services out to that ramshackle hut he calls a cabin more times than I can count. He lives out there with no running water and no facilities. But he’s a proud man who doesn’t like accepting charity.”
“Then how will you get him to accept the food?”
“Good question. Maybe he’ll be hungry enough to eat. You hand it to him.”
“Okay. But don’t you think it’s a good idea to let him show you where the body is before we try to get him to eat? I mean, he’s obviously upset at what he saw.”
“Flanner is always like that. It’s what three tours of duty does to a man, especially when you come back stateside, and everything familiar has been taken away.”
Lando got out and walked up to the former soldier, sticking out a hand in greeting. “How you doin’ today, Flanner?”
“I was fine before seeing that dead guy. Reminded me too much of Kamdesh, let me tell you. Lost way too many that day to ever forget.”
“Flanner was part of Cherokee Company, second platoon. They fought in the Hindu Kush against the Taliban, saw heavy fighting.”
“Rugged terrain. Mountains. Steep slopes. Big granite rock that kept the helicopter from landing nearby. Had to land near the river instead,” Flanner replied, almost to himself, his words rapid-fire.
To prevent him from getting too far off-topic, Lando nudged Gemma forward. “I don’t think you’ve met my wife. This is Gemma.”
Flanner looked surprised, then looked Gemma up and down. “You got married, huh? Got any kids yet?”
“Not yet,” Gemma said, stretching out her hand. “We brought you some food in case you were hungry. It is near suppertime. And it’ll be a while before we all get back home.”
Flanner bobbed his head, eyeing the bag that held the food. He sniffed the air. “I could eat. Haven’t eaten all day.”
Lando looked around and studied the property. What once had been a thriving, working ranch now sat unattended. He couldn’t help but wonder why the land sat unused. Jocelyn Williams could at least run cattle here. She chose not to. “Does the owner know you hunt on her land?”
“A couple of years back, I got permission. Met up with an older guy out here walking around one day. He said it was okay to hunt small game.”
“Bruce Barnhart gave you the green light to hunt here?”
“Yeah. That’s the guy’s name.” He turned to Gemma, still holding the bag from the restaurant. “Look, before I sit down to eat, I should take Lando here down to the creek bed.”
“Nah. You stay put and dig into that grub before it gets too cold.” Lando laid an index finger on the side of his nose. “Trust me, I’ll manage to find the body.”
“It stinks,” Flanner added in agreement before Gemma shoved the box of food into his hands. “You shouldn’t go down there, Mrs. Bonner.”
“Gemma. Call me Gemma. No, I won’t go. How about I stay here with you? That’s Lando’s job anyway. I’ll stay here and talk to you while you eat. I have a soda in the car.”
“A soda? Like a Coke, maybe? That’d be great. I haven’t tasted one of those for ages.”
Lando took advantage of the camaraderie forming between the two and set off down the hillside by himself. He wandered through the woods just as the light started to wane. But the closer he got to the creek, the more intense the odor of decomposition became.
He saw it then, the body. In life, the adult male had been approximately five-ten in height and around forty-five years old. His brown hair was now a matted mess of dried blood. Lando didn’t recognize him, which meant he was probably from out of town. But it was the man’s clothing that triggered a memory, a conversation he’d had with Lianne.
The dead man wore a navy-blue jogging suit and gray running shoes.
“Looks like we just found the guy who Ben met up with on Thursday before he died,” Lando muttered to himself.
Holding his breath, he went through the guy’s pants’ pockets as best he could without disturbing the crime scene. But both pockets were empty.
He took out his cell phone and called Jimmy. “Bring that fancy camera equipment you bought out to Trask Ranch. I need decent photos of this guy’s face. And get Dale out here.”
“But it’s almost dark.”
“Since I’m standing here watching the sun go down, I can verify that. You’ll need a specific kind of film for very little light. Get it and get out here.