Page 66 of Beautifully Broken Pieces
Tuck ran a hand through his hair. “That fucker’s slippery. I doubt he’s going to come waltzing home when there’s a squad car parked outside his front door.”
“If he doesn’t come back by the end of the day, we’ll get more creative, okay?”
Tuck opened his door. “All right, but I’m telling you, he won’t show.”
I rolled my eyes as I climbed out of the rig. Tuck always wanted to play commando. If he had it his way, he’d be stationing men around Frank’s property in full camo gear with night vision goggles. Sometimes, waiting a guy out worked just as well.
Tuck and I hiked up the trail, each of us training our eyes on the surrounding underbrush, looking for any signs of a struggle or clues to what might have happened. It took us over an hour to reach the place where our people had set up shop.
Greg spotted us coming up the trail and headed right over. “It’s another bad one. What the hell is going on, Walker?”
I forced my body to stay relaxed, to not show any outward signs of distress or anger. “I don’t know, Greg. But we’re going to find out.”
“I hope we can do it before anyone else gets killed,” he said with a shake of his head.
I swiped at my brow. Though we had headed into fall, it was mid-day and still warm outside. “Do we have a positive I.D.?”
Greg paled. “I thought you were notified. It’s Caitlin.”
My gut burned, but I fought to keep my mask of composure. “I knew it was likely, but I hadn’t heard for sure.”
Greg’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “The, uh, body is pretty fresh,” he said, wincing. “I was able to identify her. It’s pretty bad, boss. Are you sure you want to see it?”
My eyes narrowed on him, and he took a step back. I appreciated my officers having my back, but I didn’t want any of them questioning my ability to handle a situation.
Tuck stepped forward. “He’ll be fine. Could you point us in the right direction?”
“S-s-sure,” Greg stuttered, and I felt a little bad for the kid. “Scene’s that way, about half a mile.”
I jerked my chin at Greg, and Tuck and I moved away from the trail. I let my mask slip for just this half mile. Let my jaw tighten, my fists clench. I would have let out a scream, but I didn’t want the people around us to hear. Life was so fucking unfair sometimes.
I caught sight of a group of people fanning out around a roped-off section. Techs were scouring the area, looking for evidence. Carly and her assistant were bent over what I assumed was the body. I steeled myself for the worst. I still wasn’t prepared.
The first glimpse of Caitlin knocked the air right out of my lungs. Her neck was bent at a horrifying angle, her hair spread around her like a halo. Her skin was a sickly grayish color and had a sheen to it. This was nothing like the girl I knew. So full of life, even if that came out as anger at times. I fought the shudder that wanted to course through my body.
I was thankful when Tuck spoke because I was still struggling to find my words. “Hey, Carly. Got a time of death for us?”
The medical examiner’s head turned at the sound of her name. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this, boys. Still not firm on T.O.D., but I’m guessing sometime in the last twenty-four to forty-eight hours.”
I cursed under my breath, and Tuck went on alert next to me. Carly straightened from her crouched positioned next to Caitlin’s body. “There something I need to know?”
Tuck ran a hand through his hair roughly. “We were not far from here yesterday. Less than twenty-four hours ago. We were looking for Walk’s, uh,”—he eyed me—“girlfriend, I guess you’d call her.” Carly’s brows rose, her eyes sparkling with humor. Tuck continued speaking, and the humor soon fled Carly’s gaze. “She got lost while on a hike on Creek Line trail. Then she got shot at. Took a tumble down the ravine.”
Carly’s head shot towards me. “Is she okay?”
I swallowed thickly, having come to terms with the fact that Taylor had most likely been shot at by Caitlin’s killer. “She’s fine.” The words came out harshly, but Carly, used to working around men, took no offense.
She gazed around the surrounding woods. “I’m glad. You think whoever shot at her killed this young woman?”
I stared down at Caitlin’s ravaged form. “I think it’s likely. Why don’t you walk us through your best guess as to what happened.”
Carly nodded and squatted next to Caitlin. “These are just my preliminary findings. Things may change once I’ve been able to complete a full exam.”
“Understood,” I said, impatient for her to give me more information.
She continued. “Let’s start at the beginning. See these marks here?” Tuck and I nodded as we took in the bruising around Caitlin’s wrists. “She was bound in some way for several hours. Possibly days.”
I cursed. Tuck remained stonily silent. Carly moved on. “I believe she was,”—she paused for a moment—“hunted down. Either she escaped, or the killer let her go, only to catch her again. She was shot. Here.” Carly pointed to a wound on Caitlin’s hip. A shot there would make running almost impossible.
