Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 108849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Laurel bent down, and then her breath caught as she recognized the victim beneath the icy veneer. “That’s Haylee Johnson.”
Chapter 25
Late afternoon, the cottonwoods loomed high above them as if stretching toward the foggy sky which mercilessly pelted them with icy rain. Laurel tucked her hair more firmly underneath her knit cap and shivered as she followed Huck’s makeshift trail toward the river behind his cabin.
“I can do this,” he said quietly. “I’ll take several pictures.”
“You shouldn’t even be involved to this degree,” she said, accepting that this field observation would equip her better than any other method.
At least they had eaten a warm meal before engaging in this pursuit. She’d finished up at Haylee Johnson’s crime scene and headed back to Huck’s for this experiment.
Aeneas bounded along happily next to her, sinking in the snow and then leaping out to sink down again. She wanted to grab him and put him onto the trail, but obviously, he was having fun, uncaring of the freezing rain thanks to the waterproof parka covering his slim body. She tucked her face deeper into her coat, the hammer and screwdriver heavy in her hand. Finally, they reached the river.
Huck turned and looked her over. “It’s probably too cold out here for you.”
She’d bundled up as much as possible with two pairs of socks, thick boots, long underwear, jeans, a sweater, and the heaviest parka he owned. The coat hung loosely on her, yet provided a surprising amount of warmth.
“I’m fine.” She nodded at the implements in his hands. “Let’s expedite this assessment.”
“All right. We have a sledgehammer, an ax, and a spud bar,” he noted. “You have a regular hammer and a screwdriver. Should you record this?”
She placed both the hammer and the screwdriver on an ice-covered rock. “Yes.”
Water dripped down his face. “Did Ortega say how soon he’d get to the autopsy for Haylee Johnson?”
“No, but he said he’d put a rush on her.” Laurel’s heart ached for the young woman. “Fish and Wildlife had a tail on her from our office to her apartment, and they said she hadn’t left.”
“Obviously, she went out the back and eluded them,” Huck said. “Monty has people pushing the warrant for her place right now. Hopefully they’ll find a judge this afternoon.”
One could hope. “I really need to get into her apartment,” Laurel said.
Huck set down the sledgehammer and ax while holding the spud bar. “Agreed. Monty has two officers on the apartment now, making sure nobody goes in, and this time, they’re covering the back as well.”
His tone held a grittiness that she couldn’t quite read, but she figured it didn’t bode well for the officers who had lost Haylee the night before. Of course, it had been dark, so it probably wouldn’t have been too difficult to avoid them if the young woman had tried. Had she gone to meet Jason Abbott? If so, had he drowned her in that freezing river?
Laurel pulled out her phone and clicked Record. “Captain Rivers is breaking the ice with what is called a spud bar.” She looked closer at the implement. It had a long handle and a chisel at the end. There wasn’t a lot to it.
He moved to the iced-over river, chose a spot, lifted the rod, and swung down. Ice cracked and snapped, flying in every direction. He continued with the device until he’d created a hole comparable in size to the one used to drown the victims.
Laurel recorded the action and then leaned closer, making sure to get every edge. The edges appeared to her to be more jagged than the ones found at either the Delta Rivers or the Haylee Johnson crime scene. Teri Bearing’s crime scene had had smooth edges around the ice hole.
“I see,” Laurel said. “That’s not exactly right.” They’d compare the pictures later, but so far the results weren’t as expected.
“Let’s try the ax.” Huck placed the bar against a tree and reached for his ax.
Laurel’s heartbeat began to thrum. If the killer had used an ax to break the ice, the recent murders would be tied much closer to Jason Abbott. He liked to use an ax on his victim’s wrists, but what if he had turned that fantasy to the ice instead? Finally, she could see an actual tie between the current victims and Abbott.
Huck walked down the river a little way to another completely iced-over spot, hefted the ax, and swung it at the ice. He did so several times until he’d created the right-sized opening.
Laurel recorded him and moved closer, shivering in the freezing cold, her eyelashes feeling iced over. She leaned down to ensure the entire hole appeared onscreen. “Those indents are too wide and far apart.” Disappointment clashed through her.
Huck nodded. “I know. I tried to hack closer and then farther away from each hit, but I’m not seeing the same pattern.”