Tara finally looked up. “Is there any other place hikers might’ve stopped to eat?”

The woman thought for a moment. “Yes, actually. You could try the deli down the street.”

The woman gave her directions and after Tara thanked her, she and Warren were soon out the door.

***

A few moments later Tara and Warren entered the deli. It was a small space, with barely anyone in it, but a man stood behind the counter. He wore a white apron over his large round belly, his bald head shining under the overhead light. He was making a sandwich as he talked and laughed with the only customer in the store.

The deli was unusually warm, and Tara wondered if that’s why it was so empty.

“Can I help you?” the man behind the counter asked, as he placed more toppings on the sandwich in front of him.

Tara could now see that it was sweat that caused his bald head to glisten so.

“Sorry if it’s a bit warm in here. Our AC just broke,” he added.

“It’s fine, we won’t be long.” Tara approached the counter. She held out her badge and the man looked up at it and then turned his gaze toward the customer with a look of concern. Tara could tell that the two men knew each other fairly well.

“What’s this about?” the man asked. “Don’t tell me Tommy’s in trouble.” A sudden flash of terror crossed his face.

It was not a response Tara expected and she briefly met eyes with Warren.

“We’re actually not here about that,” Tara replied, skeptically. “Who’s Tommy?”

The man let out a long sigh. “Thank God! I don’t think I could handle any more,” he said before a pause. “Tommy’s my son,” he added as he finished the sandwiches and wrapped them up. “He’s been having a tough time with me and his mom’s divorce.”

Tara nodded. “How old is your son?”

The man shook his head, realizing he was creating an inaccurate picture. “He’s only fifteen,” he confirmed. “He’s harmless, I’m just a bit on edge. He’s been getting into some fights at school.”

His explanation sounded a bit contradictory—he didn’t sound exactly harmless if he picked fights—but Tara knew that he wasn’t a suspect since it would be unlikely that a fifteen-year-old could remove an adult body from a crime scene without leaving more evidence.

She nodded before pulling out the pictures of the victims and showing them to the man. “Do any of these people look familiar to you?”

The man placed the sandwiches in a bag.

“Here you go, Dan,” he said as he held it out over the counter. “Take care of yourself and tell Becca I say hi.”

The customer thanked him and gave his best wishes as well, before grabbing the bag and walking out of the store.

After the customer left, the deli worker reached for the pictures but paused once he saw the images of the first two victims.