Shadows of You (Lost & Found #4)(51)

I started back down the trail, knowing my brothers would follow. Their footfalls sounded behind me, confirming as much.

It took less than a minute to reach the trailhead. Even bolder than the last scene.

“Can we get in someone’s car? I’m freezing my balls off,” Nash muttered.

Lawson beeped the locks on his SUV. I climbed into the front passenger seat while Nash got in the back, and Lawson hopped into the driver’s seat.

“I swear it gets colder every year,” Nash said, rubbing his hands together.

Lawson turned over the engine. “Or you’re going soft.”

Nash glared at him. “Just because I don’t want to lose my swimmers doesn’t make me soft.”

Lawson chuckled, but the sound died as he glanced back at the trail. “I don’t see how we still have nothing.”

We had less than nothing. None of the hikers ever saw someone hanging around the deceased animals. None of the Fish and Wildlife or Forest Service officers patrolling the area had seen anything suspicious. And there was no evidence except some hairs from previous animal kills on the blade.

“We know they’re linked,” I said.

“That’s not enough to point us in a direction,” Lawson argued.

Nash scrubbed a hand over his stubbled jaw. “Maybe we need to approach this from a behavioral standpoint instead of an evidence-based one.”

Lawson turned in his seat to look at Nash. “Say more.”

“We need to figure out what the crime scenes tell us about the perpetrator. Can you call that profiler friend of yours?” Nash asked.

Lawson winced. “Ex-profiler. He doesn’t work for the bureau anymore.”

“So?” Nash pushed. “It’s not like he lost all his knowledge when he left. He might be able to provide some insight.”

“I can try, but Anson wanted to leave that life far behind.”

My brows pulled together. “Why?”

Lawson had mentioned how good Anson was at his job on more than one occasion in the past. Had said no one understood the criminal mind better. They used to discuss cases all the time.

Lawson squeezed the back of his neck. “He had a case go bad. Really bad. It marked him.”

Nash winced. “That’s rough.”

Lawson jerked his head in a nod. “I’ll make the call. If he refuses, I won’t push.”

“All you can do is ask,” Nash agreed.

“In the meantime, I’m going to ask Rob to increase the officer presence and see if he can make a request with the Forest Service, too,” I said. Maybe we could catch this prick in the act. But the state and national forests around Cedar Ridge were vast, and it would take a hell of a lot of officers.

Lawson tapped his thumb on the console. “It’s worth a try.”

“Somebody must have seen something,” Nash said. “Kills like these…the person would be covered in blood.”

I grunted. “Not everyone wants to get involved.”

Nash shook his head. “If you saw someone coming down the trail looking like Carrie after the prom, you wouldn’t call the cops?”

“Of course, I would. But not everyone thinks that way. Some people want to avoid contact with the police at all costs,” I pointed out.

Lawson continued his drum beat on the console. “We might need to consider a reward for information.”

Nash groaned. “Everyone and their brother will come out of the woodwork then. The last time we did a reward, I had to listen to a woman talk for almost an hour about how aliens had landed in Cedar Ridge and were body snatching people.”

My lips twitched. “The truth is out there.”

Nash glared at me. “Just keep the damn probes away from my butthole.”

I choked on a laugh.

Lawson just shook his head. “I’ll make sure you have phone duty when the reward goes up.”

“Rude,” Nash shot back.

I glanced at my watch. “Crap. I gotta go.”

“Where?” Nash asked.

“Gotta take Cady to dance and stare down some tiny bitches.”

The SUV went silent around me.

Nash blinked at me a few times. “What did you say?”

“Some girls are being mean to Cady. She’s a good kid and doesn’t deserve to be picked on.”

Lawson groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Please don’t do anything that means I get called to the ballet studio.”

I shrugged. “I’m just going to let it be known that I’m watching. That’s all.”

“What you mean is that you’re gonna give them that serial-killer smile, right?” Nash asked.

“Maybe.”

Lawson groaned again. “At least take Charlie with you. Maybe he can keep you in line.”

It actually wasn’t a bad idea. Not that my nephew would stop me from doing what I needed to do, but I could have a conversation with him about looking out for Cady, too. “Sure.”

I opened the door and slid out.

“Roan,” Lawson called.

I grunted.

“Don’t give the girls nightmares for the rest of their lives, okay?”

“Only if they deserve it.”

I grabbed Charlie’s booster seat and headed for my truck. It didn’t take me long to get from the trailhead to the elementary school. When I pulled to a stop and hopped out, Cady flew at me.