Page 62 of Girl, Unseen

‘Then the whole pattern falls apart. Five elements, five symbols, five victims. Break the chain and you break the spell.’ She pulled the door open. ‘Which means they'll risk anything to get those symbols on that balloon basket.’

‘Including walking into a crime scene full of cops.’

‘Especially that.’ Ella was already halfway down the hall. ‘Because to them, we're not law enforcement. We're just obstacles.’

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

The Hudson Valley woke up to death, and Ella had front-row seats. She wrestled her SUV up the winding road to Storm King Mountain, dodging news vans and rubberneckers all eager for a glimpse of tragedy. Besides, Luca hadn't said much since they'd left the hotel, and Ella didn't blame him. Probably still mad at her for last night, and nothing killed a conversation like an unexpected corpse.

Ella hit the brakes. Ahead, the crash site sprawled across the mountain’s eastern face where a hot air balloon had discovered that gravity always wins in the end. Yellow tape fluttered in the wind, like a finish line for a race no one won. She and Luca got out of the car and made their way up the tracks. Ella's credentials got them through the perimeter checks and past the gawkers with their phones up and the reporters trying to look concerned for their cameras.

‘This is what happens when you crash on city property.’ Luca jerked his chin toward the mob of reporters. ‘Imagine if she'd gone down somewhere quiet.’

Ross found them before they took ten steps. He had that shell-shocked look cops got when they'd seen something that would haunt their 3 AM coffee runs.

‘You got here quick.’

Ella's eyes tracked the wreckage. The envelope had collapsed into a nylon puddle a hundred feet across, burying the basket underneath. Tarp-covered lumps dotted the landscape - debris or body parts. It was anyone’s guess which was which.

'Yes, we did. Can you walk us through it?'

‘Not really. I don’t mean to be an ass, but this isn’t your scene. Hell, it’s not even my scene. Once we rule out foul play, Major Crimes are outta here.’

‘So let us help you rule out foul play.’

Ross shrugged. ‘Alright, but the brass are already talking about jurisdiction, so make it quick, yeah?’

‘Quick as you like,’ Luca said.

Ross took out his notepad and checked his notes. ‘Vic's name is Tessa Webster, 32. Commercial balloon pilot. She was transiting this beast to some festival upstate when she dropped off the radar around two PMyesterday. Last known radio transmission had her somewhere over Storm King. Some hikers found her at dawn.’

Ella asked, ‘Cause of death?’

Ross eyed her like she’d just spat in his espresso. ‘Cause of death?’

‘Yeah.’

‘I hate to be Captain Obvious, but she crashed into a mountain.’

‘He’s got a point, Ell,’ Luca said.

‘Yeah but cardiac arrest? Blood loss? What?’

Ross said, ‘We don’t know. I hasn't got here yet.'

‘Can we take a look?’

Ross glanced around warily, then leaned in close. ‘Fine, but don’t touch anything, don’t move anything. I’ve scoured every inch of that wreckage and there are no symbols, alright? Plus, with all these cameras around…’

Ross trailed off, but Ella caught the subtext. A balloon crash was front-page news for a couple of days. A balloon crash caused by a serial killer was front-page news until the media decided it wasn't.

Ella nodded her agreement then moved toward the crash site with Luca in tow. The basket had carved a thirty-foot trench through mountain soil before coming to rest against a stand of birch trees. The impact had twisted its frame, but the wicker construction had absorbed most of the force.

Inside, Tessa Webster still sat exactly as death had found her. No blood, no obvious trauma. Just a woman who'd stopped existing somewhere between earth and sky. They hadn't moved her yet – protocol for suspected medical events.

Ella surveyed the debris field and quickly concluded something wasn't right. Hot air balloons didn't just fall out of the sky. She'd seen crashes before, and they usually involved more fire and screaming. This looked almost peaceful in comparison. Like the pilot had laid down for a nap at a thousand feet and forgot to wake up. A perfectly normal corpse in a perfectly abnormal place.

‘Maybe she just… checked out?’ Luca said. ‘Seizure, heart attack. Could be a ton of reasons.’

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