Page 40 of Marked For Revenge

“We’re on our way,” Theo said to the caller and he hung up. “That was the 9-1-1 dispatcher. There’s been another murder.”

Chapter Twelve

As Theo, Harley and she drove toward the latest crime scene, Ava tried to force herself to stay composed. Hard to do, though, with the emotions whipping through her. It was next to impossible since those emotions were mixed with the adrenaline roller coaster that she’d been on for weeks now, the pregnancy hormones and the sickening dread of another murder.

Mercy, another dead woman.

Well, maybe it was. It could be another mannequin, but the witness had been certain it was a body.

That was all Theo, Harley and she knew at this point. The teenage witness who’d been at the creek to take a swim had seen the body of a woman lying on the creek bank and had called 9-1-1. Other than the location and that it appeared the woman had a trash bag on her, the dispatcher hadn’t been able to get much else out of him because the boy was in shock.

Like Theo and Harley, Ava kept watch around them as Theo drove away from town and toward the creek that had given the town its name. The creek coiled through the surrounding area ranches and was accessible by road at three different points. This location would be the most remote of the three since there were no houses nearby. That was no doubt why the killer had chosen it for a body dump.

“I’d rather you wait in the cruiser,” Theo said to her when he pulled to a stop on the narrow road near the bridge.

She glanced over at Harley who was in the backseat, and Ava knew he wanted the same thing. For her to remain in the relative safety of the cruiser. It was tempting to do just that.

It was also impossible.

She was a cop, and she was the cause of the murders. Yes, she would take precautions and had done so by wearing a Kevlar vest, but no precaution would completely ensure her safety. It was the same for Theo and Harley.

“I’ll be careful,” was all she said.

Ava ignored Harley’s heavy sigh and looked around to begin her assessment of the crime scene.

Other than the remote location, she could see why the killer had chosen this spot for a body dump. There was no steep incline leading down to the creek. The killer could have stopped near where they were now and dragged or carried the body to the creek bank.

Posing wouldn’t have taken long, less than a minute if the garbage bag and mask had already been in place. A quick in-and-out where he or she obviously hadn’t been spotted or someone would have reported it.

Ava saw a lanky teenage boy in shorts and a tee, sitting on the bridge railing. The witness, no doubt, and he was visibly shaken. His bike was lying on its side near him, and he had turned himself away from the creek. He had his arms folded over his chest and was crying. Ava didn’t know his name, but she knew the boy’s parents, David and Melanie Buckner, who owned a ranch just up the road. Since the couple both worked in town, they’d no doubt be here soon.

Theo sighed, too, at Ava’s insistence that she not stay put, and he opened his door just as a second cruiser came to a stop behind them. Deputies Jesse Ryland and Nelline Rucker got out, immediately heading for Theo’s cruiser. Both Harley and Ava stepped out.

“You know the boy?” Theo asked Jesse. He took a pair of evidence gloves from the cruiser but left the door open. No doubt so they could dive back in if necessary. Ava and Harley did the same.

Jesse nodded. “Eli Buckner. His folks bought a horse from me for his fourteenth birthday. You want me to see to him?”

“Yeah,” Theo verified. “Get him into your cruiser so if there’s any evidence on the bridge, it won’t be stepped on when his folks get here. Also, I want him away from any potential trouble.” He turned to Nelline. “Wait here and keep watch to make sure we’re not about to be ambushed.”

Even though Nelline was a veteran cop, that put a whole lot of concern in her eyes, and she automatically moved her hand to the butt of her weapon. “You want me to go ahead and call the CSIs and medical examiner?” she asked.

Theo shook his head. “I want to verify that it is indeed a body before we get all of that rolling. Still, try to preserve the scene as best you can.” He motioned for Harley and Ava to follow him.

All three kept watch around them, but they also checked the ground for any signs of what had happened here. There were no actual drag marks as there had been at the scene of the last murder, but the ground appeared to have been trampled in spots. They avoided those spots, just in case the CSIs could recover shoe prints, and made their way to the creek bank.

Normally, this was a serene location with the sound of the water rushing over the rocks, the spring breeze gently stirring the leaves on the trees and the wildflowers dotting the landscape. But there was nothing serene about the woman lying just ahead. One look at her and Ava knew this wasn’t a hoax.

This was indeed another murder.

The woman’s body was posed exactly as the others and had the mask of Ava’s face. Even though this was the fourth time Ava had seen the mask on a victim, it still gave her that overwhelming crush of grief and guilt.

Ava drew her gun and whirled around when a dark blue truck came screeching to a halt behind the cruisers. But it wasn’t the killer. It was Eli’s parents, and they both immediately barreled out of the vehicle and started running toward their son as Jesse was leading the boy to the cruiser.

She didn’t put her gun back in the holster. Ava kept a two-handed grip on it, pointing it down but knowing it’d be ready, and they approached the body.

The dead woman’s hair was the same color as Ava’s. That was about the only part of her they could see what with the mask and the garbage bag. Theo gloved up while Harley took some photos of the body, and then, using extreme caution so as to touch as little as possible, Theo lifted the corner of the mask.

“I know her,” Ava blurted out. Her voice was strained because of the fresh slam of adrenaline, but even with the shock of seeing that face, she knew this was not the killer’s usual MO. “She’s an investigative reporter, Lacey George. She works for one of the San Antonio newspapers.”

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