You stay up here and make sure we don’t have company.”
“I don’t know,” Pappas said uneasily.
“I’ll be fine. What Jack’s saying makes sense. I need to get the tech kit out of my car. Give me a minute.”
Jack added, “You’ll need to move quickly. The lieutenant I spoke with told me he scrambled their tactical team. They should be there shortly, and more people—”
“Contaminate the scene,” Beth said. “I know.”
*
A short while later, Beth found herself standing in front of the control gate, frustrated. The first portal had shut, sealing the chamber off once again. She called Jack to report that. He decided to stay on the phone with her.
“When the engineers arrive, they can reopen it,” he said, “but you need to keep them back until you finish processing everything.”
“There won’t be much to do until then,” Beth said.
“Try to locate the killer’s point of egress.”
“Jack, the spillway walls are angled and at least twenty feet high. He didn’t come down or leave from them. In all likelihood, he used the stairs.”
“In all likelihood?”
“What else is there?”
“Could he have come from the river using the spillway?”
“Not really.”
“The water’s got to get to the river somehow. Can people walk in the spillway?”
Beth squinted against the glare, using her hand to shield her eyes. “It’s possible,” she said. “The spillway drops in elevation to funnel the water into a large pipe. Beyond that is the river.”
“Understood,” Jack said. “Could the killer have gotten in that way?”
“No—wait a minute, yes. I see a ladder. There’s another chain link fence at the top. Pretty crummy security, if you ask me.”
“What about the pipe itself?” Jack asked. “Could he and the woman have walked through it to gain access?”
“Possibly,” Beth said. “It’s about ten feet high. How far does it go?”
“According to Lieutenant Shaffer, a little over seventeen hundred feet. After that, it intersects the Chattahoochee. It might be worth checking out.”
“Great, another tunnel,” Beth muttered. “It would be incredibly tough for the killer to get in that way. He’d have to carry the victim.”
“Not really. Remember I mentioned roofies at the farm? He could have walked her in.”
“Good point,” Beth conceded.
“Wait for backup,” Jack said. “You shouldn’t go in there alone.”
“I’m a big girl, Jack. Pappas’ll be with me. At least this time he won’t have to bend down.”
*
For the second time in as many days, Beth and Pappas found themselves walking down a tunnel. Unlike the first, this one had light at both ends. It was hot, humid, and damp smelling. A third of the way through, they came upon a woman’s shoe and a portion of what appeared to be an orange cocktail dress.
Pappas asked, “Do we know what Sandra was wearing when she left home?”
“An orange print dress.”
She took a photograph and then bagged both items. Their trip to the opposite end yielded no clues. The pipe itself was surrounded by another chain link enclosure to keep people out, along with an access door where it emerged.
“Looks like you were right,” Beth told Jack. “The killer came this way. The lock’s been cut.”
“Bring it with you,” Jack said.
“I know that,” Beth said, annoyed.
“Footprints over here,” Pappas said. “A man and woman, by the look of ’em. Better tell Ben to come out and make some casts.”
Beth said, “I can see a single-track path going up the hill. I’ll bet that’s where he parked his car.”
“Let’s go find out,” Pappas said.
As they made their way along the path, Beth was suddenly seized by the feeling they were being watched. Pappas must have felt it, too, because he kept scanning the woods on each side of them. The trees and underbrush were just beginning to grow in, which made matters worse. Here and there a few wild dogwoods were blooming. As the slope steepened, the forest
“I don’t know,” Pappas said uneasily.
“I’ll be fine. What Jack’s saying makes sense. I need to get the tech kit out of my car. Give me a minute.”
Jack added, “You’ll need to move quickly. The lieutenant I spoke with told me he scrambled their tactical team. They should be there shortly, and more people—”
“Contaminate the scene,” Beth said. “I know.”
*
A short while later, Beth found herself standing in front of the control gate, frustrated. The first portal had shut, sealing the chamber off once again. She called Jack to report that. He decided to stay on the phone with her.
“When the engineers arrive, they can reopen it,” he said, “but you need to keep them back until you finish processing everything.”
“There won’t be much to do until then,” Beth said.
“Try to locate the killer’s point of egress.”
“Jack, the spillway walls are angled and at least twenty feet high. He didn’t come down or leave from them. In all likelihood, he used the stairs.”
“In all likelihood?”
“What else is there?”
“Could he have come from the river using the spillway?”
“Not really.”
“The water’s got to get to the river somehow. Can people walk in the spillway?”
Beth squinted against the glare, using her hand to shield her eyes. “It’s possible,” she said. “The spillway drops in elevation to funnel the water into a large pipe. Beyond that is the river.”
“Understood,” Jack said. “Could the killer have gotten in that way?”
“No—wait a minute, yes. I see a ladder. There’s another chain link fence at the top. Pretty crummy security, if you ask me.”
“What about the pipe itself?” Jack asked. “Could he and the woman have walked through it to gain access?”
“Possibly,” Beth said. “It’s about ten feet high. How far does it go?”
“According to Lieutenant Shaffer, a little over seventeen hundred feet. After that, it intersects the Chattahoochee. It might be worth checking out.”
“Great, another tunnel,” Beth muttered. “It would be incredibly tough for the killer to get in that way. He’d have to carry the victim.”
“Not really. Remember I mentioned roofies at the farm? He could have walked her in.”
“Good point,” Beth conceded.
“Wait for backup,” Jack said. “You shouldn’t go in there alone.”
“I’m a big girl, Jack. Pappas’ll be with me. At least this time he won’t have to bend down.”
*
For the second time in as many days, Beth and Pappas found themselves walking down a tunnel. Unlike the first, this one had light at both ends. It was hot, humid, and damp smelling. A third of the way through, they came upon a woman’s shoe and a portion of what appeared to be an orange cocktail dress.
Pappas asked, “Do we know what Sandra was wearing when she left home?”
“An orange print dress.”
She took a photograph and then bagged both items. Their trip to the opposite end yielded no clues. The pipe itself was surrounded by another chain link enclosure to keep people out, along with an access door where it emerged.
“Looks like you were right,” Beth told Jack. “The killer came this way. The lock’s been cut.”
“Bring it with you,” Jack said.
“I know that,” Beth said, annoyed.
“Footprints over here,” Pappas said. “A man and woman, by the look of ’em. Better tell Ben to come out and make some casts.”
Beth said, “I can see a single-track path going up the hill. I’ll bet that’s where he parked his car.”
“Let’s go find out,” Pappas said.
As they made their way along the path, Beth was suddenly seized by the feeling they were being watched. Pappas must have felt it, too, because he kept scanning the woods on each side of them. The trees and underbrush were just beginning to grow in, which made matters worse. Here and there a few wild dogwoods were blooming. As the slope steepened, the forest
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