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Moving slowly forward, senses on high alert, she studied every shadow. Every tree. Leaves rustled off to the right and she froze—until she made out the bulk of a raccoon waddling into the night.
She eased around the log, keeping a distance of five yards between it and herself, her gun raised and held in both hands. A man was propped against the log, just as Josh had said, but his features were hidden in the darkness. “Sir. Can you hear me, sir?”
He didn’t move.
She scanned the entire clearing once again, then edged several feet closer. “Sir?” But even as she spoke, a familiar odor wafted toward her, and she saw the wind-tossed leaves that had blanketed his legs and caught at the collar of his jacket.
The clouds overhead slid past the moon, and a silvery beam of light filtered through the branches above to cast an eerie glow on his staring eyes and open mouth.
Earl Stark had the ultimate excuse for not meeting her two nights before.
* * * *
NATHAN WATCHED as the county coroner’s panel van pulled away, then turned to Sara, still amazed that she would venture so far back into the dark woods alone—even to rescue someone.
That she’d remained so calm after finding the body surprised him even more.
The Shuellers had long since picked up Josh and taken him to the local clinic to have his ankle checked, and now the Aspen County crime-scene investigation team was searching for evidence.
“So what did the coroner say?” Sara asked, hugging herself against the cold. “Does he know how long Earl was out here?”
“We’ve had temperatures in the thirties and forties for the past several days, which slows decomposition, but the coroner thinks Earl died approximately forty-eight hours ago.”
Sara shuddered. “Does he think it was murder?”
“So far, he hasn’t found evidence of trauma, and based on the lividity and blanching patterns on the body, he says it doesn’t appear that it was moved after death. He thinks this was probably a natural death.”
“They’ll do an autopsy to be sure, won’t they?”
“Maybe. State law only requires an autopsy if he died under violent or unusual circumstances.”
“Being found dead like this isn’t unusual?”
Nathan reached out and rested a comforting hand on her upper arm, ignoring the spark that shot through him at the point of contact. “I know finding the body was frightening, but the coroner called the local medical clinic on his way over here. Earl was chronically ill. He had a long history of heart disease, alcoholism, and emphysema. He probably died of a heart attack.”
“You think that’s what happened?” Her voice was tinged with disbelief.
“If the coroner has any questions, or if our crime-scene unit finds anything suspicious, there’ll be an autopsy. In that case, I’d call in the BCA—the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension—to help us process evidence at the scene.”
A flash of indecision crossed her face. “I...I was supposed to meet him two nights ago. He was healthy enough then.”
“That was the night I found you down here and escorted you home?”
“Uh...yeah.” Her gaze shifted away from his.
Why hadn’t she told him the truth in the first place? “You said you were just letting your dog run in the park.”
She hitched a shoulder impatiently. “I was. But I’d also received a message that he wanted to talk to me.”
“You don’t think it’s risky to meet strange men in dark, isolated places?” He tried to keep his tone level, but she lifted her chin another notch.
“Of course, I do. I’m not completely stupid. I never got out of my car and the doors were locked.”
“You couldn’t have arranged something during the day in public?”
She raised her palms in frustration. “There was no phone listing for the salvage yard. I received his note the day before, and he made it very clear that he didn’t want me coming anywhere near his place. I don’t know why...I figured he was afraid of something.”
“Of what?”
