Page 161 of Dead Man's List

He didn’t seem like a bad sort, just super curious. And something of a gossip.

They’d been driving along the eastern edge of the Cleveland National Forest and were close to the town of Julian, where State Route 79 continued, another highway branching east.

“Well, at least now dumping the body in Anza-Borrego makes sense,” Kit said. “At Julian, a new highway starts up. It’s one of the routes into Anza-Borrego. From Julian it’s only about an hour to where Sam and I found Munro’s body.”

“Then that does make sense. Kind of.” Connor frowned. “But why drive an hour to dump Munro there when there’s literally hundreds of square miles of forest close by?”

“I don’t know. I can’t help but wonder if he really wanted Munro’s body to be discovered. At least at some point. Maybe not as quickly as we found it. It’s bothered me that he didn’t bury it.”

“Sam thought the wind was too heavy for the killer to see that night.”

“Maybe. But to just leave the body there? On top of the sand?” Kit shook her head. “He’s been so methodical in everything. He planned to use Norton Landscaping as his entrée into Munro’s neighborhood. He planned where to get the wrap done. He planned to use Shelley Porter’s addiction against her, to tempt her with cash that he never intended to pay so that he could get the trailer. No money trail. He’s killed seven people without leaving any forensic clues behind. Not a print, not a hair. He’s been one step ahead of us all this time, but he doesn’t bury the body?”

Connor sighed. “Well, now that you put it that way…”

“Also, I don’t know how many people hike and camp in the forest this time of year, but this is a busy time for Anza-Borrego. The days aren’t too hot and the nights aren’t too cold. Tons of people go there at night to stargaze.”

“So it’s a tourist draw this time of year. Someone at some point would have noticed the body lying on top of the sand.”

“Yeah. It was partially covered but still clearly recognizable as a body. But where he could have gone from here last Wednesday is anyone’s guess.”

“The next town is Julian. We can stop there and ask around. My parents have friends who own vacation homes up there, so if it’s a bust, we can at least stop at one of their houses and use a phone. Maybe even internet.”

“I don’t want to go too far and possibly pass where he took the trailer.”

Connor lifted his brows. “And how do we know how far is too far?”

Kit sighed. “I don’t know. If I were bringing someone out to the middle of nowhere to torture and kill them, I wouldn’t want to be too close to a town. People are nosy.”

“They are. But unless you have a better idea…”

Kit sighed again. “Let’s stop at the next gas station and check their security footage. If that’s in Julian, so be it.”

“But your gut says he won’t be in Julian.”

Kit shrugged one shoulder. “NotinJulian. The town doesn’t even have eighteen hundred people. Too many people would remember him—either as Neckbeard or whatever he really looks like. But you’re right. We don’t actually have a choice. Too bad it’s after hours. I bet a mail carrier would know who lives behind the trees.”

The trees weren’t thick, at least not around this side of the forest. But they were dense enough and the surrounding hills high enough to hide a trailer behind.

“I bet a lot of these areas don’t get mail service,” Connor said. “They have to use a PO box at the post office in Julian.”

Kit shuddered. “That makes me nervous, being that far from civilization.”

Connor chuckled. “Civilization is in the eye of the beholder. Many of the land parcels up near Julian are under a hundred acres. It’s not like they have to travel for days in a horse-drawn buggy to get to a town.”

“Still. No mail service?”

“If it makes you feel better, they probably still get UPS deliveries. Amazon too.”

Kit turned to look at him. “Yeah? I wonder if we could talk to the local drivers. They might have seen something. They’re on the road all the time.”

“Not a bad idea. Let’s figure it out when we get to Julian.”

“Or we could take one of these driveways and ask a resident.”

Connor winced. “I’d prefer not to get shot today. It’s rural and isolated enough that residents don’t get regular visitors, and it’s dark outside, but what the hey. Let’s give it a try.” Connorflicked on the high beams. “Watch for driveways. They won’t be obvious.”

Kit kept her eyes peeled for any kind of break in the brush along the roadway. And then another set of headlights came toward them.

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