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“Did you see something?”
“Elizabeth went inside. I hope that wasn’t a sign that we’re supposed to follow her.” Cassie shook her head, knowing that was precisely what Elizabeth wanted.
“We’ll knock so he doesn’t think we’re trying anything,” Harris ascended the handful of steps to the front porch.
Cassie stayed on the ground and when Harris knocked, Cassie had the urge to look over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of the activity inside. A breeze blew through the trees, but other than a few birds chirping and chickens off in the distance, it was quiet. Peaceful.
A nice place to be laid to rest.
When no one answered, Cassie said, “Now what?”
“We have to wait until we have the warrant to go inside.” Harris was staring down one end of the wrap around porch. “But we can check out the yard. Come on.”
They crossed the driveway and Cassie made sure to stay as close to Harris as possible without getting in her way. The detective didn’t pull her service pistol out, but she kept her hand near her hip. Cassie wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse. They both kept looking up at the windows around the house to see if anyone was watching them.
Cassie spotted the mounds in the yard first.
There was one to the left of the house, about twenty feet from the front porch, and another about ten yards to the right of the first. Several mounds dotted the yard in a semi-circle. A figure stood over the last one and when she looked up, Cassie recognized her as Sage, the latest victim.
“Oh my God.”
Harris gripped the butt of her gun. “What?”
“The bumps on the ground? I think they’re the hearts.”
“I’m not going to ask how you know that.”
“Sage is standing over there.” Cassie pointed.
“I said I wasn’t going to ask.” Harris walked closer to one. “What I’d like to know is why.”
Cassie shrugged. “Bradley said he was using the hearts in a ritual. Maybe it’s like a protection spell? He had to bury them in the yard around his house?”
“Protection spell? Burying hearts? That’s disgusting.”
“I don’t disagree.”
“And what’s he placing them in? What’s stopping the coyotes from digging up the—"
Harris’s mouth hung open; her voice replaced by the crunching of gravel at the same time. A blue pickup truck appeared around the bend in the driveway.
Cassie, glancing around the yard for a safe place, started to duck. “Should we hide?”
“No, we don’t want to make him suspicious. He won’t know we’re cops right away. Once he gets close enough, I’ll announce who I am. Stay behind me. We’ll keep him close and try to get him to let us inside. If we can keep him talking, we can stall until David gets here.”
Cassie was about to agree with the plan, but as soon as the truck pulled to a stop, the man behind the wheel jumped out. She only had enough time to catch a quick glimpse of gray hair and the scowl on his face before he pulled a shotgun and aimed it right at the two women.
Then he pulled the trigger.
Forty
Harris reacted before Cassie could process what was happening.
By the time Baker had gotten the shot off, Cassie was on the ground and Harris was on top of her. Cassie had landed on a sharp rock. Pain radiated throughout her arm. It dulled almost as the realization of their current situation slammed into her.
Another shot rang out and echoed across the plot of land and Harris rolled Cassie behind a thick oak and pulled her Glock out all in one swift movement.
“Are you hit?” Harris asked. “Are you hurt?”
