Page 6 of Their Frozen Bones

“Yeah, I collected the medical supplies and as much of the canned goods as I could carry on the first trip and then went back for the rest. Then an avalanche blocked the trail and now I doubt anyone will get to the wreck until after the melt. Once everything is frozen it’s useless. I’ll keep it here. If the owners want it back, they can collect it from me.” He gave her a long look. “I took the first aid kit as well. The medical supplies had a variety of pain meds and antibiotics. I needed pain meds for you. It wasn’t looting. It was a necessity. I left all the luggage but yours in the cargo hold. As you were the only woman on board, I figured it belonged to you.”

Julie thought for a beat. “Thanks, and to be honest, I doubt anyone will worry about the supplies. They’ll be more interested in collecting the remains and personal items of the victims. The cargo will be insured. I don’t honestly believe anyone will be too concerned about a few cans of beans.” She leaned back in the pillows. “When my dad comes to get me, you can give him the medical supplies. He’ll know what to do with them. Although, I gather you’d put them to good use. Do you treat many people here in the mountains?”

“A few. Some hunting accidents if I come across them.” Raven stood, filling the doorway, two cups in his hands. “I don’t have any communication with the outside world apart from the CB radio I mentioned. If Breda gives me the heads-up about someone ailing, I’ll go and help out. My license is current. I could start up a practice in town, but right now I’m enjoying thesolitude. I live off the land, sell dogs I train, and have an Army pension. I don’t really need to go back to nine-to-five.”

Wondering what had happened to make him want to live a solitary lifestyle, Julie’s mind went to Agent Ty Carter. He’d suffered PTSD and taken himself off the grid for three years, preferring to live alone in the forest than being with people and memories. Maybe something real bad had happened to Raven in the Army? She nodded. “It sounds like bliss, although I’d miss TV.”

“Oh, I have a dish but I rarely watch the news. I prefer movies or documentaries.” Raven grinned at her. “I need mental stimulation or I get restless and howl at the moon.” He chuckled and turned to go. “When you feel better and the blizzard has passed, I’ll carry you out into the family room. With luck, I’ll be able to clear the snow from the dish and you can watch TV.”

Julie watched him go, leaving the scent of woodsmoke behind him. Maybe it was his bedside manner, but even doctors weren’t that friendly. Well, not any she’d met. He seemed so nice. Maybe a little too nice. Her mind conjured up a series of weird scenarios and she blamed it on having just finished reading behavioral analyst Jo Wells’ series on the mind of a serial killer. A shiver of concern slid down her spine. Charismatic, tick. Lives alone in the forest, tick. Single white male, tick. Did he show empathy for the other victims? He’d checked them and they were all dead, but all still lying out for the wildlife to devour. So lack of empathy, tick. As panic gripped her, she recalled how some serial killers cared for others. Some even married and had double lives. Not everyone fit their fantasy. Maybe she’d be lucky. So far, he hadn’t hurt her. If he was a serial killer, just how long would that last if she accidentally pulled his trigger?

SEVEN

Even bundled up against the cold wearing her snow goggles, a hat, a scarf, and a hood, icy shards bit into Jenna’s exposed flesh as they headed along narrow trails in the direction of Bear Peak. Rowley led the way. Having roamed the forest since he was a boy, he could find his way to most areas. When he slowed and held up a hand, Jenna leaned in closer to Kane’s wide back. “What’s happening?”

“I’m not sure. Rowley is off his snowmobile and looking at something.” Kane wiped snow from his visor. “He wants us. It looks like he’s found something.”

Concern gripped Jenna as she climbed from the seat and waited for Kane and then followed Rio with Wolfe and Emily behind them. As they reached the place where Rowley had abruptly stopped, Jenna gaped in horror at the body of a young naked woman gaffer-taped to a tree. Her hair had been hacked off with a knife and was scattered over a pile of snow-covered clothes. Small cuts had bled in glittering crimson rivulets against her bald skull. She was frozen solid, and what was left of the young woman’s hair stood in small tufts and looked as if it had been draped with diamonds. Her cloudy and frozen eyes appeared doll-like as she peered ahead from underexaggeratedly long false eyelashes, as if searching the view. Dark tears, from where her mascara had run, tracked down both cheeks. She’d been placed as if to look through the trees to the river beyond and across the valley. On her forehead a red smiley face peeked through the ice.

Jenna’s gaze slid over the woman. She couldn’t make out any obvious cause of death. No marks marred the woman’s smooth flesh. No blood spotted the snow at her feet. “I wonder how long she’s been here?”

“It’s hard to tell until we thaw her and then it will be a guess.” Wolfe frowned. “This is very disturbing. We’ll take down the coordinates, secure the scene with tape, and deal with her later. Nothing will change here in the next twenty-four hours or more. Our priority is reaching the victims of the plane crash. Every second counts in this weather.”

“Copy that.” Kane took the coordinates as Rio and Rowley wrapped crime scene tape around trees, cordoning off the immediate areas. He looked at Jenna. “We need to get to Julie’s plane. There will be people there who need our help. This woman is past helping right now.”

Nodding, Jenna walked back to the snowmobile. “If it’s not bad enough trying to find a missing plane, now we have a killer on the loose. I can’t win.”

Ten minutes later Rowley slowed again and waved his arms frantically. Jenna poked Kane in the back. “Ride to where he is. We can’t keep stopping all the time.”

“Okay.” Kane shot past Rio and slowed beside Rowley’s snowmobile.

Stunned, Jenna stared at another body. This one’s once long dark hair littered the snow-covered pile of shredded clothes at her feet. It was the same MO right down to the hacked-off hair and the smiley face on the forehead. “Okay, make a note of the coordinates and keep moving. Seems we have a serial killerroaming the forest decorating the trees with his victims. Heaven knows how many more he has out here.”

It was the very first time in her life Jenna had walked away from a crime scene. Leaving the victims behind played on her mind. It seemed callous and mean-spirited. They needed her help to bring their killer to justice but the people on the plane needed her too. She bit down on her bottom lip, torn between giving the victims respect and her need to find Julie. Maybe she should split the team? Dismissing the idea, she shook her head. In all cases, the living took priority. Moving on was the right decision. She sent up a silent prayer.Please let Julie and the other passengers be safe.

Another ten minutes passed, they were moving faster along hiking trails, the way was wider, and it was easier to see obstacles in their path. Each of Rio’s and Rowley’s and Wolfe’s snowmobiles had trailers attached that were suitable to carry any injured to safety and extra medical equipment and body bags. Again ahead, Rowley waved and Kane flashed to his side. Jenna’s heart missed a beat at the sight of the twisted burned wreckage. She could see charred limbs poking out of the snow. The front half of the aircraft was still smoking. Choking back a sob of despair, she climbed off the snowmobile and looked at Kane, lowering her voice so that Wolfe wouldn’t overhear. “We’re too late. They’re all dead.”

“Maybe not. The tail part of the aircraft is still intact.” Kane waited for Wolfe to climb from his snowmobile and walk to their side. He pointed to the rear of the plane. “That might be a positive sign as I recall Julie saying that she always preferred to travel in the back of the aircraft. It looks like the snowdrift buffered the impact.”

“We’ll check the remains, and if we can’t locate her, then get someone to search the outlying areas around the aircraft.” Wolfe turned in a half circle. “The way it broke in half on impact, itcould have thrown people out as it landed. There were six souls on board and the pilot.” Wolfe tuned to Emily. “You gonna be okay?”

“I’ve been thinking about finding her dead all the way here.” Emily straightened and glanced at Jenna. “I’m sure Jenna has too, but I’m sure if Julie is out there in the snow, she’d want me to find her. She knows I’ll take care of her.”

“Okay, but if it gets too much for you, tell me.” Wolfe gave her a hug. “I’m hoping we’ll find her alive. If she was in the tail, she’d have a fighting chance.” He walked from one charred remains to another and shook his head. “Dave, she’s not here. Check the tail section.”

“Copy that.” Kane trudged through the snow.

“Okay, I’ll place markers on any bodies or parts I find.” Emily gathered what she needed and walked toward the mangled burned bodies.

Surveying the crash scene with trepidation, Jenna dragged her professional persona around her. Falling to bits wasn’t an option. “Rio, Rowley, search the perimeter for survivors. I’ll contact search and rescue and give them our coordinates. As soon as the weather clears, they might be able to land a chopper.” She turned to Wolfe. “Will they be able to land a chopper on that slope?”

“That’s doubtful. It’s little more than a sheet of ice and with the low visibility it’s not worth the risk.” Wolfe headed toward the tail of the aircraft sticking up in the air. “Unless the weather gets worse, they’ll be able to send a team by snowmobile to help search the area.”

Jenna made the call and followed Kane and Wolfe to the broken tail section. Sharp metal fragments, body parts, carry-on luggage, cans of soda, and garbage stuck out from the snow. She stepped in Kane’s footprints and cupped her mouth. “Sheriff’s department. Is anyone here? Call out.”

Not a sound other than the creak of metal and branches moving in the wind came through the forest. She listened and searched the trees and reached the plane as Kane pulled himself over the ragged edge and disappeared inside. The next moment the door swung open and hung moving back and forth in the wind before closing again. She turned to Wolfe. “Someone has been here. Look how the luggage has been piled up.”

“It sure looks like that, which could be a good sign, if they helped survivors. Worst-case scenario, someone living close by has looted the plane.” Wolfe climbed up onto the luggage and pulled open the door to peer inside. “The seats at the back look okay and the cargo door is open.”

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