Page 32 of Ranger Bravery

The GPS indicated a turn up ahead, so Jackson eased up on the gas. Darkness pressed in, made worse by the raging thunderstorm, and he nearly missed the faint break in the trees.

“This isn’t anywhere close to where Elena was found.” Piper’s voice was hollow. “We’re on the opposite side of the nature preserve. This area is commonly used by families and other visitors.” She gestured to another road, this one bigger, leading to the west. “The information center is up there, near the main entrance.”

“Did Derek say how the victim was found?”

“A set of hikers found her on a commonly used trail. It doesn’t seem like the killer attempted to hide the body.”

The road narrowed, winding its way through the nature preserve. His tires rumbled as they crossed a rustic wooden bridge. Down below, the river was a dark slice through the trees. Another turn and they were in a parking lot full of official state and county vehicles. Red and blue lights strobed across the asphalt.

Jackson parked. Crisp air and raindrops whipped across his face when he opened the driver’s side door. He unfurled his umbrella. Lightning flashed, followed by a low rumble of thunder. The storm was far from over. It would wreak havoc on the crime scene. The investigators would do everything possible to preserve the evidence, but it was a fact that some would be destroyed by the rain.

Piper joined him, tucked under her own umbrella, and together, they made their way across the parking lot to the cordoned-off area. Derek spotted them from his place under a portable canopy on a nearby trail. He waved them forward. As Jackson drew closer, the victim came into view. His heart sank.

Piper gasped. “That’s Gerdie.”

The young woman was sprawled on the dirt trail as if she’d fallen. She was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, the same clothes she’d been wearing at the bar, but now they were stained with mud and blood. Her face was battered and bruised. Someone had beaten her.

“Two gunshot wound, likely to the back, judging from the exit and entrance wounds.” Derek looked mad enough to spit nails. “The coroner will have to confirm, of course, but from what I can gather, the killer shot her as she was running away.”

Jackson felt his own temper rise. “Wally?”

“He was the last one seen with her. She’s been beaten, like Elena was, before being shot. Her body was left in the nature preserve. The M.O. is similar enough to believe we’re looking at the same killer.”

“He shot her twice.” Piper’s voice was hollow. “This time he made sure she was dead.”

“Yes.”

“Do we have a time of death?” Jackson asked.

The coroner’s assistant glanced up from where she was bagging Gerdie’s hands to preserve any evidence under her fingernails. “She’s not in full rigor, so less than twelve hours. Based on her liver temperature, I’m guessing sometime well before that, say in the last six hours or so.”

Derek nodded. “The hikers who found her entered the trail at four and then exited using the same path around seven. My guess is, the killer brought her sometimes between four and seven. Probably right before the storm.”

Jackson did a quick calculation. “So around six. Risky, but calculated. He was hoping the storm would cover his tracks and destroy any evidence. He probably intended for her to be found tomorrow morning, or maybe the day after.”

“That’s what I think too.” Derek glanced at the sky. “It’ll be raining off and on for the next two days. Few hikers would venture out in this weather.” He gestured to the parking lot. “He brought her here, walked her up the path, and likely told her to run.”

“You think he beat her someplace else?”

“Bruises are in layers.” The coroner’s assistant piped up. “Looks like she was beaten over the course of a couple of days.”

Piper growled. “Wally and Gerdie left the bar on Wednesday. That means he held her, and beat her, for two days.” She gripped her folded umbrella with enough force to cause her knuckles to whiten. “Wally must’ve used Gerdie to lure Elena to the woods. It would be difficult to control both women, so maybe he left Gerdie tied up in the car while he killed Elena in the field. Then he kept Gerdie somewhere and continued to beat her until it stopped being fun. Finally, he brings her here. He tells Gerdie to run, and when she does, shoots her in the back twice.”

Jackson’s stomach swirled as a fresh wave of anger crashed over him. The terror Gerdie had suffered… “We need to find Wally Hutchinson. Based on these two murders, he’s likely to kill again.”

Piper’s cell phone rang. She pulled it from her back pocket and her eyes widened. She tilted the phone so Jackson could view the screen. “Isn’t that the same number as the burner phone? The one the killer used to call Elena?”

He nodded, shock sending a shiver of apprehension down his spine.

“Answer it,” Derek ordered. “Put the call on speaker.”

Piper did as her boss said. The three of them huddled together. Derek was texting on his own device, likely asking headquarters to trace the call. If Piper kept the killer on long enough, they could get a location based on the cell towers the burner phone pinged off.

“Hello, Piper. It’s been a long time since we last saw each other.”

The words came out distorted, as if the caller was using a voice modulator. For some reason, that only made the call creepier. Jackson scanned the nearby area, searching for any sign of the killer. The trees were thick, and with the storm still raging, it was difficult to discern anything in the dark.

Was he close by? Could he see them?

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