Daniel’s eyes caught Kell’s, reminding him of how they’d found Morley in much the same state. Kell’s lips tightened since they’d only just begun digging into Morley’s life, looking for his killer, and now this had happened.
He stared at the word scrawled in scarlet across the paved garage floor. Don’t. Clearly it was some kind of message to someone… like Morley had been? What had Alec called his body, a scarecrow?
Alec had knelt by the door into the garage, carefully examining it. “Some deep scratch marks here, Chief, but they are inconclusive; could have been here quite some time.”
Kell bent close to his deputy, taking in the scoring marks. Then he remembered something. “Why do I get a feeling that someone is being sent a message?”
“I have the same feeling,” Alec noted. “Territory.”
“It could be the homeless ‘ghost’ doing this, only… Alec, the reason no one in this town ever got too worked up was he or she never hurt anyone before. Now…” Kell muttered. Then he rubbed his jaw. “Shit.”
Alec only looked at him, mute. Kell knew he had some ideas, but it was typical of his deputy to sit on them until he was ready to share.
Inside the garage, Makepeace continued to document his findings. He pulled something from underneath the muddy Toyota, and Kell swallowed, feeling sick, even though it was just an animal. Shit! “Detached left limb, severed with what looks like a handmade blade….”
“D ANIEL ….” Kell leaned opposite Makepeace against the
coroner’s SUV. The other man was unsnapping his plastic gloves in jerky movements.
“I don’t know!” For once, laconic Daniel looked almost weary. The shock of the scare to a teenage boy in their small, out-of-theway little town had hit even him. It was that way for all of them, law enforcement and hospital staff, when they dealt with kids.
“I need something to go on. I have to solve this case fast, before folks start shooting at shadows and maybe hurt someone.” Makepeace shook his head. “I think it’s the same knife used on Morley, but that’s all I can tell you.”
“Why? What does ‘don’t’ mean?” Kell prodded aloud, feeling helpless. One person was dead and now this, soon after. Something was stirred up, and he had to get to the bottom of it soon.
So he could hunt this killer.
The two men stared at each other.
Kell growled softly. “The whole town seems to believe in this nonsense about some kind of ghost being responsible, but we have to keep our heads or we’ll never find who is responsible.”
“I can only tell you my findings based on the physical evidence presented from Morley Orris and the raccoon’s remains. If this is a deranged hunter doing this… frankly, he’s giving me the creeps!”
“Okay, Daniel.” Kell looked reluctantly toward the house, the living room lit as the shocked parents were comforted by neighbors. He stared at Mylar Anderson, his hand clenched on his wife Marisa’s shoulder. The man really seemed attached to her, despite how cold she was and the fact that Kell himself had caught her being unfaithful. Probably it wasn’t the first time. Had the word “don’t” referred to her somehow?
“I can tell you it’s a very efficient killer. And I don’t think it’s going to stop.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I don’t know, except… so far it’s winning.”
Kell glared at the dark forest. “So I’ll make it stop.”
K
ELL took a deep breath two hours later as he sat in his SUV. He needed to head inside, talk to Noah, but he had to ground himself first. He got out of the vehicle and rubbed his aching temples, his gaze catching on Josh, who was watching him with a sober expression from his bedroom window.
He had managed to get Thomas to confess to buying pot from Morley Orris. Thomas also remembered inviting Orris to his home a few times.
The connecting thread Kell had been looking for—Thomas had known Orris, done business with him—led him… where?
He stared at the word scrawled in scarlet across the paved garage floor. Don’t. Clearly it was some kind of message to someone… like Morley had been? What had Alec called his body, a scarecrow?
Alec had knelt by the door into the garage, carefully examining it. “Some deep scratch marks here, Chief, but they are inconclusive; could have been here quite some time.”
Kell bent close to his deputy, taking in the scoring marks. Then he remembered something. “Why do I get a feeling that someone is being sent a message?”
“I have the same feeling,” Alec noted. “Territory.”
“It could be the homeless ‘ghost’ doing this, only… Alec, the reason no one in this town ever got too worked up was he or she never hurt anyone before. Now…” Kell muttered. Then he rubbed his jaw. “Shit.”
Alec only looked at him, mute. Kell knew he had some ideas, but it was typical of his deputy to sit on them until he was ready to share.
Inside the garage, Makepeace continued to document his findings. He pulled something from underneath the muddy Toyota, and Kell swallowed, feeling sick, even though it was just an animal. Shit! “Detached left limb, severed with what looks like a handmade blade….”
“D ANIEL ….” Kell leaned opposite Makepeace against the
coroner’s SUV. The other man was unsnapping his plastic gloves in jerky movements.
“I don’t know!” For once, laconic Daniel looked almost weary. The shock of the scare to a teenage boy in their small, out-of-theway little town had hit even him. It was that way for all of them, law enforcement and hospital staff, when they dealt with kids.
“I need something to go on. I have to solve this case fast, before folks start shooting at shadows and maybe hurt someone.” Makepeace shook his head. “I think it’s the same knife used on Morley, but that’s all I can tell you.”
“Why? What does ‘don’t’ mean?” Kell prodded aloud, feeling helpless. One person was dead and now this, soon after. Something was stirred up, and he had to get to the bottom of it soon.
So he could hunt this killer.
The two men stared at each other.
Kell growled softly. “The whole town seems to believe in this nonsense about some kind of ghost being responsible, but we have to keep our heads or we’ll never find who is responsible.”
“I can only tell you my findings based on the physical evidence presented from Morley Orris and the raccoon’s remains. If this is a deranged hunter doing this… frankly, he’s giving me the creeps!”
“Okay, Daniel.” Kell looked reluctantly toward the house, the living room lit as the shocked parents were comforted by neighbors. He stared at Mylar Anderson, his hand clenched on his wife Marisa’s shoulder. The man really seemed attached to her, despite how cold she was and the fact that Kell himself had caught her being unfaithful. Probably it wasn’t the first time. Had the word “don’t” referred to her somehow?
“I can tell you it’s a very efficient killer. And I don’t think it’s going to stop.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I don’t know, except… so far it’s winning.”
Kell glared at the dark forest. “So I’ll make it stop.”
K
ELL took a deep breath two hours later as he sat in his SUV. He needed to head inside, talk to Noah, but he had to ground himself first. He got out of the vehicle and rubbed his aching temples, his gaze catching on Josh, who was watching him with a sober expression from his bedroom window.
He had managed to get Thomas to confess to buying pot from Morley Orris. Thomas also remembered inviting Orris to his home a few times.
The connecting thread Kell had been looking for—Thomas had known Orris, done business with him—led him… where?
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