Midnight Exposure (Midnight #1)(25)
“You stay here.” He pointed his finger at the dog. Her tail froze and drooped midwag. Reed shifted his eyes to Scott, who was reaching for the door latch. “You, too.”
Scott opened his mouth to protest but closed it after meeting Reed’s gaze, which was surely filled with dread at what the chief and Jed might have found. Reed closed the heavy vehicle door. His feet dragged and his muscles cramped with trepidation as he strode through the trees. Hardpack crunched under his boots, the snap of ice echoing ominously in the still-quiet woods. “Hugh?” His voice was gritty over the incessant pounding of his heart.
Hugh’s head lifted. Snow dotted his red knit cap. His face was ruddy, windburned, and exhausted but held no trace of horror. “It’s not her, Reed. Jed found a dead moose.”
Reed exhaled, relief nearly making him dizzy. A fresh lungful of cold air settled his stomach. He stepped into the small clearing. The two men stared down at the frozen, partially mauled remains of a bull moose. The carcass was largely intact, indicating it hadn’t been there long. A dead moose was the wilderness equivalent of a free lunch.
Frustration stirred in Reed’s chest. Who the hell cared about a dead moose? They should be out looking for Jayne.
Jed pointed to a neat hole in the animal’s chest and jerked a thumb at the beast’s thick neck. “This is the third animal we found like this since summer.”
Reed flinched as Jed kicked a mangled hind leg with the callousness of a toddler angry at a broken tricycle. The frozen limb bobbed stiffly.
The hunter spat. “A thousand pounds of good meat, wasted.”
Reed started to turn away. This was a f*cking waste of time.
“Let’s stay focused. We’re looking for a missing woman, remember?” Hugh’s tone sharpened. “But this is real strange.”
Reed swiveled back at the odd pitch of Hugh’s voice.
“They bled him.” Jed pointed to a slit in the animal’s jugular. The carcass was positioned head-down on enough of an incline that blood would have run out of the vein even after the beast’s heart stopped pumping.
“Somebody killed three half-ton animals just for their blood?” Reed leaned closer. The hair on the back of his neck rose. Blood collecting was not a good sign. Not a good sign at all.
“Jed, what do you think?” Hugh asked. If you needed something tracked, Jed was your man. He and Nathan’s uncle Aaron were the best guides around.
Jed scanned the area around the moose. “Can’t see tracks with the new snow. But there’s no reason to leave the meat. Can’t see this spot that good from the road. If I wasn’t looking for something, even I wouldn’t have found the carcass.”
Placing two hands on his thighs for support, the chief straightened his lean but aging frame with a huff. “OK. This is weird, but let’s get back to the search.”
The three men were silent as they made their way back to their vehicles. Reed followed the chief to his cruiser.
“About the case.” Reed glanced behind him. Jed’s pickup was pulling onto the road. “I’ll do it.”
Hugh nodded and tossed his hat onto the passenger seat. His face was somber, but his eyes were pleased. “Thanks. I knew you wouldn’t let me down.”
Reed’s face heated. “There’re too many odd things happening around here.”
“That’s the way I see it, too.” Hugh fired up the engine and reached for the door handle. His wipers brushed fresh snow off the windshield with a squeak. “Normally, this is a pretty boring town.”
“All these recent weird events can’t be coincidental,” Reed said. He and Hugh exchanged a look. Cops weren’t big believers in coincidence. Bloody visions from a cult murder case he’d investigated years before swam in Reed’s head. The thought of Jayne mixed up with something like that made his stomach roil.
“I agree. But I’d appreciate it if you’d keep my request quiet. As far as anyone else needs to know, you’re just helping with the search for the missing lady. No need to upset anybody until I have more information. Nathan doesn’t want to believe any of these things are connected.” Hugh didn’t need to spell it out. Many of the businesses in town depended on campers, hikers, and hunters. Murder was hell on tourism.
“I’m heading back to the diner. Nathan’s called in more volunteers.” Hugh cast a worried eye toward the sky. “According to the forecast, we have maybe six more hours before we have to call off the search until the storm passes. Though, frankly, I don’t know where else to look. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
Reed swallowed. Lady Luck had never liked him very much.
“I could use some help organizing volunteers,” Hugh said.
“Right behind you.” Reed’s stomach churned. As he climbed into his truck, his eyes drifted back to the moose carcass.
Someone in Huntsville was literally out for blood.
Jayne continued to work, keeping her ears open for any sound that’d indicate her kidnapper had returned. A shiver moved up her spine as she thought of her abductor. A strange psycho serial killer had been watching her. Following her. He’d slashed her tires. But why?
The answer stood out like a marquee.
To keep you from leaving town. Duh.
Jayne’s numb fingers slipped on the curved metal, and she snapped off her thumbnail below the quick. The spark of pain that shot into her hand was blunted by the cold. She flexed her fingers to force blood through the digits before returning to her task.