Page 3 of Their Wicked Games

“Nope. Only that you should get there ASAP.” Maggie looked from one to the other. “Do you want me to contact the sheriff?”

Confused why the forest warden hadn’t provided more details, Rio shook his head. “Not yet. We’ll go and take a look. It might be a hunting accident. If it is, there’s no need to disturb them.”

“Okay.” Maggie gave them a stern look. “Don’t you forget to call in and give me your position. If you don’t and get yourself into trouble out there, I won’t be able to send you backup.”

After being a gold shield detective in LA for two years prior to arriving in Black Rock Falls, Rio knew the deal, but he also understood Maggie felt she was responsible for them during Jenna and Kane’s absence. He nodded and turned to grab survival packs out of the closet. “I’ll call in when we get to the location, Maggie.” He tossed a pack to Rowley, grabbed his jacket, and followed him out the door.

As Rowley headed for the location, Rio called the forest warden to get more information. “This is Deputy Zac Rio. We’re on our way to your location. Can you give me an update on the bodies you found on the hiking trail?”

“We have three victims, all Caucasian, approximately sixteen to eighteen years old, two male and one female. All have sustained kill shots from, I suspect, an arrow. I doubt if this is a hunting accident, as this isn’t a designated area for archers. It is a specifically marked hiking trail. I am convinced this is a homicide.”The forest warden let out a shuddering sigh.“I have one of my colleagues on horseback guarding the entrance to this trail, I’m approximately twenty yards from the crime scene. I haven’t seen anyone in this area since I arrived, approximately ten minutes ago. We were following up reports of a mountain lion in the area, and managed to move it on, but other wildlife are moving in. We need to move these bodies before dark.”

Running the protocol through his mind, Rio cleared his throat. “Okay, I’ll notify the medical examiner and we’ll be there shortly.” He disconnected and then called Wolfe to explain the situation.

Fortunately, Rowley had been raised in the area and knew all the trails to the local fishing holes. After perusing the map, he’d taken advantage of the fire roads to get as close as possible, to the trail. Rio stepped out of the cruiser, and a cool breeze from the mountains, still carrying the frosty aroma of snow, brushed his cheeks. He inhaled deeply, knowing that the pine-scented fresh air wouldn’t last long. He turned to Rowley. “Can you find your way from here?”

“Yeah, I used to come here all the time as a kid.” Rowley collected his things from the back seat. “It’s the worst-kept secret in town. I’ll send Wolfe the directions to get here the way we came. If he follows his GPS, he’ll be walking about an extra mile. I figure we’re only about three or four hundred yards from the crime scene.” He hung his backpack over one shoulder and took out his phone. He indicated to a trail on the left. “That way.”

Slowly scanning the lush dense forest, Rio placed one hand on his arm. “We need to proceed with caution, there’s possibly a killer on the loose in the forest. He could be considering us as his next victims right now. Make sure you inform Wolfe to be on his guard.”

“Sure.” Rowley turned slowly, looking all around. “Our Kevlar vests are in the back of my truck.” He pulled open the back door and dragged them out. He handed one to Rio. “Better safe than sorry. These will stop a bullet or an arrow. I figure if he’s attacking with a knife, he won’t be game enough to take on both of us.”

Rio removed his jacket and pulled on the vest. “Okay, but no talking once we’re on the trail. I don’t want to alert anyone of our presence until we get on-scene.” He shrugged into his jacket and grabbed his rifle from the back of Rowley’s truck. “Move out.”

Stanton Forest surrounded Black Rock Falls from the lowlands to the foot of the mountains spreading west. At this time of year, after the melt when new growth was in abundance, the forest became dense and formidable. Walking the trails could be a beautiful or terrifying experience. As they walked, sunlight filtered through the trees, dappling the way ahead with constantly moving shadows and small patches of bright sunlight. As they went deeper, the sunlight was obscured by the dense canopy above, making small tunnels of darkness along the way. In fact, it was the perfect place for an ambush and many people intent on murder had used it to their advantage.

These facts were in the back of Rio’s mind as they continued along the trail. With the wind from the mountain at their back, the stench of death didn’t reach them until he spotted the crime scene tape flapping in the breeze. He pulled out his phone and called the forest warden to alert him to their presence. He pushed the phone back into his pocket and turned to Rowley. “The forest warden is on the other side of the victims.” He pulled booties from his backpack and handed a pair to Rowley. “Suit up. We don’t want to contaminate the scene.” He understood that Rowley was squeamish. “Are you going to be okay, viewing the corpses?”

“Yeah, from here they don’t look so bad.” Rowley was staring down the pathway. “Although I figure the wildlife has chewed on them some.”

Keeping to the perimeter of the trail, Rio led the way, constantly scanning all around for any sign of movement. The birds had been quite noisy on their way to the scene but had fallen silent on their arrival, which made Rio believe that the killer had left the immediate area. As they approached the first prone figure, he pulled out his phone and recorded the scene. “First victim is a male, Caucasian. He has one wound between the shoulder blades and another in his right thigh.” He bent to lift the victim’s arm. “Rigor has already set in.” He swept his phone camera slowly around the body, taking in the immediate area.

“Those wounds have been made by a crossbow bolt.” Rowley crouched down and peered at the victim’s back. “I’d say his shirt was torn open like that when they removed the bolt. The wound is a typical shape, and I’ve seen it many times before.” He pointed back up the trail. “The first spots of blood are there, and by the disturbance of the pine needles, he would have received the leg injury first and dragged himself here, before receiving the kill shot.”

Impressed, Rio kept the camera running as they moved to the next body. “This is the body of a young woman, Caucasian, approximately sixteen years old. She has a through-and-through injury on the neck. He swung his camera back to Rowley. “What do you think?”

“Crossbow again, and with that injury, she might have staggered a few steps and then fell, but what is puzzling me is the trajectory of the bolt.” Rowley turned slowly, peering into the trees. “Do you know how difficult it is to get a clean shot like this one, in a dense forest? There would be only one, maybe two, possible lines of sight. We need to get Kane here. He is the best person to track the trajectory of the bolts.”

Nodding, Rio continued down the trail and discovered the third victim, another young Caucasian male with similar injuries to the young woman. He made out the forest warden sitting on his horse, surveying the area intently. He waved to him, and the man turned his horse toward him and stopped ten yards from the bodies. After recording the scene with care, Rio made the call to Jenna. “I’m so sorry to disturb you, but we have a triple homicide.”

THREE

Concerned by Rio’s call, Jenna leaned back on the porch swing, coffee in one hand, and stared at Kane. She’d put her phone on speaker the moment Rio had mentioned the wordhomicide. “Why is it the moment we leave town someone decides to start killing people?”

“From what Rowley was saying, we may be looking at an initial hunting accident.” Kane stood and pulled her to her feet. “We need to be on scene. If he is correct, we’re not talking about serial killers. It could be an opportunistic thrill kill or an accident and they panicked and killed everyone.” He frowned and scratched his cheek. “I just hope it isn’t some type of initiation. With all the strange cults emerging of late, anything is possible.”

Staring at him in disbelief, Jenna swallowed the last mouthful of coffee and headed inside. She’d already stripped the bed and packed the linen for the trip home. They’d planned to hike farther up the mountain, and return home in time for lunch, stopping by Aunt Betty’s Café on the way for takeout. She took one last glance over her shoulder at the beautiful scenery. The cabin was set in one of the most tranquil settings she’d ever seen. It was no wonder Carter had purchased this cabin to get away from the pressures of his job. The few hours she’d had here alone with Kane had been wonderful. The phone chimed again and from the caller ID it was Wolfe. “Morning. If you are calling about the three bodies in Stanton Forest, Rio and Rowley called just before. We’re heading in that direction now. I have the coordinates and Rowley’s directions to get there, but we don’t have the Beast.”

“Then I suggest you swing by home and get it, and maybe bring along Carter and Jo. I figure we’re dealing with more than one killer, and they could still be in the immediate area. I would advise caution.”Wolfe lowered his voice and she could hear him moving away from the low conversation around him.“Is Dave listening in?”

“Yeah, I’m here.” Kane moved closer to her side.

“I’m seeing multiple shooters. Rowley insists the injuries have been inflicted by crossbow bolts. I figured this was an ambush. I need you on scene ASAP to assist me in determining the trajectory of the shots.”Wolfe took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh.“Dave, this homicide is very familiar. It resembles a cleanup team.”

“That involves teenagers?” Kane scratched his chin. “What could they possibly know to trigger such a reaction and why leave the bodies in the forest? Nah, it makes no sense whatsoever. There has to be another explanation.”

“I’m just telling you what I’m seeing here.”Wolfe’s agitation came through the speaker.“Think about it, Dave. When did you ever clean up the bodies?”

“Well, my targets were usually a long distance away and surrounded by the enemy.” Kane shrugged. “Mine were hit-and-run missions. This is different.”

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