Page 46 of The Weekend Getaway

But not all of her …

Just her severed head.

CHAPTER 45

JASON

The vultures were dead.

Jason stared at the pile of beaks, feet, dark feathers, and bird guts gathered in a puddle of dark blood. Flies droned around the carnage, a chorus of buzzing as they flew among the pulpy, foul-smelling mess.

When Chris led him back into the rainforest, after claiming he’d seen something he didn’t want Mia to see, Jason had hesitated. What had Chris meant? Something that might scare Mia? What could scare her? Alex’s head? Despite his reservation, he followed Chris. The grim field trip took them from the villa and onto one of the paths leading into the rainforest, the same path they’d taken earlier but when they reached the spot where Grace claimed to have seen the head, Chris veered off the path. Jason followed himthrough the brush. About two yards from the trail they reached the carnage.

“Looks like somebody hacked them to pieces,” Chris said.

Jason swallowed. “Are you sure? I mean … maybe some larger animal attacked the vultures. A feral hog, or something. A jaguar.”

Chris crouched down and reached toward the muck.

Frowning, Jason asked, “What are you doing?”

“They weren’t attacked by another animal,” Chris said, lifting a bloody foot from the pile.

“How do you know that?”

Chris wiped the foot on his shirt, then brought it closer to his face. “This foot was severed. It’s a clear, almost surgical cut.”

“What?” Jason took a step back as Chris stood.

“Take a look,” Chris said, holding the foot toward him.

Shaking his head, Jason stepped back again. “Yeah, I’ll take your word for it.”

“If these vultures had been attacked by an animal,” Chris continued, pointing at the pile. “Then they would have been torn apart. The beaks and feet would have been snapped apart. Not cut.”

Jason slapped at something on the back of his neck. “Maybe … someone did this before we got here. The guests who stayed on the island last week, or?—”

“That blood is fresh,” Chris said. “This happened today. Probably sometime after Grace saw the vultures eating Alex’s face.”

Jason stared at Chris. “What the hell did you say?”

Chris looked at him. “Someone killed the vultures?—”

“I’m talking about the vultures eating Alex’s face,” Jason said. “I thought you didn’t believe Grace? Thought you believed she’d seen a hog.”

“Now I’m not so sure,” Chris said, staring at the vultures. “Now I’m wondering …”

“Wondering what?” Jason demanded. “Wondering if somebody cut Alex’s head off?”

“Maybe that’s what happened,” Chris said. “Maybe somebody killed Alex.”

Shaking his head, Jason said, “Mia said Alex took Phil to the mainland.”

Chris scoffed. “You don’t believe that.”

Unable to dispute Chris, Jason said, “Yeah, but I also don’t believe that Grace saw?—”

“We need to talk to Grace,” Chris said. “We need to get her to retrace her steps. And we should check out the other paths, like you said. And?—”

---