Page 32 of Evidence of a Folktale

“I’ll have a tech enlarge the image, but it looks like snowy trees. Do you think it’s Rossa’s murder site?”

“I can’t tell, but I doubt it,” Bel said. “These were manufactured in advance, so how could the killer know exactly where he would kill Gwen? Unless multiple perpetrators corralled her, he couldn’t have predicted where she’d flee.”

“Maybe it’s meant as a vague representation,” Lina said. “She died in the woods, and her eyes saw woods.”

“Either way,” Bel said, “this murder was premeditated.”

“Oh my god, it’s her!”a voice shrieked as Bel stepped out of her car. “That’s the detective!” A swarm of fans surged for her, and she launched into a jog, barely slipping inside the precinct before the cell phone mob accosted her.

“You all right?” Officer Rollo asked as he planted his body in front of the glass door, signaling withbothhis size and his uniform that no one was getting into the station.

“I’m fine, thanks. I take it word got out?” she asked.

“Unfortunately. It’s all over the news and social media, and fans are holding vigils. I’m surprised you haven’t heard.”

“I don’t have social media, and I was in the morgue all morning.”

“Gotcha.”

“Is Griffin here?” she asked.

“In his office,” Rollo said.

“Thank you.” She jogged up the stairs. “And good luck out there today,” she called over her shoulder. They all needed it now. “Sheriff?” She knocked on his door, and when he beckoned her inside, she gave him a rundown of the autopsy, starting with her decoding of the cipher and ending with the discovery of the contact lenses.

“We got a tech to enlarge the image, and I printed it outas well asuploaded a digital copy.” She lay the shot of the snowy forest before her boss. “Whoever killed Gwen inserted the contacts into her eyes, and they act similarly to film negatives.”

“These woods don’t look like the crime scene,” Griffin said. “The snow’s in the foreground, with the trees in the background. Gwen Rossa was murdered in the middle of the forest.”

“Lina wondered if it generically represented the scene. Girl found dead in the woods with woods in her eyes,” Bel said. “Or it’s an actual place.”

“What kind of place?”

“Who knows?” Bel shrugged. “Where he hid victim number two?”

Griffin’s gaze shot up from the photo to meet hers. “You don’t think…?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe Lina is right, and they’re symbolic. Maybe this location meant something to Gwen or the killer. Or maybe this clue points to where we’ll find the next body.”

“I certainly hope not. Half of the Reale Estate and all the state parks are forests. We could search for years, and never locate these exact trees.”

“I hope not too,” Bel said. “I was just thinking out loud since everything about this death is strange.”

“Mmhmm,” Griffin grunted. “These contacts are a custom job, though. Where would someone get something like this?”

“The costume department,” Bel blurted, an idea suddenly coming to her. “Films often use contact lenses to change actors’ eyes. Especially when the characters are supernatural creatures.” She gave him a rundown of her theory about the killer mimicking the show, ending her explanation with how both custom contacts and weapons were something art departments were well versed in creating.

“You mentioned Rossa had no defensive wounds,” Griffin said. “So, she most likely knew her attacker. If it were someone she worked with, she wouldn’t have fought back until it was too late.”

“If a crew member wanted to kill his coworkers, Bajka is the place to do it,” Bel said. “Smaller town, sprawling nature, and a horde of fans to blame it on. It’s much easier here amidst the chaos than in the city or on a closed set.”

“Make the deaths theatrical, and suddenly, we’re looking for a crazed fan, not a disgruntled employee. That’s where my brain certainly went.”

“Mine too.”

“Come on.” He stood and grabbed his keys. “The weather compromised the scene, so we have little else to go on. Let’s speak to the producers about who had access to the set design. They might respond better if I’m there to question them.”

“You sure?” Bel chased after him. “Olivia and I can go.”

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