Page 19 of Shephard

The mauling by an animal likely had. There was no doubt in my mind the body had been left here long enough for a bear to find fresh food.

Given my years of experience, I allowed myself to come to the conclusion the poor asshole had endured all three horrific abuses while still alive.

What the hell were we dealing with?

I tried not to make an instant connection to the previous victim, but it was tough given my background.

I took a series of photographs, even texting Maggie my findings. The man was covered in blood, but with no trail leading to the body, I also confirmed the victim had been dumped here. The lack of blood proved it.

Pepper’s slight growl meant we suddenly weren’t alone. I instantly pulled my Glock from my jacket, moving toward one of the large trees. The crackling of limbs was a further indication her senses were spot on.

I waited, keeping hidden. Only a minute later, someone walked directly into the area.

“Stop right there, asshole.”

First, I noticed Pepper wasn’t growling and foaming at the mouth. That’s when I noticed my mysterious visitor was Cane.

“Jesus, Denise. You could have killed me.” He was startled, taking a gasping breath.

“You need to stop sneaking up on people.”

“I wasn’t sneaking. Greg called me after he contacted you. He thought you might need some help.”

Cane wasn’t a bad guy, but he was a male and far less experienced. He’d worked as a deputy in another small town before coming here. I considered him wet behind the ears. He didn’t like that in the least.

“I don’t need any help.”

“This poor guy does. Who the fuck does something like this?” He crouched down, peering at the body without bothering to put ongloves. He wasn’t a hands-on guy, more of an arrogant playboy. I could only count on him half the time.

“A monster. The body was dumped here. We need to section off the area for the coroner.”

“I doubt anyone is going to stumble on the sight,” he said as he stood. As usual, he was glaring at Pepper. Neither one liked the other, but Pepper knew better than to eat him.

Yet.

“Hikers found the body. Yeah, we’re following protocol. Period. Why don’t you grab the tape while I take a few more pictures?” The sheriff had already been called, removing our ability to question the people who’d found the victim. Which, as Greg had reminded me more than once, wasn’t in my job description. That didn’t mean I wasn’t annoyed.

We eyed each other warily and I resisted rolling my eyes as he moved closer.

“So, I was wondering. There’s a hot new movie in town. You want to go see it with me?”

Cane had assumed since the beginning that I’d go out with him. How many times had he been stupid enough to ask?

“I have plans,” I told him.

“You don’t even know which night.”

“Trust me. I have plans.”

Usually, he mentioned it was my loss or something equally chauvinistic, but this evening he appeared angry.

“I’ll get the goddamn tape.”

When he stormed off, ignoring any possibility of evidence, I heard him call me a bitch. It was the first time, but I doubted it would be the last.

Yeah, I was a bitch. Life had made me that way.

As I waited for the debonair boy to return, I thought about the two murders. Was it possible they were connected? Maybe. It wasn’t necessarily the mark of a serial killer as opposed to a career criminal using the area to dump remains. Perhaps someone unfamiliar that this was a popular hiking area.

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