Chapter 6
SIX
The situation went from bad to worse as Tate finished his call with the Oakwood Police Department.
Gray skies pressed lower, threatening more rain.
His boots crunched over the ice-covered grass as he turned to face Annie.
“No one from the police department can get out here. The roads are icy, and a truck took out part of Clemmons Bridge.”
“We’re trapped here.” Annie’s voice was hollow. She sat at the end of the fallen log, facing Kayla. Wind tugged at the loose strands that’d escaped her messy bun. Her complexion was pale, her expression haunted. “Clemmons Bridge is the only way in or out.”
Careful not to contaminate the crime scene further, Tate circled the log. He crouched in front of Annie, blocking her view of the body, and took her gloved hands into his. She was trembling. “Have you ever been to a murder scene before?”
She nodded. “Of course. I was a patrol officer for three years. I’ve been to many, but...”
His chest clenched. “It’s been a while.”
Annie stared at the piece of garland stuck on the log.
“Not since…” She shuddered. “There was a domestic dispute. The wife had called it in, but hung up before we arrived. My partner and I responded. We found the wife shot to death in the kitchen and—” Her voice choked up.
“My husband, James, was next to her. Also shot. He worked as a social worker. He’d come to check on the couple’s five-year-old son after the school called alleging abuse. ”
Tate couldn’t find a single word worth saying. What Annie had described was a nightmare. Dear God…why?
A tear slid down Annie’s cheek. “The little boy was okay. James had hidden him in the pantry. He saved his life.”
“It sounds like he was a good man.” Tate could barely push the words past the tightness in his throat.
She nodded again. “We caught the dad ten hours later. He’s serving life without parole. I tried to return to the force, but…” Annie finally looked up at him, the grief in her eyes gutting him. “I couldn’t do it.”
He rose, pulling Annie to her feet before wrapping his arms around her.
She nestled into his embrace, laying her head against his chest. A protective instinct—sharp and unyielding—surged through Tate.
He cradled her head, his fingers catching in her hair.
“I’m so sorry, Annie. I can’t even imagine how you survived it. ”
She’d lost her husband and her career in a single night. Tate knew something about what that was like. His parents’ deaths had set his life on a different course, one both uncertain and terrifying.
And through it all, the person who’d helped him navigate it had been Annie.
That summer before senior year, Annie had been his tutor, but quickly became his friend.
She’d dragged him out for ice cream and poolside study sessions.
Made him laugh when he didn’t think he could.
She’d been the only person he could confide in.
Only after school started did he realized Annie wasn’t a member of the popular crowd.
Under normal circumstances, Tate might not have cared, but that year, in the midst of his grief, he’d been desperate to fit in.
He’d made a cowardly choice, and it cost him the best friend he’d ever had.
Annie, though…Annie had been through the unthinkable, and here she was. Still standing. Still kind and generous. Forgiving. Living her life with purpose. She was nothing short of amazing. And Tate would do whatever it took to safeguard her.
He eased back. “Why don’t you head back to the main lodge? I can handle things here.”
Annie pulled in a steadying breath and stepped away.
She wiped a stray tear from her cheek. “No. You’ll need help, and I’m the only one qualified to do it.
” She lifted her chin. “Besides, this is my property, and the safety of the people on it is my responsibility. Kayla and I…we weren’t close, and she had her faults, but we were once friends. She didn’t deserve this.”
He hesitated. The shock was fading as color returned to Annie’s cheeks. But he didn’t want to push her. “Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.” She didn’t hesitate. “It’s okay, Tate. I just…needed a moment.”
“No one could blame you for that.” He waited a beat, but Annie’s determination didn’t falter, so he turned to the crime scene.
Pity and outrage swelled in him. Annie was right. Kayla hadn’t been the nicest person, but no one deserved this.
Kayla lay on the frozen ground. Her clothes and skin were covered in ice crystals.
The purple garland decorating her body stuck out in garish contrast to the pool of frozen blood around her.
The body had been arranged after the murder, the feet placed together, the hands laid on her stomach.
Caught in her stiff fingers was a Raven Hills High School pennant, the kind students waved at football games.
“It looks like she was killed before last night’s storm.” Annie’s voice was steady now. “The killer slit her throat, arranged the body, and then left her here.”
Tate nodded. “Cabin 5 looked used. There were a couple of plastic cups in the living room, along with a bottle of tequila. The cushions on the couch were mussed, and the heat was left on.” He glanced down at the dead woman. “One of the cups had red lipstick on the rim.”
“The same color Kayla was wearing last night.” Annie turned in a circle. “Okay, Kayla and someone else—probably Preston—came down here for a private moment. They went into Cabin 5 and shared some drinks. Then…what? Preston leaves Kayla to find her way back on her own?”
“The bottle of tequila was smashed, as if someone had thrown it against the wall. Maybe Preston and Kayla got into a fight.” Tate could easily believe it.
Their relationship in high school had been extremely volatile, and Kayla had always had a temper.
“Preston could’ve left first, and then Kayla followed.
She was ambushed on her way back to the main lodge. ”
With her throat slit, Kayla wouldn’t have been able to cry for help.
Then a fresh concern jolted Tate, and his muscles tightened. He scanned the woods, but other than Kayla, nothing seemed amiss. “We need to make sure Preston made it back to his cabin. Which one is he staying in?”
“Hold on.” Annie made a phone call, and from her side of the conversation, Tate deduced she was speaking to Dwayne. After a tense few minutes, she hung up. “Dwayne will check on the guys in Cabin 3 and get back to me ASAP.”
Hopefully Preston was in his cabin. The thought of a double homicide ratcheted up the complications and the danger. One murder was bad enough.
He planted his hands on his hips. “We need to document the scene as best we can, gather any pertinent evidence, and then figure out how to store the body.” He glanced up.
Rain was coming. “We’ve got more bad weather headed this way, and there’s no way to know how long it’ll be before the bridge is fixed.
The officer I spoke to said it’s a top priority, but it could still be a few days. ”
Annie rubbed her forehead and grimaced. “We just put in a walk-in fridge for extra food storage at the mess hall. It’s not being used right now. Kayla can go in there, I suppose.” She dropped her hand. “We’ll have to transport her. I’ll bring my truck around.”
“We can use mine.” Tate had brought his personal vehicle to the reunion, but carried a crime scene processing kit with him at all times. As a Ranger, he never knew when he’d be called to a murder.
A shadow crossed Annie’s face. “He mistook me for her. Last night in the parking lot.”
Tate didn’t believe in sugarcoating things. “Looks that way.”
She lifted her gaze to his. “Kayla’s holding a Raven Hills High School pennant.”
“Yes.” Dread churned his stomach, turning the coffee he’d drunk earlier sour. “Is the garland from your Christmas decor?”
“No. We kept things traditional and decided against using the school colors for the reunion. He brought it with him. Just like the pennant.” She swallowed. “This wasn’t an outsider then.”
They couldn’t take anything off the table—the killer might’ve placed the pennant on her body as a misdirection—but Tate didn’t think it likely. “The killer is probably someone attending the reunion.”
“And with the bridge out…” Annie released a slow breath. “We’re all trapped here with him.”
Something crackled in the underbrush, breaking the silence of the morning. Tate’s head came up in time to see a shadow peel away though the trees. His hand dropped to his weapon as he took off in pursuit. “Stop! Police!”