Caleb nodded while shouldering his pack.
Ava let all the K-9s sniff the cloth in preparation for their search. After the teams were in motion, she held the fabric under Shadow’s nose and gave the order to hunt.
The dog barely waited for the command to leave her lips before he was on the move guiding them through the deep snow. Caleb, a seasoned guide, found himself gasping for breath after the trek through snow almost up to their knees.
After they’d been at it for hours, Caleb halted the team. “Let’s take a second to get our breath back and get some water. That was deeper and harder than expected.”
“Agreed.” Ava pulled in several labored breaths before retrieving her water bottle. She’d packed Shadow’s dish and poured water into it before asking, “Which way from here?” It had been years since she’d used snowshoes in deep snow. She’d forgotten what a struggle it could be.
“Straight through there,” Caleb told her. “The laurel grove is about another mile or so out.”
Not exactly the news Ava wanted to hear, but she couldn’t lose sight of why they were here.
“It feels as if he’s shifted his MO a little this time.”
Caleb’s words pulled her out of her thoughts. “In what way?”
He closed his water bottle and replaced it in his pack. “Were there any older pieces of evidence found? When you reviewed the previous cases and the findings related to the victims, I don’t recall anything but wax and candles. Some vegetation.”
He watched her carefully.
“You’re right. There has been a shift from three years earlier. It’s almost as if he wants to reveal something from his past. And...I’m worried, Caleb.” She lowered her voice. “I’m worried there will be more than three victims this time.”
Caleb moved closer and touched her arm. “Hey, we’ll figure it out. You’ve got the best people possible on your side. He’s not getting away this time.”
Ava touched his cheek. “I sure hope you’re right. We should probably get moving. It’s going to be a long hike in and out.”
He swallowed several times. “You’re right. And we have a killer to catch.”
She smiled. “I want to believe it will be that easy.” She cleared her throat. “Alright everyone. Let’s keep moving.”
They started walking again. It felt like it was forever before they reached the site. Shadow stepped into the density of the grove that kept snow from piling too densely under the mountain laurels.
Caleb had been right. The walking became far more difficult, slowing them down tremendously.
Laurel branches laden with snow brushed against Ava’s sleeves, coating her in additional white powder.
Breathing sounds echoed around them as the team struggled to move through the heavy snow.
“I can’t get over the feeling we’re being watched,” Ava whispered to Caleb. “I’m not sure if it's real or just my imagination working overtime.”
“I feel the same way. Knowing that he was there watching at the first scene when I didn’t have any idea is just plain creepy.”
Even Shadow appeared to be struggling in the snowdrifts. Despite the handicap, Shadow continued to cut a path ahead with full attention remaining on the hunt—proving at some point, Wax had been down this path. Ava wondered if it was just a ploy to throw them off or if they would find another deadly clue before the second victim’s body was discovered.
She checked in with Harper’s team to see how they were faring.
“Koa’s following a scent,” Harper told her. “We’ve been heading into the woods now for about half an hour.”
Ava’s heart sank. She wondered if it was all another hoax. “Shadow is on scent, too. I’m sure Wax has done this to throw the dogs off. He’s enjoying himself.”
“You’re kidding? So now what? Do we keep going or regroup?”
Ava told her to keep going for the moment. “It’s possible he left clues behind. I’ll check in with our two remaining teams and let them know.
After speaking to Jace and Micah with the same results, she wondered if Wax had sent them on a wild goose chase. She shared her concerns with Caleb.
“To what end?” he asked. “So far, we haven’t run across a single clue.”
