Page 13 of Whisper Through the Pines

His heart rate increased but he slowed it with a deep breath. Where was the stalker? Ahead, a shadow moved and then melted back into the forest. Kane dropped his center of gravity, pivoted sideways, and slid behind a tree trunk. He gave the order for Duke to drop and stay hidden. A shiver went through the dog as if he sensed danger. Kane froze, slowing his breathing and listening. To his right came the unmistakable sound of weight shifting on damp leaves and clothing brushing bark. It was a costly mistake and he lifted his M18 pistol and waited. In seconds he’d become the predator and the Axman his prey. He stepped on a twig, deliberately making it crack to give away his position and then moved to another tree without making a sound. The attempt to lure the Axman worked. Moments later, in the darkness something shifted and Kane’s finger moved to the trigger, but no one came toward him and the shadow melted back into the forest as if the Axman had chosen not to face him.

Keeping his position, Kane lifted his scope and scanned the forest, finding no one. It’s as if he’d been stalked by a phantom. He clamped his jaw shut, air whistling through his nostrils. How close the Axman had been to him, and he’d missed the chance to take him down. If Jenna and the team hadn’t been close by, he’d have peppered the forest with gunfire, but he couldn’t have risked a shot without a positive target. A stray bullet from his weapon could have hit one of them. He tried his com again. “Jenna, do you copy?”

“Copy. I’ve been trying to reach you. The coms have been down.” Jenna’s voice came through loud and clear.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Kane pressed his com. “The Axman is here in the forest right now, so move in close to the others. He was stalking me, but I don’t know any fool who brings an ax to a gunfight. Maybe he believed he could get the jump on me, and trust me, that ain’t gonna happen.”

“He’s here?” Jenna lowered her voice. “Did he mess with our coms?”

Moving without making a sound, Kane walked back to where he’d left Duke. “Yeah, I believe so because when he vanished, they started working again. It takes a sophisticated jammer to do that. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again. We have other frequencies no one can touch.”

“Did you get a look at him?”

Kane moved through the trees, keeping in the dark patches between the dense pines, ever watchful for any movement. “No, he kept to the shadows, but I found evidence of a projector, so we can put away the notion of a ghost haunting the forest.” He ducked under tree branches. “I’ll walk the perimeter of the crime scene and then come in from the west. Don’t shoot me, okay?” He heard taps from the others as they responded. “And Jenna, there’s no physical evidence of him anywhere, no footprints. Apart from an indent from a tripod and a scratch on a tree, he left nothing. Maybe we need to call this guy the Phantom Axman. Trust me, if you guys weren’t in the line of fire, I’d have sprayed the forest, but I couldn’t risk hitting you.”

“I’m glad you didn’t risk it. We’ll catch him. We’re heading back to the trucks now.” Jenna sucked in a breath as if to steady her nerves. “Stay safe and see you in five.”

Sixteen

Jenna searched the forest in wide sweeps as she leaned against the Beast drinking a cup of coffee Raven had poured for her from one of the Thermos flasks. It never amazed her how Kane could move through the forest in complete silence. It was only when Duke bounded out from between the trees that she spotted him. As he walked toward them, Raven ducked into the Beast and came out with two cups of coffee. He gave one to Kane and then tossed him a couple of energy bars. Jenna’s stomach untwisted at the sight of her husband, and her grip on the handle of her pistol relaxed, her fingers uncurling one by one.

“How close was he?” Raven looked at Kane.

“Close enough. I could hear him but I couldn’t see him.” Kane went to Jenna’s side and leaned against the Beast, his shoulder brushing against hers. “He’s smart enough to walk away but he’s been watching us.” He moved his attention to Wolfe. “He messed with our coms. How is that possible?”

“I didn’t know it was. The encryption and other safeguards make jamming impossible.” Wolfe shook his head slowly, clearly amazed. “Did you try your phone?”

“No, I kept my eyes on the target.” Kane raised an eyebrow. “Everything will need to be replaced. If this guy can jam our communication devices, he might be listening in on everything we say. Do we have a timeframe?”

“I’ll make the necessary calls the moment I get back to my office and give you an ETA.” Wolfe rubbed at one eyebrow with a slow, frustrated stroke. “Later today, with luck.”

“Ben didn’t scent any strangers in the vicinity and he’s not giving out any signals now.” Raven stood casually sipping his coffee. “The perp didn’t return to the scene of the crime. He obviously knows the forest and the forest knows him. Did you notice how quiet it was when we arrived? It was as if the forest were holding its breath. We’ve had vehicles driving by all morning. He could have been in any one of them.”

“There are no other vehicles in the immediate area.” Rio walked toward them, his gaze never leaving the forest. “He’s probably on foot.”

“Do you want us to fan out and hunt him down?” Raven looked from one to the other. “He couldn’t have gone that far and he sure as heck didn’t pass us.”

“Someone like that, who moves like a stalker, would have an exit plan.” Kane narrowed his gaze but kept staring at the forest. “He came back to watch our reactions to his display. First, he wouldn’t risk being caught with an ax and we’re armed. He figured he could scare me, but when that didn’t happen, he ran away. I didn’t see in what direction. He’s good at using the forest for cover. The dogs might be able to follow a trail, but by now, if he has transport close by, he’ll be in the wind.”

Jenna indicated with her chin to the highway that vanished from view as it wound its way through the forest. “I agree. It will be a waste of time searching for him. If he hid his vehicle anywhere along the edge of the forest, he’d be well away by now. The positive is that Dave found signs of a tripod where a projector may have been placed. So we know how he’s creating illusions. He’s already moved all his equipment, so he won’t be returning. As he is a threat, we’ll need to warn the townsfolk. We know what this man is capable of doing and has no trouble in killing two people at a time. It seems to me he knows the forest well and uses it to his advantage.”

“He likes to single people out. That’s for sure.” Rio rubbed the back of his neck and turned to Kane. “How did it play out with you? What are we dealing with?”

“He acted strangely.” Kane drained his cup and pushed the energy bars into his pocket. “I figure he was trying to spook me by just giving me glimpses of his shadow and by tossing pine cones at me. When I pulled my weapon, he recognized that I had combat skills and backed off. I started to hunt him and he didn’t like that. He’s not stupid enough to hang around with all of us armed and ready to take him down.”

“He’s taunting us.” Emily stared wide-eyed into the shadows.

“Nah.” Kane rested one hand on the handle of his weapon. “He’s introducing himself. He’s saying he’s not afraid of us and we can’t stop him—he’s wrong.” He turned to Wolfe. “What size ax do you believe he used to murder the victims?”

“I would say it’s between a felling ax and a forest ax.” Wolfe leaned casually against the side of his van and shrugged. “I’ll know more after I’ve completed the autopsies. They have slightly different blades. As both these axes are used in a horizontal swing to get maximum efficiency, I would definitely say it’s not a splitting maul. That acts efficiently when it cuts with the grain of the wood. As the heads weren’t hacked off, I would say it would be one of the others. Both have long handles and would give the killer the swing necessary to decapitate with one strike.”

“So nothing too heavy?” A nerve in Kane’s jaw twitched as he stared into the forest. “It would take a tall powerful man to remove the head of someone in one strike, don’t you agree? Did the blood spatter give you any indication of height?”

“Yeah.” Wolfe’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve taken measurements and will give you an approximate height later but I’d say at least six feet. He is taller than the younger victim, the laceration in the back has a downward slant and I’d say that man is maybe five-ten.” He glanced at Emily. “We’ll grab some takeout and get back. Norrell is working alongside the robot and plans to assist us this afternoon. We’ll be conducting micro-CT scanning of the wounds. It is a remarkable tool for this type of injury. It creates 3D replicas of the wounds. When we catch the killer, we can use them to match against 3D scans of any weapons we find.”

Jenna pushed away from the truck and took the cup from Kane. “Well, I suggest we leave Wolfe and Emily to do their work. Jo and Carter might arrive today and Jo might have some insights into this guy’s profile.” She glanced at her watch. “Right now, I figure we grab something to eat at Aunt Betty’s and try and come up with a few possible suspects.”

Seventeen