by Paty Jager
Shandra’s stomach roiled at the thought. She stared at the grass and tried not to envision wolves or cougars attacking the man.
“Ladies first.” Ryan held two of the strands of wire wide apart.
She ducked through and held the wire for him to step through. Sheba whimpered on the other side. Knowing the dog would be scared standing alone by the fence, Shandra put a foot on the bottom wire shoving it down and held the next wire up. Sheba ducked her head and dropped her back to make it through the opening. She licked Shandra’s hand in thank you.
“You’re welcome.” Shandra patted the dog’s head. She wouldn’t want to be left alone out here either, knowing there was a dead body.
“This doesn’t make sense.” Ryan crouched at the edge of the area that was disturbed.
“What?”
“There aren’t any paw prints in this bit of dirt. See how the plant is bent like something stepped on it? There should be at least nail indentions if the animal was dragging and digging its paws into the ground to pull the body.” Ryan took photos of the area.
Shandra watched. His camera flashed and something sparkled on the ground. “Flash again,” she said, this time staring at the area the sparkle had caught her attention.
Ryan took another photo. She pinpointed the object and knelt. Moving her hands over the plants, she felt something that wasn’t a rock. It was a small, blue crystal, flower pendant. She sat back on her haunches and stared at Ryan.
“Either our body was playing both ways or there was a woman out here.” She held the flower out to Ryan.
“You shouldn’t have touched that.” He pulled out a small plastic bag.
She dropped the pendant in the bag. “This could be a clue.”
“It could. And now it has your prints on it.”
“Sorry, I didn’t think about that. I knew it shouldn’t be here and had to be a clue.” She was sorry. She didn’t need to be connected to another death as a suspect. The first time she was a suspect she’d let her mother’s paranoia make her defensive.
He tucked the little bag away in his backpack and stood. “Let’s follow this a little farther in.”
Shandra grasped Sheba’s collar and followed behind Ryan. She studied every spot he stopped and took a photo. The bent plants and drag marks took them another fifty yards into her neighbor’s property. She’d never met Mr. Randal, but his wife had purchased one of her vases at the local art event last year. The woman had been friendly and seemed to like living up on the mountain as much as Shandra did.
Ryan stopped abruptly. Shandra stalled her feet in time to keep from slamming her head into his back.
“What did you find?” She moved to step around him.
Ryan put out an arm. “You don’t want to see this.”
Fear trickled down her backbone like a slithering ice cube. “Why? Is it another body?”
“Not human. Looks like someone shot an elk and only took the horns. But the body has been partially eaten.”
Ryan’s camera clicked.
Shandra remained where she was, facing back the way they’d come. “What kind of animals would eat an elk and a man?” she asked, shivering at the thought she’d rode her horse alone over this mountain hundreds of times since purchasing it. Were the mountain lions and bears always this aggressive?
Ryan reappeared. “It’s not just one animal. There are mountain lions, bears, wolves, coyotes, and the birds who all eat meat and will lunch on anything they find. An already dead creature is an easy meal.”
Wings flapped and the limbs of the pine tree they stood under rustled. Shandra looked up. Three turkey vultures peered down at her with ugly, red, bald heads and large beady eyes. Even knowing it was all part of a food chain didn’t stop the shudder vibrating through her. She knew from a story told to her the summer Shandra stayed with her grandmother, that buzzards were an omen of danger.
Ryan put a hand on the lower part of Shandra’s back and urged her to walk. “Let’s go back to the body. It’s going to take search and rescue efforts to scour this ground for clues.” He didn’t like the fact they’d found an elk stripped of what was most likely a trophy rack. The man on Shandra’s property could have wandered across a poacher’s path or even been trying to catch them. If there were poachers on this mountain it made the whole forest unsafe. He wanted Shandra back at her ranch. Poachers were illegal hunters and had no scruples.
“We didn’t find his camp or where he might have come from?” Shandra said, stopping and turning to confront him.
“I believe we found the point of confrontation. Once I gather evidence, I’m pretty sure the forensic lab will find our victim’s blood mixed in with that of the elk.”
Her eyes widened. “You think he was killed over the elk?”
Ryan nodded and started her moving again.
She kept walking, but asked, “I’ve heard of poachers killing animals and only taking horns. Is that what you think? The man came upon poachers?”
“Yes.” He wasn’t going to elaborate and scare her.
They arrived at the fence.
Shandra faced him. “Do you think they are crossing the fence to my property?”
He shrugged. “With poachers you never know.”
Her eyes flashed and her facial features hardened like a stone statue. “The creatures on my property aren’t fair game for poachers. I’ll hire someone to ride the fence line and check for interlopers.”
Ryan held the wire on the fence for her. “As long as it isn’t you riding the fence alone.”
Her expression softened. “I’m an artist, not a lawman. I know my strengths. Riding a fence line like a border patrol officer isn’t one of them.”
“I’m glad to hear you know your boundaries.” Ryan slipped through the wire Shandra held for him. He stepped on the bottom wire and called Sheba through.
“Now what do we do until Lil gets back with the others?” Shandra strolled to the uphill side of where the body lay.
Ryan heard squawking in the vicinity of the body. “Stay here,” he said and hurried to the crime scene. Several turkey vultures squabbled over the body. Ryan hurried forward waving his arms. “Go on! Get!”
Once the birds were out of sight he called to Shandra. “Looks like I’ll be shooing away hungry critters.”
Chapter Four
Shandra sat with her back against Ryan’s on a large granite rock. He faced the body, and she stared into the forest with Sheba resting her head on her lap. Ryan had yelled and waved his arms about ten times while they sat propped against one another.
“Is this the first time you’ve had to secure a crime scene by keeping birds and animals away?” She didn’t want to think about the body, but it was hard to forget it existed when Ryan kept shooing animals away.
“In Chicago I had a similar situation, only it was in the streets and it was a wealthy man. Had to keep the homeless from taking the body’s clothes.”
His monotone delivery hid his true feelings about the incident.
“Did you like being a policeman in the city?” She felt his back stiffen.
“No.”
“Why did—”
Sheba barked a welcome and Lil’s horse appeared through the trees. She led Apple and Duke. It appeared the deputies had brought their own horses. Behind her was Dr. Porter, the local doctor and coroner, riding Sammy. Behind him rode Maxwell Treat, son of the local mortician and a search and rescue member. He rode his large horse, Zeus, and led a pack horse. Behind him were two deputy sheriffs mounted on their own horses.
Where Dr. Porter could be mistaken for an albino, his hair and skin were so pale, Maxwell was the complete opposite with shiny black curls and dark mahogany skin. And while the doctor was average size, though on the thin side, Maxwell stood a good six-and-a-half feet with shoulders so broad she’d witnessed him walk sideways to get through some of the doors in Huckleberry.
Ryan stood and met the group before they came any closer. “Good to see you, Doc. Treat. The body is
on the other side of Ms. Higheagle.” He turned to the deputies. “Ms. Higheagle found the body while riding.” Ryan moved the dismounted deputies a little farther away and talked in a quiet manner not allowing his voice to carry.
Shandra stood by the rock and waited for Dr. Porter and Maxwell to reach her. “It’s not pretty to look at.”
“No dead body is,” Maxwell said, a big grin on his face.
“This one has been partially eaten,” she said, thinking the men needed to be told what to expect.
Dr. Porter looked over her shoulder, cringed, and his pale complexion became even more pasty white. “From here, I pronounce the man dead.” He plopped onto her rock and pulled papers out of the old-fashioned doctor’s bag he’d untied from the saddle horn.
Maxwell’s expression became serious. “Who is it?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Ryan didn’t find any identification.” She smiled up at the man staring at the body. “Ryan said something about getting a search and rescue party together. You going to join in?” Maxwell had been part of the party that excavated the skeleton she’d found over a month ago.
“I can’t this time. Pop’s going on vacation. I have to be at the mortuary.” Disappointment rang in his voice.
Ryan approached with the two deputies. “Shandra, you and Lil can ride back to your place. We’ll be here a while and may need you to guide more officers into the area.”
Shandra knew he was getting her away on purpose, but she didn’t care. She’d do some digging into her neighbor from the safety of her couch.
“I’m happy to get out of here.” She walked over to Lil and the horses. Glancing over her shoulder, she found Maxwell and the officers all huddled together.
Dr. Porter walked briskly toward the horses. “There’s no more need for me anymore. I’ll ride back with you ladies.”
Shandra hid the smile twitching at her lips. She’d discovered a bit about Dr. Maynard Porter’s history. He grew up in the city, and while he had the credentials and abilities to be practicing at a major hospital, he was stuck in Huckleberry taking care of an ailing great aunt until she died. It had been a codicil to his uncle’s will. If he didn’t take care of his aunt, he didn’t inherit his great grandfather’s recreational property. She’d also learned that the property meant more to Dr. Porter than its monetary value. He’d spent many winters and summers at the place.
Dr. Porter mounted Sammy, the chestnut gelding she used for packing the clay down the mountain.
Shandra made sure the horses Maxwell and the deputies rode were tied, and she left Duke for Ryan. If other officers were called in, she hoped they brought their own horses. She didn’t have enough to supply the whole Weippe sheriff’s department.
She swung up on Apple, whistled for Sheba, and followed Lil back home. No reason not to start questioning the doctor who moved in the same circles as her neighbor.
“Dr. Porter, do you know J.W. Randal?” Shandra asked, holding her horse to a walk beside Sammy.
The doctor peered into her eyes a moment before clearing his throat. “You want the truth or do you want me to be diplomatic?”
Aha, her neighbor had dirt. “The truth.”
“He’s a pompous ass.”
Shandra laughed. “Please, don’t hold back.”
Dr. Porter grinned. “I’m not supposed to talk bad about my patients but J.W. isn’t my patient. His wife, however, is my patient. I don’t know how the woman puts up with him.”
She latched onto the last little tidbit. “Is he abusive?”
“No, not physically, that I know of. But I’ve witnessed him verbally lambast her at a public function.” He shook his head. “Not something anyone wants to witness or be the recipient of, I’m sure.”
“Do they have children?”
“No, but Vivian’s niece lives with them. Cecily Wagner. She’s in her last year of high school.” Dr. Porter narrowed his eyes. “Why are you so interested in J.W. and his family?”
“Detective Greer and I followed the drag marks while waiting for the rest of you. The body was killed on the Randal property.”
~*~
Ryan filled Deputies Gerald Speaks and Ron Trapp in on what he and Shandra discovered while retracing the drag marks. “The best way to figure out what happened would be to do a thorough search and gather as much evidence as we can.”
Gerald nodded. “Once the body is gone we can bring in the search and rescue. Have them comb the forest for clues.”
“Do you have any idea who the body is?” Ron asked.
“Not until the autopsy is done or we find someone in missing persons who resembles the description.” Ryan noted Treat had the body bagged and ready to place on the pack horse he’d brought with him.
He walked over and helped place the body on the horse. “I’ll ride back with you and the body. I want to find out who this is. It will help to discover why he was out here.”
“I’ll be ready to hit the trail soon as I tie him on.” Treat looped a thin rope through special metal rings on the pack saddle, lacing it back and forth over the body.
Ryan walked back to where the two deputies placed pieces of evidence in plastic bags. “I’ll head out with the body and start making missing person inquiries. I’ll send in more help.”
“As long as you leave our horses, we’ll be fine. I’d hate to have to walk out of here,” Gerald said.
“Yes, why would someone be hiking on private property, unless…” Ryan had some calls to make once he had better cell reception.
He mounted Duke and rode alongside Treat as long as the trail remained wide enough. “What can you tell me about the neighbors on the east side of Shandra’s property?”
Treat shook his head slowly. “J.W. was pulled in for selling illegal hunting tags to the people who paid to hunt on his property.”
“Pulled in? As in arrested?” How did I miss this information? Was that why the name had sounded familiar? He read or heard about it in passing?
“Yep. Big legal battle going on. He’s trying to fight it even though he was caught red-handed by Melvin Clower of the Fish and Game.” Treat’s smile turned grim. “Melvin is a good man. Family man who cares about our forests and animals. If he says he caught J.W. doing illegal hunting, I believe him.”
“Is Clower a local?” It appeared staying close to Huckleberry and digging up information would be a better way to spend his time once he placed the body in a wagon headed to the forensic lab.
Chapter Five
Shandra found Dr. Porter’s information about her neighbor interesting. What she’d learned only fueled her need to discover more.
At the barn, Dr. Porter said good-bye and drove away in his BMW SUV. Shandra helped Lil unsaddle the horses and headed to the house.
“Aren’t you going to work in the studio today?” Lil called.
Shandra spun around and nearly collided with Sheba. “No. It’s late. After finding the body, I’m not feeling the least bit creative.” She ruffled Sheba’s fluffy ears. “Come on girl, we need to celebrate life after what we saw.”
They entered the house through the back door. Shandra headed straight for the refrigerator. Nothing celebrated life like a caramel sundae. She made one for herself and one for Sheba. After placing one on the floor, she carried the other to the dining room.
At the table, she flipped open her laptop and started googling J.W. Randal, Weippe County, Idaho. It appeared he came from money, enjoyed making more, and believed himself above the law. The photos of him didn’t help her determine if the mauled body was his. She’d barely looked at the corpse. Having the images of a mauled body in her mind wasn’t good for her creative soul.
There were photos of his wife, mostly without J.W. “What kind of a marriage do they have? Maybe the body is Vivian’s lover?” She continued browsing the information and studying the photos.
Sheba’s barking startled her. “Who’s out there, girl?”
Shandra flipped the computer monitor down and followed the
sound of Sheba’s excited barking.
She opened the door. Sheba shot out like a thoroughbred at the Kentucky Derby. Shandra watched Sheba’s cumbersome lope and spotted two horses with riders and a pack horse.
Ryan and Maxwell dismounted near one of the horse trailers. They talked a moment before Ryan led Duke toward the barn.
Shandra hurried into the barn. “Where are the other two?”
“They started investigating. I need to discover who the body was.” He unsaddled Duke and put him in the corral.
“From what Dr. Porter told me, I think the body is either J.W. Randal or was put there by him”
Ryan stared at her. “I know you like to stick your nose into homicides, but we don’t even know that this man didn’t die of natural causes.”
Shandra crossed her arms. She hadn’t planned on Ryan stonewalling her. After all, they’d riddled out murderers twice before. “If you think this is only an accident why did you leave two deputies on the mountain?”
He walked out of the barn. “We have to investigate and find the cause of death. Even if it is natural or accidental.” Ryan stopped at his vehicle. “Stay out of this Shandra. And stay off the mountain until we’ve discovered the cause of death.”
“And ruled out poachers?” she asked, knowing that was the reason he wanted her to stay off the mountain.
Ryan opened the door of his SUV and rolled the window down. “Yes, I want you to stay off the mountain in case it was poachers. They will shoot anyone they think could turn them in.” He slid onto the driver’s seat.
She cringed as her glimpse of the body flickered in the back of her mind. “Will there be more people to guide to the site?” Shandra didn’t plan to go anywhere on the mountain alone until they discovered what had happened.
“I’m requesting a search party to comb the area we walked for evidence. They’ll have their own horses, but Lil should lead them in.”
Shandra smiled. “Lil? What if I want to go back up there?”
Ryan tipped his lips in a wry smile. “You won’t just lead them up. You’ll mess with evidence and get yourself tangled up in the investigation.”
