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He walked to the whiteboard and pinned them up. He placed the shooting victims in the convenience stores on one side, and the rest he arranged in a line down the other side. He looked them over, hunting for comparisons of type. Many killers picked the same type of victim. “I did a quick scan of the case files, skipping over the murders, and went to see if any of the victims were linked… as in from town to town.”
“You wanted to eliminate a vendetta?” Beth went to the whiteboard, and Bear walked to her side and leaned against her. She stared at the images, absently rubbing the dog’s ears. “Did you find anything?”
Nodding, Styles picked up a pen from a holder attached to the board and placed a cross beside two images. “These men are cousins. One lives in Roaring Creek, the other out at Broken Bridge.” He looked at her. “These are all close-knit communities, there would be many family members spread across those areas, but it is a similarity.”
He glanced at Bear and smiled to himself. His dog had come to him after his handler died in action. Bear had been wounded and he was the only person who knew the dog. It was him or euthanasia, but true to his nature the dog had stayed by his side and he enjoyed his company. Bear hadn’t attached himself to anyone else until Beth arrived, something he found to be very unusual.
“What about the girls?” Beth went to her desk and picked up her tablet. She scrolled through case files. “Nope, they didn’t know each other, but they’re all within the same age bracket. All were in the store alone at the time of the shootings. In each case covered by CCTV cameras, the killer hands the girl the bag of money and sends her out of the store before him. The thing is, did he take them as a hostage or did he have another motive?”
Styles went back to his desk. “We’ll need to look at the autopsy reports.”
“What reports?” Beth pulled a face. “These are useless. We can’t base a case on a local doctor or, in one case, a local mortician’s report on the victim of a crime. How long ago was the last victim abducted before the current missing girl?”
Frowning, Styles recalled the conversation with the director. “That would be four days ago out at Broken Bridge. Last Friday, Arizona Carson was taken after a shooting at the convenience store but found dumped alongside the highway the following day between Broken Bridge and Roaring Creek with a gunshot wound to head. The most recent shooting was out at Roaring Creek yesterday. Cassidy Wilder remains missing. That’s the second shooting in the same store over six months.”
“We’ll need to see the body of the last girl he abducted. He might have left some clues.” Beth glanced up at him. “And view the crime scenes of both shootings. Can we do that—like today?”
Styles nodded. “Yeah, but the medical examiner will want to be there as well. I figure first we locate the remains of ArizonaCarson.” He watched Beth as she scanned pages of documents, her eyes flashing back and forth. He sipped his coffee. “The three communities are serviced by the hospital at Roaring Creek. They have a morgue, so it’s likely they took the shooting victims there.”
“Ah, yes, here it is: Roaring Creek General.” She went back to her desk and grabbed her phone. “The report says the body was discovered alongside the highway and taken there for examination.” She made the call and placed the phone on speaker.
After introducing herself, Beth asked the hospital administrator, Trudy Newman, for the whereabouts of the body of Arizona Carson.
“It’s currently in the hospital morgue, waiting for transfer to the undertaker for burial.”Ms. Newman cleared her throat.“Is there a problem we should be aware of, Agent Katz?”
“Yes, Arizona Carson’s death was a homicide and under investigation.” Beth stared at Styles and shook her head in dismay. “Who ID’d the body?”
“Well, the mother identified the shoes. Arizona Carson was shot in the head and the face is unrecognizable.”
“I see.” Beth drew in a deep breath. “We’ll require DNA testing to establish identity. I’ll contact the medical examiner, Dr. Shane Wolfe. He’ll likely want the body taken to Black Rock Falls for examination.”
“I don’t have the authority to hold the body or release it to anyone else but the next of kin.”Ms. Newman tapped away on her computer.“I’ll need paperwork.”
“That’s not a problem because until we identify the body there is no next of kin. I’ll need the name of the doctor who issued a death certificate for an unidentified body, and did they perform an autopsy? If so, who ordered it?” Beth was making notes as she spoke.
“That would be Dr. Michelle Barnes. There wasn’t an autopsy. It’s clear how Arizona died.”
“That’s for the medical examiner to determine.” Beth looked at Styles and rolled her eyes. “The body isn’t to be released without the permission of the medical examiner. In fact, it shouldn’t have been removed from the crime scene, but that’s not your concern. I’ll take that up with the local law enforcement. Please notify the family that the medical examiner will be performing an autopsy to determine cause and time of death and hopefully give us a clue to catching her killer. He’ll need Mrs. Carson to give a DNA sample. Will you please contact her and have her go to the hospital?”
Styles twirled his fingers and mouthed the wordhelipad.
“Does the hospital have a helipad?” Beth tapped her pen on the table.
“Yes, there is room on the roof for four helicopters. We service four of the local mining communities.”
“Okay, send me the coordinates. Thank you for your assistance. We’ll be there soon.” She disconnected and stared at Styles. “Is it usual to skip a formal ID in these parts?”
Rubbing his scar, Styles shrugged. “Not that I’m aware. If you contact Wolfe and give him the coordinates and bring him up to speed, I’ll go and do a preflight check on the chopper.”
“I’m on it.” Beth picked up her phone again. She smiled at him. “I’m looking forward to visiting a new town.”
Styles pushed on his Stetson. That was Beth. Of late, she always came up with a positive to smooth out the horrific crimes they handled. She was one unusual woman. Murder and mayhem all around her, and for her it was just another day at the office.
THREE
Roaring Creek
Numb from shock, Cassidy Wilder stared at the man acting so casually, as if he honestly believed she enjoyed being held prisoner in the cellar of a deserted building. Cold bit into her bare flesh and her teeth chattered. The blanket he’d tossed over her smelled musty, but it was better than nothing. The images of the faces of the people he’d shot moved across her mind in a constant stream of horror. He hadn’t cared or reacted when he’d shot them, no more than if he’d been swatting flies. His cold persona had changed in the truck and he’d made casual conversation as if they were on a date, but he’d kept the pistol across his thigh with a warning that she’d be next if she made a fuss. He’d promised to let her go first thing in the morning, but only if she behaved herself. Wanting to live, Cassidy had followed his instructions and survived a night of torture by his hands. Each time she cried out, his brutality increased as if he fed from her pain. She’d sobbed with relief when he’d left early this morning. He’d been gone for a long time. Would he come back or would she die here?
