A shiver shook Avery violently as she left the examination room.
Grant slipped an arm around her shoulders and gently pulled her close. “Cold?”
“Freezing,” she admitted. “I know it helps to preserve the bodies while he conducts his exam, but it was like a refrigerator in there.” Again, she shivered.
“And you’re recovering from head trauma. We should get you to a hotel where you can rest as the doctor ordered.” Grant placed a hand at the small of her back and ushered her back down the hallway. When they emerged into the reception area, the staticky sound of a radio filled the air.
Ms. Peterson leaned close to the device emitting the noise.
Avery frowned. “Is that a police scanner?”
Ms. Peterson held up a hand to quiet Avery and listened to the squawk of voices on the radio. “Someone called 911 to report he just found a body on Crooked Branch Road two miles west of Shadow Valley. The sheriff’s department has been dispatched to the crime scene.”
Avery met Grant’s gaze.
Without uttering a word, they left the building.
Once outside in the fresh air, Avery filled her lungs. “I can’t stand the scent of formaldehyde.”
Grant smoothed a hand over her back. “Me, either. To me, it’s the scent of death.”
“Come on.” Avery took his hand and led him toward the rental car. “If this is another murder victim, we need to be there.”
Grant held her door for her as Avery climbed in. “And I’m willing to bet your dark-haired imposter will be there as well.”
Avery nodded. “Which brings the question… She’s been here for the past few days. Will Agent Bradley and Sheriff Taylor think she’s the imposter, or me?”
“Are we going to charge into the crime scene demanding answers, or do we observe from a distance to calculate the threat?”
Avery bit her bottom lip. “Part of me wants to charge in and demand answers. But if this woman is the killer or is working with the killer, we can’t bulldoze our way in and expect any good to come of it. We need to follow her to the truth.”
Sitting up with her seatbelt crossing over her shoulder, she slid her hand between her chest and the strap to keep it from touching her sensitive bruising. She stared at the road ahead and shook her head, wondering if she was, in fact, correct and she’d crossed into an alternate reality.
She pinched the skin on her arm. Hard. And winced.
Grant laid a hand over her fingers. “Don’t. You’re awake, not dreaming. There’s no such thing as an alternate reality.”
“How do I know I’m not entrenched in some horrendous mind fuck?” She drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “My nightmares feel as real as this. Did the accident scramble my brain beyond repair?”
“No. You’re not in a dream or nightmare. If this is a mindfuck, the imposter is at the center of it. Let’s go observe and see for ourselves.”
Avery nodded. “Observe.”
“When we know something certain, we’ll confront the woman and clue in Agent Bradley and Sheriff Taylor.”
“If she steps over the line or endangers my colleague or the people of this community?—”
Grant’s jaw hardened. “We’ll take her out.”
As Grant sped toward the scene of the latest crime, Avery leaned forward in her seat, anxious to find the woman who dared to impersonate a federal agent. The only motivation she could think of was that she was involved in the murders and was diverting focus while the murders continued.
Sheriff’s SUVs, first responder trucks and an ambulance lined the shoulder of the road.
A small van from one of the local news stations sped around Grant’s rental car and slid to a stop. A pretty blond-haired reporter jumped out with a microphone in her hand. Her cameraman stepped out, settled his video camera on his shoulder and immediately started recording her as she spoke.
Avery lowered her window so that she could hear what the woman was saying.
“The WTD killer has struck again. A third victim was discovered today.” She waved a hand toward the yellow caution tape, behind which the first responders stood. “I’m here with the local sheriff’s department as they process the scene. We’ll be sure to provide an update for our home viewers and concerned citizens as soon as they’ve identified the victim and notified immediate family members.” She lowered her microphone. “Did you get all that?”
