Page 21 of A Song for the Dead

“I agree.” Jo leaned forward her expression interested. “How do you see this behavior, Dave?”

“He might have only started the Halloween ritual seven years ago.” Kane shrugged. “Previously he could have been killing randomly, because from what I’m seeing, the earliest victim we have wasn’t his first kill. It’s practiced, almost precision-like. No one can do that at first. Murderers usually panic, overkill, leave evidence behind, strike, and run. This guy is savoring his kills. I mean, how many are cool enough to take a darn shower after creating a bloodbath?” He took a sip of coffee and raised one shoulder in a half shrug. “Maybe he figures, by only killing three at Halloween, he becomes invincible. Since then, he’s been killing and not been caught, which for him would validate his belief in the ritual.”

“That works for me.” Jo nodded.

“Maybe, but it doesn’t help catch him, does it?” Carter shrugged and then held up four fingers. “This is what I’ve deduced. This person blends into society.” He bent down one finger. “He’s a regular guy and not a loner.” He bent down the second finger. “His occupation means he’s seen all over town, which makes him invisible. People only notice strangers.” He bent down the third finger. “He drives a vehicle he can park where it’s not noticed, a local delivery guy for instance.” He popped a toothpick in his mouth and grinned around it. “He’s a local, and probably moved away for a time, but not far. As Jo will tell you, he has a comfort zone, encompassing Black Rock Falls, Louan, and Blackwater, so those are his current hunting grounds. If there are bodies, they’ll be in the other counties. I’d bet my bottom dollar he abandoned the rituals in Black Rock Falls the year you became sheriff and started again close by. He might not have taken his women from those towns, but I figure he brought them into his zone to bury them.”

Amazed by the information Carter had collected, Jenna nodded. “We’ve been researching all deaths and missing people and we came up with no other local crime scenes. We did find women who went missing in waterways across the state. They went swimming or fishing and were never seen again. It’s possible a shower wasn’t his only way to cleanse his victims.”

“I can dig deeper into those disappearances.” Kalo smiled at Jenna. “Those around Halloween would be unusual, as its way too cold to swim in these parts.”

“Maybe concentrate on boats or fishing. People fall into the rapids and are never seen again.” Kane cleared his throat. “We need to consider everything. If this is the Halloween Slasher, he’ll strike again soon.” He looked directly at Kalo. “Notice any activity on Freya’s phone?”

“Nope, I have been watching it.” Kalo frowned. “I can’t actually track it, but it hadn’t moved the day you called. Since then, it’s been dead. Someone has blocked the signal.” He shrugged. “That’s easily done. He only needs to turn it off.”

“Wolfe described the attack as frenzied, but it seems the killer didn’t want to kill outright.” Carter’s brow furrowed. “He knows where not to stab to keep someone alive. You’ve seen that, right, Dave?”

“Yeah.” Kane stared at him. “The problem is, that knowledge isn’t just military. Any branch of martial arts would teach the same techniques. On the tapes I hear a frenzied attack, but we don’t hear the cursing that usually comes with it. The out-of-control maniacal breakdown. This guy is methodical and brutal.”

“I can’t wait to meet him.” Carter grinned at the camera. “You calling us in on this case or not?”

Happy to spread the work, Jenna nodded. “Come on down. The cottage is stocked and ready. Just remember we have a son now, so no talking shop in front of him.”

“Cross my heart and hope to die. I’m looking forward to seeing him again. I promised him a ride in the chopper.” Carter nodded. “We’ll come in the morning. I’ll leave the chopper at Wolfe’s building if that’s okay. We’ll just need a ride for the duration.”

“Fine by me.” Wolfe smiled.

Jenna nodded. “I’ll park my cruiser at the morgue and leave the keys with Wolfe.” She blew out a long breath. “Thanks everyone. We’ll pick this up tomorrow.” She clicked off and turned to Kane. “That went well.”

“Yeah, now if Rio and Rowley discovered any burial sites with the drone, we’ll be making headway. I assume they found nothing so far as they haven’t called in. The suspects seem to be eluding us.” Kane smiled at her. “I figure if we can pry Blackhawk away from Wolfe for a time, he might know Twisted Limbs Trail and if there are any cabins hidden away.”

Collecting her things into a pile, Jenna stood. “Yeah, we need to hunt down the suspects we have in the Freya Richardson case and hope they give us some information. Right now, without a body and no evidence, we’re just chasing our tails. I’m ready to head home. We can work on the case later tonight.” She sighed and pulled on her jacket. “AfterTauri goes to bed. The few hours we have with him each night are so special. Time will go so fast and he’ll be off to college before we blink.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Kane smiled at her and pushed on his Stetson, running his fingers around the brim. “The time with him is very special, especially during our downtime. Those are diamond days that will stay with us forever.”

TWENTY-SEVEN

Daisy Lyon had left the Triple Z Roadhouse after finishing work and instead of driving home had headed for Main to look at the Halloween displays. She purchased Halloween candy, knowing that the local kids would be by. They seemed to flock to Pine, although with most of the houses set back from the road and surrounded by trees, she could only imagine it was for the spooky factor more than the candy. She took a few selfies against a backdrop of some of the displays and then climbed back into her vehicle and headed for home. One hand reaching into the bag of candy, she popped some into her mouth before turning around and heading back along Main, taking Stanton, and heading for Pine.

Pine certainly had a different feel around Halloween. Most of the residences, including one house used for the local college, had a variety of terrifying, heartstopping Halloween dummies on their driveways. Some of the tree-shrouded entrances resembled the inside of a ghost train. They had long cobwebs hanging from the surrounding trees with spiders as big as dogs dangling down all over. She grinned but the idea of walking into her dark house sent a chill down her spine. She had installed a sensor light not three weeks previously but it had stopped working. With both her and Tara working long hours, neither had time or spare cash to call an electrician to fix it.

She pulled into her driveway and drove through the dark tunnel of trees, glad when her headlights picked out the house. As she turned, she drove slowly so the beams swept the house and surrounds. No one lurked in the shadows, but her heart raced and a prickling sensation ran over the back of her neck. Getting from her vehicle to the front door in the dark frightened her. She grabbed her purse and the candy. Taking a deep breath, she dashed to the front door, keys in hand. Fumbling with the lock, she fell inside breathing heavily and then turned to use the fob to lock her ride.

The house was silent, cold, and she slapped one hand on the switch, glad when light flooded the room. Breathing heavily, she turned the deadbolt and let out a long breath as she headed for the kitchen. She switched on the light and stared at the room. The place had been a mess when she’d left this morning. She grinned. Tara must have had one of her cleaning frenzies. It wasn’t often, most times they were too tired to manage a house-clean more than once a week. The pizza boxes had vanished, the garbage can emptied, and the table and counters wiped down. She opened the refrigerator to find the extra pizza she’d purchased the previous night sitting in its box untouched. Grabbing a few slices, she slipped them onto a plate and popped them into the microwave. She blinked at the coffee machine, clean and filled. Shaking her head, she flicked the switch and pulled the phone out of her pocket to send a text to Tara:

Thanks for cleaning the house. I’ll help next time, I promise. I’ve left you pizza.

She didn’t expect a reply, Tara would be working until midnight. They rarely saw each other during the week and most times only on Sundays. Sheheaded up to her bedroom, kicked off her shoes, undressed, and pulled on sweats. Turning around, she frowned. Tara never entered her room when she wasn’t there. It was a kind of unwritten law. They always respected each other’s privacy, but her bed had been tidied, towels she’d left in the dryer neatly piled on a shelf in the bathroom. She pulled open her closet door and blinked in astonishment. Her shoes were in neat rows, her clothes spread apart on hangers. She sent another text:

Wow! You went all out. You don’t need to change the towels in my bathroom or make my bed, but thanks anyway. My turn next Sunday. No arguments.

Shrugging, she headed back to the kitchen. She’d eat first, watch a show on TV, and then shower and go to bed. The nights were cold and she liked her sleep. Work had become one long dragging second to the next. If she had to say, “Do you want fries with that?” or clean a table where kids had painted it with ketchup one more time, she’d go insane. She’d wanted to work at Aunt Betty’s Café, but it had a waiting list. The hours at Antlers were too long and the Cattleman’s Hotel had vacancies only for bartenders and she didn’t have the qualifications. She needed to do something with her life. Marrying for money wasn’t possible in her circle of friends. Maybe she’d drive to the ski resort and see if they were hiring for winter. Nowthatwas a good place to meet men.

She finished her meal and watched TV. Feeling drowsy, she reluctantly dragged her weary body from the sofa, took her plate and cup to the kitchen, and placed them in the dishwasher. Feeling guilty for leaving a mess the previous day. She refilled the coffee machine and smiled. Maybe taking a few minutes to clean up would make their lives easier. After switching off the lights and dragging legs heavy from standing all day along the passageway, she headed for the bedroom. A sound came from outside. It sounded like a chuckle. A shiver of fear went through her and she turned to look down the passageway. Only the sliver of light from the crescent moon illuminated the glass panels on each side of the front door, and as the breeze moved the trees surrounding the house, strange patterns like goblins dancing moved across the floor and walls. She shook her head. Viewing the horrific Halloween displays had gotten into her mind and it was playing tricks with her.

Undressing, she went into her bathroom and slipped into the shower. The water was hot and soothed her aching muscles. Long hot showers were the only extravagance she allowed herself and with the solar panels on the roof, the cost wasn’t more than she could afford. She washed her hair daily. The smell of cooking from the grill at the roadhouse seemed to cling to her. She wrung out her hair and stepped from the shower in a cloud of steam. There was something written on the mirror and she moved closer to read it.

Look behind you.

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