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“Exactly. No one just pops out of nowhere. I’ll keep looking.”
As they drove on, the dense forest gave way to a large clearing. Jo’s gaze swept over the area, her usual cheery demeanor replaced with a tight-lipped silence. The sight of the bare landscape, a stark contrast to the lush forest, always left a sour taste in her mouth. Yet she understood its necessity and admired the company’s effort to maintain a balance, working on one area at a time to allow regrowth. However, the forest’s sacrifice reminded her of the stakes of their current case.
The distant buzz of chainsaws signaled their arrival at the logging site office, stationed in a repurposed trailer. A woman emerged, shielding her eyes from the sun. In her late thirties, she had a hardened look that reflected years of working under the rough conditions of the logging industry. Her posture was tense, a common reaction to unexpected visits from law enforcement.
“Can I help you?” Her voice matched her appearance, gritty but not unkind.
“We’d like to talk to Travis if he’s in,” Sam replied, his gaze wandering past her into the confines of the trailer.
“He’s down the road, overseeing the crew.” She pointed in the direction of the cacophony.
“And you are?” Sam probed, maintaining a friendly tone.
The woman’s demeanor softened a bit. “Danika Ryder,” she said, extending her hand. “Travis’s assistant.”
Before further introductions could be made, a truck came barreling down the road, dust billowing in its wake. Travis. He clambered out of the truck, concern etched on his weathered face. “Chief, what brings you here?”
Jo studied his demeanor. He did look a bit worried, but was that because he’d murdered someone last night or because he was doing something else he didn’t want them to know about?
“Just following up on something,” Sam responded, managing to keep his voice level. “A body was found at the owl sanctuary.”
“I don’t get out to the owl sanctuary. Don’t much care about the owls,” Travis said.
Lucy, ever the dutiful K-9, sniffed at Travis’s feet. He shifted uncomfortably. Jo noted the impression his boot left in the soft ground—a distinctive circular tread pattern.
“Well, you might care about the victim…” Sam began, leaving the sentence hanging for a moment.
“Victim?” Travis’s voice took on an anxious edge, his glance flicking toward Danika.
“April Summers. I hear you two didn’t exactly see eye to eye,” Sam continued, watching Travis closely.
Travis scoffed. “Sure, she was a thorn in my side, shutting down operations for a day. But kill her? No way.” He shook his head emphatically. “That woman was trouble. I’m not the only one that she caused trouble for. She cost Archie Wells a bundle over those condos he wants to build over on Pine Street.”
Sam frowned. “She did? I wondered why construction stopped over there.”
“She had something to do with that, I believe. You’d have to ask Archie. But if you’re going to put everyone she crossed on your suspect list, then it’s going to be a pretty long list.”
Sam nodded, then his gaze focused on Travis. “So where were you last night?”
“Last night? That’s easy. Was here working on the books.” He looked at Danika, and she nodded. “During the day, I have to oversee the crew, but I need to keep up with the accounting, so one night a week, I work on them here at the trailer.”
“Was anyone else here?” Sam glanced over at Danika, expecting her to chime in, but she just looked down at her feet.
“Nope, sorry. Now I have to get back to work.” Travis gestured toward the forest. “Unless you have more questions?”
“Not right now. We’ll be in touch when we do.” Sam glanced at Danika, and they left.
Sam and Jo climbed back into the Tahoe, the echoes of Travis’s protests still hanging in the air along with the lingering scent of freshly cut lumber. Lucy leapt up into her designated spot in the back, tail thumping against the seat.
As they settled in, Jo turned to Sam, her face contemplative. “That boot print Travis made back there didn’t match the one at the crime scene.”
“Doesn’t mean he doesn’t own another pair,” Sam replied, his gaze focused on the road as they began to pull away from the logging site.
The heavy hum of the Tahoe’s engine filled the silence, allowing them a moment to digest the latest revelations. The buzz of Jo’s phone shattered the quiet. Glancing at the screen, her face softened at the sight of her sister Bridget’s name. Jo and her sister had been working on a cold case that touched them both personally—the unsolved abduction of their other sister, Tammy, when they were children.
Bridget’s text flashed on the screen:Got some new info on the serial killer angle. Will catch up at home later.
Sam glanced over at Jo, catching the tail end of her text conversation. “Updates from Bridget?”
