Page 247 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

A woman slidout of her silver Subaru Legacy looking disheveled. She pushed her glasses back up on her nose and turned to face him. “I’m Dr. Mastriano.”

“Sergeant Brunner.” He held out his hand to shake hers, but she had to shuffle her bags around before she could return the gesture.

“Want to show me what you’ve uncovered so far?”

Wade nodded.

“I’ll spearhead things from here on out to make sure no bones are damaged during excavation,” she said.

“Follow me.”

Jamie met them on the trail a second before a whistle split the air.How many more times would the dogs hit on something?“Sergeant Strauss, this is Dr. Mastriano, the forensic anthropologist I was telling you about. Would you be so kind as to take her to meet the team of crime-scene investigators? I have to run out to meet with the canines and their handlers.”

Jamie looked at him skeptically. “We can send a trooper or a ranger to tag the site where the canines indicated.”

“No. I’ll do it. I have some leads I need to follow up on anyway.”

“What leads?”

“We can talk later, and I’ll tell you all about them.”

“Uh huh. Sure.” Jamie smiled at the doctor. “How was your ride in, Dr. Mastriano?”

The two of them turned and started down the trail, and he hiked out in the opposite direction.

CHAPTER FIVE

Emily willed tears away as she considered the families whose loved ones were buried by Boulder Field.

She glanced around to be sure her neighbor wasn’t lurking nearby before climbing out of her vehicle and hurrying up the footpath. She didn’t have the energy to chat today. As she slid her key in the lock, Bob’s voice reached her. She pretended she didn’t hear him and slipped inside. As she heated a can of Campbell’s soup, she prayed for the victims’ families.

When she’d driven away from the park, they were excavating another possible grave. The state police would need to identify at least three Jane Does. Possibly more. She was grateful to the cadaver dogs and their handlers for finding the victims but dreaded working at Hickory Run in the upcoming months. Morbid serial killer enthusiasts would want to visit Boulder Field.

A buzzing drew her attention to her cell phone, so she glanced at the screen. Samantha.

Sam: You off tomorrow? Maybe we could go hiking.

Emily: I am. And I’d love that.

Sam: Your place or mine?

Emily: How about we hike here this week and Promised Land next time? We can save Ricketts for next month.

Sam: Sounds like a plan. I’ll meet you at the park office around 9 a.m.

Emily: Perfect.

Or it would be perfect if it wasn’t being used by a serial killer for a burial place. Maybe word hadn’t spread far and wide yet, and she could enjoy one last hike on her day off before the news became common knowledge. Emily spent plenty of time hiking during the work week leading nature trail walks and occasional night hikes to allow the visitors to spot owls, bats, and other nocturnal creatures, but it was a rare treat to relax and enjoy her time in the woods.

Emily yawnedas she drove to the park the next morning. Once again, she hadn’t slept well, but she was looking forward to spending time with her friend away from the chaos of the crime scene.

When she pulled up by the park office, Sam was waiting and not alone.

She took a deep breath and pasted a smile on her face before climbing out of her Ford Fusion to greet her friend, and the man who had haunted her dreams the previous night.

“There you are. We were going to send a search party,” Sam said.

She glanced down at her smart watch. “I’m right on time.”

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