Chapter Four

Tara watched the house come into view as Warren neared the end of the road and then put the car in park. They quickly stepped out of the car and Tara’s eyes were immediately drawn to the yellow evidence markers carefully placed upon the lawn, creating a visible line from the porch to the forest at the edge of the property.

She watched as two forensic photographers each bent down by a marker, took a few photos, and then moved to the next.

“Agent Warren?”

Tara turned her head sharply as a middle-aged officer approached. She could tell right away that the man was eager to see them. He walked briskly, with a hint of worry in his face.

“Glad you guys got here so quick,” he said.

His deep sunken eyes were heavy and bloodshot, making it known that it was already a long morning.

“I’m Sheriff Russo.” He shook Warren’s hand and then Tara’s. He then briskly turned on his heel. “You two come with me.”

They followed him across the lawn until they stood in front of the porch.

“After you guys take a look, we’ll need to remove the body right away,” the sheriff said as he stepped over the yellow tape.

Tara’s stomach dropped as her gaze slowly crept up the stairs to where a woman’s hiking boot stuck out just over the edge.

She immediately felt an instinctual sense of panic within her. It was a feeling she’d had many times before when seeing a dead body, and it never seemed to get easier despite what others told her. She swallowed and steadied her breathing before she moved up the stairs and stood with Warren, overlooking the body.

The woman lay face down, her long brown hair draped across the porch. Her right arm was outstretched in front of her, clenched in a tight fist by the base of the door. Her shirt was stained red, pierced by an arrow sticking up in the middle of her back. Her thigh was also covered in blood, and just below where her shorts ended Tara could see a hole in her leg where an arrow must’ve once been.

“Where’s the other arrow?” Warren asked as he sat on his heels, looking closely at each wound.

Tara admired his composure, and she followed his lead, bending down as well. The body was already letting off a stench and she stepped back slightly as it suddenly wafted into her nose.

The sheriff shrugged. “We don’t know,” he said. “She must’ve pulled it out at some point.”

“So you didn’t find it?”

Sheriff Russo shook his head. “We turned the woods upside down, but nothing.”

Warren stared in silence at the wound for a moment longer. “The killer probably took it,” he concluded.

Tara and the sheriff remained quiet and nodded their heads. He was right; it was the only logical explanation.

“Time of death?” Warren asked.

“She was found around five AM this morning by a woman who lives here.”