Stone set his phone back in the holder and started the engine. “We need to get back. Another body has been found, this time on the Knik River.”
“Once frozen, isn’t the Knik a common thoroughfare to Anchorage for snowmobiles?” Annie asked.
“Yup. Chances are she hasn’t been there more than a day or two.”
The snow began to fall. As he’d predicted, Highway One was like a parking lot. They inched their way toward Wasilla. “I think it would be quicker if we walked,” Stone grumbled.
It took him two hours to make a drive that at any other time would have lasted only thirty minutes. In that time, the snowfall had steadily increased. They left the highway before the Wasilla-Palmer fork. The Knik River was long and the section he’d been directed to was through a densely wooded area.
If not for the flashing lights, Stone wasn’t sure he’d have found the crime scene. The vehicles were camouflaged by snow. He and Annie prepared to brave the storm. They each zipped up their jackets and donned gloves. Annie covered the lower part of her face with her scarf and he pulled up his turtleneck for added protection.
The Chief Medical Examiner waved when they were within sight, since speaking at this point would be useless. As far as the body, the only thing visible was a tall snow-covered mound. Stone waited until he was directly in front of Walt. “Okay, what have we got?”
Walt and Hank began dusting the snow off until a face and body appeared. “Looks like your killer’s been busy,” Walt said.
The hideous face of a wild-eyed woman caught mid-scream greeted them. This time the arms were stretched above her head, and deep purple ligature marks were clearly visible around her wrists. Her naked body stood with her legs shoulder width apart. Like the last victim, she’d been closely sculpted all the way down to her ankles. From there the killer left a rectangular block of ice so he could display her in a standing position like a sick piece of art.
Her long hair was slicked down and reached mid-back, the color undistinguishable, presumably wet to aid in the process of freezing. Annie huddled in close to him. He wasn’t sure if it was to get a better look, or help block the snow from covering her as fast as they could swipe.
Stone addressed Annie. “This could be the break you were talking about.”
“Yes. It doesn’t matter in which order these women were murdered and dumped. We just need this UNSUB to get careless with one piece of evidence that will bring us closer to identifying him. I’m now of the opinion that he has stored all his victims and for some reason, only known to him, has decided now is the time to share them. He’s playing a game in which only he knows the rules.”
“One thing is certain, if he continues to dump bodies on a daily basis, he’ll keep us all so busy we won’t have time to track him,” Stone added.
“You’re right. That’s probably his intent. He means to have us chasing our tails while he deposits the rest of his art. When he’s done, he’ll move on and start over somewhere else.”
Stone thought about it, then decided to voice his question out loud. “I wonder how many vics we’re talking about here?”
“I can only speculate. Maybe he has a time restraint? Think about it. The first body appeared the day after Christmas, and one each day there after. What if his intent is to be finished by the first of the year?”
“That would mean four more bodies.”
Walt interrupted. “Are you two done yet? I’m freezing my ass off and the way this storm is going, it will be midnight before we get back to the city.”
Stone turned to Annie, who nodded.
“Were you guys able to work the scene before the snow started?” Annie asked.
“Thankfully, yes. We’ve got all we can from here,” Walt answered.
“Great,” Stone said. “Did you finish the autopsy on Natalie Grant?”
“Sure did. Faxed the file to your office,” Walt said.
“Okay, thanks. I’ll read it and call if I have any questions.” Stone turned around and started toward the SUV. Annie followed in his wake.
Once in the SUV, he blasted the heater while they unwrapped themselves. “We need to follow up on this sketch. Do you think we should hold a press conference? We might be able to find the killer sooner that way.” Stone hit the headlights and backed out the way they’d come.
“I wouldn’t advise it. That could just get him to go underground and we’ll never catch him. It’s best we don’t show our hand,” she advised.
“Do you play poker?”
“Of course.” She gave him an incredulous look. “I was raised with four brothers.”
“A woman after my own heart.” Shit. I just said that aloud.
“I think we should put this sketch through facial recognition and see if we get any hits. Now that I’m officially on the case, I can fax this over to the Anchorage office and have them run it.”
“Good idea. We don’t have that capability.”
He insisted on driving her home, as she wasn’t used to driving through a blizzard. They hit the turn off for Matt’s cabin. It was completely dark and the visibility was down to a couple of feet at best.
The windshield wipers were on high, but they could barely keep up with the hard snow. He was white-knuckling the steering wheel while he tried to navigate through the trees in whiteout conditions.
“This is insane,” Annie said. “Just take me back to my truck and I’ll stay in a motel tonight.”
Stone eased on the brakes. “You could spend the night at my house.”
“I wouldn’t want to impose.”
“It’s not an imposition. Besides, my home is on this side of Wasilla. If you don’t mind, I’d rather get out of this mess as soon as possible. We can go to the station in the morning and fax the sketch.”
“Okay, that works for me,” she answered.
Once his tires were back on the asphalt, Stone breathed a huge sigh of relief. That drive was beyond stressful, but he’d be damned if he’d admit that to Annie. Within twenty minutes they were pulling up his driveway.
They blew through his front door along with a few shovels full of snow. Stone slammed the door behind them and bolted it before he hit the light switch. Nothing happened. “Electricity’s out. Let me get the candles.”
He grabbed the flashlight he kept by the door and made his way to the kitchen pantry where he stocked the emergency supplies. He lit several candles and placed them around the cabin before he stuffed a few logs into the pot-bellied stove. “We may be spending the night here in the living room if the electricity doesn’t come back on.”
“I can sleep anywhere.” Annie began taking off her outerwear and hanging things up on the coat rack by the door.
Once he had the fire roaring, he did the same. He placed their boots on the mat in front of the stove to dry. “How about a sandwich?” he said, walking into the kitchen.
Annie followed. “Sure, let me help.”
Stone opened the fridge and began handing her things. “Is turkey okay?”
“My favorite.”
“Good. Sissy gave me some leftovers from their Christmas dinner.” He handed her the meat.
She put it on the counter. “I love Sissy.”
“Me too.” He handed her the mayonnaise. “Since I don’t have a family, I always volunteer to work the holidays.”
She grabbed the mayo and cheese before she put them behind her. “That’s really nice of you.”
“Holidays mean nothing without someone to spend them with.”
“I guess you’re right.” She took the offered lettuce.
“Did you make it over to the Locklears for Christmas?” He closed the refrigerator door and opened the pantry.
“No. I was invited, but being the first year without Matt… Well, you know.”
He deposited the bread and pickles next to the rest of the fixings. “Yeah. They say holidays are always the hardest when you’ve lost someone you love.”
“What about you? Are you dating anyone?”
Surprised by the question, he stared at her a moment.
“Oh, sorry.” She frowned. “Was that too personal?”
He shook his head. “Uh, no. That’s fine. And the answer is I’m single.”
“Oh.” She grabbed the bread. “Do you have plates we can put these on?”
He was still wondering where her question had come from when she’d switched gears. It took him a second to answer. “Sorry, yeah.” He grabbed a couple of plates and handed them to her. He then opened a drawer and took out a knife. “I forgot to ask, do you like mustard on your sandwich?”
She made a face. “God, no.”
“Me neither.”
While she finished with the sandwiches, he grabbed the chips. “What do you want to drink? I’ve got milk, Coke, and beer.”
She cut the sandwiches in half. “I’ll have a Coke. Thanks.”
He grabbed a couple of cans from the fridge. “Let’s eat in the living room where it’s warm.”
While she grabbed the paper plates, he collected the chips with his free hand and followed her in. He deposited his bounty on the coffee table and they got comfortable on the floor in front of the fire. The only sound in the room came from the wood popping in the stove every now and then as they consumed their supper. Stone found it a bit too quiet, so he grabbed his smart phone and clicked the Pandora button; a Foo Fighters song began to play. Life was good.
He finished before her and watched while she ate. Her bites were so tiny, but then again, she did have a small mouth. Everything about her was delicate. It was hard to imagine this little pixie kicking the ass of a full-grown man. And if she knew he’d just thought of her as a little pixie, she’d kick his ass.
He never imagined having her here in his home. Okay, that was a lie. He had fantasized about her in his bed, then felt instant guilt. How far did the bro code go? Did it include after death? If only he could talk to Matt. That was stupid of course, because if Matt were alive, there would be nothing to talk about.
Annie’s head swiveled toward the window.
“What?”
“Someone’s out there.” She jumped up.
He scrambled to his feet and slipped into his boots without tying them. “What did you see?”
They put on their jackets. “The shadow of a man. When I looked up, he fled.”
Stone grabbed his gun and threw open the door. “Which way?”
“Left.”
Annie was slower than Stone, by the time she’d gotten into her parka and snatched her gun he’d disappeared into the storm. She stepped off the porch and sank up to her knees. Trudging through the snow was slow going.
The wind was so strong, she had to lean into it. She searched the ground for footprints, but the snow was coming down so hard that they’d already been covered, so she continued in the direction she’d sent Stone.
After awhile, when she hadn’t caught up to him, she assumed she must have veered off his path. She turned one way, then the next, but he was nowhere to be found. The ice pelting her cheeks stung, she’d forgotten her scarf so she pulled her hood as tight as possible in an effort to shield her face.
Her legs were wet and cold; polyester pants were not the best choice to wear in a blizzard. Annie began to think she’d made a grave mistake. She was a California girl who knew nothing about surviving in a storm of this magnitude. It was time to head back to the cabin.
Just one problem: she could no longer see the glow from the windows. She gazed at the sky, but of course there were no stars to guide her. Her heart began to gallop and she was finding it hard to breathe; was this how it felt like to have a panic attack? She yelled for Stone, but her voice was swallowed up by the wind.
Annie did not want to die this way. How long did it take to freeze to death anyway? That reminded her of the killer they were hunting and wondered if he was the one she’d seen outside the window.
He would love nothing better than to watch her turn into a popsicle and what he did to his victims afterward gave her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t let him find her, she had to keep moving. Her nose felt like it was running, but when she went to wipe it, it felt numb. Not a good sign.
Annie turned around and tried to decide which way to go and decided anyway was better than just standing there, so she pushed on. She had to hit a house or the street sooner or later. After awhile, it didn’t feel as if she were making any headway.
It didn’t take long before she was all tuckered out. Maybe if she just rested a minute it would give her the strength to move on. Annie sat down, drew up her knees and wrapped her arms around them.
Maybe if she just took a little nap.