We returned to the cars and waited there. A hobby store owner, an acquaintance of the sheriff, was bringing his best drone to us. Meanwhile, we had plenty of time to question Byron and Tara Philips. Renz asked them to join us in our rental car so we could take their statements and ask questions. Tara was our only witness to the actions of the man who might be the killer.
“Go ahead and climb into the back seat, folks,” Renz said. “Sorry we don’t have anything to offer you to drink.”
Byron waved off Renz’s concern. “Not a problem, Agent DeLeon. We’re just happy to help. After saving her from that man, it almost feels like we’re responsible for Jane Doe now.”
I glanced at Renz and smiled. I figured we were thinking the same thing about how he’d recently saved Amber’s life.
“We know you’ve already told the deputies what happened for the record, but oftentimes, people recall more later when they aren’t so frantic.” Renz looked at Tara. “Proof of that is part of the conversation you remembered hearing between Jane and the unidentified man. The name Malcolm came up, which is extremely helpful in our search for that man and any other children he or his group may have in their custody.”
“I understand, and I’ll do my best.” She nodded at Byron. “We both will.”
“Okay, good. You told the deputies you were returning home from a vacation and decided to drive through the scenic back roads rather than on the interstate.”
“That’s correct. The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest sounded pretty, and we weren’t in a big rush. My problem was not realizing that it’s a remote area without restroom facilities near the road, and the cell phone service is patchy.”
I looked out the car windows. “Mountains in the way, I’d imagine. I can’t reach my boss either.”
“So then what?” Renz asked.
“Then I really had to use the bathroom, especially because I’m pregnant. We had no idea how far the next town or gas station was, so I asked Byron to pull over.”
Byron cut in. “And I did even though I didn’t think traipsing through the woods was the best idea. That truck that we’d passed just seconds earlier was parked along the shoulder.”
“The truck that likely belonged to the man who cracked Jane in the head?” I asked.
Tara answered. “Yes. He ran in that direction, and by the time Byron and I got Jane into our car, that truck was gone.”
Renz tipped his head. “Let’s get back to the time in the woods.”
“I wanted a certain amount of privacy even though I wasn’t expecting anyone to be out there. I looked around, then I saw the boulders. I figured they’d do the job. I headed in that direction, and just about the time I reached them was when I heard his voice.”
“The man with Jane?”
“Yes, him. I was startled but even more so when I realized they weren’t having a friendly conversation. My instincts told me to hide. I backed up, snapped a downed twig, and fell to the ground. He heard the sound, headed toward me with the girl, and unfortunately saw me.” Tara wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “It was only by the grace of God that he didn’t bash me in the head too. He clubbed Jane, she went down like a ton of bricks, and he ran off.”
“How long of a look do you think you had of him?” I asked.
“Not long. I was so scared for her and myself that I could barely focus. He was literally in front of me for five seconds at most.”
“And he said something when he saw you. Is that correct?” Renz asked.
“Yes. He said, ‘hell no!’ and that’s when he clubbed her.”
“So that statement could have meant ‘hell no’ because he was seen or ‘hell no’ because he wasn’t about to let Jane tell her story, so he had to kill her—or so he thought. He only had a second to think, and he probably concluded that the consequences facing him would be worse than those for killing a teenaged girl.”
“I agree, and I could see his wheels turning for those few seconds.”
“Describe him for us.”
Tara sucked in a deep breath. “Byron’s height and weight, late thirties, black greased-back hair, and he was carrying a rifle.”
“His clothing?”
“Green plaid shirt, jeans, tan jacket. I didn’t see his shoes because I was looking up at him, not at the forest floor, and it was too dense anyway.” Tara shook her head as if to wipe the memory from her mind. “That poor girl let out a grunt and dropped to the ground. She was bleeding really badly.”
“You and Byron were very brave, and I’m sure when Jane wakes up, she’ll thank you personally. She has an important story to tell, and when she does, we’ll get that man, and he’ll be held accountable.” I looked over my notes. “Do you think you could describe his features well enough for a sketch artist?”
Tara shook her head. “No. Everything about him other than the clothing he wore is fading fast. Maybe that Malcolm character will lead you to him.”
Renz rattled his fingertips against the dash. “Maybe, but without a last name or any knowledge of where he was from, it won’t be easy. We’ll have to see if his prints are in the system. If they are, and if his name was Malcolm, then hopefully, we can find out where he lived.”
When I heard the crunch of gravel under tires, I looked over my shoulder. A truck had just pulled up behind us, and the sheriff was walking toward it.
Renz pulled the door handle on his side. “I bet that’s our drone operator.”
We exited the car and walked to the truck. Sheriff Burke made the introductions, and we told his friend, Andy Kline, what we needed. As a group, we walked to the spot where the dead man was found. I pointed at the rocky ledge above us and told Andy that we needed to see the top surface of that area. It took a few minutes for him to explain the device and how to operate it, but once Sheriff Burke took over, Renz and I watched the monitor as the drone took to the sky. I crossed my fingers that we would get more clues once it rose above the ridge.
Burke zeroed in on the flat surface at the top and brought the drone in closer. Using the joysticks, he made the drone circle the area. We saw a mix of trees and rock surfaces.
“There!” I pointed at a spot about five feet from the drop-off. Several large boulders stood to the right of what looked like blood smears on the rock surface of the mountaintop. “That has to be where an attack took place. Either the mountain lion leapt from the boulders to the man, or that’s where the cat was shot. No matter what, it tells us they both absolutely went over the edge.” I pointed again as Burke positioned the drone even lower. “The ground is scuffed up near the ledge, and there’s more blood there.”
Renz rubbed his forehead.
“What are you thinking?” I asked.
“I’m thinking about the fact that the cat was shot, which means another person up there with Malcolm had a gun.” Renz called out to Andy, “How close to the ground can this thing hover?”
“Close enough to see anything on the surface.”
“Okay.” Renz nodded at Burke. “Take it lower and cover a thirty-foot area. Go slow. I’m hoping to see shell casings, and if we do, there should be fingerprints on them.”