“Let’s keep it that way.”
Burke killed the engine. They stepped out into the cold and started up the faint trail.
The trees opened enough to reveal the ridge. Mike stood pale, one hand braced against a trunk.
“Sheriff,” Mike said, voice unsteady. “It’s bad.”
Burke gave a short nod. “All right. Stay put for now.”
“Yes, sir.”
They stepped forward?—
—and stopped.
A skeleton lay in the open.
The skull rested atop the rib cage, angled toward the path.
A crow burst from a branch, wings slapping the air.
“Oh Lord.” Burke went still.
Scout stared. “That’s not Sara.”
Relief cut through him—sharp, guilty.
Burke reached for his radio. “Dispatch, notify Units Four and Seven at Parker’s scene. It’s not her.”
Static. Then, “Copy that. Thank God.”
“They needed that,” Burke murmured.
Scout nodded. “We all did.”
While Scout tied yellow tape between the trees, Burke widened the perimeter, careful not to disturb faint impressions on top of the frozen ground.
“Keep your light low,” Burke said.
“Got it.”
Prints ended clean. No drag marks.
Burke nodded once. “Then he knew what he was doing.”
A deputy led Mike back toward his truck.
“Can’t say I’ll be hunting up here again,” Mike muttered.
“Can’t blame you,” Burke said. “We’ll need you down at the station later, Mike—formal statement.”
The radio crackled. “Sheriff Scott. Medical examiner en route. ETA five.”
“Copy that.”
Headlights cut through the trees below.
A dark SUV climbed the slope. Dr. Evelyn Cade stepped out before it stopped, her bag slung over one shoulder, hair pulled into a no-nonsense knot streaked with gray.
