Cam stepped back, lightly tugging Evie to the side so the detective could see the arm they’d uncovered in the dirt. Rueger let out a muttered curse as he spied the blue mottled arm exposed to the elements.
Then the detective abruptly straightened and turned his scathing gaze to Cam. “You really expect me to believe you found this victim by accident?”
“Not by accident, no.” Cam held the detective’s gaze. “Bruno led us to the gravesite. He sat and barked to bring us to the scene.”
“That’s your version of the dog ate my homework.” Rueger sneered. “He’s not a trained police dog. I don’t believe Bruno found this grave on his own.”
“Bruno knows the scent of the killer.” Evie’s tone was sharp. “I think Bruno scented this guy while he was in the act of burying his victim the night before last. By the time I let Bruno out, the guy escaped. Bruno was gone for a long time, and when he returned, he had Skye’s forearm bone in his mouth.” Her gaze bounced between Jackson and Rueger. “I think he stopped there because he knew it was a place associated with the killer.”
“Now I know you’re off base.” Rueger waved his hand toward Bruno. “There’s no way the killer’s scent remained at the scene of Skye Gray’s remains for fourteen years.”
Evie took a step toward the detective. “I didn’t say that. I said he associated the bone with the killer. I’ve heard some killers return to their victims’ graves to refresh their memories of what they’d done. Who’s to say the killer didn’t bury this victim, then came back to visit the site of Skye’s remains?”
Cam noticed Jackson gave Bruno a long look, as if assessing whether the dog was smart enough to have tracked the killer’s scent. For a moment, he wondered if Jackson was the killer but then reminded himself the guy had been a skinny freshman when Skye had been murdered.
Besides, if Jackson or Rueger were involved in killing women and burying their bodies in the nature preserve, he felt sure Bruno would let them know. From the way Bruno acted, he suspected the animal may have had some police K9 training prior to his being rescued by Evie.
The dog acted very similar to the bomb-sniffing dogs he’d worked with during his two tours in Afghanistan. Cam wasn’t a trained K9 handler but recognized a smart dog when he saw one.
It was a little disturbing to think that Bruno was the only one who would recognize the killer should they ever find him. And even then, only by the guy’s scent.
“Detective? Didn’t we hear about a young girl going missing that had a flower tattoo?” Jackson’s question had Cam turning toward him. Jackson was kneeling in the dirt brushing soil away from the rest of the exposed arm.
“Maybe, but we’re not going to discuss that in front of our main suspect.” Rueger gestured toward Cam. “Call the ME, let him know we have another victim.”
“Okay.” If Jackson believed Cam was a murderer, he didn’t let on.
“Did the ME find anything regarding Skye’s cause of death?” Evie asked.
“That’s not your concern.” Rueger’s attitude rubbed Cam the wrong way. Without Evie and Bruno, the police wouldn’t know about a killer walking in their midst. “Why are you out here in the nature preserve anyway?”
“We were hiking.” Evie crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive gesture. “That’s not against the law.”
“Yeah, an innocent hike that led straight to a second victim.” Rueger’s mocking tone had Cam curling his fingers into fists. He wasn’t a violent man; he’d only gone after Dan Johnson back in the day when he’d forcefully dragged his girlfriend into the water. Logically, he knew Rueger was goading him into losing his temper, and he forced himself to remain calm with an effort. “I noticed your home address is Chicago, Walker. That’s not very far away. You could have easily driven back and forth to murder these victims. And that’s how you conveniently stumbled across this most recent victim.”
“I did not do this.” Cam’s protest was immediate.
As if sensing his tension, Evie uncrossed her arms and put a hand on Cam’s arm. “He’s right. As I already told you, Bruno led us to this location. We were heading toward the river when he turned and bolted away.”
Jackson glanced up at them. “Why the river?”
“Why not?” Cam wasn’t going to give either of the local cops any information on their suspicions. Not when every word out of his mouth was being recorded as a top suspect. “We thought it would be nice to see what changes have been made since we lived here as kids.”
He’d hoped that putting some emphasis on the fourteen-year gap since the last time he’d stepped foot in Grand Haven would help, but Rueger only smirked before turning toward Jackson. “Let’s get the ME out here pronto. I don’t like being eaten alive by mosquitos.”
“Does that mean we’re free to leave?” Cam held the detective’s gaze, trying to figure out how close the guy was to arresting him. It wasn’t as if there was any evidence linking him to this second victim, other than his being with Evie when Bruno found her.
But somehow, he didn’t think a lack of evidence was going to get in the way if Rueger really wanted him behind bars. And for the second time in a matter of hours, he wondered if he needed to call Rex to get a name of a good criminal defense lawyer.
After a long pause, Rueger finally relented. “Yeah, you can go, but I don’t want either of you to leave town.” Rueger scowled menacingly. “Especially you, Walker. Do you understand?”
He forced a nod. “I can assure you I don’t plan on leaving until my name has been cleared.”
“Me either,” Evie added. “Besides, you’re going to need Bruno to help find this guy.”
“He’s not a police dog,” Rueger repeated with a wave of his hand. “Don’t worry, I’m confident we’ll find the evidence needed to arrest the killer.”
Ignoring the less than subtle dig, Cam tugged Evie’s arm. “Let’s go. They’re not going to tell us anything.”
