Evie shot Rueger a dirty look but nodded in agreement. “Come, Bruno.”
Rather than heading out of the woods the way they’d come, Cam figured they should make good on their plan to walk toward the river. If nothing else, to put distance between them and the poor innocent victim Bruno had found.
Cam glanced over his shoulder, noticing how Jackson had continued to uncover the victim’s body. Grand Haven had crime scene techs; Rueger had called them in the other day. But apparently Jackson was interested in seeing the girl’s face.
He quickly turned away. He had more than enough nightmares after the tragic exfil from Afghanistan. Seeing this young girl’s deceased face would only add to them.
Neither of them spoke for long minutes. It was only when they could no longer hear Rueger and Jackson that Evie broke the silence.
“Did you notice her arm was completely bare?” Evie glanced at him, her expression solemn. “When I saw the fabric of Skye’s favorite top, I knew it was her. But I can’t help but wonder if that girl was buried without her clothes.”
“Could be she was wearing a tank top and shorts. Maybe even a swimsuit.” He wanted to believe that, over the obvious assumption that the killer had sexually assaulted the victim before, during, or after killing her. “Let’s focus on the facts, not supposition.”
“The fact is I didn’t see any clothing,” Evie stubbornly insisted. Then she sighed. “But you’re right, it could be that she was wearing something skimpy.”
“The other fact is that the body was found about two hundred yards from Skye’s remains.” He frowned. “That almost makes me want to take Bruno farther into the nature preserve to see what else he might find.”
Evie grimaced. “I would only try that if we could be sure Rueger wouldn’t arrest you.” She glanced up at him, then said, “I still can’t understand how a serial killer could operate undetected in a town the size of Grand Haven.”
“Don’t forget there’s lots of tourists and some residents who have summer cottages here.” He glanced at her. “As far as proving my innocence, the more bodies we find, the more likely the information would help clear my name. I must have an alibi for the time frames of some of the murders.” He strove to sound casual, despite his deep fear that his life as a free man was limited to a matter of days. If not hours.
“There’s no proof you did this.” Evie’s staunch support eased the tightness in his chest. “I think Jackson knows who that victim is. He almost said her name, before Rueger stopped him.”
“I know.” He tried to remember each person he’d encountered during the twenty-four hours he’d been back in Grand Haven. Between the pizza parlor and the hotel, he couldn’t remember seeing anyone with a circle of flowers tattooed around her wrist.
Then again, the girl would have been dead before he’d arrived. Especially if their theory of Bruno recognizing the scent of the serial killer was correct.
And right now, that was about all they had going in their favor. He glanced at the dog, hoping the animal would help find the killer.
Before he found them.
6
Rays of sunlight filtered through the towering trees as Evie and Cam made their way through the woods. As much as she hated the thought of a serial killer operating in Grand Haven, Cam had a good point. The more victims that were found, the more likely he’d be cleared as a suspect.
Glancing down at Bruno, she noticed how the canine sniffed along the ground, his ears pricked forward. If there was another body to be found, she believed Bruno would lead them to it by following the scent of the killer.
Detective Rueger’s scathing comment replayed in her mind.There’s no way the killer’s scent remained at the scene of Skye Gray’s remains for fourteen years.She grimaced, forced to admit the detective was right. If there were other bodies buried in the nature preserve from years earlier, she wasn’t sure Bruno would find them.
Unless, of course, this guy was sick enough to return to the gravesites. Her stomach churned at the thought of him reliving his kills. The image of the slender blue arm with the tattoo bracelet flashed in her mind. She placed a hand over her stomach, willing her breakfast sandwich to stay put. Being an OR nurse and watching as surgeons cut into people’s bodies to repair wounds and other ailments did not prepare her for this.
Nothing could prepare anyone for this.
Evie stumbled over a branch. Cam’s arm shot out to grab her. She managed a reassuring smile. “Thanks.”
He nodded, his expression grim following their interaction with Rueger and Jackson. She felt bad for him; it must be awful to be treated as a suspect in two brutal murders.
Bruno abruptly altered course, heading deeper into the brush. She glanced fearfully at Cam, before quickly following her dog. “What is it, Bruno?”
Cam stayed close beside her as Bruno trotted toward a fallen log. It was huge and, to Evie’s untrained eye, seemed to have been there for at least a year or two, maybe longer. The inside was beginning to hollow out.
Bruno sniffed intently along the base of the log, then he sat and let out a sharp bark.
“Good boy.” She had no idea what she was praising Bruno for as she bent to run her fingers through his fur. “You’re a very good boy.”
“I suspect the killer was here recently.” Cam stood with his hands on his hips, surveying the area with a critical eye. “Maybe after he buried the young woman’s body, he stopped here to rest.”
“You really think so?” Despite how smart her dog was, it seemed a stretch to imagine Bruno had found the killer’s scent lingering here for what, two days?
