Stone Cold Heart (Tracers #13)(22)

“About some video? No. What I’m worried about right now is getting an ID on this victim.”

Brad Crowley poked his head into the conference room and looked at Nolan. Crowley was a rookie, but so far he showed potential.

“You have a call,” he told Nolan.

“Who?”

“A ranger out at White Falls Park. He’s going apeshit.” Crowley glanced at the chief. “Sorry. He’s, um, really worked up about some lady who just showed up there. A Dr. Lawler, and he says she’s unauthorized?”

“Dr. Lockhart,” Nolan said. “What’s she doing there?”

“I don’t know, but she brought a cadaver dog.”

? ? ?

Sara eyed the hikers and picnickers as she unloaded gear from her SUV, but no one seemed to notice her. She grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. She’d opted for yoga pants and a pink tank top today, wanting to keep a low profile.

Sara scanned the woods past the sign at the trailhead. Peaches and her handler had gone ahead, the German shepherd bounding down the path, eager to explore this new part of the park.

A green Suburban pulled into the lot, and Sara bit back a curse as Ranger Evans got out. He walked over and glowered down at her.

“I called the police chief.”

“Thank you. That saves me the trouble.” She smiled up at him, shielding her eyes from the sun.

“Where’s your dog?”

“In the woods.”

“Unleashed dogs are prohibited in the park, and that’s a minimum fine of two hundred dollars.”

“Except for service dogs.”

“What’s that?”

“Service dogs. Check the sign at the trailhead if you don’t believe me. And working police dogs are permitted to be off leash in the presence of their handlers.”

The ranger’s face reddened, and Sara wondered about his blood pressure.

“Tom told me that dog of yours dug up a bone,” he said.

Sara stepped back and nodded at the cardboard tray containing a small gray metacarpal. “See for yourself.”

Evans peered down at it. “Probably just an animal.”

“That’s right. And a human is an animal.”

“But—”

“My team and I plan to be here all day, Mr. Evans. Possibly longer, if you continue to impede our work.”

“We’ll see about that. I could have you arrested for trespassing within the hour.”

“You’re welcome to try.”

He strode back to his vehicle, and Sara stared after him as he peeled out of the lot with a spray of gravel.

Sara took out her metal detector and propped it on her shoulder. Then she locked her doors and started down the trail. The grade quickly became steep, but the path was shaded by oaks and cedars. Mockingbirds chirped overhead as she made her way down. The trail had a lot of switchbacks, and she set an easy pace to avoid twisting an ankle on loose rocks.

“Sara.”

She turned around, and her heart skittered at the sight of Nolan approaching. She was happy to see him, but she managed not to grin like an idiot. He was dressed casually in jeans and a golf shirt, but there was nothing casual about his expression as he stopped and gazed down at her, hands on hips.

“Heard you were back in town,” he said.

“Let me guess. Evans?”

Nolan lifted an eyebrow. “You do something to piss him off?”

“My mere existence pisses him off. I’m a woman intruding in his little fiefdom.”

Nolan studied her face, and his whiskey-brown eyes looked serious. “You should have called me.”

“I was going to.”

“What’s with the canine unit?” He nodded at the metal detector. “And what’s that for?”

“I’ll explain if you’ve got a minute.”

“Wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

She started down the path again, and he walked beside her.

“As I mentioned yesterday, we were missing some bones at the recovery site. Some metacarpals, a tibia, several vertebrae. The dogs are better at this than we are.”

“And did you find anything?”

“Only a finger bone. It was down in the gorge, about twenty yards from the recovery site. We did a thorough canvass.”

“And now you’re up here. Why?”

The trail ended at a clearing, and Sara looked around but saw no sign of Peaches or her handler.

“Seems logical.” She took her phone from her pocket and pulled up the topographical map she’d been using. “We talked about the body originating upstream.” She pointed to a place on the map near the entrance to the park where a small picnic area was situated beside a scenic overlook. “See this picnic spot on the map here?” She turned to her right and pointed to a nearby wall of limestone. “At the top of that cliff there? That looks to me like the optimal location. It’s close to the access road, allowing for a quick getaway. Appears to be the perfect place to dump a body into this ravine.”

“But you said she was intact.” Nolan folded his arms over his chest. “What am I missing?”

Sara didn’t say anything.

“You think there are more victims?”

“I think it’s unusual.” She tucked the phone into her pocket. “You’ve got a missing woman last seen in this park. You’ve got an unidentified woman’s remains found here. Might not be a coincidence.”