Page 15 of Say Now
"But?"Alison asked, sensing there was more.
"Sure, he did have run-ins with people, and they became quite heated, and he blamed a lot of people that he had run-ins with for his eventual termination.I just…I know he was just spitballing."
"What did he tell you?"Claire asked.
"It was…There was one time we were out on a boat on the river, and he said something about taking matters into his own hands, and about getting justice, and I knew he wasn’t speaking seriously, but this look came over him, and he just kind of spaced out for a few seconds.When he came back to reality, he didn't mention it again.It was weird, but he wouldn’t actually do anything like that."
"We need to know where he is," Claire said."We tried his listed address in the city, and there was no one home.His neighbor mentioned he hadn’t been home in a while.When we spoke to the warden of the prison, he mentioned that you might know where he was.So, where is he, Alan?"
Another swallow from Alan and a third of his beer was consumed after that."He’s always been an outdoors guy.He has a cabin out there in the middle of nowhere.I've never been, but he told me where it was—said I could go out there anytime.It’s a place off the grid, only accessible by hiking in.If he’s not at home, then that’s where he will be."
"I’ll find you a map and you can show us exactly where the cabin is," Claire said.She looked at Alison."You up for a hike?"
"Sure," she replied."What’s not to love about hiking into the wilderness to search for the cabin of a potential serial killer?
CHAPTER EIGHT
There was no path.Snow covered the landscape, covering the ground in a blanket of unblemished white, no footsteps to guide their way; no path to follow.All they had was a GPS unit with the approximation of the cabin marked on the map.
Claire and Alison took the lead, with two officers following close behind.Three of them were armed; Alison had her gun in her bag, ready to pull it out if needed.
"There are no real paths out here," Claire said."Not since the snow fell.This is supposed to be the shortest route out here, but Marcus obviously hasn’t used it.There are multiple other paths out, and he must have used one of those to cover his tracks, so to speak."
"Let’s find him first and then make our conclusions," Alison said.
The invisible trail wound its way between the larch and fir trees in an endless landscape of white and dark green.The snow crunched under their boots as they walked, and the going was hard enough to break a sweat.Alison had removed her hat twice to cool down, only to have to put it back on again when she became too cold.
The sky was blue overhead, and the sun was out, adding some warmth to the day, but it would be a long time before it made a real dent in the snow.
"Does he fit?"Claire asked as they walked."He’s our guy, right?"
"He ticks a lot of the boxes," Alison admitted."He has an obvious motive from what we’ve heard about him so far.He had run-ins with people, and even if we can't confirm yet that he had run-ins with the two deceased, we have to assume his path would have crossed with theirs at some point.He’s volatile and angry, giving him the motivation to kill in the way he did, and he’s spent a lot of his life around killers."
"It’s always the ones who live out in the middle of nowhere, isn’t it?"Claire asked.
"It fits the profile in these circumstances, too.Killers like this want to stay close.They like to admire their handiwork, and the closer they can get to it, the better.But they need a way to hide.If things go wrong, they need to either escape before they can be caught or be able to hide without having to escape.People like familiarity, and running away will be a last resort.Having a cabin in the middle of nowhere is the best of both worlds.Especially when his work is not done yet."
Claire stopped, and everyone stopped with her.She studied the map."We’re getting closer.If he is our guy, we have to expect that he will have rigged something to either keep people out or some sort of an early warning system.We take our time and approach quietly.I’ll give they the signal when it’s time to spread out."
With the plan in place, they moved off again, literally taking it one step at a time as they neared the area Alan White had indicated on the map.
The trees thinned a little, and the thinner they got, the slower they walked.They saw the smoke first.It rose above the trees in a tight grey plume.Claire lifted her fist, not saying anything.She gestured one way and then the other.The officers split, going in opposite directions to go around the house.Claire and Allison moved forward.
They soon found the cabin.Claire stopped again, and she and Alison studied the small, rustic, wooden building.The smoke was not coming from the cabin but from behind it.
Claire pointed.To the right, hanging in a tree, was a deer carcass.The skin had been removed, the head chopped off.The area below was white and clean—the blood had been drained elsewhere.
There were two windows in the front of the cabin.Both of them showed darkness and looked empty.They stood for a while, looking at the windows, looking for a sign of movement, but there wasn’t any.Claire looked to Alison and nodded.Alison nodded back.She wished she had brought her gun.
Claire removed her gun from her holster, leading the way with Alison slightly behind.She didn't often feel out of her depth, but hiking out into the wilderness to then approach a cabin felt like something she shouldn't be doing.
They moved to the windows, and they took one each to look inside.Alison saw a small living room with a chair and a table.A fireplace sat on the far wall, with balled-up paper and kindling in the hearth.The interior was clean and well-maintained.She looked back at Claire and shook her head.Claire shook her head in response—she couldn't see anyone in the cabin either.
They went around to the side of the cabin—still no entrance—and then to the opposite side from where they started.They found the entrance to the cabin there, and also a small fire with a metal grate high above it, laden with meat that was being smoked.The two officers were also there.
There was silent communication as they all moved to the door, with Alison bringing up the rear.Claire took the lead.She didn't knock.She pushed the door open slowly.It didn't creak.Then, she disappeared into the house, followed by the two officers.Alison quickly followed, finding herself in the same room she had seen from the window.It looked like someone had decided to make a fire and then thought better of it.The door swung closed behind them.
There was only one way to move through the house, and they moved from the living room into the short hallway.Alison held back, waiting—it was not a large cabin, and she would only be in the way.
