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Another pause, longer this time.

“Are you from around here?”

The tension in her voice was subtle but unmistakable to Kari’s trained ear.Rachel had been speaking to someone who made her uneasy.

“I should get going.My colleagues are expecting me back by seven.”

A few seconds of silence followed, then Rachel’s voice again, now clearly concerned:“Are you okay?”

What came next sent a chill through Kari despite the morning heat—a sound that didn’t translate well through the phone’s speaker but registered as a low, guttural noise, neither speech nor animal call but something unsettlingly between.

Then chaos—the sound of rapid movement, something striking something else with a solid impact, Rachel’s quickened breathing as she ran, the rhythmic sound of her footfalls on rocky terrain.

Behind her, that same guttural sound, now with a quality that Kari could only describe as anger.

The recording captured several more seconds of desperate flight—Rachel’s labored breathing, the slip and slide of boots on loose stone, a muttered curse as she stumbled.Then a clatter as the phone apparently fell, followed by receding footsteps and one final, distant vocalization from the pursuer.

After that, only the ambient sounds of the desert—wind through junipers, occasional bird calls, the subtle symphony of a landscape indifferent to human tragedy.

“What the hell was that?”Daniels asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over their group.

“Could be distorted by the microphone,” Tsosie suggested, though his expression betrayed doubt.

Kari played it again, focusing specifically on the strange vocalization.

The second listening confirmed her initial impression—whatever had made that sound didn’t conform to typical human vocalization patterns.It reminded her of Ruth’s words:Not all killers leave footprints.

“We need to get this to audio specialists,” Daniels said, all pretense of being an observer now abandoned.“The Bureau has voice analysis technology that might help identify the speaker.”

“The phone goes with our evidence,” Kari said firmly.“We’ll share findings once our techs have processed it.”

“Kari.”Daniels removed his sunglasses, his expression shifting to the avuncular concern she remembered from childhood.“This is bigger than jurisdictional pride.Two people are dead, both with these ceremonial elements you say are inauthentic.We need Bureau resources on this.”

“We’re not refusing cooperation,” Kari said.“But this is still a Navajo Nation Police investigation until formally transferred.”

Dr.Hatathli interrupted their standoff.“I need to move the body soon.Temperature’s rising, and decomposition accelerates in these conditions.”

Kari nodded.“Go ahead and prepare for transport.We’ve documented the scene.”

As the medical examiner’s team worked, Kari pulled Tsosie aside.“What do you make of that sound on the recording?”

Tsosie’s expression was uncharacteristically troubled.“Strange, to say the least,” he said quietly.“It reminded me of stories my grandfather used to tell.About Skinwalkers.”

The term sent an unexpected shiver through Kari.Skinwalkers—evil witches who could transform into animals by wearing their skins—featured prominently in the stories Ruth had told her as a child.They were the monsters of Navajo legend, spoken of in whispers, never directly named for fear of attracting their attention.

“That’s not what we’re dealing with,” she said, not entirely certain who she was trying to convince.

Tsosie didn’t argue, but his silence spoke volumes.

Daniels joined them, his phone pressed to his ear.After a brief conversation, he hung up with a grim expression.“I’ve updated the Flagstaff office.They’re sending a forensic team and putting together a task force.In the meantime, we need to brief your department.If we’re dealing with a serial killer targeting people in this area, public safety becomes the priority.”

“Agreed,” Kari said, seeing no reason to dispute this approach.“We should get the victim’s background as well.Environmental activism can create enemies.”

“I’ve already requested her file from the Southwest Justice Coalition,” Daniels said.“They’re sending her case history and current projects.”

Of course he had.The Bureau’s resources and reach still impressed Kari, despite her determination to maintain independence.

“We’ll meet at the station in two hours,” she said.“That gives us time to process the initial evidence and prepare a briefing.”

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