he called out as she passed by carrying the portable briefcase holding the ladder.
She slanted a glance his way. “I’ve been around a crime scene or two.”
Which didn’t tell him a damn thing except that temper made her eyes more gold than hazel.
The observation made him edgy. “Let’s get back to the search.” The other techs had continued walking their grids, bagging and labeling every beer can and wrapper in the vicinity. Evidence markers dotted the area, but unless a piece of litter yielded a usable print, the only real finds so far had been the police-issued ID and toy badge.
And that, too, would be similar to the other two cases.
Mitchell looked beyond him, cocked a brow. “What is it she’s doing up there?”
Frowning, Nate turned to spy the woman at the top of the ladder. She’d leaned it precariously against one large branch of the tree several yards to the right of the cement pad. “What the hell?” he muttered, just as she turned and waved an arm at him.
“McGuire!”
Tillman tilted his head, plainly transfixed. “Not a bad view from this end either,” he said meaningfully. “She’s got legs that don’t quit. And there’s nothing wrong with her”—he broke off when Nate’s attention snapped back to him, before amending—“eyes. Looks like she’s found something.”
But Nate was already striding in her direction. All the while wondering what the hell the woman was up to. He stopped several feet short of the trunk, staring upward. And noted, reluctantly, that Tillman had been right on both counts. Long endless legs were topped with what appeared to be a singularly spectacular ass.
The recognition was more than a little unwelcome. He folded his arms over his chest. “You stuck?”
“Move to your left another six inches. Can you see this?”
He did as she requested and squinted up to where she was pointing. From this vantage point he could see a dark shape, but a large knot on one of the crossed branches made it difficult to identify the item. “What is it?”
“Looks like a camcorder. An older model that takes VHS tapes. And if the red light is any indication, it’s set to record.”
Nate watched silently as Mitchell repositioned the ladder and clambered up it to begin dusting the device for prints. “If it was placed there by the perp, he picked a good hiding place.” He cut his eyes toward Risa. “How’d you happen to see it?”
She moved her shoulders but didn’t look at him. Her attention seemed glued on the tech. “Just happened to be standing in the right position when I looked up, I guess.”
“So you saw it before you asked for a ladder?”
He didn’t think it was his imagination that she went still at the question. But her hesitation was barely discernible before she answered. “I thought I saw something up there. I wanted a closer look. I didn’t touch anything.”
“I know.” He’d been watching to make sure of that. At least that’s what he preferred to think his focus had been on when he’d watched her on that ladder. He traced the direction of the camera’s lens to the cement pad that had held the body. It looked to be in perfect placement to catch the scene at the pad. “So what are you thinking? Did he record the scene to replay and relive it later or is he getting his rush watching us work?”
“I take it you didn’t find a camera at the other scenes.”
“No.” But that fact was niggling at him now. Had they missed something? Had the UNSUB actually gotten away with filming the entire thing and sneaking back later to retrieve the device? He didn’t want to think so. Didn’t want to believe that he could have overlooked a camera not once, but twice.
“The answer is both.” She finally looked at him and must have seen the confusion in his expression. “You asked if he wanted to relive the scene or record you working. Both would give him a rush. But I guess you’ll know for sure when your lab discovers how much tape you have there.”
He gave a nod. If he remembered correctly, the VHS tapes could be set to record for as little as two hours or as many as eight, depending on what speed was used. Discovering how long the tape had been set to run would give them even more information, however. It might help pinpoint time of death.
A car door slammed in the distance, and with a quick glance Nate determined