Path of Bones

by L. T. Ryan

  Cassie sat upright. “Is there any pattern to the locations?”

  “Not that I could tell.” Cassie deflated, but David continued with some hope in his voice. “But humans can’t truly be random. Everything we do is influenced by our behaviors, our life experiences. For example, all the squares in Savannah, or as it pertains to this investigation, all parks within driving distance.”

  Cassie nodded. “They live somewhere around here.”

  “We know most serial killers are male and the crime indicates this is true. He could be anywhere from in his twenties to his early fifties. Smart enough to get away with several murders and strong enough to carry the bodies around. He’d blend in, perhaps be average or unremarkable, but enough of an outcast that he’s coping with his issues in a less than productive way.”

  Cassie finished her sandwich. “The first crime scene is where the most mistakes are made, right?”

  “Correct. If the killer hasn’t perfected their method yet, they’re more likely to leave something behind.”

  Cassie knew she was taking a chance with her next request. “Would you be willing to give me the first location’s address?”

  The silence stretched on for a beat. And then two.

  “The first body we found isn’t necessarily the first person he killed. That person might not be amongst one of the three we have come across.”

  “I understand.”

  “This is a longshot.”

  “I know.” Cassie wouldn’t let him stretch out the moment any longer. “If I can go to the crime scene, I may be able to pick something up. I might be able to help, David.”

  He sighed. “I know, I know.” There was typing in the background. Then a deep sigh. “You ready? And remember, you didn’t hear this from me.”

  Cassie grabbed a notebook and pen from her desk. “Go ahead.”

  Fourteen

  As soon as Cassie got off work, she made a beeline for Lamarville Community Park. This was where the first body had been found three weeks ago. There was a chance Cassie could get a read from the site and find some answers.

  The gravel crunched under Cassie’s tires as she pulled into a parking spot. The humidity broke and drizzle hung in the air. Only a few people were still out and about, which meant she wouldn’t have many onlookers as she tried to find where the first woman had been killed.

  Cassie took a few calming breaths and got out of the car. She didn’t have high hopes she would find anything to latch onto, given that her abilities were spotty at best these days. Regardless, Elizabeth’s presence meant Cassie’s abilities still worked. At this rate, Cassie didn’t know what to expect.

  She exited the car and took in her surroundings. As she walked down a path into the trees, all outside noises were swallowed by the forest. There were no cars or laughing kids. Instead, there were chirping birds and singing insects and raindrops hitting the leaves overhead. The crack of a stick echoed around her as a deer took off running in the opposite direction. The sun disappeared behind the canopies above her and a chill breeze made Cassie pull her hoodie tighter around her chest.

  She didn’t hate being outside but given her fair complexion and strange ability to attract both living and dead people, becoming one with nature had its own set of variables. Not to mention what a forest like this could keep secret. Dense woods and treacherous land were often a dumping ground for the worst kind of people.

  It didn’t take long for her to find the spot David described. There was a beaten path back to where the body had been dumped. Whether it was from the police or mourners, she wasn’t sure. Maybe it was from people who had a morbid sense of curiosity and couldn’t help themselves.

  The police had found the body about three weeks ago after a pair of young teenagers playing hooky from school had decided to take a walk through the woods. The scene freaked them out. They called the cops, then left the area, afraid to get in trouble. They’d been tracked down. David had said the officers who went to interview each of them hadn’t given them too much trouble given the circumstances, but they had reiterated how important it was not to try to hide from the police.

  Cassie wondered how finding a dead body would change each of their lives. Would they become cops? Doctors? Killers? There was no telling.

  People had laid flowers for Hannah Williams in the spot where she had been found, but they were withered and dead by the time Cassie got there. There may have been other mementos—like teddy bears or candles—but they had either been stolen or taken away. There were no other indications of the horror that had been found here.

  Cassie felt the crunch of sticks and dead leaves underfoot. The scene was unassuming, to say the least. The body had been removed, and there was no indication that it had been there at all. Biohazard techs would’ve cleaned the site. Rain took care of the rest, washing away any remnants of blood or signs of struggle, so there wasn’t much to look at. The police would’ve already gathered all the evidence there was to find. She wouldn’t kid herself into thinking she was any better at playing detective than Harris or her colleagues.

  So, why are you here? She chastised herself.

  The wind answered with a sharp gust of air and Cassie closed her eyes against it.

  Why was she there? David had said Hannah might not have been the first person this man had killed, despite her being the first body they found. The trees were too dense to navigate with a vehicle, so he had either lured her into the trees or carried her there when no one was looking. But he had covered his tracks and left zero evidence behind.

  Cassie opened her eyes. So, why this spot? What was special about this specific location?

  Despite dealing with the dead for the last decade, Cassie didn’t know much about ritualistic sacrifices, if that was what this was. Still, she tried to take in the area surrounding the crime scene. She saw many oak trees which, to her uneducated eye, looked ordinary.

  Cassie took a few more steps forward as another breeze blew through the trees, carrying the faint smell of blood with it. Was it because she was several steps closer to where the woman had been dumped, or would she be coming face to face with another spirit? Would it be Elizabeth or Hannah or someone else?

  Cassie felt her frustration rise. On a good day, the spirit world was cagey. Ghosts appeared when they could, and they did not when they could not. It was as simple as that. But with her abilities on the fritz, she had no idea if she was having trouble tapping into the other side. The idea that she could be surrounded by ghosts and not know was worse than all the horrors she had seen over the years.

  Another branch snapped to Cassie’s left and she froze. She wasn’t sure if she should stand still or crouch down to hide. If someone were that close, they would have already seen her, and it wouldn’t make a difference what she did.

  Her heart started beating in response to her chaotic thoughts.

  The wind rose again, this time bringing in a stronger scent of blood. It must have been concentrated because she could smell it with more ease than she could in the museum, despite the breeze and open air. Were her powers coming back or was the spirit stronger than it had been yesterday?

  Movement on her left made Cassie turn her head in time to see a figure blink away. Most people would have said it was a trick of the light, but Cassie had been doing this too long to not know what she just saw.

  The creak of a tree forced Cassie’s attention forward and she saw the figure again, this time brighter than she was a few seconds ago. Cassie recognized her from the folder of victims. It was Hannah Williams, the woman whose body had been dumped here in the dead of night. She was wearing a long, flowing red dress that fluttered in a wind that didn’t exist.

  The spirit looked at Cassie for the span of two heartbeats and stepped forward. Another branch cracked from behind Cassie. She didn’t bother checking. She didn’t want to risk losing the connection she had with Hannah.

  The apparition was unflinching as she strode toward Cassie. She looked stronger than Elizabeth had
. She had been here longer, so it made sense. Like Elizabeth, her hair was still stringy and wet, but Hannah’s was platinum colored. And like Elizabeth, she had a gruesome gash across her neck, and her heart was missing from her chest.

  Instead of the fear Elizabeth had displayed, there was angry determination.

  “I’m trying to help you.” Cassie’s voice came out in a croak and the woman stopped advancing. “But I need you to point me in the right direction. I need you to tell me something, anything. If there’s the tiniest piece of fabric, skin, or even blood out here, show me.”

  Hannah took a couple more steps forward. She opened her mouth but seemed unsure that anything would come out. When it did, she looked relieved.

  “It’ll be over soon.”

  The words were encased in static, as though coming from a distant radio station. Hannah’s voice was deeper than Cassie expected. With every glitch in her words, Hannah faded in and out of existence. Cassie hoped the spirit could maintain the connection long enough to reveal her truth.

  Emboldened after making contact, Hannah took a step forward and opened her mouth again. “It’ll be over soon,” she repeated in the same deep tone, but this time the sound had been amplified by a factor of ten.

  Cassie planted her feet as she bowed back. Every cell in her body was telling her to run in the opposite direction, but that instinct hadn’t served her well when she was on a case. Ghosts didn’t care about distance or speed or walls. If they formed a connection to a person, place, or thing, they would find you one day. No matter where you tried to hide.

  But had Hannah formed a connection to Cassie because Cassie had decided to investigate this case? Or was Hannah only linked to this dumping ground? Cassie had no way of knowing unless Hannah told her.

  “It’ll be over soon.”

  Softer. More passionate.

  “I don’t know what that means.” Cassie tried to keep her voice steady and neutral. Heightened emotions didn’t mix well with the spirit world and Cassie had only been around Hannah for a minute or two. She didn’t know what kind of spirit she was. “Who are you talking about?”

  “It’ll be over—”

  Hannah’s gaze shifted to behind Cassie. Her eyes widened. The sentence died on her lips and she blinked out of existence between one breath and the next.

  And when a hand fell on Cassie’s shoulder, she couldn’t stop the scream that ripped from her throat.

  Fifteen

  “It’s me! It’s just me.”

  Cassie twisted around to find herself face-to-face with Detective Harris. Her throat burned and her heart drummed against her chest. She put her hand out to steady herself. The rush of adrenaline made her dizzy, and for a second, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stay upright without help.

  “Oh, God! You scared the ever-living shit out of me!”

  Harris’s concerned gaze turned into one of disapproval. “What are you doing out here?”

  Cassie’s senses came back to her and soon enough, her heart rate was back to normal. She looked over her shoulder, but Hannah was gone. When she met Harris’s eyes again, they had cooled further.

  “Looking for answers” Cassie said. “How did you know I was here?”

  Harris had the wherewithal to keep direct eye contact with Cassie. “I went to the museum, but you had just pulled out of the parking lot, so I decided to follow you.”

  “So, you’re stalking me?” Cassie tried to smile but was sure it looked like a sarcastic smirk.

  Ignoring Cassie’s comment, Harris asked, “How did you know to come here?” When Cassie’s cheeks colored, Harris’s lips thinned as she shook her head while crossing her arms over her chest. “Klein. What else did he tell you?”

  “He might have mentioned the victims’ blood had been drained.” Cassie caught the anger on the detective’s face and rushed on. “Don’t be mad at him. He was trying to help me. And the victims. And I’m trying to help you.”

  “Are you sure that’s what this is?”

  Cassie’s blush faded, but the heat in her cheeks remained, replaced with a flash of anger. “Am I a suspect, Detective Harris?”

  “At the moment? No.”

  “Am I a person of interest?”

  “Again, at the moment? No.”

  “Then why are you treating me like one?”

  Detective Harris tilted her head back and let out a huff of air aimed at the trees. Her lips flapped for a second or two. When she looked back down at Cassie, her eyes seemed a few shades warmer. “You want the honest answer?”

  Cassie raised an eyebrow in response.

  “I’m not sure what to make of you.”

  “You’re not the first.”

  “I’m sure.” Harris paced the clearing, deliberately kicking leaves up as she walked. “Look, I know you had nothing to do with this. You’re not a suspect. But I have to be careful. We don’t need a media frenzy on our hands. That’s not something I want to deal with on top of everything else.”

  “I caught your impromptu press conference. It looks like it’s going to be hard not to have the press digging into this more than they already are. I’m not trying to make your life harder. I know you have no reason to trust me, but we both know David. Does he seem like a guy who would put stock in some crazy lady who claims she can talk to ghosts?”

  Harris laughed, disproving Cassie’s previous theory that Harris never smiled on the job. “No, he doesn’t.”

  “He’s a good man and I know you trust him. He trusts me. So, let me help you. You came to me, remember? I didn’t ask for any of this. I thought I was done. And I was okay with that.”

  Detective Harris moved past Cassie and while she didn’t welcome Cassie with open arms, she didn’t tell her to get lost either. That seemed like a win, however marginal.

  “Did you figure anything out?” Harris held out her arms and wiggled her fingers. “Get any feelings?”

  “Okay, you don’t have to say it like that,” Cassie teased. “But no, I didn’t. No feelings, at least.” She paused and waited for Harris to re-engage her focus. “I did see Hannah for the first time, though.”

  Detective Harris couldn’t hide the disbelief on her face, but she went with it anyway. “Is that what was happening right before I arrived?”

  “You mean right before you scared me? Yeah.”

  “You were muttering to yourself. I called your name at least three times.”

  Cassie shook her head. “I was pretty focused. She talked to me. She kept repeating the phrase ‘it’ll be over soon’.”

  Harris’s mouth twisted to one side. “Any idea why?”

  “I’m kind of hoping it’s the last words she heard and not an omen of death, you know?”

  “Fair enough.”

  For a moment, the only sounds came from the birds and insects and trees around them. There was a faint buzzing and Harris pulled her phone out of her pocket. She held up a finger and walked a few paces away.

  Cassie returned her focus to the crime scene and gave Harris her privacy. The smell of blood had vanished, but the breeze still chilled Cassie in an unnatural way. There was a chance Hannah was still hanging around but refused to show herself while Harris was present. It felt good to have another living person nearby. At the same time, Cassie wanted to see if Hannah had anything else to say.

  Moreover, she wanted to make sure “it’ll be over soon” didn’t have a double meaning.

  Ghosts were imprints of their former selves, with a limited amount of energy to use when making contact. In all of Cassie’s experiences, she found that when they spoke, it was relevant information, however it sapped their energy as quickly as physically manipulating an object. It might take days or weeks before they could reappear without access to a power source.

  Sometimes, they had enough humanity left inside them to pass on messages or say goodbye to loved ones, but that was rare. Those came with older spirits. They’d hung onto the plane long enough to understand whatever physics was needed to move
objects or speak to people other than mediums. They were the ones horror stories were based on. Cassie didn’t have a lot of experience with that kind. By the time they had reached that point, they were less interested in helping and more interested in hurting.

  Luckily, both Hannah and Elizabeth seemed like they were trying to make contact for productive reasons. If only Cassie knew what Hannah was trying to say to her.

  “I’ll be there in fifteen. Yeah. Thanks. Bye.”

  Harris walked back over to Cassie. “That was the coroner. They’re going to release Elizabeth’s body back to her family in the morning. I convinced the medical examiner to hold off on stitching her back up right away because I was kind of hoping you’d go down there with me.”

  “That’s why you’re stalking me?”

  “You don’t have to say it like that.” Harris smiled again for show. “Look, I’m going to be the first one to admit that I don’t believe in psychics and ghosts and all of that mumbo jumbo, but I know Klein. I’ve looked up to him for years. And I’ve seen enough of your file to know that you get results. Plus, you’re kind of a spooky chick.”

  “I’m spooky?” Cassie couldn’t help but laugh. “What does that even mean?”

  Harris’s demeanor changed and her face tightened. “You kind of freak me out, Quinn. You might not look the part, but you act it.”

  “Thanks? I think?” Cassie sighed. She didn’t feel like visiting a morgue on a Friday night, but she did want to help Harris solve this case sooner rather than later. For Elizabeth and Hannah’s sake, as well as her own. “All right. Deal. Do I at least get dinner out of this?”

  Harris rolled her eyes. “If you’re still hungry after we see Elizabeth, we can go to Narobia’s. They have the best shrimp and grits in Savannah.”

  “That seems like a bold claim, but I’m willing to give it a try.” Cassie followed Harris back toward the trail. “Hey, I know this isn’t easy for you.”