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“Or they’ve been studying,” Kari said.“Learning from their mistakes.”

She crouched to examine the cornmeal circle, noting its perfect symmetry.“This isn’t evolution.This is research.Someone learning exactly how to perform these ceremonies correctly.”

Dr.Hatathli approached, snapping off her latex gloves.“Cause of death is exsanguination from the neck wound,” she said, gesturing to the gaping slash across Mitchell’s throat.“Single cut, left to right, severing the carotid artery.Death would have been relatively quick.”

“Could it have been done with a ceremonial knife?”Kari asked.

“Consistent with the wound pattern,” Dr.Hatathli said.“I’ll know more after the autopsy.”

“And there’s this,” Tsosie said, extending a small evidence bag.

Inside was a folded sheet of paper, blood spatter visible on one corner.Kari turned it carefully through the plastic.It was a printout of an archaeological permit application—Mitchell’s name and institutional affiliation clearly visible at the top, the project description detailing a survey of “potential burial sites dating to pre-contact period.”

“The application was denied by the Tribal Council last month,” Tsosie explained.“Mitchell appealed the decision but was turned down again.”

“So he decided to conduct his research anyway,” Kari said.

“And someone made sure he wouldn’t get the chance,” Daniels added.He gestured to the ceremonial elements.“This level of knowledge and accuracy narrows our suspect pool considerably.”

Kari bristled.“It clears Thomas Begay, who’s still in your custody.”

To her surprise, Daniels nodded.“I’ve already called in his release.Obviously, he couldn’t have committed this murder while being questioned at our facility.”

The admission came without apology, but Kari knew it was the closest Daniels would come to acknowledging his error.“The improved ceremonial elements don’t support your profile,” she said.“They suggest someone learning, not someone with inherent cultural knowledge.”

“Or someone disguising their proficiency in earlier murders to throw us off,” Daniels countered smoothly.“Creating a false narrative of an outsider with academic knowledge.”

The circular logic was maddening.Kari turned away before her frustration became visible, focusing instead on the practical aspects of the scene.

“Mitchell’s vehicle?”she asked Tsosie.

“University-issued Jeep,” he replied, pointing to a green Cherokee parked about fifty yards away.“Keys in the ignition, excavation equipment in the cargo area, along with several empty collection containers.He came prepared to remove artifacts.”

“And someone was waiting for him,” Kari mused, scanning the surrounding terrain.The killer would have needed to observe Mitchell’s arrival and approach without being seen, overpower him quickly—Mitchell was slight but wiry, the build of someone who spent his career in the field—and then take time to arrange the ceremonial elements.

“Prints?”she asked.

“Processing now,” Tsosie said.“But the killer has been careful so far.I’m not optimistic.”

Daniels rejoined them, pocketing his phone.“I’ve arranged for a Bureau forensic team to process the scene and Mitchell’s vehicle.They’ll be here within the hour.”

“Our evidence techs are already working,” Kari said.

“And they’ll continue to do so, under Bureau supervision,” Daniels said with the false patience of someone explaining something to a child.“Three murders with ritualistic elements on or near federal land.This is now officially a serial investigation under FBI jurisdiction.”

The power play was as expected as it was frustrating.Kari knew that legally, Daniels was within his rights.That didn’t make his dismissive attitude any easier to stomach.

“We’ll need access to all findings,” she said, making it a statement rather than a request.

“Of course,” Daniels agreed easily.“In fact, I’d like both you and Detective Tsosie to join the task force I’m assembling.Your local knowledge remains valuable, even as we scale up the investigation.”

The diplomatic wording barely masked the reality: they were being absorbed into Daniels’s operation rather than partnering with it.

“Captain Yazzie will need to approve that arrangement,” Tsosie said, his tone neutral.

“Already done,” Daniels replied with a smile.“He agreed it’s the most efficient approach, given the Bureau’s resources.”

Kari turned her attention back to the body, trying to read what the scene could tell her directly, without Daniels’s interpretative filter.Three victims now—a professor photographing sacred sites, an environmental activist documenting mining encroachment, and an archaeologist conducting unauthorized excavations.Each one had crossed boundaries, physical or cultural.Each one had been killed with escalating ceremonial precision.

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