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“Yes, ma’am. It’s not five minutes away. We would have spotted it but it’s hidden by the trees.”
Jenna gathered up her belongings then straightened and stared at her deputies. “What are you all waiting for? Grab the gear. I want to arrive at the fishing cabins before dark.”
They followed Rowley’s lead and soon a dilapidated cabin came into sight. Jenna scanned the area. “It looks like it’s abandoned.”
“No doubt.” Kane had dismounted and was following Wolfe to the front door. “We’ll take a look, ma’am.” He turned to Duke. “Stay, boy.”
Jenna waited for a few moments, watching the door expectantly. Wolfe came out first, removing his surgical gloves, then Kane shut the door and walked toward her. “We have bodies wrapped in plastic under the floorboards, but from the dust, no one has been here for some time.”
“I’ll have to come back in the morning with lights—its pitch-dark in there.” Wolfe’s brow creased into a frown. “From what I can see, there are three bodies. I’m going to need help. The two experts Helena are sending with the chopper will not be enough. It may take a day or so to organize; we are talking about two different teams and equipment. This can’t be rushed.”
“Pull in anyone you need.” She glanced at her watch. “I doubt anyone will disturbed them overnight. We should move out or we won’t have time to check the fishing cabins.”
Six bodies. Could these be the missing girls in the newspapers? Jenna swallowed hard and turned her horse back up the mountain.
49
Warm blood soaked her shirt and trickled down the front of her jeans. She stared at the knife, sticky against her palm. It had taken seconds to kill him and yet the room already stank of death. At her feet, the last twitches of life left Chris Jenkins’ body. He lay sprawled on his back, a fixed startled expression on his face. She bent over him and stared into his eyes. “See what you made me do?”
A stark clarity of mind engulfed her, removing the emotion and hate she felt for the monster. Once she had killed him, the gnawing rage melted away like ice in the sun and left behind a warm glow of contentment. She straightened and peered around the room, trying to retrace her steps. The sheriff would search the cabin and she must make sure she left no hint of her existence behind, not one hair or fingerprint. She found a bucket close by and removed her clothes then pushed them into the bucket. A threadbare towel hung over the edge of the sink and she wrapped it around on
e hand to turn on the faucet. The pipes made a gurgling sound and discolored water ran into the basin. She washed using the sliver of soap someone had left behind, but without a mirror, she had no idea if any blood remained on her face. After scanning the floor, she wet the towel and rubbed it over her footprints then let the water run for some time to make sure no trace of blood remained in the trap. She turned off the faucet, dropped the towel in the bucket, then dressed in clean clothes from her backpack.
After wiping down the chair with the monster’s T-shirt, she added the bottle of drink to the bucket. She took one last look around the cabin, pulled her cap down low on her head, and pushed on her sunglasses; with her backpack over one shoulder, she picked up the bucket then headed for the door. She used the T-shirt to turn the knob, dropped it on the floor, and elbowed the door open. The moment she stepped outside, she stared into the startled face of a young girl pushing a bicycle. She let the door swing shut behind her and waved the girl away. “Run! The man in there has a knife, he tried to kill me.”
Concerned she might be identified, she brushed past the terrified girl and grabbed her own bicycle, but before she had mounted, the girl came flying by, pedaling fast. After riding to the end of the trail, she stared both ways and saw the girl heading in the opposite direction to where she had left her car. Goosebumps rose on her skin as a wave of apprehension washed over her. The girl was heading in the same direction as Bobby-Joe had driven. There was nothing at the end of the road as far as she was aware and perhaps by now he had turned around and headed home. The idea of him being so close nagged at her. Why is he in the forest? Did the monsters plan to meet two girls today?
To her relief, the girl turned left, taking a hidden path away from the main trail, and the forest swallowed her. Many animal paths weaved throughout Stanton Forest and she probably knew of a shortcut back to the main road. Turning in the other direction, she pedaled hard, glad to find the small clearing where she had left her car. Once she had stowed the bicycle and the bucket under the tarpaulin in the trunk of her car, it took her a few moments to remove her baseball cap and brush out her hair. She checked her face in the mirror, added some lipstick then headed back to town.
The heavy weight she had carried for so long was finally getting lighter. One to go.
50
Bobby-Joe had waited for thirty minutes and was getting restless. She should be arriving soon and he wanted to be waiting for her at the cabin. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel of his truck then decided to pay Chris a visit. If he walked in on him and his honey, so what? He picked up a bottle of drugged soda then slipped from the seat and depressed the key fob to lock the doors. After taking a quick look around just to make sure no one lurked in the shadows, he strolled toward the cabin. As he turned the bend, he noticed a white sedan moving away at speed in the distance. He cursed under his breath; if Chris had invited anyone else to the party without telling him, there would be hell to pay. I’m running this show, not you, asshole.
Movement caught his eye in the dense forest and over the birdsong came the distinct sound of crying. He turned slowly, peering in all directions. “Hello, is someone there?”
“M-me, I’m here.” A girl pushed out the bushes, tears streaming down her face. “You didn’t c-come from the cabin, did you?”
Bobby-Joe stared at her in disbelief. Oh, this is my lucky day. “Me? No, I parked my truck some ways up the road.” He indicated behind him with his thumb. “My dog jumped out the back and headed this way, I’ve been lookin’ for him. Have you seen a brown dog come by?”
“No.” The girl rubbed at her eyes.
“What happened to you?” Bobby-Joe kept his distance, not wanting to spook her. “It’s not safe for young girls to be walkin’ alone in the forest.”
“I came to meet someone at the cabin.” She sniffed and her tear-filled eyes moved over him. “I met a girl back there near the cabin. She said there was a bad man in there with a knife, so I ran away but then I fell off my bicycle. The wheel is all bent out of shape.”
Bobby-Joe frowned, wondering what the hell Chris was doing. At least Chris had an advantage over him right now. The upset girl could identify him but Chris would have been wearing his clown mask. He had his hanging out of his back pocket. He sighed. Too late now. It looks like this one is coming home to stay.
His mind ran through a few scenarios of what to do with her. She was scared and he had to appear to be a safe option. All he had to do was persuade her to get into his truck. “Oh, there are some nasty men around. Like I said, it’s not safe in the forest. I guess I had better look for my dog in the other direction. I don’t like the idea of being stabbed today by some lunatic.” He made to turn away then stopped and looked at her. “Do you want to walk with me?”
“Okay.” She followed him. “What’s your dog’s name?”
“Deefer.”
“That’s a stupid name.” She wiped her nose on a tissue then coughed.
Bobby-Joe thought all his birthdays had come at once. He figured she was the girl he had groomed for months, but now Chris had spooked her, and any chance of convincing her he was the man she planned to meet would be a waste of time. She would connect him to the maniac in the cabin. He would have to play it cool and held out the bottle of soda. “Wanna drink? I haven’t opened it yet so it hasn’t got cooties.”
