Dead of Winter (Cold Case Psychic #15) - Pandora Pine Page 0,34

if she only planned on being outside for a few minutes or if she was a typical teenager who always left the house without a hat to mess up her hair or a scarf to hide her pretty face.” Tennyson looked exasperated.

Ronan snorted. “This is what we have to look forward to with our Little Miss. She won’t want to wear socks in the winter or lame hats and shit like that.”

“You’re going to love it, Ronan. Maybe even more so after this case.” Ten looked like he was going to enjoy every minute of it too.

“Let’s catch up with the others. I don’t want them to think we’re canoodling back here.”

Ten’s nose wrinkled. “I’ve never seen the point of sex in the woods. There’s never a comfortable way to do it with all the twigs, fallen pine needles, and voyeuristic woodland assholes watching.”

It was Ronan’s turn to laugh. “Voyeuristic woodland assholes? You think squirrels would line up to watch the two of us get down?”

“Uh, yeah, Ronan. With their beady little eyes and twitchy whiskers.”

“We’re going to discuss this later, when my laughter won’t echo through the pine trees.” Ronan had no idea Tennyson had something against squirrels. What he did agree with was that sex in the woods was for the birds.

“This is it,” Carson said when Ten and Ronan caught up with the group. “According to what we read online, the body was where I’m standing.”

“Do we even want to know how you know that?” Fitzgibbon asked.

“It was on the Murder Maps website.” Carson wore a sheepish look. “It gave the exact latitude and longitude coordinates and had an interactive crime scene where you could see the body from all angles.”

“Jesus,” Jude muttered. “Helpful for our investigation, but downright creepy for people who come here to stand in the spot where a teenager was brutally murdered in the dead of winter.”

The triumphant look on Carson’s face fell. He backed away from the murder site and made the sign of the cross.

“It’s okay, Carson,” Fitzgibbon set a hand on his shoulder. “We’re here for a reason. Anything you can sense in this spot could help us solve the crime.”

Carson nodded but still looked rattled.

Ronan stepped away from the crowd again to walk what seemed like a loop trail. When they’d entered this small clearing, it seemed they could have turned right or left, with both options bringing the birdwatcher or hiker right back to the same spot. As Ronan walked, he was still able to see Tennyson and the others. What he had to remember was this crime happened at night, which meant he wouldn’t have been able to see his friends, and neither would Skye. “Hey, Ten? Count to sixty and then start shouting my name until I shout back to you.”

“Okay!” Ten called back.

If Ronan had a rendezvous with someone else in the middle of the woods at night, the first thing he would have done was start shouting that person’s name, especially if their car was in the parking lot. Maybe even more so if it wasn’t.

He hurried around to what he assumed was the halfway point and waited for Tennyson’s calls. When they came, they were faint, but Ronan could hear his shouts. “I hear you.”

“What the hell was that about?” Ten asked when Ronan jogged back around to the group.

“The trail is a loop, and I wanted to see if the killer could have lain in wait.” Ronan knew now that was definitely an option.

“It’s a good theory, but with over a foot of snow on the ground, it would have been hard for the killer to sneak up on her. You heard how loudly the snow crunched under our boots.” Fitzgibbon looked frustrated.

“The snow in this area was all tamped down, remember all the boot prints in the crime scene photos? Whoever left them stomped down the snow as they walked.

Kevin shook his head but stayed quiet. Carson and the other psychics were standing in different spots with their eyes closed. Ten rested a hand against a tree. None of the psychics were wearing gloves.

Bowing his head, Ten stepped back from the tree. He made eye contact with Ronan and shook his head no. One by one, Cole, Carson, and Cope all did the same thing.

Ronan was afraid this would happen. “Don’t any of you feel bad,” Ronan said. “This crime took place over thirty years ago. It wasn’t likely there would still be some residue left, especially given the fact that