Page 64 of Shadows of You

“It’s Law. We’ve got another one. Cougar this time.”

My gut twisted. “Where?”

“Meadowrun trail, half a mile from the south trailhead.”

I cursed. “Getting bolder.”

That trail was closer to town. The kill closer to the parking lot and people. I’d hoped the deer was a one-off. Some freak passing through. But we weren’t going to get that lucky.

“I know,” Lawson said, voice low. “Can you come take a look?”

“I’m already on my way. Probably take me ten to get there.”

“See you soon.”

I hung up without saying goodbye. Pleasantries always felt like a waste of time. A falsity. I had no place in my life for that. I wanted raw and real. To know where I stood with people, not wondering if they would turn around and stab me in the back.

Turning onto the road that would take me closer to town and the trailhead, I tapped a beat on my steering wheel. A cougar wasn’t exactly easy prey to pin down. And they were heavy. Unless the unsub had lucked out and shot one right on the trail, they’d have to move it. And that took effort.

I made the ten-minute drive in six, anxious to get to the scene and see what we were dealing with. Several other vehicles were in the lot, and I recognized Lawson’s SUV parked off to the side. I pulled in next to it.

Jumping out, I grabbed my pack and headed up the trail. The voices reached me before the sight. But what I saw turned my stomach.

The majestic animal had been torn apart. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep my temper in check.

Lawson strode toward me. “I do not have a good feeling.”

“Who called it in?” I asked.

“Another out-of-town hiker. The mayor is tweaked, and so is the town council. They don’t want anything that could mess with tourist season.”

“Good thing it’s about to be winter,” I mumbled.

Lawson shook his head. “That’s not good enough for them. They want this person found and locked up.”

I did, too. Just not for the reasons our small-town politicians did. Sometimes, I wondered if anything was more important than tourist dollars in their eyes.

“The hiker see anything suspicious?” I asked.

“Nope. She ran like hell the minute she saw it. Nearly had a panic attack.”

I didn’t blame the woman. The scene was grisly, to say the least.

A figure near the fallen animal straightened, and my eyes flared in surprise.

“Roan, good to see you. Wish it was under better circumstances.” Dr. Miller snapped off his gloves, disposing of them in a trash bag.

“I thought it might be helpful to have a vet’s take,” Lawson explained.

Dr. Miller glanced at my brother. “I wish you would’ve called me about the first victim. It would’ve been helpful to see it, as well.”

“Sorry, Damien,” Lawson said. “We weren’t thinking this had the potential to turn into a serial.”

That was true with the deer. Now, it was blind, dumb hope. And hope was a death sentence.

“Can you tell us anything?” I asked.

Dr. Miller nodded. “The cougar was caught in a trap and then shot. The body was mutilated postmortem.”

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