They’d come to the top of the drive. The clearing ahead was alive with activity. Two fire trucks were still on scene, and three more sheriff vehicles were parked in a semicircle at the perimeter. There were far more people in the area than Nate was comfortable with on a crime scene, but as Morales had gone to great pains to remind him, it wasn’t his scene. He was the visitor here.
Sheriff Tom Haffey was a good two inches taller than Nate’s six foot height, and outweighed him by at least eighty pounds, most of it muscle. His face was flushed in a permanently ruddy complexion, and his pale blue eyes were shrewd as he considered Nate and Risa.
“Irony here is our fire department burned the old farmstead and out buildings down in a practice drill just last fall.” He shaded his eyes in order to better watch the progress of his people. “Property owners were supposed to fill in the cellar this summer to make sure trespassers didn’t fall into it and break their neck.”
“When did the call come in?” Nate asked.
“The fire department were alerted about four A.M. Someone reported smoke coming from this direction as they were heading into the city to work. Wasn’t much of a fire by the time we arrived. First we figured some kids threw a bunch of trash down in the cellar and started themselves a bonfire that was burning itself out. It wasn’t until after the firefighters put it out the rest of the way and it cooled down enough to start poking around down there that we realized we had a homicide on our hands.” His nod was courteous. “Heard about the string of murders you’re handling. But didn’t link this to your cases until we found the police ID. I called your chief immediately.”
“Did you happen to find a plastic badge?” The sheriff shifted his attention to Risa as she spoke. “The sort they sell in toy stores?”
“We did. My investigators are finished with the area. I’ll show you.”
They followed the big man to a spot twenty feet from the front corner of the foundation. The plastic evidence marker indicated the area. After a moment Risa straightened and turned to scan the area, before walking toward the north side of the cellar.
Nate stared after her in surprise. The sheriff glanced at him and shrugged. “Follow her.” They trailed in her wake until she halted by yet another evidence marker. Nate measured the distance from the cellar with his gaze, trying to visualize the scene.
There were stone steps leading down to the cellar from the back. At one time they had probably been covered with double wooden doors that had to be pulled open from the outside. The stairs were cracked but still usable. He no longer wondered why the killer had wandered so far outside the city.
This spot had everything he wanted. Isolation and a wide outdoor expanse that allowed him to do what Risa said he most needed. To watch.
“Is there another way to access this property?” she asked the sheriff.
“Funny you should ask.” He pointed toward the southwest. “See where the property starts to get more wooded? There’s a farm drive in there. Leads to a gravel road beyond those trees. There are signs that a vehicle passed through there recently.”
“The other victims were forced upright by a rope to a tree limb or rafter,” Nate observed.
“Looks like there was a large metal ring recently drilled into the stone wall,” Haffey observed. “The victim’s arms were attached to it with a chain. One of the sickest damned things I’ve seen on the job, and that’s with nearly thirty years of experience. You got any leads at all?”
“The investigation is progressing.” Nate chose his answer carefully. Since the local law enforcement were cooperating fully, they’d expect and deserve some professional courtesy. But he was still mindful of Morales’s warning about leaks the first day the task force had been formed. “We’re getting a better idea of why it’s happening. Obviously haven’t progressed yet on the victim selection. But some leads are opening up on that end, too.”
“Wish you luck,” the sheriff said heavily, his gaze back on the blackened form in the cellar. “I can’t think what anyone could ever do that would be bad enough to end them this way, though.”
Because the brass had smoothed the way for a city assistant ME to handle the transport, Nate and Risa left shortly after.