Page 1 of Tears on Her Grave

PROLOGUE

HALLOWEEN, TWELVE YEARS AGO

Stanton Forest, Black Rock Falls, Montana

“A river of red ran down the mountainside and poured into the water, turning Black Rock Falls red. Each Halloween he returns. At midnight you can still hear his laughter and see his ghost holding up a severed head dripping with blood.” Wyatt Twotrees looked from one to the other. “Stay close to the fire or you’ll be next.” He dropped the ax he was holding into the sandy soil and everyone fell silent.

The river glistened black and resembled a tar pit with a heat shimmer. From the surface, mist rose up in white spirals like skeletons crawling from their graves. The army of ghouls marched through the forest, coming closer with each step. Only the ring of light from the bonfire held the creatures at bay. Suddenly afraid, twenty-one-year-old Abby Jaye leaned closer to her boyfriend, Cole Peters, the quarterback from the college football team. As a five-star recruit, his place in the NFL draft was guaranteed and they’d already planned for her to follow him wherever he went. She drew his attention away from another horrific tale of the Whispering Caves Axman and kept her voice to a whisper. “I need to pee and I’m not going out there alone.I can’t just go behind a tree, everyone will see me. Can we walk along the trail and find some bushes?”

“We’re only staying until one, just in case we see a ghost, but if you gotta go, you gotta go.” Cole chuckled. “Although those guys would frighten a ghost away.” He indicated to his friends, all wearing hideous Halloween masks. “I’m not sure why they wore them here. They’re all crazy.” He stood and held out his hand. “Come on then. There’s a clump of bushes along the trail near the caves.”

Abby pulled out her phone, and using the flashlight, they wandered hand in hand some ways from the fire, followed by hoots and hollers from their friends. She squeezed Cole’s hand. “They figure we’re heading to the caves to make out.”

“Maybe we should.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “Or are you too scared to be alone with me on Halloween?” He held up both hands. “See, no ax.”

Giggling more with nerves than fun, Abby twirled her fingers. “Turn around and walk some ways away. I’m not peeing in front of you. It’s embarrassing.”

“I can never understand that about girls.” He turned his back and started walking away in the darkness. “Us guys don’t care. We just line up side by side.”

Abby found a suitable place and turned off her phone’s flashlight. As she pulled up her jeans, a thump and a low groan came from the direction Cole had walked. She fumbled for her phone and the light lit up the area. Ahead, the path where he had gone was empty. How far had he walked? Had he tripped over a tree root or something? He’d mentioned his phone battery was low and they’d been using hers all the way here. She looked behind her. The glow of the fire seemed a mile away. “Cole, where are you? Stop messing around. It’s creepy out here.”

As her flashlight moved over the dark opening of the cave, it reflected in the sharpened blade of an ax. Had Wyatt Twotreesslipped up ahead of them to play out his Whispering Caves Axman story? The hairs on the back of Abby’s neck rose as a shape emerged from the forest. All the boys were wearing their team jackets and, apart from Cole, a Halloween mask. It was difficult to tell them apart in the dark. “Is that you, Wyatt? I can’t find Cole. I figure he went inside the cave. Did he walk past you?”

“Let’s take a look.” He pulled a flashlight from his pocket and shone it inside the cave. “After you.” He bent and picked up an ax leaning against a tree. “Better safe than sorry, right?”

Trembling, Abby nodded. She’d known Wyatt since grade school and had no reason not to trust him. Taking hesitant steps, she moved into the cave. The darkness surrounded her and critters scattered in all directions as they rounded the first bend. Terror gripped her at the sight of a figure crumpled on the sand. Blood soaked the back of the familiar jacket. She took a deep breath to scream and run away, then the cold metal of the ax smashed into her shoulder. Crying out in pain, she turned and dropped her phone, but the flashlight lit up the hideous mask.

As the ax rose high into the air, she grappled with her attacker. “Why are you doing this? Did you kill Cole?”

The masked attacker chuckled and shoved her away. “I wish I could kill him a thousand times but now it’s your turn.”

The caves went deep into the mountain, she could run and hide. Abby shook her head. “No!” She ran at him, clawing at his neck, and as he pushed her away, her fingers closed around his fraternity pin. When he shoved her hard, it came away in her hand. She fell hard on the dry sandy soil and, winded, rolled over, trying to get her feet under her, but he used his boot to knock her back to the ground. She didn’t have time to scream as a swish followed by the cold sharp steel of the ax struck the back of her neck and darkness surrounded her.

ONE

PRESENT TIME, MONDAY

Spring in Black Rock Falls was a special time for Sheriff Jenna Alton. As the landscape changed from a blanket of white and the land came back to life after a dormant winter, she snuggled behind her husband, Deputy Dave Kane, and sighed with delight as their baby kicked Kane’s back. The baby was strong, and once the first tiny flutters arrived, they’d quickly moved into noticeable kicks. They’d tentatively started to discuss names, being too scared beforehand in case anything happened to their precious bundle. As a couple, they carried the burdens of totally different past lives and the threats that went with them. Her time as DEA Agent Avril Parker had vanished after cosmetic surgery, a new name, and being placed in witness protection after bringing down a cartel. Kane on the other hand was still considered an active government asset, although his appearance had been dramatically changed, as had his name, but his time as a black ops sniper and later as a Secret Service agent protecting POTUS meant he carried a bounty on his head. He’d been forced to leave Washington, DC, after a car bomb killed his wife and unborn son and left him with a metal plate in his head. An empty coffin had been buried and the headstone held the name of theperson he’d once been. A name he wouldn’t reveal to anyone, not even Jenna.

After trying for over a year to start a family, they’d adopted Tauri, a beautiful boy with Native American bloodlines that linked him to their good friend Atohi Blackhawk and Kane’s wife Annie’s ancestry. They’d loved the boy the moment they’d laid eyes on him and he’d become a light of their lives.

The weather was still freezing and frost coated the windows. The thought of getting up for work made Jenna snuggle under the blankets.

“I can feel our baby insisting I get up and do my chores.” Kane chuckled. “I know you’re awake, Jenna. I can feel you wiggling around behind me.” He slipped out of bed. “Why don’t you go to the bathroom? I’ll put on the coffee and make you a decaf before I muck out the horses.” He bent down and kissed her. “Okay?”

Jenna looked into his deep blue eyes and smiled. She still couldn’t believe they were married. “You trying to win the best husband award this week?” She giggled. “Trust me, no one comes close to you.”

“Well, thank you, ma’am.” Kane grinned. “It’s nice to be appreciated.” He headed for the kitchen.

It was five after six, and Tauri would sleep until seven. She could set her clock by him. At five years old, he was big for his age, taller than most by a head and as bright as a button. He could speak two languages and Kane was teaching him Spanish. Being multilingual was another one of Kane’s attributes and he spoke maybe nine or more languages. She’d lost count. Apart from being skilled in too many ways to mention, Kane’s six-five frame and two hundred seventy pounds of muscle made him stand out in a crowd. As a father he was incredibly patient and caring. In her heart, Jenna understood he wanted a mess of kids,but for now they’d be content with two, and if more came along, the more the merrier.

She used the bathroom and decided to have a shower. When Kane came back it would be the first thing he would do. By the time she came out, her coffee, in an Aunt Betty’s Café travel mug to keep it hot, was sitting beside the bed. She sipped as she dressed when her phone buzzed. It was the 911 service patched through to her phone. “Sheriff Alton.”

“I’m sorry to trouble you so early, Sheriff. This is Jud Lime. I’m with the flood watch. The river broke its banks overnight and Main is flooding. Not deep enough to hold up most folks but we believe the melt has unearthed some graves, somewhere high in the mountains. We have bodies floating in the river. There are two and they look old and wrinkled. They’re fully clothed and one is wearing a college jacket.”He took a deep breath.“Two of my team hauled them out and carried them to dry ground. We’re not sure who to call to deal with them.”

Frowning, Jenna picked up a pen on the bedside table and took down the details. “I’ll call the medical examiner. He’ll be along as soon as possible. Can you cover the remains and have someone stay on scene with them? I don’t want people to start panicking.”

“Not a problem. We’ve just taken over this shift. We’ll keep watch to see if any more come along. We’ll be relieved here at ten, so you have plenty of time.”

---