been hiking for months. I haven’t heard from him in weeks.” Not since the news had reported on the murders along the trail, which had amplified her anxiety. Though her brother was a gentle man, if he knew anything about the murders, he would keep his mouth shut.
“Is that unusual?” Ford asked.
Blaine was a free spirit and Autumn worried it would get him killed. “Not unusual for Blaine. I’ve been concerned about him. He could be in danger.” The skitter of fear never seemed to go away completely. Until Blaine was home, she would worry about him.
“A male doesn’t match the profile. Our killer targets women.”
Another tremor of fear traced up and down her body. She could become one of the victims.
“Why don’t you give her a few minutes? You can see she’s taking this in. We’ve invaded her home and her land,” Nathan Bradshaw said.
Gratitude for Nathan surged inside her.
Special Agent Ford snorted. “We are not doing anything. You’ll return to your hotel room and forget we’ve found another victim. In the morning, check out and go home.”
Nathan didn’t move. Autumn had watched animals circle each other over territory. This was about the same.
“I know this situation is difficult.” The warmth in Nathan’s tone surprised her. It was the first time someone had expressed empathy for what she had been through tonight. The coldness in her chest lifted slightly.
“I control this crime scene. You need to leave. We can’t have anyone compromising evidence,” Ford said.
Autumn looked between the two men. “Do I have to leave, as well?” She hadn’t considered the possibility the FBI would want her to vacate the premises until they finished their search. Where would she go? She had friends in town, but since her father’s funeral, she had been keeping to herself. What could she do with Thor if she had to leave?
Ford moved closer to her. “Your cabin isn’t part of the crime scene.”
Crime scene. Her home, the place where she had always felt the safest, had become a crime scene. She wished her brother was home to help her. For that matter, she wished her father was there. Anyone to take away some of the loneliness and emptiness, emotions that were amplified by her fears. They had once been happy at the Trail’s Edge. They’d talked about their home being like a resort and their jobs nothing like work. Those memories were only a few years old, but they felt dim and distant.
“Are the cabins part of the crime scene?” Nathan asked.
Anger gleamed in Ford’s eyes. “Not at this time.” The words were punctuated with irritation.
Nathan retreated a step and faced Autumn. “What do you think about renting one of these cabins to me for a few days?”
Autumn swallowed hard, trying to think of a diplomatic way to handle this situation. She needed the income from renting one of the vacant cabins, but she didn’t want to place herself on the wrong side of Special Agent Ford. He could make life difficult for her—such as by insisting she leave the Trail’s Edge for an extended period or leaking to the press that a murder had occurred at her campground. If the threat of the Huntsman didn’t frighten away business, a murder on the premises surely would. Her business may not recover, and then what would she do? Her options were limited.
“I have a few empty cabins for rent,” Autumn said slowly. “But if Special Agent Ford and his team need a place to stay, I think it’s fair to offer them first dibs.” There. She hadn’t lied to Nathan and she had given Ford priority, even if something about him rubbed her the wrong way.
“We’re staying at a motel in town,” Ford said, jutting his jaw. “Our mobile unit won’t make it up these paths. But that shouldn’t matter. We don’t consider this location a hot zone.”
Regardless of what the FBI thought, how would she ever feel safe again with the overarching sense of violation and terror that had clung to her since the moment she and Thor had seen the body? “How can you know he won’t return?”
Special Agent Ford lifted his brow as if her question amused him. “We know his profile. We know how he behaves. Now, if you don’t mind, I have some questions I’d like to ask in private.”
“I’m more comfortable with Nathan staying with me.” Where had that come from? The words had popped out of her mouth before she could censor them. She didn’t know who looked more surprised—Nathan or Ford. If he was planning to question her about Blaine, she wanted someone else in the room as a buffer. She would become defensive about her brother, and her irritation with Sheriff Daniel would shine through.
“Let me stay. You know I’ll ask her the same questions you’re planning to,” Nathan said.
Ford set his jaw. He looked between her and Nathan.
After a few moments of hesitation, he let out his breath sharply. “Ms. Reed, tell me what you were doing before you found the body.”
Nathan moved closer to her, and the air around her heated. His stance was protective, almost as if he wanted to shield her from this unpleasant conversation.
Autumn answered Ford’s question, trying to give helpful details, but not sure what was important. Images of the victim flashed in her mind, but not clear enough to form a complete picture.
Living in this area, she was friendly with many of the trail’s frequent hikers. Was the victim someone she knew? Autumn had read every article she could find online about the killer and his victims, and as yet, each victim had been identified. All females, but it made her anxious to think about Blaine on the trail.
She would have recognized tonight’s victim if he was her brother, right? She wanted someone to reassure her the victim wasn’t Blaine. “Do you know who the victim is?” Autumn asked.
Ford shook his head. “We don’t expect to make that information available until we’ve gotten positive identification and notified the victim’s family.”
The FBI agents weren’t allowing her near the crime scene, and fear fogged her brain. Could the victim be her brother?
“Do you routinely walk your dog on this path?” Ford asked.
Autumn struggled to clear her mind and focus. Routinely? No. Frequently? Sure. “Sometimes. I don’t really—”
He lobbed another question at her before she could finish her thought. “Have you read or heard the news reports about the dangers on the trail? Have you spoken with your brother about the Huntsman? Have you taken any precautions?” Ford asked.
Was he trying to catch her off guard? Did he think she had something to do with the murder? Ford studied her, his eyes burning into hers, as if the answers were hiding inside them. She needed a few minutes of quiet alone to compose herself and her thoughts. “I’ve read about the Huntsman and I’ve been more careful about going out at night. I keep my dog with me as added protection.” He was a rescue dog and Autumn thought he might be part Labrador retriever. She didn’t add that Thor was more friendly pup than fierce beast.
“Why did you take your dog to that location?” Ford asked.
His questions were starting to sound
