In Her Tracks (Tracy Crosswhite #8)(39)

“What can you tell us about the person?” Tracy asked.

“The person is petite. The foot is narrow, based on the width at the ball of the foot and at the heel, and the length of the stride is about sixteen to seventeen inches. This usually coincides with a woman, though not always. The stride interval is consistent, as is the route choice, indicating the person was running with a purpose.”

“How clear are the prints?” Tracy asked.

“Some are better than others. The recent rain didn’t help, but I’m used to it up here. There are enough to get a good impression. I’ll check when I get back to the lab, but I know that print. The shoe is a New Balance, I’m sure of it.”

Tracy and Kins had found several pairs of New Balance running shoes in Cole’s closet.

“Another thing,” Wright said. “A running strike is more heel to toe. The impressions at the top are consistent. As the runner descended the trail, the foot strike became more solid at the ball of the foot.”

Wright led them to the trail’s end. “She stopped here. Unlike the impressions on the trail, which point in the same direction and are a consistent stride interval, you’ll notice the imprints down here point in a number of different directions.”

Wright crouched and showed them what she was talking about. “The overlapping impressions and stutter steps show a change in mental state, unsureness. Looking at the location, I would surmise from the sign evidence that the person didn’t expect the dead end and stopped to look around her environment.”

“To determine if the path continued or there was another path?” Kins said.

“That’s a working hypothesis for sure,” Wright said. “But the sign evidence also indicates a struggle occurred here.”

“How can you tell?” Tracy said.

“First, from the number of and varying depths of different impressions, and the damage to the environment.” Wright showed them broken bits of vegetation.

“How many different impressions?”

“Three,” she said. “You’ll notice scrape marks, upturned soil and stones, and stomped vegetation. I also noted dog prints here in the path and off the path in the vegetation. Based on the vegetation discoloration, I’d say it was broken and stepped on three to four days ago. I’ve taken a few samples to examine in the lab. Also, I found blood.”

“Setting aside the blood evidence for a moment and assuming that it’s human, why do you say the vegetation indicates a struggle? Why not just people who left the trail?”

“People are like animals. They take the path of least resistance. They don’t normally walk into the brush unless they are chasing something or running from something.”

Tracy thought of Bibby, and his comment that he had chased Jackpot into the brush, trying to get him back on leash. Lord knows Sherlock and Rex could get going when they got on a scent.

“They follow the trail, as the runner did, or they follow game trails,” Wright continued. “Also, the sign evidence is not indicative of someone stepping lightly, such as to leave the trail to look for mushrooms or berries. And at some point, the runner was dragged backward, into the brush. You can see heel marks from the runner’s shoes in the dirt.” Wright showed them examples of those marks going off the trail and into the vegetation.

“So, if the body isn’t here, then what? Someone carried her?” Kins said.

“Again, that would be a working hypothesis.”

“How many people?” Tracy asked.

“How many carried her? Just one, based on the sign evidence,” Wright said. “Here, let me show you what I think happened.” She moved again, up the game trail, where she had placed additional yellow and red flags. “The flags mark areas where I either found a boot impression or a partial boot impression, or vegetation damage. Every impression faces the same direction.” She pointed up the hill toward the back of the houses. “The person who came down that hillside moved with a specific intent.”

Wright continued up the slope to the tree stump where the CSI detectives had found the cigarette butt. “Someone was here.” She pointed to two shoe depressions, half-moons in the soil, and to more damaged vegetation. “They’re not easy to make out, but that’s the toe of a hiking boot of some kind.” She turned toward the sloped hill. “The person came down that hill and crouched here with his weight on the balls of his feet.” Wright demonstrated.

Tracy crouched down. She was no more than ten feet above where the trail came to an end, but she would have been concealed, especially in the fading light. She looked up at Kins. “They could remain hidden but still see down the slope.”

“The person was lying in wait,” Kins said.

“Who?” Tracy asked, standing. “Who knew Cole would be running here?”

“The roommate,” Kins said, shotgunning ideas. “Or someone who followed her. Bibby?”

“We watched the tapes. No one followed her from work or the Bartell’s.”

Tracy looked to Wright, knowing what she could determine from the sign evidence. “What can you tell us about the person who wore the hiking boot?”

“It’s wide at the ball of the foot and the heel, and it measures at thirteen and one-third inches, about a size 12.”

“Someone big,” Kins said.