Page 7 of In Her Fears
As they drew closer to the tree, Jenna noticed something carved into its trunk—a crude pentagram, its lines deep and jagged in the bark.Fresh, by the look of the exposed wood.
“Body’s already been removed by the county coroner,” Spelling continued, “but we’ve kept the scene intact otherwise.”
Jake studied the pentagram with a frown.“Ritualistic?”
“That’s what it looks like,” Spelling agreed, reaching for his phone.“I’ve got the crime scene photos here if you want a clearer picture of how we found him.”
He brought up a series of images, handing the phone to Jenna.She flipped through them slowly, each one more disturbing than the last.Holbrook’s body was slumped against the tree, arms bound behind him with weathered rope.His head lolled forward, but his eyes were open, fixed in the vacant stare of death.Most disturbing was the wooden stake protruding from his chest, driven deep into his heart.Blood, dark and congealed, had soaked the front of his light blue button-down shirt.
Jake leaned in to look over her shoulder, his presence warm at her back.She heard his sharp intake of breath as he took in the gruesome details.
“Damn it,” he murmured, his breath tickling her ear.
Jenna suppressed a shiver that had nothing to do with the images and everything to do with Jake’s proximity.She forced her attention back to the photos, noting the precision of the wound.
“Single entry point,” she observed.“Directly into the heart.Not random or frenzied.”
“ME’s preliminary finding is that the stake was the cause of death,” Spelling confirmed.“Clean thrust, angled slightly upward.Killer knew what they were doing.”
Jenna handed the phone back, her mind racing.“It’s all very...theatrical, isn’t it?The pentagram, the stake through the heart.It’s like something out of a horror movie.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Spelling said, pocketing his phone.“Which is partly why I called you in.This kind of staging, this level of...showmanship, it’s unusual.And unusual seems to be your specialty, Sheriff.”
Jenna caught the meaningful look in his eyes.
“Any signs of struggle?”Jake asked, moving closer to the tree but carefully staying behind the crime scene tape.“Drag marks?Blood trail?”
“Nothing,” Spelling said.“Even so, the ME thinks he was killed elsewhere and brought here post-mortem.For one thing, there was no blood on the ground, as there would have been if he’d been stabbed right here.The staging—tying him to the tree, carving the pentagram—all happened after death.”
“So not a crime of passion,” Jenna mused.“Everything about this was planned, calculated.”
“Exactly,” Spelling agreed.“Which brings me to the other reason I asked you here.”His expression darkened.“The kid who found the body—Teddy Rose, seventeen, local high school student.Chief Morgan’s got him in custody over at the county jail.”
“In custody?”Jake’s eyebrows shot up.“As a witness or a suspect?”
“Morgan seems convinced he’s the killer,” Spelling said, his tone making it clear what he thought of that theory.“Kid was trespassing in the cemetery after hours, supposedly to go meet his girlfriend.Claims he stumbled across the body and called 911.”
“And Morgan thinks he did it?”Jenna frowned.“Based on what evidence?”
“That’s just it—there isn’t much.No blood on his clothes, no history of violence, honor roll student.”Spelling shook his head.“But Morgan’s fixated on him.Says only someone with ‘sick fascinations’ would be in a cemetery at midnight.”
Jenna and Jake exchanged a look, silently communicating their skepticism.A teenager sneaking out to meet his girlfriend was hardly evidence of homicidal tendencies.
“What does your gut tell you, Colonel?”Jenna asked.
“That Morgan’s barking up the wrong tree,” Spelling replied without hesitation.“That’s where you come in, Sheriff.I’d like you to interview the Rose kid, get your impression.”
Spelling’s unspoken question hung in the air between them: Would Jenna’s particular abilities reveal anything about Teddy Rose’s involvement?She wished she could explain to the colonel that it didn’t work that way.
“Morgan’s not going to like that,” Jake pointed out.
“Morgan’s already not happy,” Spelling said with a grim smile.“When I told him I was bringing in Sheriff Graves for consultation, I thought his head might explode.But the county prosecutor’s office is interested in your take too, Sheriff.They’re not convinced by Morgan’s case either.”
Jenna nodded slowly, her gaze drawn back to the oak tree with its carved pentagram.The image seemed to burn itself into her mind, joining the crime scene photos in a macabre mental collage.But unlike previous cases, she had no dreams, no visitations to guide her.She was operating on conventional investigative skills alone.
“I’ll talk to Teddy,” she agreed, turning back to Spelling.“But I should be clear, Colonel—I don’t have any special insights on this one.Not at this point.”
Spelling studied her for a moment, then nodded once.“Your professional opinion is valuable regardless, Sheriff.And who knows?Maybe something will come to you.”
