Page 15 of The Ice Sisters

“Were you near Emerald Falls?” Cord asked.

“Naw, we never made it that far,” the other boy said. “Besides, we’ve been there before. We were heading toward the old mine but decided to shelter for the night.”

Cord knew the area they spoke of. It was three miles east. “Did you see anyone else out here?”

Both boys shook their head and yanked on their gloves. “Why you asking?”

“Two girls were found dead by the falls last night. The killer could still be out here. Head home. If you see anyone, steer clear and call for help.”

A sliver of fear darkened the boys’ eyes, but they gave a nod.

“We’ll go straight back,” one of the boys said.

“You have compasses?” Cord asked.

The first boy pulled his from his coat pocket. “Yeah, we can find our way back.”

“Be careful. There are a lot of downed trees,” Cord said. “Call for help if you need it.”

They agreed and set out, while Cord veered in the direction of the abandoned mine. Although deserted, abandoned mines belong to someone and trespassing charges could be enforced; still, curious people were always drawn to explore them.

They also made a perfect place for the homeless or criminals to hide.

The temperature was climbing now, and rays of sunshine flickered off the blanket of white. His footprints created deep indentations in the snow as he hiked, animals skittering through the woods, his boots crunching ice.

Three more miles and he reached the abandoned mine, which was once used for mining precious gemstones. Some said they’d scavenged all the gold there, but others believed rumors that gold was still hidden in the area and came with hopes of getting rich.

Overgrown weeds and brush almost covered the entrance. He studied it and noted weeds had been crushed as if stepped on. Realizing someone might have been inside, he ducked into the narrow space. An animal growled somewhere in the dark narrow interior, and he shined his flashlight across it. He stooped to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling and panned the ground and walls.

Something glinted near a rock and the wall, and he crossed to it and knelt. With gloved hands, he raked dirt to the side and uncovered a hunting knife. More specifically, a River Traders Courer de Bois knife. The larger-sized blade had a slight drop-point profile and was suitable for butchering, skinning and other wilderness tasks. He peered at the blade and thought he saw blood. And tiny hairs.

His pulse jumped. Any hiker or hunter could have dropped it.

But what if the killer had been in here and it belonged to him?

SEVENTEEN

CROOKED CREEK POLICE STATION

Ellie couldn’t erase the images of the dead twins from her mind as she parked at the station.

Inside, she met Derrick, her boss Captain Hale, Sheriff Bryce Waters, and Deputies Shondra Eastwood and Heath Landrum in the conference room for a briefing.

She rolled her shoulders to alleviate the tension knotting her neck, but she refused to complain. If she did, Derrick would insist she stay home and that was not an option.

The two little girls at the morgue needed her.

Ellie grabbed coffee at the coffee bar and Derrick did the same. The sheriff loped in with a to-go cup from the Corner Café. Shondra fixed herself a green tea, but Landrum stuck with coffee.

“What do we have?” the sheriff asked as he claimed a chair at the conference table.

Ellie cleared her throat. “Yesterday I found the bodies of two little girls at Emerald Falls on Coal Mountain.”

Derrick tacked photos of the girls and the dump site on the whiteboard. “They were lying in the snow behind the overhang of the falls.”

Shocked murmurs rumbled through the room and the sheriff cursed.

A pang of sadness quivered through Ellie at the sight. She’d been half frozen and in shock when she discovered the bodies. In the stark light of morning, the same horror ripped through her.

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