Page 25 of Their Haunted Hearts
“Same.” He handed Jenna her coat and then Kane his before slipping on his own. “Come on, Ben. We have work to do.”
Cold wind buffeted Jenna as she ran to the Beast and jumped inside. She pulled on her gloves and shivered. “The temperature is dropping so fast I wouldn’t be surprised if we had snow before long.”
“I just hope it holds off while we’re in the forest.” Kane started the engine and they headed along Main and onto Stanton.
Thick clouds had stolen the sunlight, making the midday drive more like late afternoon as the forest closed in around them. The vehicle was just where Rio said it would be opposite the roadhouse. They all climbed out and approached the two women seated inside. One held a rifle across her knees. Whatever she’d seen in the forest had disturbed her. The door opened and one of the women climbed out. Jenna approached her. “You called the hotline about seeing a body?”
“Yeah, we believe we did, although it’s quite dark in there today.” The woman pointed to the entrance to a well-known hiking track. “We took this track and as we passed that old bridge that goes over the river, we went past a huge boulder and noticed something in the trees. It looked like the pink back of someone hanging by their legs, head down. We turned around and ran back to our truck and then called 911. Someone from the hotline picked up the call.”
“How long ago was this?” Kane had moved beside her. “Did you see anyone on the trail?”
“Maybe twenty minutes, maybe less, and no, we didn’t see anyone.” The woman’s hand trembled as she brushed hair from her face as the wind twirled it around her head.
Jenna nodded. “Okay, thank you. Did you give your details to Deputy Rio?”
“Yes, we did.” The woman backed away. “Can we go now? That vampire slayer might be close by.”
Trying not to roll her eyes, Jenna glanced at Kane and then back to the women. “Yes, we’ll take a look but vampires don’t exist. That’s just a rumor set off by people to spook everyone over Halloween.” She looked from one woman to the other and handed them her card. “If we need any more information, one of my deputies will be in touch.”
Jenna waited for the women to drive away and turned to the others. “Okay, let’s go.”
Twenty-Five
Emily glanced up and grimaced. Dark clouds bounded across the sky, threatening rain or early snow. By the sudden drop in temperature, she reckoned it would be snowing by the end of the week. She settled her backpack on her shoulders and reached for her forensic kit. Her hand brushed over Raven’s as he lifted it and hooked it over one shoulder. “I’ll carry it.”
“I’m sure you can.” Raven looked at her and raised one eyebrow. “Do we need to have this argument every time I want to do something for you?”
She stared at him for probably a few seconds too long, taking in the overall strength of the man, his good looks, and charm. He could be a serial killer if she didn’t know better. “I figure being the oldest kid in the family, and taking responsibility for carrying stuff is just something I do without thinking.” She smiled at him. “Thank you, I appreciate the help.”
“My pleasure.” Raven waved her ahead of him into the dark forest.
Emily paused. It was as if everything inside of her was screaming at her not to go in there—but she must. An eerie stillness cloaked the forest as they walked. The birds suddenly fell silent and the only sound was the slight rustling of leaves as Kane and Jenna walked ahead of her. The trail became steeper as they climbed and steam puffed around her with each breath. In the silence her breathing appeared loud and her steps heavy. Ahead mist swirled across the pathway distorting her vision and changing the shapes of trees along the trail. She stopped walking and fear gripped her as something appeared to be crawling out of the leaves, but it was only the mist moving around an old rotten log. She took a few deep breaths as Raven caught up to her.
“Everything okay?” Raven scanned the forest. “Don’t worry, Ben will alert us if anyone is near.”
Glad to have Raven and the dog close by, Emily nodded. “Yeah, the mist is making me see things, is all.” She peered along the trail. “I can barely make out Jenna.”
“See the large boulder just ahead the women mentioned? Jenna probably went around it and into the forest.” Raven ushered her forward. “Look left just ahead and you’ll see them.”
Stepping carefully over exposed roots and a tangle of dead bushes, Emily turned into the forest, just making out the fluorescent yellow writing on the back of Jenna’s jacket reflecting in the dim light. “I see her.”
Shadows closed around her and she increased her pace along the narrow path, but all around her branches reached out to tangle in her clothes and pull at her hair. A light breeze brushed cool against her heated cheeks and twirled the mist, making it dance across the pathway in spirals. With it came the unmistakable stench of death. Ahead in the gloom a slowly swinging shape emerged from the mist. It appeared to be human, naked and hanging by its feet.
“Hold up.” Raven’s hand closed around her arm. “Kane will make sure it’s safe.”
Brushing his hand away, she turned to look at him. “If it’s a body, I need to go and examine it.”
“Wait for the all-clear to go in.” He moved closer to her. “It could be a trap.”
Unease crept over Emily as she stared into the dark forest watching Kane step closer. The beam of his flashlight revealed a pale curve of flesh. She followed the light down to the gaping slash across the neck and the round snout and large nostrils of a pig. She turned to Raven. “It’s a pig. A pink pig. How did that get into the forest?”
“They escaped captivity many years ago and seem to be able to outwit the predators.” Raven shrugged. “I’ve killed a few myself to eat.” He shook his head. “Whoever killed this one left it to rot. I wonder how long it’s been here.” He walked toward Kane and looked back at Emily over one shoulder. “It wasn’t field-dressed here. The ground below is clean.”
“No footprints we can use either.” Kane ran his flashlight over the surrounding ground. “It’s been disturbed by animals trying to get to the carcass.” He unwound the rope and lowered the pig so Emily could examine it. “Do you need to look at it, Em?”
Emily pinched her nose. “A pig? It doesn’t need an autopsy. Someone cut its throat. Case closed.”
“What’s that?” Jenna pointed to the pig as it swung back and forth as if someone had pushed it. “There hanging down from its neck.”
