AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Tom's not here right now. He's answering some questions down at the station," Rachel said.
Jebediah stiffened.
"What the hell do you mean?"
But Rachel didn't think mentioning the shooting and arrest would go over well. Someone on this land had issued the order for Jack to be shot, though... She wasn't the only one who would know what had happened.
Ethan just waved him away. "You'll see your brother soon enough."
"And what does that mean?" Jeb's eyes narrowed. His sun, who was chewing on some sunflower seeds, just watched everything with those dull, gray eyes.
"Isn't it past your bedtime?" Ethan asked.
The kid just shrugged, wrinkling a nose covered in freckles.
Jeb snapped, "Don't talk to my kid, asshole."
Ethan held up his hands in placation.
Jeb watched him. "Say... do I know you?"
Ethan looked away, turning his face towards the corpse, and ignored the question. Rachel still wasn't sure how to handle the information that Ethan wasverylocal to these parts. He'd been in a fistfight with Jeb and some of his brothers in their youth, and Ethan clearly still carried the wound. If not to his flesh, then certainly to his pride.
Rachel and Ethan continued towards the crime scene. As they moved further away, she could still feel the denizens of the ranch's gaze on them, as if they were watching their every move, waiting for them to slip up. She tried to shake off the feeling, knowing that the locals were only a small part of the challenges they would face in solving this case.
The moon cast its soft beams upon the crime scene, revealing a chilling sight. The victim lay lifeless against a gnarled tree root that seemed to clutch her like a monstrous hand, her body sprawled across the dirt in an awkward angle. Her limbs were tied with coarse ropes, which had cut into her flesh, leaving angry red marks that marred her pale skin. Her dark hair was matted with dried blood, and a deep gash ran across her forehead.
Rachel knelt beside the body, examining the woman's clothing. She wore a tattered silk dress that was once vibrant red, but now stained by dirt and blood. The dress was torn in places, exposing bruised flesh beneath. Ethan stood at a distance, watching Rachel work while surveying the surrounding area.
"Another senseless death," Rachel muttered, anger simmering in her veins as she traced a finger along the rope burns on the victim's wrists.
"Any idea who she is?" Ethan asked.
"Nothing yet. We'll have to wait for identification."
"Seems like the killer has a pattern though, huh?" Ethan said, his eyes narrowing. "The way the victims are found... it's methodical, almost ritualistic. The branches on the last one. Roots here. Dresses torn. Like he chases them."
"True," Rachel agreed, straightening up from her crouched position. "And he makes it personal. Likes working up close."
Ethan glanced back at Jebediah, still observing them, before lowering his voice. "Speaking of messages, we need to talk about Tom. They'll start to get suspicious."
"Let 'em be suspicious," Rachel replied, her gaze steely. "We can't risk letting any information out before we're ready."
A gust of wind rustled through the trees, sending a shiver down Rachel's spine as she surveyed the gruesome scene before her. The victim's lifeless eyes stared into the void, her body contorted unnaturally against the tree root to which she was bound. Rachel clenched her jaw and forced herself to focus on the task at hand.
A mess of blood and rootswasn'tthe same thing to Rachel's eyes as most. She was trained to read the patterns in the earth, the dirt.
She'd spent a good part of her life as a big-game hunter for ranger services, for law enforcement, and for local municipalities that needed the extra, weathered hand. She was a fair shot with a rifle, and deadly in the woods.
The crunching of gravel drew their attention away from the grisly sight. Sheriff Collins strode towards them, his face a mixture of irritation and annoyance as he came down the hill around the side of the barn. He ignored Jeb completely. The smaller, mean-eyed man was smirking at the bruise on the sheriff's cheek.
Collins wasn't thrilled about the audience in the case, and it showed in every line on his weathered face.
"Rachel, Ethan," he greeted curtly, folding his arms across his chest. "Anything I missed?"
Rachel shrugged. "Coroner still busy with the last one?"
"On his way. Asking for a couple uniforms before he sets foot back on the land..." Collins shot a nasty look towards Jeb, which was returned.
