Page 24 of Deadly Sacrifice

Lei joined TG, and the three of them began unloading the rear area of the aircraft. TG unfolded the gurney to make it easier to push over the bumpy ground, and they stacked it with Dr. Gregory's other gear.

Dr. Gregory joined them, staggering slightly and still a bit greenish. "I almost made it,” he said. "I thought these bands might be enough.” He held up plump wrists encircled with stretchy bands. "I didn't want to take that air sickness med because it makes me sleepy. Gotta be sharp for the job."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but you gotta do what you gotta do to manage your health,” Lei said. “Maybe a dose of Dramamine plus the bands will do it on the way down. Let’s get walking. That ought to help.” She handed him a water bottle from her backpack. “Drink this. It’s easy to get dehydrated in the crater; there’s so little humidity up here.”

Dr. Gregory took the bottle and drained it; he handed the empty plastic container to Abel. “Thanks for that, Lei.”

The three of them set off, pushing the gurney away from the cleared landing area toward a trail that led in the general direction they needed to go.

By the time they reached the cinder cone, they had been spotted by the two Rangers keeping watch over the body. One of them arrived to help bring the equipment up to the crime scene. Soon all five of the team were staring down at the remains of a man tied to a small koa tree. “Not good,” TG said, and Lei could only nod in agreement, at a loss for words.

16

LEI

Even bracedfor the sight of the victim tied to the tree in the stunning setting of Haleakala Crater, Lei fought the urge to look away from the grisly scene. Here was a man in the prime of his life, restrained and slaughtered like livestock—but even more cruelly.

She took a few steps back to take everything in for a moment, then spoke. "Dr. G, you can begin your exam once I’ve photographed the scene,” she said. “TG and I will get started by focusing on the ti leaf offering and bagging the murder weapon. We will be combing the area for evidence. Just by chance, Rangers, did you see anything unusual in the area that we should examine more closely?"

One of the rangers pointed. “Off that little cliff there. It appears the victim’s clothing was tossed down there, along with his camera and tripod."

"I'll go check that out and retrieve it,” TG volunteered.

"Thanks,” Lei said. “After I examine and photograph the scene I will examine the ti leaf offering and the murder weapon. Then we can begin a grid search and look for any trace, etcetera.”

After an initial visual scan, Lei photographed the body, taking in the “authentic” appearance of the blood-soaked replicamalothe victim wore. White tan lines on his legs told the story that a loincloth was not normal dress for him—he usually wore Bermuda-length shorts. His feet were undamaged—meaning he hadn’t walked barefoot on this rough terrain. And, up close, the ragged gashes on his throat were similar to the fatal wounds Goodwin had been inflicted with.

Lei crouched to take pictures of the victim; he had been handsome at one time, with dark hair in a stylish cut, even features, and a clean shave. Now, his face was pale, slack, and empty of all expression, which seemed odd. Goodwin’s features had held a feeling of fear, horror.

Lei moved in closer; she spotted a pressure mark with a blood drop on the victim’s neck. “Dr G. Come look at this. I think this guy was taken down with a syringe. Drugged, like Goodwin was, but still under the influence at time of death.”

Dr. Gregory clipped on his examination lenses and flipped them down over his ever-present glasses, peering in like a nearsighted mole at the man’s neck.

“Good eye, Lei. Yeah. Dude was probably drugged out of his mind when the killer cut him. A mercy. Cheryl Goodwin was awake for her murder, though she’d been drugged too.”

“He might have been roofied, but he knew someone bad was coming for him.” Lei pointed to contusion marks on the man’s knees and cinder gravel in his palms. “Even through his pants, those marks show he tried to get away. Dirt on his hands and under his nails, too.”

“You’re doing half my exam for me, Lei,” Dr. Gregory said. “Let me get my bag.”

Lei turned her gaze away from the horrific scene and moved to photograph and bag the murder weapon—a shark tooth club much like the one discovered at Goodwin's murder site. It had been placed beside the body and slightly beneath it, not as hidden as the one at the previous scene.

“If we can find where theleiomanowere made, we’ll have a connection to the murderer,” Lei said. “I’ll sic Katie on that. Maybe she can find somewhere online where these replicas can be ordered.”

Dr. Gregory, on his knees beside the body, removing scrapings from beneath the victim’s nails, nodded. “I like that kid,” he commented. “I bet she keeps your meetings lively.”

Lei snorted. “You got that right.”

After photographing the club, Lei slid the gore-covered weapon into an evidence bag. She then removed the tileaf wrapped bundle from between the man's sprawled legs. She carried the bundle over to a nearby rock, undid the twine holding it shut, and opened the ti leaves. She was careful not to touch areas where a print might have lodged—though there was no great hope the perpetrator had been that careless.

Resting inside the long green tileaves were a chunk of orange-red brick and a driver’s license.

“I’ve got to get that more detailed brick info from Katie,” Lei murmured. “The killer’s sending a clear message with this piece.” She then picked up the license and read the home address and vital statistics of one Jonas Kleftes, aged thirty-nine. “Whoever you were, Jonas, you weren’t chosen randomly.”

The sun overhead cast long shadows across the crater's rust-colored cinder cones, and a chill wind whistled through the silvery leaves of the rare‘ahinahinasilversword plants clinging to the volcanic rocks.

“Lei! Come see this.” TG's voice echoed up from below a rift edge, carrying across the otherworldly landscape of Haleakala. Lei made her way carefully down the steep slope, loose cinders shifting treacherously under her boots. At this elevation, even the air felt different, sharp in her lungs, carrying the dusty scent of volcanic soil.

Above her, the koa tree where the body was found stood like a sentinel against the vast sky, its leaves rustling in a slight wind that swept across the crater floor. The tree, defiant in this harsh environment, seemed to be drawing strength from the volcanic rock it had somehow rooted in.

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