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She sighed. “I figure you’re correct about him not coming here to rob the place, but he’s too calm and collected to have picked this place at random. He’s been here before six months previously, but the store has been remodeled and he wouldn’t know the new layout unless he’d been here. The sheriff said that Cassidy Wilder frequented the store many times a week. If she was his ultimate target, maybe he’s covering up the fact by robbing the store? For all we know, he could have been stalking her for weeks.”
“You’ve nailed it, Beth.” Styles eyes sparked over his mask. “He’s trying to outsmart us by disguising his real motive. Ingenious. These serial killers never fail to impress me with their devious minds.” He shook his head slowly. “No wonder so many of them get away with murder. It’s impossible to work out their next move. I don’t know how you do it.”
Swallowing hard, Beth avoided his gaze. “I have an analytical mind. I just look at the facts, is all, and try and come up with a solution.”
“I’m done here.” Wolfe moved to their location. “I’ll be asking the sheriff to conserve the crime scene for a little longer, just in case we need to come back.” He indicated with his thumb over one shoulder. “From the trajectory of the bullets, the shooter remained in the same position as we viewed on the footage. We see his hand moving, but not his body. There were no missed shots, even when he aimed between the counters, he hit the man directly in the chest. The woman who came from the back room surprised him, and yet his head shot was absolutely textbook. From my observation, when he shot multiple times the woman running for the door, it was either because she annoyed him or he enjoyed it. From what I’ve seen on the footage, the shots were well placed and far apart. He could have finished her quickly with one headshot but took his time, inflicting as much pain as possible. I’m sure these findings will be proved during the examinations of the victims.”
“So we’re dealing with a man who knows how to shoot.” Styles sighed and followed Beth out the door. “In Montana, we might as well pull in every man walking past at any one given time.”
NINE
After leading the way from the crime scene, Beth walked toward the waiting vehicles. She looked at Sheriff Bowman. “Next stop, the mortician. Did you call and tell him not to touch the bodies?”
“Yeah, he had a corpse to prepare for a funeral in the morning, so you’re in luck.” Bowman swung into his truck and waited for her and Styles to climb in along with Wolfe.
“Did you speak to the doctor at the hospital who issued the death certificate for Arizona Carson?” Styles turned to Wolfe.
“Yeah, I explained in detail the ramifications of issuing a document without proof of identity.” Wolfe shook his head. “I figure she got the message.” He sighed. “The body will be ready for transporting by the time we’re through with the crime scenes and victims. If they’re all open-and-shut cases of gunshot murders, I’ll collect evidence and sign off on them to give their families closure.”
“The missing girl will be crucial to the investigation.” Styles removed his Stetson and smoothed his hair. “There are deputies in both counties searching the highways for signs of her. The locals are searching their outbuildings and looking out for signs she might be lying dead somewhere.”
“That’s the best we can do.” Sheriff Bowman looked in his mirror at Styles and Wolfe. “We don’t have the resources to search the entire county. We’re doing the best we can with what we have.”
Beth turned in her seat to look at him as they stopped in front of the local undertaker’s. “When we’re done here today, we’ll be heading back to our office, but we’ll be back. We’re staying in town until Cassidy Wilder shows.” She met his glance. “I’m told the motel on Bison is okay and has a decent restaurant.”
“It’s popular with the miners who come into town to let off steam. That can be anytime. They work odd shifts.” Bowman shrugged. “They expect good food, and you shouldn’t be disturbed during the week, but weekends can get rowdy.”
“We’re used to miners.” Styles barked a laugh and climbed out of the truck.
Keeping the sheriff’s attention, Beth met his gaze. “It’s fine you giving us a ride, but not practical. Is there anywhere we can rent a vehicle for a couple of days?”
“Yeah, the local gas station has loaners for customers getting work done. They have rentals available.” Bowman scratched his cheek. “It’s opposite my office. I’ll drop you back there if you’ll be wanting something for this afternoon.”
“Great.” Beth pushed open the door and headed after the others.
They followed Sheriff Bowman into the undertaker’s and waited for him to make the introductions. As they walked into what the mortician called his “cold room,” she stared at the bodies covered in white sheets. The room smelled of formaldehyde and decaying corpses, and she reached in her pocket for a face mask. She gaped in surprise at one of the victims when Wolfe removed a sheet. The man was fully dressed. She looked at Wolfe. “I was led to believe these victims were identified and bullet fragments retrieved from the body.”
“So was I.” Wolfe pulled a folder from his forensic kit and opened it. “They all have death certificates and I have a list of next of kin who identified the remains.” He turned to the mortician. “Did you conduct the identifications of these people?”
“Yes, sir, I did indeed.” The mortician opened a drawer in a filing cabinet and took out four large plastic bags, labeled and sealed. “These are the personal effects. I contacted the next of kin and they came down and identified the bodies. The headshot victim had a distinctive birthmark on her neck. The others I managed to make presentable for viewing this morning. Dr. Bligh came by and issued the death certificates. He did a cursory examination, but the paramedics had already given an approximate time of death in their report.”
“I’ll need the use of your preparation room.” Wolfe removed his coat and shook his head. “I want to examine each body and remove the bullets.” He looked at his daughter Emily. “You’ll be assisting me. Webber, collect what we require and then help us to remove the clothes.”
“I can help with that.” Styles pulled gloves from a box on the counter. He turned to the mortician. “We’ll need bags for the clothes and your assistance. Hurry now, we have another crime scene to process out at Broken Bridge before nightfall.”
“Yes, of course. I have three rooms available that you can use.” The mortician pulled on gloves and went to the first victim. “I’m happy to assist.”
Beth took charge of the garments. Matching each set of clothes with the correct personal effects and attaching labels. As Wolfe wheeled the first victim into the preparation room, she went to his side. “I can assist you if it will leave Emily free to work on one of the other victims.”
“I’ll be examining all the victims first and she is more than qualified to remove the bullets, and that will save time.” Wolfe’s eyes brightened above his mask. “I would welcome yourassistance. I’ll record my findings.” He took out a recording device and set it on the counter.
It amazed her how Wolfe’s team moved like a well-oiled machine. Colt Webber had waved his magic wand and a metal dish with instruments laid out was set on the counter, ready for use. Small containers for the bullets and various-size evidence bags sat on the counter too, complete with a pen for the labeling. Beth pulled on gloves and then gave him a nod. “I’m ready.” She turned on the recorder.
“Victim one is a man in his late forties, heavy build. He has been identified as George Pittman.” Wolfe made an incision on each side of the gunshot wound. He inserted his fingers and felt around and then looked up at Beth. “This man suffered a gunshot wound to the sternum. The projectile fractured the sternum and entered the heart. Death would have been immediate. Cause of death: gunshot wound to the chest. Time of death: as noted by the paramedics.” He stripped off his gloves and stopped the recording. “We’ll head to the next room.” He led the way outside. “Emily, take Webber and remove the bullet fragments from the first victim. When you’re done, follow me and do the same to the others.” He looked at the mortician. “Once Emily is finished, you can start to prepare the bodies for burial.”
Fascinated by the way Wolfe worked, Beth moved with him from victim to victim, offering what assistance she could and listening with interest to his commentary. He moved swiftly and removed the bullets from the last victim himself to save time. Beth collected the bullet fragments as they removed them from the body, placing each in a container and then labeling them. Once they’d finished, she collected all the evidence bags and stored them in a container. It had taken two hours from start to finish. The bodies would be laid to rest, but she still needed to hunt down their killer.
A short time later, they were in the choppers and flying to Broken Bridge. It wasn’t a long journey, but the scenery was spectacular, taking them above snowcapped mountain peaks. As the mining town of Broken Bridge came into view, blue and red wigwag lights could be seen in the distance. “That must be the park.” She pointed ahead. “It looks like they’re expecting us.”
