I notice the trees thinning out as the sun starts breaking through the gray clouds, and maybe fifty yards or so up ahead they disappear altogether.I’ve reached the edge of the canyon.
Not a fan of heights, I proceed with caution.The last thing I need is slipping on the wet rock and landing at the bottom.God knows how long it would take them to find me.All I told Brenda last night was that I’d be following up on some things today, so no one knows I came up here, and I already know from our earlier searches there is no cell reception.
Boy, another questionable decision to add to my collection.For someone who is usually sharp and levelheaded, I’m certainly off my game.
I lower myself to hands and knees, feeling safer that way as I approach the edge.My stomach lurches when I peek over and see the sheer drop of the rock face stretching down to the floor of the canyon below.
Then I notice a flash of red at the base of the deep gorge and a fraction later I see the body.It registers like a punch in the stomach.
There he is.
The first thing that stands out is the red baseball cap looks out of place.Probably because I’m hard-pressed to believe the person who left all that blood in the Mustang would still be wearing a ball cap.That person wouldn’t have been able to walk the close to a quarter mile it takes to get here, so would have had to be carried or dragged here.The likelihood the victim would still have had the cap on after that is slim, so it was probably tossed down after him by the killer.Or killers, because I seriously doubt one person could’ve managed to haul the victim this distance.
My mind spins, plucking at all the bits of information in an attempt to stretch them into a working theory.
Definitely more than one person involved and probably a second vehicle as well.It would explain how whoever abandoned the Mustang up here would’ve gotten back down to civilization.
Pulling out my phone, I notice there are no bars, but I wasn’t expecting any.I need my phone to take pictures.Granted, I can’t see a whole lot from up here, but before I go back to call in assistance, I want to make sure to capture exactly what it is I found.
Using the phone camera’s limited zoom, I manage to get a slightly closer view of the body.He’s face down, the longish brown hair is covering his features.The only thing I can see is part of his jawline.He looks clean shaven and young.The slouchy jeans halfway down his behind add to that youthful impression.
I can’t see his feet or any shoes he might be wearing, those are hidden by some underbrush, but I can make out the word Obey on the back of the black hoodie the victim is wearing.I recognize the name of the clothing brand, popular with youth.Linc has one of their sweatshirts.
I snap a good number of pictures, carefully moving along the top of the ridge to get as many angles as I can.Satisfied I’ve covered as much as I can from up here, I cautiously move back from the edge and get to my feet.Then I take a few shots of my surroundings to mark the area, and pull the scarf from my neck, tying it around the bottom branch of a nearby tree to pinpoint the location.
The trek back to the logging road is no easier, but it doesn’t feel quite as long.I’m too busy processing what I saw and the steps I need to take next.
My first call, once I drive far enough down the mountain to pick up a signal, is to Deputy Sheriff Hugo Alexander.
“It’s Tessa.I found the body,” I blurt out breathlessly.
“Whoa.Body?Back up a little.”
I briefly explain where I am and why, before launching into a description of the scene I found.
“Jesus,” Hugo mutters.“What do you need?”
“I don’t think we’ll be able to get to the victim where he is now without some serious assistance.We’re gonna need a trained recovery team.Where the body landed is a long way down, and I don’t know if there is a better way to access the location than from the ledge.”
“Let me make some calls.Are you heading back to the site or are you on your way to the station?”
“Station.I’m happy to go back and wait for a team, but I’m going to need some dry clothes and decent waterproof boots first.”
“I’m sure we’ve got some spare gear here, and I have an extra pair of boots in the back of my cruiser.I hope you have big feet.”
“I’m a size nine.”
“Savvy may have a pair in her locker.I’ll get Brenda to look and ask her to put on a fresh pot as well.I’ll pull up satellite images in the meantime so you can show me the precise location when you get here.”
Savvy is Edwards County Sheriff Savannah Colter, who is currently on family leave after giving birth to a baby boy last month.
My feet are still sopping in my socks when I exit the Jeep in the station parking lot.I catch myself stealing a glance at the auto shop across the roof of my vehicle.Clem Tanek’s business is housed in the old fire station behind the sheriff’s office, making it almost impossible to avoid seeing the man.
I’m a big girl, I can handle rejection, but I’d rather not risk getting shut down again, so I try to avoid contact altogether.
But it’s not Clem I see working inside the shop…
That looks like my son.
