“Not really.” How could anyone be okay with a dead body buried a few feet from where they stood? Her vision blurred, and it took all her strength not to collapse against Cam. “If there are more victims...” She couldn’t finish. She swayed, unable to focus on her surroundings.
He must have noticed, because suddenly she was in his arms, held tightly against his chest. “Take a deep breath,” he murmured.
Unable to resist, she rested her forehead against his chest and tried to do as he’d suggested. Her chest was so tight it took several attempts before she could drag in a huge gulp of air. The reassuring beat of Cam’s heart helped steady her nerves. His musky scent teased her senses.
Any man who could hold her so tenderly couldn’t possibly be a serial killer. Granted, she’d read that Ted Bundy was known to be handsome and charming, but that was only a façade he’d worn to lure women into trusting him.
Okay, she needed to stop thinking about Ted Bundy and any other famous serial killers. This was going to give her nightmares as it was. She didn’t need to add to them by imagining the worst.
Bruno bumped his nose against her leg again. Drawing another slow deep breath, she lifted her head and forced herself to take a step back. As much as she liked being nestled in Cam’s arms, he was just being kind.
A friend, the way he had been back when they’d worked as lifeguards together.
“I’m fine now.” She did her best to smile. “Sorry to fall apart like that.”
“You don’t have to apologize. It’s been a rough couple of days.” His brow was furrowed with concern.
Talk about an understatement. A rough couple of days was working the OR on the Fourth of July weekend when trauma patients streamed in one after the other in an endless blur.
Stumbling upon two dead bodies in two days? That was beyond comprehension. Evie longed to lean on him again but forced herself to take another step back. She reached down to stroke Bruno.
Cam was here now, but he wouldn’t be glued to her side forever. She needed to remember they were only together now to uncover the truth about what had happened to Skye.
As friends, nothing more.
Cam longedto pull Evie close, but the distant sound of muted voices reached his ears. He frowned and scanned the woods over Evie’s shoulder. He mentally braced himself for the interrogation to come.
Detective Rueger had made his opinion clear that Cam was still at the top of his suspect list. Maybe even more so now that they’d found another dead body. Okay, technically Bruno had found the young woman. Evie’s theory about Bruno scenting the killer as he’d buried the dead body was a good one. It made sense to him that Bruno had latched onto the killer’s scent.
What didn’t make as much sense was that the serial killer had tried to shoot Evie several times. Serial killers didn’t often change their methods of killing.
Then again, he assumed the guy was trying to silence Evie and Bruno as potential witnesses. Not because she fit his victim profile.
Looking at Evie’s pale and beautiful features, her clear blue eyes and riot of red curly hair made him wonder if the killer would have tried to come after her eventually. She was beautiful enough to attract attention. He moved closer to her as the voices in the distance grew louder.
“We need to go this way,” a male voice that wasn’t Rueger’s said.
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Rueger groused.
“I do. Trust me, it’s this way.” Rueger obviously hadn’t come alone, which made sense. They’d need to process this like the earlier crime scene, even if this was simply a body dump site.
Cam straightened his spine, holding himself steady as he wondered how soon he’d feel the cold steel handcuffs binding his wrists. It wouldn’t be long, he knew. Rueger was desperate to arrest someone, and he was the most likely suspect. To his surprise, Evie stepped closer to him, her shoulder touching his upper arm.
“We’ve got this,” she murmured.
It was a humbling display of solidarity. One he wasn’t sure he deserved, but one he appreciated anyway.
“I see them.” Rueger’s voice was louder now.
“Me too.” Cam eyed the officer who walked beside Rueger. The guy appeared to be a few years younger than Cam. He examined the guy’s facial features, but the cop didn’t look at all familiar.
“Jackson?” Evie’s surprised tone made him frown. “I didn’t realize you were with the Grand Haven Police Department.”
“Evie.” The tall, thin officer nodded at Evie, then cut his gaze to Cam. “I remember you, Cam. I was a freshman when you and Evie were seniors.”
“Jackson Dupree.” The face finally registered. He’d recalled seeing Jackson at the lakefront; it was the main hangout for all local kids during the summer. The young, skinny kid he remembered was obviously a seasoned cop now. One that knew how to use GPS coordinates to hike through the woods. “I remember now.”
“Show us the body,” Rueger said bluntly. “Then I want to hear again how you came across this location.”
