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“Kane, get your butt down here. I want shots of everything. Look there—” she flicked him an intent gaze then pointed at an indent in the ground “—that’s where the lid came off, and look over there—is that something gold sticking out of the snow?”
“Yeah, I see it.” He raised his cellphone and took the necessary shots. Moving closer, he zoomed the camera to get a closer shot. “It looks like half a gold bracelet. It might have been dropped here earlier.”
“It’s a torque bangle.” Alton frowned. She pulled an evidence bag from her pocket, then in one swift movement plucked the item up and placed the jewelry inside. She held it up and squinted at it. “This is old. The design is Celtic probably, Scottish or Irish.”
He stared at the item. “From the size, it belonged to a man.”
“It might have slipped off the corpse.” Alton swiped at the snowflakes covering her long black lashes then pushed the bag inside her pocket. “By the trail of liquid, the barrel rolled a fair way before coming to rest.” She walked away, following the path made by the can in the snow.
Kane noticed the way she kept to the tracks made by the tractor, her head turning from side to side, searching the snow for evidence. He followed her but Alton reached the barrel before him and pushed one hand to her face then turned to face him, eyes wide. He caught up and peered at the corpse. Bile rushed up the back of his throat at the congealed remains hanging out the top. Flesh had peeled from the extended arm, the hand and fingers held together by strands of skin. A gold ring hung loosely around one finger on the clenched skeletal fist. The body was naked and curled in a fetal position. His attention moved to the victim’s head. The face had melted into a mass of pink jelly but dark hair was evident. He moved closer to examine what appeared to be a silver necklace but found wire pulled tight around the victim’s throat. One shoulder appeared to have a faded tattoo in an unusual weave design. Deep open wounds covered the victim’s back, displaying bone. Some crazy had tortured the man to death. From the extent of the injuries on the corpse, it had been a slow and deliberate murder. He wondered if the killer wanted to extract information.
“We need to tell Brinks not to speak to anyone, especially the media. We’ll need to keep the details under wraps.”
“Obviously.” Alton cleared her throat and flashed him an annoyed look. “I’ll handle Brinks. I think he’s a little scared of me.”
Kane held his breath then moved in closer to record the scene. He straightened and turned to her. “He has a garrote around his neck, fencing wire by the look of it, and if we can link the bangle to him, robbery wasn’t a motive. The injuries I can see would make a thrill kill out of the question. Most of them are opportunistic, more like kill and run. The murderers usually leave the body at the death scene or close by. The victim’s injuries look methodical. Either the killer needed to extract information from the victim or they hated him big time.”
“I agree.” When Alton indicated toward the gate with her chin, he followed her gaze. “The ME is coming. We’ll leave them to finish up here. You are assuming the victim is male but we’ll need an affirmative on the sex. This could be one of our missing persons. The torque is significant and the discoloration on the shoulder could be a tattoo or some of the molasses remaining in the barrel.” Her blue eyes met his. “The deterioration of the body is unusual for this time of year. It’s free
zing, and if this is a recent murder then the temperature would have preserved the body.”
They walked away from the horrific sight and Kane shook his head. “No, whoever did this used a chemical to break down the flesh.” He indicated toward her pocket. “The bangle might be covered with it too; look at your gloves, they’re stained. You might want to take the bag out of your pocket.”
“Okay.” Alton pulled out the evidence bag, held it at arm’s length, and frowned. “I’ll give this to the ME. We’re all done here. You can tell him to remove the body.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Kane beckoned to the van heading in their direction. When it pulled up beside them, he waited for the two men to alight then indicated to the torque. “We found this near the barrel and believe the body is in some kind of chemical. This bangle needs to be transported in a medical hazard box.”
“Sure.” Mr. Weems got out the van with slow deliberation, hobbled around the back, and then opened the doors. He pulled out a glass jar, opened it, and held it out for Alton with a flash of yellowing teeth. “Pop it in here. I’ll wash it and check for engravings. If there’s anything to identify the victim, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks.” Kane waved a hand toward the remains. “We’ve taken photos of the scene so you can go ahead and remove the body.”
“Right you are.” Weems stared at the corpse, raised both dark eyebrows, then waved his son forward. “I’m Max Weems and you must be the new deputy sheriff? Welcome to Black Rock Falls.”
“Thanks.” Kane cleared his throat, wanting to be under a hot shower rather than chatting. “We’ll let you get to work and wait for the results of the autopsy.”
“If you can confirm the sex of the victim, I’ll start a check of missing persons.” Alton lifted her chin and flicked Kane a dismissive glance. “I believe there’s a tattoo on one shoulder; it could be crucial to identifying the victim. Do what you can to preserve it and get me a photograph.”
“Leave it to me. I’ll be in touch as soon as possible.”
When Alton gave Weems a curt nod and without a word headed toward the SUV, Kane trudged after her. He could not quite make his new boss out. No damsel in distress but he had an inkling she needed someone to trust, and he would try to be that person without stepping on her authority, which would be difficult.
Throwing his gloves into the landfill hole, Kane lifted his gaze to see Alton leaning against the passenger door, eyeing him with a troubled expression. “How many people use molasses barrels in Black Rock Falls?”
“Hundreds. Why?”
Kane dragged gloves from his pocket and pulled them on his freezing hands. “There was one tied on the back of the pickup that hit you on Friday night.” He shrugged. “What’s the chance this one is the same barrel?”
“Do you really believe someone would be stupid enough to risk running me off the road with a body in a barrel tied to the back of their pickup?” Alton snorted and gave him an amused look. “And in front of a witness? What if they’d slid off the road as well?”
“Most people who commit murder aren’t exactly sane.” Kane removed the surgical mask and shuddered at the wave of stench accosting his senses. “The time frame is right. Weems doesn’t know when the barrel was dumped at the landfill.” He tugged the hood of his jacket over his woolen cap. “I did notice the landfill area isn’t secure. One side is accessible via a gate. We should take a look and see if anyone has tampered with the padlock.”
“I agree but it will take some time to get there and I’m not driving through the forest smelling like a rotting corpse.” Alton’s gaze moved over the area then rested on him. “I need to get a shower and some breakfast first.”
Kane’s stomach lurched and he wondered if he would ever feel like eating again. “Do you think the victim could be either of our missing persons?”
“What motive would anyone have for murdering them? From what I understand, Mrs. Woodward was a nice old woman and John Helms would have hardly made an enemy in the few days before he went missing.” She peeled off her gloves with practiced efficiency and dropped them inside an evidence bag. “I think we’ll need to look further afield.”
“I agree.”
