Chapter 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Cam's phone buzzed insistently in his pocket. He ignored it, but a moment later, he watched as Sawyer pulled his own phone from the inner pocket of his suit jacket. The synchronized buzzing was a bad sign.

Fuck.

Cam slowed his movements but didn't release Kinley. His gaze was firmly fixed on Sawyer, hoping like hell it wasn't what he suspected.

Sawyer lifted the phone to his ear. "Reed."

Cam's heart sank as he watched the grim expression settle on the other man's face. This couldn't be good.

"Copy that," Sawyer said into the phone, his face growing more serious with each passing second. "We're on our way."

Sawyer tipped his head toward Cam, indicating he follow. Cam bit back a sigh. Goddamn it.

He squeezed Kinley's waist. "I'm sorry. I've gotta go."

"Is everything okay?"

Her big blue eyes were full of concern, and he wanted so badly to reassure her. He brushed along lock of hair behind her ear. "Duty calls."

Dare's laser-like gaze met his from across the dance floor, and Cam shook his head. He wasn't going to allow this to interrupt Dare's wedding. He and Ainsley deserved one night to themselves.

"Tell Dare and your sister congratulations for me and not to worry about anything. Sawyer and I will handle everything."

"All right." She bit her lip. "If you need anything…"

"Thanks." He offered a tight smile before pulling away from her. "I'll talk to you later."

He forced himself to put one foot in front of the other as he dragged himself away from Kinley and met up with Sawyer at the edge of the driveway.

"We've got a situation," Sawyer said as Cam slid into the car. "A young woman was found dead just outside of town. Posed. Just like the first one."

Foreboding slithered down Cam's spine. "Shit."

Sawyer grimaced as he put the car into gear and pulled away from Dare's house. "Yep."

As they drove out of town, the urgency of the situation loomed larger with each mile. The location given to them was a secluded spot near the edge of the forest, a place not commonly frequented by locals.

When they arrived, the area was already cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape. Uniformed officers were scattered around, and the flashing lights of police cruisers painted the scene in an eerie blue and red glow. Cam and Sawyer ducked under the tape, moving toward the center of the activity.

The body lay in a small clearing, surrounded by trees that seemed to close in protectively. It was a young woman, no more than twenty-five years old, with long blonde hair fanned out around her head like a macabre halo. She had been posed carefully, her arms folded over her chest and her legs straightened.

Cam's breath caught in his throat. The scene was almost serene, a stark contrast to the brutality of the crime. "Who found her?" he asked one of the deputies.

"A hiker, sir," Tony Webb replied. "He called it in about an hour ago."

Sawyer crouched beside the body, examining the careful placement. "Whoever did this took their time. This isn't a spur-of-the-moment kill."

Cam nodded. "This was planned. Thought out. The killer wanted her to be found like this."

"Any ID on the victim?" Sawyer asked, standing up and dusting off his hands.

"Not yet," Webb replied. "We're running her fingerprints now, but it might take some time."

Cam looked around the scene, taking in every detail. The way the body was posed, the location—all of it felt deliberate. "We need to canvass the area," he said. "See if anyone saw or heard anything unusual."

Sawyer nodded in agreement. "We need to know how she died, and if there are any clues left behind."

This was no ordinary homicide. The killer had gone to great lengths to create a scene, to send a message. They needed to figure out what that message was and who it was intended for.

They began their meticulous work, photographing the scene and collecting evidence. Cam and Sawyer spoke to Marty, the hiker who had found the body, but he hadn't seen anyone else around and had stumbled upon the scene by accident.

"Did you notice anything unusual on your hike?" Cam asked.

Marty shook his head. "No, nothing. I come this way every morning."

Cam thanked the man and let him go. As he turned back to the scene, his phone buzzed with a message from the station. They had identified the victim.

"Her name is Hilary Swanson," Cam said to Sawyer, reading the message. "Twenty-two years old, lived in Cloverdale. Reported missing seven months ago."

Sawyer sighed. "We need to talk to her family and friends. Find out who she was, if she had any enemies, or if there was anyone in her life who might have wanted to hurt her."

They continued their examination of the scene until the medical examiner arrived. Dr. Seidel, a seasoned professional with a calm demeanor, approached the body and began his preliminary assessment.

"What can you tell us, Doc?" Sawyer asked.

Dr. Seidel looked up from the body, his expression serious. "It appears she died from asphyxiation. There are no obvious signs of struggle, and no visible external injuries."

"Same as the first victim," Cam noted. "Asphyxiation, careful posing. This is definitely our guy."

Dr. Seidel nodded. "It looks that way. I'll know more after the autopsy, but based on what I'm seeing here, it fits the pattern."

Cam and Sawyer exchanged a grim look. They had hoped the first murder was an isolated incident, but this second killing confirmed their worst fears: they were dealing with a serial killer.

"Thanks, Doc," Cam said. "We'll need your full report as soon as possible."

Dr. Seidel nodded. "I'll get it to you as soon as I can."

As the medical examiner continued his work, Cam and Sawyer stepped aside to discuss their next steps.

"We need to start running leads," Cam said. "Talk to her family, her friends, anyone who knew her. We need to figure out who had access to her and who would want to do this."

"And we need to look into the first victim again," Sawyer added. "There might be a connection we're missing."

Cam agreed. "Let's head back to the station and see what we can find."

They headed back to their car, the scene still a flurry of activity behind them. The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows across the clearing. It was going to be a long night.