Page 26 of Seeking Evil

Zeke found a wide spot off the road and pulled onto it. “Maybe he followed them. Forced them off the road.” He got out and scanned the countryside, not really sure what he was looking for. Maybe something connected to Sierra.

Cooper followed. “Okay, but there’s no trace of their vehicles. And if he forced them off the road, there would be some sign of it, right? Patrick said he searched along the road looking for evidence.”

Zeke wasn’t going to let Cooper’s rationality destroy the tiniest bit of hope. “He probably wouldn’t take them on the way to the climb. It would be early. The road might be busy with other climbers. Maybe people going to work outside of town. Coming into town to their jobs.” He crossed the road.

“You’re thinking he got them on the way back from the mountains,” Cooper confirmed. “They’d be tired from the climb. The climbers would leave at different times of the day.”

“Exactly.” Zeke continued his search.

“He’d have to act quickly to keep from being spotted by someone else traveling the road . . . unless he had an accomplice.”

Zeke hadn’t thought about that before. Now, it made sense. How else would he get the victim’s car out of sight?

“What are we looking for?” Cooper asked.

“Any sign of disturbed foliage that would indicate the vehicle was forced from the road. I’ll head toward town. You search in the opposite direction.”

Cooper didn’t voice his doubts, but Zeke understood them. They were looking for a needle in a haystack.

As he walked, he mulled over Cooper’s suggestion. It made the most sense. There had to be two of them working together. He believed the perps were locals. Had probably lived in the area most, if not all, of their lives. They’d blend easily into the community. Probably would be the last person anyone would think would do such a thing.

“Hey, I’ve got something.” Cooper waved him over.

Zeke trotted down to where Cooper knelt.

“What’s that?” Zeke leaned over.

“Looks like some type of strap. The type that’s used to secure cargo to a trailer . . .”

“That’s it. That’s how he gets their cars out of sight. He has a trailer. He puts their cars on the trailer and leaves.” He’d been doing this for years. Had probably gotten good at getting the vehicle strapped down in record time. They’d tried finding Sierra’s location through her Jeep’s onboard tracking system but had run into another dead end. If the suspect knew what he was doing, it was possible to wipe the system clean entirely.

But the presence of a strap might mean the suspect didn’t have an accomplice. Or maybe it did. They could be working together to get the vehicle loaded and out of sight. Zeke rubbed his hand across his eyes. He was second-guessing himself.

“There are tire tracks over here.” Cooper pointed a little way down. Both walked over.

“There are two sets of tracks. The victim’s and the suspect’s, presumably. There’s no sign of a trailer.” Zeke’s spirits fell. Had they been wrong? “Maybe he didn’t use a trailer but his partner drove the victim’s vehicle away?”

“The strap could have been used to restrain the victim?” Cooper was grasping for answers.

“Or maybe it’s not related at all.” Zeke shrugged. “We still need to get it to the lab. We can’t dismiss anything.” He went back to the Tahoe and retrieved an evidence bag from his backpack. He carefully placed the strap piece into it. “Let’s have Patrick get the forensics team over here from Jackson. Maybe they can take molds of the tire tracks and narrow down the type of vehicles that made them.”

Cooper tried to call it in. “I forgot. We don’t have service. As soon as we get it, I’ll give him a call.”

Both returned to the SUV. Zeke pulled back onto the road and headed toward the staging site. As they drove, he noticed a vehicle behind them. It looked like a faded green pickup. A climber? He indicated the vehicle to Cooper.

“I see him.”

The turn came for the staging site. Zeke turned off. The pickup truck kept going. From what he could see, the driver was an older male.

“Maybe a farmer,” Cooper said.

Zeke watched the mirror until the vehicle was out of sight. “Possibly.” He kept going until spotting a sign for the staging site. Several vehicles were already there. People were preparing for a day of climbing. Some were in groups. Others would climb alone.

Zeke parked, and the two got out.

They went over to the group of men and women.

“Good morning,” Cooper said as they neared. “A good day for climbing.”

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