Chapter 9

Laurel yawned in the passenger seat of Huck's truck, her muscles aching with fatigue. The call had come in around dawn, a mere two hours after Huck had made it to his cabin after an all-night search and rescue operation following a witness's report that they'd noticed an elderly man wandering out by Orphan's Peak. Huck hadn't found the guy after searching for hours.

As the sun slowly pierced the cold fog, he drove to the site of another body. Her eyes felt scratchy and her feet chilled as she perched in her heated seat while Huck drove the truck. "I'm sorry you didn't find your lost person last night."

Huck shrugged. "The witness could've seen shadows in the trees. We don't have any missing persons reports, so I'm not too concerned. Am tired, though."

She didn't blame him. "Hopefully you can sleep tonight."

"I can only dream." He turned toward the Genesis Valley Community Church, outside the incorporated town. The wooden structure had gorgeous stained-glass windows, several wings, and a freshly painted looming steeple. The structure appeared as if taken from a magazine featuring typical country churches, except with more mass.

"Are you all right?" Huck asked.

"I am." The truth was she would rather turn around and drive in the other direction than face Zeke Caine again. "Considering the condition of this body sounds similar to the Iceberg River victim, we should let Monty take the lead."

"I didn't call Monty in." Huck pulled to a stop near the side of the church. "It's early and cold, and I think he's fighting a bug."

She pulled on her gloves. "He needs to be more careful after those radiation treatments. I wish he would take some time off."

"As do I." Huck opened his door, looking tough and strong in the morning light. "But he's stubborn."

That seemed to be the way of the Fish and Wildlife crew.

Opening her door, she stepped down, noting sounds of activity coming from behind the church. Fields stretched out on either side of them to the tree lines, and she headed to the side of the church that often held tented festivals. She walked toward the frigid-looking river behind the building, noting that the crime scene techs had already erected a tent. She nodded at Officer Tso when he emerged from a stand of trees to her right.

"Hi, Captain Rivers and Agent Snow." Tso made his way through calf-high snow to reach them, his face set in somber lines. "I've been taking pictures of the scene. They're trying to get any evidence they can from the body and the surrounding area before they flip her over."

"Hi, Officer." She took a deep breath, chilling her lungs as she walked toward the tented area. Silent River flowed behind the church, and beyond, Orphan's Peak loomed over the entire area. Huck had once mentioned that it was difficult to climb, but he'd done so to rescue stranded campers.

She glanced over her shoulder at him. "Is that where you were looking for that elderly person last night?"

Huck jerked his chin toward the other side of the crusted-over river. "We searched on that side near the base of the cliff and farther to the east. We didn't see anything. I certainly didn't hear anything." He frowned. "More importantly, Aeneas didn't alert."

She scrutinized the wide river winding between her and Orphan's Peak. "Would he have alerted if something was happening on this side of the river and while focusing on the search perimeters across the water?"

"I don't know, especially since the wind howled loudly and drowned out most sounds," Huck said as they reached the tent.

The wind increased in force, beating against her face and chilling her skin. Even though she wore gloves, she stuck her hands in her pockets to view the newest body.

The victim lay face down, her body mainly covered by a long, black wool coat that reached brown snow boots. Ice had frozen to her, and she was similarly adhered to the ground as the first victim. Laurel squinted to see better. This person also appeared to be a blond female.

Huck strode toward the river, and Laurel followed, stepping gingerly in the thick snow.

"The ice is cracked open." He dropped to his haunches near the edge. "Just like at the other scene."

Laurel looked over her shoulder at the victim again. Had somebody actually broken the ice of the river, forced her head under the water, and drowned her before dragging her here to freeze to the ground? "This scene is too similar to the first one that any possibility of accidental death for either is statistically improbable, if not impossible. So we proceed now as if we have two homicides, even without official autopsy reports. Can we turn her over now?"

The techs chipped with ice shovels around the body, careful to avoid disturbing any evidence.

"Yeah, we're about ready," the first guy said. "Hold on." He used his shovel as a lever and shifted to the side as a woman with dark brown hair, fully encased in heavy white coveralls, did the same. They gently turned over the corpse.

Ice had frozen all over the woman's face, and blood was crusted around her mouth.

Laurel looked closely but couldn't see an obvious cause of death. "Put a flashlight closer to her face, would you?"

"Sure," the first tech said, gingerly releasing his shovel and reaching for a flashlight in his back pocket. He flicked it toward the woman's face.

Laurel gasped and took a step back.

Huck grasped her arm. "Is that Teri Bearing?"

Laurel swallowed. "The facial characteristics resemble Mrs. Bearing. It's difficult to tell with all the water frozen around her face, but . . . I believe so." Laurel stepped closer. "Can you see if her left hand is free?"

The tech gently lifted it. "Barely. I don't want to move her too much till we get all this ice off her."

"That's all right." Laurel crouched down to look closer. "I believe that's Teri Bearing's wedding band." She had met the mayor's wife during an earlier case.

"Huh," Huck said. "She must have bailed out of jail after I arrested her."

"Yes," Officer Tso said. "I actually saw the video from The Killing Hour when she left the station. Rachel Raprenzi followed her and tried to get a statement. And boy, all Mrs. Bearing wanted to talk about was you."

Huck straightened. "What'd she say about me?"

"She went on and on about Fish and Wildlife picking on people and acting like they were real cops and said that you pushed her hard against the car. That her new mission in life was to get you fired."

Huck looked at Laurel. "Did you know this?"

"No. I try not to watch Rachel's podcast," Laurel said. "But the entire arrest is on video, isn't it? When you pulled her over?"

"Yes," Huck said. "Not only did I have a camera on, but I'm sure the deputy sheriff did as well. I didn't touch her."

Laurel believed that implicitly. "Please take the body to Dr. Ortega. Hopefully he can perform our autopsies quickly since we have two victims with similar MOs." She scanned the area. "The snow fell all night?"

"Yes," Huck said. "The wind also made a mess. I don't see any footprints."

She looked toward the Silent River again. "Can you tell what cracked the ice?"

He shook his head. "That's doubtful, but I'll try. Tso, take a bunch of pictures of the opening, will you?"

"I already did," Officer Tso said. "But I'll take more now that it's getting lighter out here." He ambled toward the river, his footsteps sure.

Laurel kept her hands in her pockets. "Who found the body?" Everybody looked around. "Who's managing the scene?"

"That would be me," Genesis Valley Sheriff Upton York said, emerging from the back of the church. "I was talking to a witness inside. I took over the scene since I arrived first."

"We're on unincorporated land, so this isn't your jurisdiction," Huck said.

Laurel nodded.

The sheriff shrugged. Snow fell onto his receding hairline, and he brushed it off. He looked square and tough in his dark jacket, and his brown eyes remained passionless. "The pastor called me in, and here I am."

Unfortunately, Laurel and Huck were both down members of their respective teams, so they might actually need help with legwork. "Who found the body?" Laurel asked.

The sheriff nodded back at the church. "A guy named Tim Kohnex. He was walking his dog."

Laurel frowned. "He was walking his dog in the dark?"

"Yeah. Guy says he has trouble sleeping and often takes walks to watch the sun come up."

"Where does he live?" Huck asked.

Sheriff York pointed east. "Down the river, maybe five miles."

Laurel looked toward the winding river. "Is he a member of the church?"

"Everybody around here is a member of the church," York said. "He's inside."

Laurel looked at Huck. "Let's interview the witness." Empirically, the first victim was not Huck's mother, and since she hadn't been identified as of yet, a conflict of interest hadn't been established.

"I agree," Huck said.

Laurel started to walk and then paused. "Adhering to all sense of caution, perhaps I should speak with the witness alone."

"You're not going in there without me," he said quietly enough that only she heard.

She appreciated his discretion in masking his overprotectiveness. "I can face Zeke Caine."

"I'm sure you can," Huck agreed, walking toward the church.

She sighed. The most prudent plan would be to shield Huck from the case on the chance that his mother was the first victim. However, she did appreciate his effort to remain near should she find herself confronted by her father.

A small door stood ajar in the east wing of the church, and she paused to admire the large windows of the main building, some stained glass, some translucent, which looked out to the river and the snowy peaks.

Huck fully opened the door and gestured her inside. As she walked in, heat immediately surrounded her. The warmth felt glorious, but her face tingled in pain from the cold outside. She needed to keep a hat in her pocket. The local meteorologists had claimed that spring had arrived, but perhaps winter had not let up her cold grip on the world quite yet.

Laurel walked into the sprawling gathering room east of the main part of the church where round tables had been set up, each surrounded by gray plastic chairs. At one, a man sat next to a wet dog, a steaming Styrofoam cup in his hands. She hadn't realized people still used Styrofoam. He appeared to be in his early fifties with blondish-brown hair and matching mustache and beard. His deep blue eyes appeared clear and focused.

He stood when he caught sight of her. "Hello. Hi. How are you?"

She cocked her head. The man had to be at least 6'7", if not 8". He stood taller than Huck, who was at least 6'4", and had angled and symmetrically good-looking features. Rugged and tough. "Mr. Kohnex?"

"Tim. Call me Tim. This is Buster." Buster appeared to be a wet border collie trying to stay awake. The dog sneezed twice and shut his eyes with his nose on his paws.

Kohnex stared at her. "I've never met anybody with two different-colored eyes before. Doesn't that mean you have two spirits?"

"I'm familiar with that legend but grant it no credence." Laurel looked around, surprised to find the gathering room vacant.

He followed her gaze. "The pastor went to get more coffee."

A chill ran down her spine. "I see. Mr. Kohnex, can you tell us about your morning?"

"Sure. Buster couldn't sleep, so we decided to walk along the river and catch the sunrise. It was snowing all night, so I wasn't sure that we'd see anything beyond the clouds. But sometimes it's still pretty even when there are clouds, you know, like in life?"

Laurel tried to warm her toes by curling them inside her boots. "You can sit back down if you like."

"Only if you sit as well." He gave her a charming smile.

Her feet were freezing, and she wouldn't mind sitting for a moment. Plus, it was a proficient tactic to relax him. "That would be more comfortable."

She sat, and Huck took the other seat at the round table. Behind him, a white counter ran along one side of the wall piled high with various platters and empty drink dispensers. The place held a whiff of cookies, no doubt because the congregation gathered there after services and for events.

"You're a member of the church?" Huck asked.

"I am," Kohnex said. "I moved to Genesis Valley about seven years ago, and I joined the church right away."

Laurel's feet tingled as warmth seeped back into them. "Where did you live before you came to Genesis Valley?"

"I lived in Texas. I coached boys basketball and invested some of my money in an upstart oil company. With my guidance, we hit it rich, and so I retired and moved up here because I like the slower pace, love ice fishing, and enjoy the snow. Though this is the first time I've ever found a dead body in it." He shook his head, his eyes somber. "I knew something was going to happen this week, but I hoped I was wrong."

Laurel studied him. "You knew something would happen?"

"Oh, yes. I have the sense. I get feelings sometimes. It's hard to explain. Flashes of . . . I don't know. I guess you'd call it awareness. I knew I was going to be touched by evil this week. I can't think of a better way to say it." He kept eye contact as he spoke, something that was rarer than most people realized.

"I see," Laurel said. "Did you know from which direction that evil would come?"

Kohnex wiped a large hand down his face. "Not at all. Buster and I take walks all the time, but I had an inkling that something was going to happen today. Now I'm not entirely sure if it was finding the dead body or meeting you, Agent Snow."

Laurel kept her face calm. "Meeting me?"

"Yes. I've imagined you before. The dual-colored eyes, the wild scarlet hair."

She'd never considered her hair wild or all that scarlet. It was more brown, tinged with some red. "I see." How convinced was he of his delusions? "Perhaps you've just seen me on the news? We've had a few newsworthy cases lately."

"I don't watch the news," Kohnex said. "Don't you believe in things you can't see?"

"Rarely," Laurel said. "Did you recognize the body?"

He shuddered. "No, I just saw a body lying in the snow next to the river. So I ran into the church and called the police."

"Where did you say the pastor had gone?" Laurel asked.

"He went to get more coffee." Kohnex sat with confidence, his long legs stretched out beneath the table.

Huck unzipped his parka. "You called the police after running inside. Was the pastor already here?"

"No. After dialing 911, I called Pastor Zeke, and he arrived in about fifteen minutes. He wanted to go out there and say a prayer over the body, but I told him that we should wait until you arrived because we didn't want to contaminate the crime scene."

Huck leaned back and made his chair squeak. "So you know something about forensics."

Kohnex waved a hand in the air. "Just what I've seen on TV. I used to watch that CSI show until it got a little boring. But, you know, everybody knows not to contaminate a crime scene."

"What makes you think it was a crime?" Huck asked abruptly.

"Well"—Kohnex sat back—"I heard about the other lady found by Iceberg River. The details were pretty graphic—that she was frozen face down, and this woman was on her belly and frozen, too, so I just figured. Plus, the place felt like murder. Like evil had been there. Do you believe in coincidences, Agent Snow?"

"No," Laurel said. "These feelings you get, have they led to you to any other crimes?"

He ducked his head. "Yes, but not often. I've called in anonymous tips after having a vision, but usually people don't believe me. I learned that a long time ago, so I don't say anything. But since I'm here, I thought I should."

"Is there anything else you'd like to add?" Laurel asked. He actually seemed to believe he held psychic powers.

Kohnex leaned down and stroked his dog, as if seeking comfort. "Just that this killer . . . I could sense him. He's been here before. He knew the woman, and he's just getting started."

A rustle sounded, and Zeke Caine strode into the room.

Kohnex brightened. "Pastor, the FBI is here."

Zeke looked directly at Laurel. "I can see that. How are you, my wayward daughter?"