Chapter Seven
The Cabin in the Woods
The morning emerged cold and colorless, the kind of dawn that never truly broke through the clouds. The white snow and gray skies made the world appear in black and white.
Snow continued to fall as it had most of the night. Caleb hadn’t caught more than a few snatches of sleep. Seeing that woman’s body had been a horrific reminder of the monster they chased.
The one who felt a personal connection with Ava. The thought sickened Caleb.
He raised his parka’s hood over his knit cap. He removed one glove to double-check his rifle and ensure it was fully loaded. Caleb always carried additional ammo. This time he’d doubled the amount because he couldn’t get the woman’s terror out of his head.
Using the rifle scope, he scanned the horizon, then shifted toward the peaks rising high above Hidden Lake. Was he looking at Wax’s lair? At this time of year, those peaks would be inaccessible.
“You see anything?” Ava asked. She knelt beside Shadow, tightening the strap of his vest. The Malinois sat still, gaze locked on the trail ahead, his breath misting the frigid air.
“Nothing yet,” Caleb said while trying to ignore the uneasiness crawling into his stomach that warned of a bad outcome.
“You ready to get to work, partner?” Ava said to the K-9.
Caleb had been impressed by the dog’s work the day before. After hearing Shadow’s story, that had doubled.
The dog’s ears twitched in anticipation. He waited with pent-up energy for Ava’s next command.
Rachel and the two rangers from the day before, Rangers Larabee and Shackelford, stood nearby, their radio chatter muffled by another winter storm rolling in. They wouldn’t have long to search before the extreme conditions shut it down completely.
“The sap and granite dust both match the terrain west of Hidden Lake. This is our best lead so far,” Rachel said while studying her table.
Caleb was familiar with the area. The low areas weren’t as treacherous as the place they’d been the day before. But once you got past the lake, the trek up to the mountains was challenging in good weather.
Ava straightened, her expression unreadable. “Unless that’s what he wants us to think. It wasn’t an accident that he left the key and the evidence on Emily’s body. He wanted us to find them. And the swath of cloth we found yesterday...”
“What about it?” Caleb asked when she didn’t finish.
Ava shook her head. “I don’t think it belongs to Wax. It was perfectly cut from the garment and not torn. He left it there as a clue, possibly to lead to the next victim’s ID or something else. Maybe something from his past.”
Rachel’s excitement dimmed and Ava added, “But we’ll figure it out, and Hidden Lake is a good place to start.” She headed up the trail with Shadow close to her side.
Caleb fell into step beside her followed by the others.
The trail remained level for only a few feet before it slanted into a steep incline weaving through the trees. “Watch your step. It’s slick,” Caleb warned. “There’s ice covering the snow.”
Ava nodded without looking his way.
Even though the circumstances were vastly different from when they hiked together before, being close to her again like this reminded him of the future he once thought would be theirs.
Back then, never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined how things would end between them.
Truth was, since she’d left, he hadn’t been able to move on.
His inability to let her go completely had caused tension between him and his parents.
When they’d suggested wanting to move to a warmer climate and invited him to come along, Caleb knew he couldn’t leave this life behind.
And so, he’d taken over the running of the lodge which worked out well for his hunting guide business.
Still, things remained tense between him and his parents, who worried about him.
Caleb glanced down at the Malinois whose nose was tucked to the ground. Even the tiniest sounds that got missed by human ears caught Shadow’s attention.
When the dog stopped suddenly, Caleb almost stumbled over him.
Rachel and the two rangers caught up with them. “What’s going on?” Rachel asked.
Shadow doubled back to a fallen log.
“I’m not sure.’ Ava followed instantly. “Show me, Shadow.”
The dog pawed into the snowdrift next to the log until he’d uncovered something. It appeared to be a piece of canvas material.
“What on earth?” Larabee murmured as they gathered around.
Ava carefully retrieved the canvas. The edge was frayed and faintly scorched.
Caleb leaned closer. “Looks like part of a backpack strap maybe.”
“It’s old,” Shackelford stated. “But it doesn’t appear to be aged from exposure.”
“He placed it here for us to find.” Ava searched the trail ahead as if expecting Wax to leap out and attack.
An unwelcome shiver sped down Caleb’s spine as he looked around at the countryside on edge.
Shadow growled low, startling everyone. The dog sprang into action once more. Ava gave the command to track.
Caleb followed them through deep snowdrifts. The thin air at this altitude burned his lungs as they continued to push deeper into the backcountry and off the trail.
Shadow stopped abruptly and barked once.
Caleb caught up with Ava. Half-hidden by woods was a small cabin, its roof sagging beneath the weight of snow. Smoke curled faintly from a narrow chimney, almost invisible against the gray skies and mountain backdrop.
“That place has been vacant for years. No one lives there,” Caleb said in shock.
“Someone’s been here recently.” Ava raised a gloved hand, signaling the team to stop. “We proceed carefully. He’s armed and unstable.”
Caleb retrieved his rifle and signaled he was ready.
The team moved cautiously through the trees following the K-9 lead. Shadow halted near the cabin, his head raised sniffing the air.
As he got closer, Caleb caught what the animal had picked up—the faint scent of smoke, wax, and vanilla.
“Wait here. Let me check it out.” He eased closer.
The woods had long since encroached on the cabin, swallowing it up.
Caleb beat back the ice-covered brush until he stood at one of the windows.
Years of grime made it challenging to see inside.
He caught faint shapes of what he believed was a table and a couple of chairs—a cot.
The chinking between logs had eroded in places. The wind blew through the spaces slapping the curtains against the wall.
He returned to the others. “It’s hard to see inside. Looks like some furniture that’s probably been there since the cabin was built.”
“Let’s take a look inside.” Ava headed for the sagging porch with Shadow.
Caleb peered into the cracked window near the door. “I don’t see anyone.” He tried the knob. It turned freely in his hand.
Ava’s voice dropped to a whisper. “On three.” She signaled to the others with three fingers. “One. Two—”
On three, Caleb shoved the door inward.
The rusted hinges screeched. A wave of dank, frigid air pushed past them thick with the scent of vanilla.
Ava released the dog. Shadow weaved past her legs to go inside. Caleb and Ava slipped in behind him. They let the animal sweep the room, his nose skimming the floorboards. At the burning woodstove, Shadow barked once, then sat alert to something.
Ava knelt beside the K-9, peering through the stove’s glass cover. “I can’t see anything.”
Caleb dropped down next to her and shifted his flashlight at where the dog’s head was pointing.
And then he saw it.
“It’s not inside.” He pointed to something next to the rusted-out stove. A large vat with something glistening inside. “That’s wax hardening.”
“It looks like the same type of compound from Emily’s crime scene,” Ava murmured.
“You think he killed her here?” Caleb rose and eyed the room in disgust.
Ava stood next to him. “There’s wax everywhere. I’d say there’s a good chance this is where she died.” She turned to Rachel. “Get ERT up here now.”
Rachel nodded and turned away to place the call.
Caleb examined the wax. “It’s solid. If this is where he killed her then he could be long gone.”
Ava shook her head. “He’s close. He enjoys watching us.”
Rachel completed her call unnerved by the idea.
The dog moved again to a small table in the center of the room. His nose hovered above it, then he looked up and barked.
A half-burned candle. Next to it was a small glass vial with gold flakes preserved in water. Under the vial something had been burned into the wood. The same intersecting cross and circle were carved into the rockface the night before.
“That’s his mark again,” Caleb said grimly.
Ava’s jaw tightened.
From the room’s corner, Ranger Larabee called out to Ava. “Over here!”
She and Caleb crossed to Larabee, who knelt beside a chest wedged against the wall. Its lid was locked.
“The key we found. It probably fits the chest.” Ava studied the chest. “We can open it from the back where the hinges are and preserve the lock to test for DNA and fingerprints.”
“I’ve got it.” Caleb removed the pick he used for climbing and used it to pry the chest open as carefully as possible.
Inside was a piece of paper with what was clearly blood on it.
Ava carefully unfolded the note. The writing was jagged, carved into the paper with almost manic pressure.
“The lake remembers. Follow the frozen path.”
Caleb’s mouth thinned. Wax’s games sickened him.
Ava’s voice remained flat and controlled. “He’s telling us where to look next.” She turned to Rachel. “We need GPS coordinates and a full sweep of the area as soon as possible.”
“I’m on it.” Rachel stepped outside.
Shadow suddenly let out a low growl. His head whipped toward the back of the cabin, nostrils flaring.
The K-9 barked once, sounding sharp and urgent. He raced toward the rear door and pawed at it.
Caleb grabbed his flashlight and motioned to the rangers. “Let’s check it out.”
They pushed through the back door and faced a wall of white frozen snow.
“We’ll have to use the front.” Ava snapped Shadow’s lead in place.
She and the dog pushed past Rachel who was finishing her call. “What’s going on?” she asked.
“Shadow has something,” Caleb told her while the team tried to keep up with the dog.
At the back of the cabin, the dog led them into deep snow drifts.
“Tracks!” Caleb shouted and then pointed. “They’re heading downhill.” He crouched to study the prints. “Similar to the ones we saw yesterday. Deep stride. He appears to be moving fast.”
“Toward the lake,” Ava whispered. “The lake remembers. The only question is what.”
Shadow barked again, tugging hard.
“The tracks are fresh.” He indicated the small amount of snow inside them. “You were right. He was watching us.”
Ava keyed her radio. “We have a possible fresh trail following the ridge to Hidden Lake. Stay alert and watch for traps. Wax knows this terrain better than we do.”
The wind swallowed the confirmation, but Ava was already moving with Shadow. The dog led them along a narrow ridge before halting. He dug furiously in the snow. Caleb dropped beside him, clearing the drift until something metallic glinted in the light.
Ava leaned closer. “What is it?”
Caleb brushed the ice away and lifted the object carefully in his gloved hand. “A small locket.”
“It looks antique,” Ava said. The surface was engraved with that same cross-and-circle symbol. Inside the locket was a faded photo of a woman.
“I don’t recognize her. The photo appears dated.” Rachel leaned closer. “It could be one of those old-timey photos that’s made to appear from a different time period. She looks like you.” Rachel glanced up at Ava.
Ava’s mouth thinned. “He’s trying to tell us something. The locket. The key. Both appear dated. The piece of strap belonging to a backpack is old but not like the locket and key.”
“He’s pointing us to the lake. It means something to him.” Caleb closed his fist around the locket.
Ava stared out across the white expanse where the trail vanished into the storm.
“Let’s find out what.” She rested her hand on Shadow’s head.
“So far, he’s been controlling everything.
Where we go. What we find. It’s all orchestrated by Wax.
We need to determine his next move. These breadcrumbs he’s given us will only reveal the answers he wants. We need more.”
The Malinois sat perfectly still, eyes locked on the distant ridge, nostrils flaring.
Caleb looked in the same direction. A short distance away, Hidden Lake would be frozen solid by now. Had Wax hidden something under the ice for them?
An unsettling feeling settled around him. Somewhere beyond those trees, Wax Saint was watching.