Chapter Sixteen

Hayes had always figured they would eventually find Jacob’s and Kyle’s bodies, but he sure as hell hadn’t expected for there to be a dumping grounds.

“How many?” Jemma asked, voicing the question that Hayes and everyone else wanted to know.

“Three others,” Owen said on a sigh. “So, six total with Hailey’s. But her remains weren’t near these others. The five were located in a cavern right at the edge of a fifty-foot-tall limestone bluff. These bodies had been covered with dead tree limbs, leaves, and some rocks, but there are indications they weren’t put there all at once.”

So, the killer probably hadn’t murdered them at the same time and returned repeatedly to the spot to dispose of the victims.

But why?

“Is this the work of one of our suspects?” Hayes asked. “Or are we dealing with someone else?”

Owen gathered his breath. “To be determined. But I’m going to have a lot of people in those woods trying to sort this all out, and I’d rather minimize the risks to the forensic team, CSIs, and the deputies I’ll send there. So, I’m making a decision that might come back to bite me in the ass.” He paused, did a sweeping glance of everyone in the room. “I want all three of our suspects arrested and confined.”

Yeah, that could definitely lead to some ass-biting when they filed a wrongful arrest lawsuit. But considering the shitstorm going on in Outlaw Ridge, Hayes thought it was the right decision.

Owen looked at Angel and Presley. “I want the two of you to bring in Duane. Gear up because he could have an entire school of accomplices ready to gun you down.” He shifted to Declan and Aiden. “You two need to bring in Royce. The same gear-up safety rules apply to him. And Ruby and Reed will arrest Cordelia.”

Jemma shook her head. “I want to help. I’m fine,” she tacked onto that.

“Good to know because I have a task for Hayes and you, too. Go to the dump site and provide protection for the forensic team and the CSIs.” He forwarded them the text he’d just gotten. “That’s the coordinates of the bodies. And gear up as well because if we’re dealing with an unknown serial killer, he or she might object to his dumping grounds being disturbed. Added to that, this is damn close to Duane’s school, and he might have another Zander waiting in the wings to do his bidding.”

True. This definitely wasn’t a safe mission. Then again, it wasn’t safe for any of them. If Cordelia, Duane or Royce was the killer, then they might decide to try to take out the deputies arresting them.

With the orders given, the pairs began to disperse and gather up their gear. Jemma picked up one of the vests, and Hayes caught her slight wince.

“I can adjust the vest so it doesn’t rub your bruise as much,” Hayes let her know. “But you should also put on a neck guard.”

There were no guarantees that the guard wouldn’t do plenty of rubbing, but it couldn’t be helped. She’d come too damn close to dying during the last attack, and Hayes didn’t want her to take that kind of risk again. Of course, there were other parts of the body where a sniper could deliver a lethal shot, but the vest, helmet, and neck guard would best protect her.

He hoped.

She studied him while he adjusted her vest and then sighed. “I’m sorry,” she muttered, her voice barely a whisper. “I know I’m not in the same emotional category as your mom and fiancée, but this has to be tough for you.”

“It is,” he verified. And it occurred to him that Jemma was indeed in an emotional category. True, she wasn’t his fiancée nor his mother, but she was important to him, and he cared deeply for her.

That made him silently curse.

Because the sex had broken down barriers that should have stayed in place. At least until this killer was caught anyway. Since that hadn’t happened, since he was close to Jemma, he was going to have to try to pinpoint his focus to keep her and the others at the dump site safe.

“I wish I could go with you,” Owen muttered, causing Hayes to glance back at his boss.

Owen was used to being in the center of the action. The one who led the charge. But that couldn’t happen with his injured arm. No way could he fight or return fire, and that made him a liability. It must have been hard for him to accept that, but Hayes was glad he was staying put.

“We need a central command and control,” Hayes reminded him, and he slipped in his earpiece. “Let us know when the suspects are all in custody.” He paused, glanced around. “Where the hell are you going to jail them?”

Owen didn’t smile, not exactly, but some of the tension eased from his face. “I’ll put Cordelia in the women’s bathroom. There’s no window in there, and I can have a cot brought in. I’ll put Duane and Royce in the interview rooms. There are windows, but they’ve already been wired for security.”

None of their suspects would appreciate the accommodations, but maybe they wouldn’t have to stay there for long. If one of them was the killer and realized the dumping grounds had been located, that might lead to a confession.

“Don’t get your asses shot off,” Declan let everyone know as they made their way outside.

Hayes saw Jemma tense again, but she didn’t hesitate. She went straight to the cruiser while the others headed to their vehicles. She was even steady when she slipped in her earpiece.

Hayes put the coordinates into the navigation system on his phone. Owen’s techs had designed it for just this sort of scenario where there was no address or even roads.

“Park in the lot where Brook’s body was found,” Hayes instructed as she started the drive toward the park.

“After that, how far is it to the site?” she asked.

Too far . But he didn’t voice that aloud. “About a quarter of a mile.” And he figured she was thinking what he was. “That’s a long way for someone to carry a body, and it would have been impossible for Cordelia to do it solo.”

“Duane could have helped her,” Jemma was quick to point out. “Or the victims could have been lured to that specific location.”

“Or followed into the park,” he tacked onto that. “But that would likely involve some kind of lure. Meet me and I’ll tell you what happened to your friend, loved one, et cetera.”

However, there was an even more disturbing possibility. That these victims weren’t connected to anyone or anything in their investigation. They might have nothing to do with the murdered cops or the attacks on Owen and Jemma. If so, they were back to square one.

“That parking lot doesn’t have any security cameras,” Jemma commented as she drove. “In fact, there are only a couple of cams in the entire town and area around Outlaw Ridge. But I’m betting Duane has some kind of surveillance system set up at the school.”

True, and he texted Angel and Presley about that so they could check for that when they were picking up Duane.

Jemma took a deep breath when she pulled into the parking lot. Not empty. Like before, there were vans for both the ME and the CSIs. There were also two other vehicles that likely belonged to members of the forensic team.

“Keep watch,” Hayes reminded her, which he already knew she’d be doing.

They slipped on their helmets and tested their earpieces to make sure they were in contact with not only Owen but also each other. Jemma and he would need that if for some reason they became separated in the woods.

Both of them drew their guns and started down the trail with Hayes using his phone’s GPS. The first thing he noticed was that the coordinates almost immediately took them off the main trail and onto one that was marked as For Advanced Hikers Only with a yellow caution sign.

That would likely deter many park visitors, and if that didn’t, then the trail itself would likely do that. It was not only narrow but had huge rocks and even some washed-out gulleys that were several feet deep. Added to that, there were thick shrubs, and very little sunlight was making its way through the thick wall of trees.

Unless the killer was as strong as an ox, no way did he or she carry a dead body over this terrain. So, that left the theory of the victims being forced this way at gunpoint.

“The school gate’s locked,” Hayes heard Angel say through the earpiece. “No one is responding, so Presley and I are using a battering ram to get in.”

Hell. Did that mean Duane had gone on the run?

Or worse, was he coming here for a showdown?

“Footprints,” Jemma muttered, pointing to some in a patch of soft dirt. “Likely the responders since they look recent.”

They did, and Hayes figured the CSIs had checked for other prints and evidence as they’d made their way to the bodies. But the footprints could also belong to Duane. Or, hell, to one of their other suspects.

“Ruby,” Hayes said through the earpiece. “What’s your status? Have you picked up Cordelia yet?”

“Not yet,” Ruby replied. “We just arrived at the estate.”

Hayes didn’t bother to ask the same of Declan or Aiden. It would take them another half hour or so to get to Royce.

Jemma and he kept moving. Kept watching for signs of trouble. Thankfully, there weren’t any, and when they walked through a dense cluster of trees, they spotted the responders.

There was already a flurry of activity going on with one CSI snapping photos while two others canvassed the area about them. Dr. Logan was staring down into what was essentially a pit perched right on the side of the bluff.

From this spot, they had a view of the picturesque Texas Hill Country. More bluffs in the distance and yet more trees and shrubs. More of those pits, too. So, plenty of places for a killer to hide and lie in wait, and Hayes knew that in a small town like this, word had likely already gotten around about the discovery.

“Dr. Logan,” Hayes greeted.

She spared Jemma and him a glance and refixed her attention back on the remains. Hayes didn’t have a weak stomach, but it twisted at his gut to see that tangle of bodies and bones.

“That top one hasn’t been there more than a month,” Dr. Logan said, pointing to what appeared to be a young male. “This is just a guess, but it’s not either of our missing hikers, Jacob or Kyle. They both have brown hair, and this guy is blond. Also, he’s not dressed for a hike on an advanced trail.”

No, he wasn’t. He was wearing flimsy looking canvas shoes more suited for a stroll on a beach.

“I haven’t moved anything,” Logan went on, “but I can see the top three bodies are all males. Can’t tell about the two beneath them, but the sleeve of that denim jacket belongs to the one on the bottom.”

Hayes saw the jacket. Or rather he saw what was left of it. It was going to take a lot of work to get out the bodies while preserving the evidence.

“I don’t have to tell you the cause of death,” the doctor continued. “At least not on the top one. Blunt force trauma.”

Yeah, Hayes could see that, and staying on the makeshift stepping stones that the CSIs had arranged, he moved around the pit, looking for anything that might tell them who these people were.

Hayes whirled to his left when he caught some movement from the corner of his eye. Not the CSIs. They were on the opposite side. This was someone in the trees. Someone who sure as hell shouldn’t be out here.

Cordelia .

He saw just a glimpse of the woman’s face before she ducked out of sight.

“Everyone get down,” he managed to say.

But he was already too late.

A bullet came right at them.