Page 8 of Silent Smile

"Already on it, Sheriff," the tech assured her.

Finn, who had been surveying the surrounding area, rejoined them. "No obvious signs of a struggle," he said. "If she was killed elsewhere and brought here, they didn't leave any tracks."

Sheila nodded, processing the information. She scanned the crime scene, noting the efficiency with which the CSI team was working.

"Has the coroner arrived yet?" she asked Hollister.

"Right here," a familiar voice called out. Dr. Jin Zihao strode toward them, his tall frame casting a long shadow in the morning sun. His neatly combed black hair was streaked with more silver than Sheila remembered, but his sharp, intelligent eyes were as keen as ever.

"Dr. Zihao," Sheila greeted him with a nod. "I didn't expect to see you out here in the field."

The coroner's lips quirked in a small smile. "First, let me say congratulations on the promotion. As for my presence, well, when I heard about the unusual nature of this case, I decided to see for myself. It's not often we get a body burial in sand dunes."

Finn stepped forward, extending his hand to Dr. Zihao. "Good to see you, Doc. Have you had a chance to look the body over yet?"

Dr. Zihao shook Finn's hand and nodded. "A few moments. I just went back to my truck to grab a forensic kit." He gestured to the kit tucked under his arm.

"Think that head wound was the cause of death?" Sheila asked.

Dr. Zihao turned back to face the body. He made a dubious face. "There's superficial bruising, a shallow cut, but I doubt very much the blow itself was fatal. It's more likely the blow was intended to incapacitate the victim."

"What can you tell us about time of death?" Finn asked.

"I can't say much for sure, not with most of the body still buried, but I will say it doesn't appear that she's been out here very long. Less than a day, I would guess. I'll know more once we get her back to the lab."

Sheila nodded. "Thank you for coming out here personally. I know we'll be in good hands with you on this case."

Sheila turned back to Ranger Hollister. "You mentioned a boyfriend?"

"Yeah, Jake Pearson. He's over by the visitor center. They were camping together, but he says they split up yesterday afternoon. He went back to the hotel, but she wanted to do some solo hiking for her blog."

"Her blog?" Sheila asked.

"Travel blog," Hollister explained. "Apparently, she's got quite a following. 'Amanda's Ambitious Adventures' or something like that."

Sheila and Finn exchanged a glance. A popular blogger murdered in a spectacular location—this case had the potential to blow up fast.

"Let's talk to the boyfriend," Sheila said. "Finn, can you stay here and oversee the evidence collection? I want to make sure we don't miss anything."

Finn nodded, though Sheila caught a flicker of something—disappointment? frustration?—in his eyes. She made a mental note to address it later. Right now, she has a job to do.

As she made her way to the visitor center with Ranger Hollister, Sheila felt the weight of her new role settling on her shoulders. This was her first major case as sheriff, and all eyes would be on her. She couldn't afford to make mistakes.

"In case you're wondering about Mr. Pearson's potential involvement," Hollister said, "you should know he had nothing to do with the murder."

"How can you be so sure?" Sheila asked.

"Because I've already requested the security footage from park entrance gates and checked with local hotels. Jake's alibi for last night is solid—he was on a video call with his office in Chicago from 7 PM to nearly midnight. The hotel's Wi-Fi logs confirm it, and his coworkers verify he was actively participating."

"Good work," Sheila said. "I'll keep that in mind."

Jake Pearson was a lanky man in his early thirties, with tousled brown hair and red-rimmed eyes. He jumped to his feet as Sheila approached. Hollister drifted off to make a call.

"Sheriff," Jake said, his voice hoarse. "Please tell me you've found something. Anything."

Sheila gestured for him to sit back down. "Mr. Pearson, I'm Sheriff Stone. I'd like to ask you a few questions about Amanda, if that's alright."

Jake nodded, slumping back into his chair. "Of course. Anything to help."

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