Page 25 of Ranger Belief
“You didn’t sleep much last night, and it’s been a while since we had kolaches and coffee.” Laney wiggled her eyebrows at him. “How about we stop by the mess hall for dinner? I heard a rumor that lasagna was on the menu.”
“Again, I’m not some troll you have to throw food and caffeine at every once in a while. I’m allowed to be in a bad mood. We’re getting nowhere fast on a double homicide.”
“It hasn’t been the first time you’ve dealt with a tough case. Just admit it, Jonah. Life is better with food, coffee, and sleep. Maybe not in that order, but you get my drift.” She beamed and reached across to jab a finger in his midsection. “Admit it. Come on. You can say I’m right.”
He jerked away from her. “Absolutely not.” But Jonah couldn’t stop a smile from forming at the corners of his mouth. Truth was, she was right. He operated better with food, sleep, and caffeine. Most people did. Laney was one of the few individuals he knew who could be starving and still be positive.
She turned onto a dirt road, and Cabin 3 appeared. The rustic log structure hunched between towering pines, their branches creaking softly in the late-afternoon breeze. Cicadas droned from the underbrush, and the air hung heavy with the scent of pine needles and approaching twilight. Jonah felt uneasy as he approached the front door. “No lights on inside. They may not be here.”
“The air conditioning unit is running,” Laney pointed out. “But you’re right. There’s no sign of their vehicle.”
He opened the screen door and knocked on the wooden one. No answer. He waited a moment and then tried again to be sure. Logically, Jonah knew the lack of a response was likely because no one was inside, but his skin prickled with apprehension. He let the screen door slam shut.
“What is it?” Laney asked.
“I’m not sure.” He scanned the cabin and the surroundings, trying to pinpoint what had set off his internal alarm bells. The hum of the air conditioner mixed with the chirp of the cicadas. Dark shadows deepened between the trees.
Laney laid a hand on his arm. “Something’s wrong.”
She pointed to Scout. The lab hung back, away from the door. Jonah could’ve sworn there was a mournful look on her furry face. His pulse skipped a beat. Giving in to his instincts, and Scout’s, he circled the small cabin. At each window, he peered inside. Everything appeared normal. Dishes in the kitchen sink, a checkers game on the coffee table, a throw blanket unfolded and dumped in a heap on the couch. Jonah used the light from his flashlight to peer down the hall to the bedroom.
And his breath caught.
A bloody handprint stained the wall.
TWELVE
Two more murders. And a killer still at large.
Jonah stood at the front of the conference room while members of the task force claimed seats. Across the room, from the far end of the oval table, Laney met his gaze. Her park ranger uniform was perfectly pressed, but the dark smudges under her eyes showed she hadn’t slept any better than he had. Since finding the bodies yesterday, it’d been a hectic 24 hours. Scout, her ever-trusted companion, lay on the floor at her feet.
Laney offered him a small, encouraging smile. She knew he hated being the center of attention, and somehow, that gesture reached inside his chest and squeezed his heart tight.
Good grief, Foster. Pull it together.
He was tired. Processing the crime scene, followed by hours of reviewing witness statements and evidence, had worn him down. But the task force was waiting, and as lead investigator, he had a job to do.
Shoving aside his exhaustion, Jonah greeted everyone before attaching two photographs to the whiteboard. “Yesterday, we discovered the bodies of Nolan Carlson and Lisa Valdez. Nolan was 30 years old, blond hair, blue eyes, and worked for acommercial construction firm. He’s an outdoor enthusiast who hiked regularly, was part of a rock climbing group, and traveled frequently to take part in mountain climbing competitions.”
He tapped on the second photograph. “Lisa Valdez, 23 years old, brunette hair, brown eyes. A recent college graduate employed as a substitute teacher. Also an outdoor enthusiast, based on her social media posts. She and Nolan got engaged six months ago. They arrived at Piney Woods on Monday afternoon, and according to the initial coroner’s report, were killed on Wednesday. That coincides with the cell phone records we’ve obtained. Lisa and Nolan stopped answering their calls and texts on Wednesday evening around eight o’clock.”
“Hold on.” Chief Deputy Williams straightened her spine, her brow furrowing. “They were killedbeforeAva and Tyler?”
“Yes. Lisa and Nolan were murdered on Wednesday. Ava and Tyler were killed the next evening on Thursday. The crime scenes bear striking similarities. Both men were shot, both women were sexually assaulted and then manually strangled.”
Jonah’s voice was flat and clipped as he gave the details, but the crime scene photos taken from the cabin told a horror no one should ever have to face. After Nolan was shot, Lisa attempted to provide first aid, but the killer went after her. She ran. Attempted to escape down the hall, leaving a bloody handprint on the wall.
She fought hard for her life. But it hadn’t been enough.
“The state lab compared the bullets removed from the murders. They confirmed the same weapon was used to kill both men. A Ruger SR9 that was recovered from Ava and Tyler’s crime scene.” Jonah attached a photograph of the weapon to the whiteboard. “Unfortunately, the weapon was in the water when we located it. We couldn’t get fingerprints or DNA from it.”
“Both women were sexually assaulted.” Deputy Nate Martinez looked up from the pad he was taking notes on. Hisnose was sunburned from being outdoors interviewing campers staying near the cabin. “Was DNA recovered?”
“No. The perpetrator used a condom.” Jonah's jaw tightened. “Sexual assault kits were performed on both victims. We recovered trace evidence—fibers, potential skin cells under Lisa’s fingernails where she fought back—but nothing definitive yet. The lab is still processing.”
Nate nodded. Though he'd initially questioned Jonah's dedication at the first crime scene—protective of his jurisdiction and his sheriff—he'd proven himself to be a team player over the past two days. “There was no sign of forced entry at the cabin, right?”
“Correct. Whoever killed Nolan and Lisa either walked through the unlocked front door or was admitted in by one of them. Nolan’s SUV is also missing. A 2018 black Jeep Cherokee. A BOLO has been issued for the vehicle, but it hasn’t been found yet.”
