Page 245 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“No worries. We’ll be fine with the porta potties.” She gave him a tight smile. “In the meantime, Radar and Chase will need to use the facilities.” She let her dog out and clipped his leash to his collar. Mason followed suit, and as soon as they were out the dogs had their noses to the ground ready to work.

“Seems they’re eager to get to it, so we’ll let them lead the way,” Valerie said.

Wade made eye contact with Valerie. “Thank you for bringing them. I’ll be nearby if they find anything.”

Valerie held up a whistle. “We’ll use this to get your attention.”

The dogs took off down the path, but they didn’t get far before they both sat in the middle of the trail. “Is something wrong with them?”

“When they sit like that, it means they’re indicating. They caught the scent of decomposition.”

“Could it be a deer carcass nearby or another animal?”

Mason shook his head. “Unlikely. They’re trained to recognize the difference.”

“Oh.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I’d hoped this would be an exercise in futility, and we would wind up with only the one body.”

“Was your victim found near here?” Mason pulled a dog toy out of his pocket and held it out for Chase who grabbed hold for a game of tug of war.

Wade watched as the handler rewarded his canine for a job well done. “We’re not even close to where the victim was found. That’s another quarter mile down the trail.”

“Then I’d say you have a second body.”

“I’ll mark the spot. You can go on ahead and see what else the canines discover.” He frowned. “Whistle if they do, and I’ll come out to mark the spot.” Wade hoped there wouldn’t be any more discoveries. He dislodged his phone from the holder on his belt. “I need to call this in.”

Later that afternoon,Wade leaned against his car and watched Emily pull into the parking area. She joined him and frowned.

“What are you doing lurking in the lot?”

He sighed. “The canines found something else, and I needed a moment alone.”

She let out a choked laugh. “All this craziness is because I accidentally stumbled on a skull.”

“No, Em.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “This is all because someone out there decided to kill at least one woman and bury her in a state park near a national landmark.”

“Do you think the dogs were right? That there could be two more bodies?”

“They’re well trained. Unlikely they’re wrong, but it is possible the same victim was moved multiple times.”

She wrinkled her nose. “But you don’t think that’s the case?”

“We brought in the dogs for a reason.”

“Right.” She sucked in a deep breath and stared off in the distance. He squeezed her shoulder before removing his hand surprised she hadn’t pulled away.

“I’m going to check on the progress down there.”

“Need any help?”

“I’m not sure, but if you’re offering, come along with me. We’ll know soon enough what we’re dealing with. Do you think you can get another ranger or two out to the road to let the excavators and CSIs in?”

“Absolutely.” She made the call before the two of them headed down the trail.

Wade checked on the slow progress his team was making uncovering the victims, then stepped away.

Emily followed. “Do you think we stumbled on ancient burial grounds?”

“The first Jane Doe found wasn’t ancient. The medical examiner thinks she’s been here less than a decade.”

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