicked from the beginning.
“Yes, he has.” She briefly explained what happened to the dog. “Everyone was ready to give up on him. I’m glad Marcus saw Shadow’s worth—and mine. I can’t imagine having another partner.”
He glanced back at Shadow, whose ears were at alert as if he understood they were talking about him.
Ava slid the SUV into one of the many available parking spots in front of the county’s morgue.
She twisted in her seat. “Stay. We’ll be back soon.” The dog grumbled again but settled into his seat—a sure sign of his weariness.
Ava found a blanket and wrapped it around the dog to help keep him warm until they returned.
She and Caleb fought the bitter cold wind all the way to the entrance.
They stepped inside the sterile chill that always gave Ava the willies.
The metallic scent of disinfectant mingled with the faint copper tang of death gnawed at her empty stomach, a reminder that it had been hours since she’d eaten.
A man in his sixties stood near a covered body on the table.
“Dr. Hale,” Ava said as she neared. “We spoke on the phone. I’m Special Agent Ava Blake. This is Caleb Ward. Thank you for meeting with us.”
“Agent Blake. Caleb, good to see you again.”
Ava wasn’t really surprised that the doctor and Caleb knew each other.
“What can you tell us so far?” Ava asked, bracing to see Wax’s latest victim.
“Female, late twenties. Time of death approximately twenty-four to twenty-eight hours ago.”
Ava drew in a slow breath as Dr. Hale pulled the sheet back, revealing the victim’s pale, wax-coated form. “I left the wax on the body until you could see her, but I’ve run some bloodwork. She was drugged with a ketamine-based compound. Sedated, but conscious. She felt what he did to her.”
Ava’s voice wavered. “He enjoys pain. He wanted her to suffer.”
Dr. Hale nodded grimly. “He made sure she did. The wax is his signature, but this time he left us something else. It was found underneath the victim when she was removed from the scene.”
He lifted a small evidence bag with a gloved hand. Inside was a tarnished key. It appeared antique, like the kind used for an old trunk or lockbox. Stamped into the handle were two letters: H.L.
Caleb frowned. “Not her initials, and probably not Wax’s either. It could be a location. Possibly Hidden Lake?”
“Maybe,” Ava murmured. Hidden Lake was a popular lake in the area. But it will be frozen over by now.
Dr. Hale set the key down. “There’s more residue under her nails—pine sap and granite dust. Sounds like what you might find near the Hidden Lake area.”
“We’ll check it out. Thank you, Doctor.” Ava grabbed her cell phone and called Rachel. “Run the initials H.L.” She told Rachel the doctor’s findings. “Cross-reference with any property or abandoned structures in that range—cabins, lodges, anything that matches. Start searching near Hidden Lake.”
“I’m on it.”
Caleb’s eyes met hers as they left the morgue. “You think he’s hiding up near the lake?”
“I think,” Ava said, her voice low and certain, “we’re finally closing in on where he calls home.”
Outside, the wind screamed through the valley, rattling the windows. Shadow barked from inside Ava’s SUV, restless, nose pressed against the glass as if he sensed the shift.
Ava stared at the distant tree line, a chill slipping beneath her skin.
Wax Saint was done hiding. He was playing a game of chess with her. He’d moved his pawn.
Now, it was her move.