Chapter 2 – Blanca
“We are now flying over Acadia and will be touching down momentarily.” I heard the pilot’s voice in my ears through the headset.
I looked out the window of the FBI emergency helicopter to see at least twenty mountains and lakes. My gaze widened in awe, taking in everything I could with long sweeps of my eyes.
It was beautiful. I wasn’t sure what I expected, but I found the view absolutely breathtaking. The lakes looked crystal blue, sparkling as the sun shone on them. The mountains were tall and all I could think was that if I got any down time before I left, I wanted to hike one, for sure.
“I know you guys aren’t here for pleasure or anything, but we are just passing over Acadia’s Eagle Lake, and I would highly recommend visiting if you get the chance after your investigation is over,” the pilot said. I looked out and saw a giant lake; it looked so inviting, like its waters were beckoning to us with its cerulean fingers.
“And just over there, you can see Cadillac Mountain. If you’re out early enough, it’s a beautiful place to watch the sun rise.”
I kind of liked this pilot.
“How do you know so much about the park?” I asked into my headset.
“I took my wife here for our 10-year anniversary. She’s really into nature and we loved it.”
Once I thought about it, it seemed like a fantastic place to spend a few days, but I wasn’t there for a vacation. I wouldn’t be doing much mountain climbing, swimming, hiking or anything like that.
I was there to investigate a death and possible murder.
I wasn’t given much information about the case, only that there had been a death in Acadia National Park. I was in shock when I had heard Danielle Peterson was the victim, as she was one of the most well-known TV personalities at the time. If people watched the Travel Channel, it was for her. What could have possibly happened?
I wasn’t sure, but I was there to find out.
Investigations involving national parks were usually handed off to the Department of the Interior, but due to the high case volume they were experiencing, my team had taken over. With everyone else working on their own assignments, I was the lucky one chosen to hop on the next helicopter out to Acadia.
I didn’t mind; it wasn’t like I had a case to work on at the time. Plus, it was just the kind of investigation I was often picked for. Any assignments involving thieves, murderers and terrorists were usually handed off to me. If someone asked, I’d tell them that those people had no place on this earth and I was glad to put them behind bars. People who broke the law deserved to be punished and I was happy to help exact justice whenever I could. Some people hated their jobs, but I looked forward to every case.
However, I didn’t have enough information to tell if the case would involve a murderer and I sure as hell wasn’t going to make assumptions. I went by the facts, and there was little for me to go on, so I would have to wait.
I was lucky that my supervisor had found two agents from other teams to assist me. I would need some help, especially if we ended up catching a person responsible for the death. He or she would be detained until we could take the individual back to headquarters for questioning, and I would need people from our side to watch over the suspect. I didn’t know anyone at the park, and until I cleared them all of suspicion, I didn’t trust a single one of them.
Jesus himself could work there and I would make sure to check out his background file and alibi.
The file for this case contained several sheets of paper. The first outlined the call that was made to the FBI by the Deputy Park Manager, reporting that he found the body of Danielle Peterson dead in his park. The rest of the meticulously printed papers were outlines of the individuals who held jobs at Acadia. The reports didn’t contain too much detail, other than names, races, ages, and how long the person had held his or her position at the park. Or was it a wild life preserve? I couldn’t remember and I supposed it didn’t matter. The last of the stack included two files that had large X marks on them with the word “Deceased” stamped across their fronts. I wondered if those positions had been refilled yet and what had been the cause of their deaths. If so, those were variables that I didn’t have the appropriate information on, and I would need to gather that as quickly as I could.
Just try to focus on the death you were sent here to investigate, I told myself, taking a deep breath. I felt adrenaline start to pump through me as we descended onto Acadia’s helicopter pad. The Acadia Air Tour helicopter was parked to the side and three people were standing just outside of range waiting for us.
Once we touched down, I grabbed my briefcase and removed my headset. “Get ready,” I said to the agents behind me. “We need to be prepared for anything, starting right now.”
I looked out the window and the three people were walking towards the helicopter. I could see them clearly and they were only a couple of feet away from the safety range. There were two men and one woman, a pair of them in similar outfits and one dressed in a much more casual outfit.
The woman was brunette sporting a shoulder-length ponytail. She wore a green bomber jacket with ranger patches all over it, a white tee shirt, and grey pants. She looked fit, but not overly-muscular or anything. She probably hiked through the park often, especially by the looks of her boots. I guessed she must be Hispanic or mixed as my eyes passed over her caramel complexion.
The tallest guy had a buzzed, military-style cut and was very muscular. He looked serious, but his posture was open. His peachy complexion was mostly covered by a navy blue long sleeve shirt and slightly loose jeans.
Seems a little too casual if you ask me, I snorted. If only the FBI allowed casual days. I didn’t mind the business suits, but jeans and a tee shirt just seemed so comfortable. I guessed no one would take me seriously though, so I quickly decided that the suits were better anyway.
The last guy did not give the impression he was happy to be there. He wasn’t even looking at the helicopter and seemed to be purposely avoiding acknowledging it. The man donned what appeared to be a ranger police uniform. He was wearing a grey button-down long sleeve shirt, a dark green tie and, appropriately, forest green pants. The guy was also sporting hiking boots and his badge was displayed prominently on his chest, probably clipped to his breast pocket. He was tall and tanned from the sun with a football player’s build, complete with broad, muscular shoulders. His brow was furrowed, and his hands were hidden in his pockets.
The pilot gave the okay for us to exit the helicopter and I opened the door, ready to officially meet the welcoming trio.
It was a chilly mid-November day—but warm for Maine—another plus for wearing a pantsuit. It was about forty degrees and very breezy, causing my black blazer to whip around me. It was a good thing I decided to wear a black camisole under my white button-up shirt; I was thankful for the small extra layer. My legs, however, felt the chill of the wind under my black dress pants. It was also a good thing I decided to wear flats and not heels; after four days of wearing them in the office, I had decided I needed a break.
Because of my short legs, I had to jump down from the helicopter; it must have looked so professional, like a kid leaping off a tall stool. One of the agents had offered me a hand, but I refused it; I wanted these people, whoever they were, to take me seriously.
I got my badge ready as I walked up to them, using my briefcase to block some of the wind, and the other two agents followed close behind me. Once I was clear, the helicopter took off, thank god; I didn’t like having to yell at people over the loud noise of the engine and whirring blades above our heads.
As I walked up to the group waiting for us, the man with the buzz cut approached me directly.
“Hello, I’m Knox Bernard, the Deputy Park Manager. I apologize for my casual appearance; this was supposed to be my day off.” He then motioned to the brunette woman and she smiled, seeming very friendly, “This is Sophia Ross, our Emergency Manager.” She pulled on one side of her bomber jacket to show me her medic badge.
“And this is our Law Enforcement Ranger, Trent Bailey.” Knox motioned to the man beside him, who seemed to study me for a bit and then gave a curt nod. Trent didn’t motion to his badge or anything; not that I needed him to, it was just common courtesy in this business. He obviously wasn’t happy to be there, and it showed in his introduction and body language.
I inwardly rolled my eyes. Men in law enforcement never liked for women to be higher in rank than them. And judging by his behavior, he wasn’t happy that his boss had called me in to handle this case.
I didn’t care. I wasn’t there to coddle his ego; I was there to find a possible murderer. He could either help me or not; it would be his choice.
Looking at him again, he would be kind of hot, if it wasn’t for the attitude.
Oh well, I wasn’t going to try to butter him up. I didn’t mix business with pleasure, anyway.
“And you are?” Knox asked, raising an eyebrow. He obviously wasn’t going to start talking about anything until I introduced myself. Knox was wary, but he had friendly eyes and I could tell he was going to be as cooperative as I needed him to be. I got the same vibe from Sophia, but I knew Trent was going to be a piece of work.
“Blanca Gianni, FBI. I’m the agent assigned to this case.” I showed my badge to all three of them, and they each examined it and nodded, accepting its legitimacy. Trent seemed to inspect it more closely than the other two, his brow furrowing, which I tried especially hard not to roll my eyes at.
Of course, he would do that.
I’m here, and there’s nothing you can do about it until this case is solved. So, lose the attitude and get with the program, I thought, getting a bit annoyed that I was going to have to deal with him for the entirety of the investigation, most likely. I, of course, didn’t say those words out loud, but made a mental note to remember them in case he needed his ego checked sometime in the next few days.
“This is Alex and Gerard; they are here to assist with my investigation.” I motioned to the guys behind me who also showed their badges. “Now, please fill me in. Where was the body found? Who found her? Who examined her? I need as many details as possible.”
“Why don’t we fill you in once we take you to see the body? Seeing it might answer some questions on its own. It’s less than a ten-minute walk and you can draw your own conclusions. We tried to leave the body where it was in case it would help you get some clues for the investigation. If you will just follow us,” Knox started walking off, with Sophia and Trent right behind him.
“Stay close.” I whispered to Alex and Gerard. I didn’t like the fact that they didn’t answer my questions initially. They seemed legit, but I didn’t quite trust them just yet. I needed to see the body first; until then, I wasn’t going to take any chances.
With Alex and Gerard following closely, we trailed after the three rangers to Danielle’s body.