Kane had not missed the color drain from Sheriff Alton’s face when Wolfe had tried to speak to her, and he felt like a jerk after promising not to pry into her background. He scanned the forest, noting the way the birds objected to their presence. If someone was close by watching them, they were remaining motionless. He doubted the killer would risk staying behind to observe their reaction to discovering the body, but he had read about psychopaths who liked to display their kills for shock value. Some often joined the crowd of onlookers to enjoy the reaction.

No inquisitive crowd had gathered. Not one word of their discovery had slipped out to the public, and the parents of this poor girl would not suffer the distress of hearing the details of their daughter’s murder splashed all over the news. Old Mr. Weems was prone to letting the odd detail slip. As the local mortician, he probably had little in his life to gossip about, and the discovery of a body would make him a celebrity if only for a short time.

The smell of death wafted through the trees, and Kane holstered his weapon and pushed on a face mask. He followed Alton into the clearing and Wolfe moved to his side, cursing under his breath.

“Jesus, she looks about the same age as my daughter Emily.” Wolfe gave him a look of disgust, slipped his sidearm back into the holster, then snapped on a face mask. “You told me Black Rock Falls was a nice quiet place to live.”

“I thought we’d had our share of crazies for a while.” Kane raised both eyebrows. “We had four murders in town six months ago.”

“Wonderful.”

Examining the layout of the murder scene, Kane winced at the sight of crows pecking at the corpse. He heard Alton’s intake of breath at the graphic sight and touched her arm. “Orders, ma’am?”

“Wolfe, go and examine the body. I’d like an interim report.” Alton frowned then picked up a small pebble and threw it at the birds. It landed with a crack on the rock. The crows screeched into the air, swirling the dead girl’s hair around her face. “We’ll leave Deputy Wolfe to do his job and concentrate on finding where the murder took place and work back from there.”

Kane noticed a shudder vibrate through her and blocked her line of view to the body. He glanced around the immediate area. “Where are her clothes?”

“Look at the scene, Kane.” Alton rubbed her temples then straightened as if gathering herself. She met his gaze head-on with a cool, composed stare. “From the small amount of blood spatter on the rock, I would imagine the killer washed the body or killed her close to the river. Grab a handful of flags and mark any evidence you find. Head toward the river from the left of the rock and I’ll take the right; we’ll circle around and move in.” She glanced at Wolfe. “Do you need any help?”

“No, ma’am.” Wolfe surveyed the area and moved closer to the body. “I agree from the lack of blood, the murder happened elsewhere. The victim has defensive wounds on her hands and legs consistent with fighting off a knife attack. She fought for her life, and from the downward angle of the lacerations, we are looking for a man at least five ten. Look for signs of a struggle in the area; if you find any blood spatter, I’d like to see it before it deteriorates.”

“Roger that.” Alton looked at Kane and tipped her dark head toward the riverbank. “Move out.”

“Wait!” Wolfe turned slowly to look at them then pointed to the ground on the opposite side of the flat rock. His mouth turned down and he shook his head. “Drag marks there and it looks like he dropped her. I can see something glistening in the leaves, maybe a gold chain. I would advise you to cover this area first, ma’am. The soil is moist and I can see one set of footprints. Looking at the depth, I would say the killer is maybe 350 pounds. No, make that 220 because I think he carried her to the rock and that would account for the weight variation. I’ll need to take a cast.” He bent to dig into his open bag. “I have a kit.”

“I’ll do it.” Alton took the containers and a bottle of water from him. “I hope this is enough plaster of Paris. Do you prefer adding sticks to the cast for strength?”

“There are plastic rods in the second container. Mix one-third of the powder with water in the large container and you should have enough for two footprints.”

Kane pulled out his cellphone, thankful for the high-resolution camera. “I’ll take the shots.” He stepped carefully around the rock and bent to take close-up images of the immediate disturbed area then went back and, following Wolfe’s competent instructions, clicked away at the victim.

Making a conscious effort to be clinical, he could not prevent rage from bubbling to the surface at seeing such a young woman brutalized. He had not hardened to such sights and doubted he ever would. No, the shock registering on the pretty face would stay with him forever. Her soft brown eyes resembled those of a dead stag and her painted lips hung open in a grotesque smile. He lowered the camera and turned to see Wolfe juggling a recorder. “Do you need any help?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Wolfe passed a small recording device to him. “If I record my findings as we go, I won’t miss anything for the initial report.” He peered at him over the top of his mask. “If you could hold it about a couple of feet away, it will pick up my commentary.”

“Sure.” Kane glanced on the ground to make sure he would not destroy evidence then stepped closer and turned on the recorder, holding it out for Wolfe to make his report.

“Initial examination. The victim is a female, Caucasian, approximately sixteen to eighteen years old, sixty-five inches tall with dark hair and eyes. Rigor is minimal. Body temperature is ninety-two degrees, which would put the time of death between five and six hours ago. Little blood evidence at the scene. I estimate death occurred between nine and nine thirty as the body was discovered at ten.” Wolfe gently lifted the girl’s head and examined the skull. His brow creased into a frown. “There is a contusion on the back of the head consistent with blunt force trauma.” He ran a hand down her arm, taking in the defense wounds, lifted her hand and then peered at the other. “I will bag the hands for further analysis.” He placed plastic bags over both hands. “There is evidence of a burn under her chin and across one cheek consistent with a cord or rope. The killer eviscerated the torso. The neck has a laceration measuring approximately six inches traversing the jugular. The angle of the wound indicates a right-handed person held the knife. The lack of blood in the immediate area suggests death occurred in a different location. Sexual activity to be determined. A large amount of lipstick covers the mouth and cheeks, applied post-mortem. A bunch of flowers was left at the feet.” He nodded at Kane and his voice sounded somber. “That’s all I need for now, you can turn off the recorder. I’ll cover her and give her some dignity while we wait for the mortician.” He bent and took a folded plastic sheet from his bag, shook it out, and placed it with great care over the body. When he turned to look at Kane, his eyes held an ice-cold expression. “I so want to get this animal.”

Pushing back a wave of anger, Kane handed him the recorder. “We’ll get him.” He slapped him on the back.

“Right now, the best thing we can do is look for clues.” Alton grimaced. “Killers like this believe they are invincible but sooner or later they make a mistake.”

“I agree.” Wolfe’s pale gaze narrowed. “Ready to search the area, ma’am.”

“Go ahead but keep each side of the footprints.” Alton’s gaze narrowed as she moved around Wolfe and bent over the prints.

Kane followed Wolfe, taking the opposite side, and examined the glint of gold Wolfe had spotted. He moved the leaves with care and found a cross then a chain. The links had snapped as if dragged from the victim’s neck. “I have a necklace here with a cross. Looks like the killer tore it from her neck.” He photographed then bagged the items and slipped them inside a large evidence bag.

“Signs of a struggle here and blood spatter, not enough for the injuries sustained, look here.” Wolfe pointed one long finger at the sandy edge of the river. “Deep marks in the river mud. I’d say he killed her in the water.”

Trying to push the image of the murdered girl from his mind, Kane took more shots and followed Wolfe around the area for another twenty minutes. “Whoever did this covered his tracks pretty well. We had a murder before Christmas with little to no evidence, much like this. I blame TV shows: They’re informing killers how to avoid leaving DNA or other trace evidence.” He led the way back to where Alton was finishing the plaster casts of the shoeprints.

“We have a significant problem with this murder.” Wolfe plucked at his face mask, his gaze fixed on the shrouded figure lying on the flat rock. “This isn’t his first kill. The way he disrespected her by smearing on the lipstick and posing her to make her look like a prostitute, then as if in a sudden pang of conscience, he left her a posy of flowers. This is an advanced escalation of psychopathic behavior, and the way he laid her out—he is proud of what he has done.”

“I agree.” Alton placed the plaster of Paris kit containers into the forensic bag. “This is why we need a database link with other towns. From the look of this victim, the killer has probably been committing murders all over the state, and this time it’s Black Rock Falls’ turn.” She straightened and stood, hands on hips. “I believe he wanted to deliver the ultimate shock value and is close by waiting for the fallout.”

“I’ll bet he’ll be one of the mourners at her funeral.” Kane rubbed the back of his neck. “He will be in his element, feeding on people’s grief.”

“Then we’ll need to haul ass and catch him before he strikes again.” Alton straightened. “Thoughts?”

“This is a man out of control.” Wolfe shook his head slowly and stared at Kane. “You are one of the best profilers I know. Do you agree he enjoyed killing her and will want a bigger thrill next time?”

A cold chill ran down Kane’s spine as he nodded. “I do. Prepare yourselves for worst-case scenario because it’s going to get nasty.” He sighed. “Right now, we don’t know his cycle. They all have a limit to how long they can go before their next fix. If he is passing through Black Rock Falls, we need to be on alert. He could strike again in days or even hours.”

“Wolfe, I want a positive ID of the victim like yesterday, and tell the M.E. I don’t want this leaking to the press. The last thing we want is the media contacting the parents before we’ve had the chance to notify them.”

“I’ll make it crystal clear, ma’am.”

Alton’s expression hardened as she glanced up at Kane. “The kids identified a couple of cowboys coming out of the forest, and we need to get over to the fairgrounds and interview them straight away.” She brushed a lock of black hair from her eyes. “Ah, there’s the acting M.E. to collect the body. I’ll leave the victim in your capable hands, Wolfe and send Walters back to the office to bring Rowley up to speed. Email me the findings of the autopsy ASAP.” She glanced at Kane. “Let’s go.”