Page 19 of Hunting the Truth
“No. I ran away as soon as I realized what I was seeing.”
“Did you see anyone else in the area?” Maya asked.
“I didn’t, but I felt like someone was watching me. I know that probably makes me sound crazy or something, but it was true. I ran back to my truck as fast as I could.”
“It doesn’t make you sound crazy at all,” Maya said, thinking about her own feelings that someone was watching her. “One last question—did you go the same way in as you came back out?”
“Yes, I was headed down this trail to collect samples from some pine trees. Instead I saw... I saw a horrible sight and I ran back up the same trail.”
“Thank you, Sofia,” Maya said, and then she pointed in the direction of the other deputy. “We’re going to secure the scene, but the deputy over there will stay here and make sure you are okay. If you can stay for now, that would be great in case we have any more questions, and if you’re up to it, we’d love to have you fill out a statement.”
“Okay,” Sofia said, taking another drink of water. “Okay.”
Josh went over to his deputy and spoke to him. Maya decided to get Juniper. If Sofia felt like there was someone in the area, having Juniper with them would help. She would detect anyone lurking around before Maya and Josh ever could.
Maya let Juniper out and put on her combo tracking harness and vest. She grabbed the thirty-foot-long leather lead in case they started a track. Josh came back over and they followed the path Sofia had pointed them down. Maya kept Juniper by her side still on a short leash with Josh following behind them.
The trail was steep going down and they had to navigate around boulders and step over tree roots that jutted up. Maya slipped a couple times on the loose soil and pinecones that littered the trail. She could hear Josh doing the same thing. They came to a flat area and even though they had been going downhill, her calves still burned. Sometimes going downhill was harder than uphill.
A buzzing noise seemed to echo throughout the stand of trees they approached. Maya realized the sound was flies. As she turned a corner in the path, the sound became stronger, and she could see why. She stopped in place.
She’d seen death before. As a veteran of Afghanistan, Maya had seen many things that she’d like to forget, but she had to admit, this was bad. Not something she expected to find at home. She heard Josh pull up behind her and suck in his breath.
“This is horrible,” Maya said.
“That’s an understatement,” Josh said. “I’ve never seen anything like this. Not even working with some of the gang units in Chicago.”
“I have. Sort of like this. In Afghanistan, but I’ve tried to forget those memories.”
“I can see why you want to forget,” Josh said.
Maya closed her eyes and grounded herself for a moment. She didn’t need this to cause a flashback. Juniper whined and Maya reopened her eyes, taking in the scene in front of her. A body was strung up between two large ponderosa pine trees. Thick rope wrapped around each wrist, cutting into the skin. The person had been beaten to death to the point Maya couldn’t even tell if the deceased was male or female. She was guessing female since the person was short with long dark hair, but that was an assumption. She had to keep an open mind.
Juniper air scented, but she also seemed disturbed by the scene and didn’t want to go any closer.
“I think Sofia was right,” Josh said. “There’s no need to call medical except to help transport the body to the coroner’s office. I can see why she said it was so bad. I’ll see if I have radio service here and call in the crime scene techs and the coroner.”
“Sounds good,” Maya agreed as she took in more of her surroundings. Careful to create a crime scene perimeter, she walked around so she could look at the body at a different angle. Besides the obvious beating, a large amount of blood pooled underneath the deceased’s feet. There had to be another murder weapon and Maya planned to let Juniper do an evidence search to see what they could find.
She continued to walk around the body taking in details and determining where they should run the crime scene tape. The biggest problem with a forest crime scene was the size. They might tape off an area around the body, but the crime scene in a national forest could literally be miles. Juniper might be able to help with some tracking and an evidence search.
Maya had a better view of the person’s arms as she slowly stepped around.
Tattoos.
Long dark hair.
She paused. She’d seen those tattoos yesterday. In her therapy group. And there was a fresh one on the person’s bicep.
The Air Force emblem with years served.
She gasped.
“What’s wrong?” Josh asked.
“Josh, I think this is Kendra.”
“What?”
