Cassa knew before the sheriff answered, but she listened, and ached at the regret she heard in the sheriff’s tone.
“I was twenty-three myself then,” Danna sighed. “The girl’s name was Illandra. She had just married one of our group’s young men, Myron James.” The curve of her lips was tight with sadness. “They were escorting a Coyote Breed through the forest. He was wounded, too weak to get over the mountain on his own, and they couldn’t risk taking him by vehicle or allowing him to stay in the area. They went on foot instead, thinking they could avoid the Council Coyotes and soldiers that had been sent for them.”
“What made this Coyote so special?” Cabal asked her. “At that time there were few Coyotes that opposed the Council.”
“Maybe that was what made him special,” she stated as she shrugged heavily. “I didn’t know who he was, or why he was there. We rarely did. Patrick was pretty secretive.”
“They were caught in that valley though?” Cabal pressed her.
Danna nodded. “They were caught in the valley by a group of men sent to hunt them. Most of the male Breeds were killed. Illandra and the other female in the group were captured and taken away.”
The sheriff reached out and pulled the picture toward her once again. She sat staring at it as Cassa watched her face. She had obviously known the Breeds who had died there well.
“Illandra was Myron’s mate, you said?” Cassa sked.
Danna looked up, her lips pressing together painfully. “She was so vibrant. She had only just started laughing. Myron would make faces at her, bring her flowers and candy. He was always spoiling her, always trying to make up for the horrors she’d experienced in those labs. He was devoted to her.”
“What about the other female?” Cabal asked. “Was she mated?”
Danna frowned at that. “She was mated to one of the Breeds in the group. He was killed as well.”
“No one survived?” Cabal questioned her again.
Danna smiled sadly. “If anyone survived that night, I would have known about it. My father searched those mountains for months looking for some sign of where they’d been taken. Finally, Illandra’s body was returned to the lab she was created in. We did get word of that. Most of the males were returned as well. From what we later learned, those that never showed up again, there was nothing left of them to return. The group that captured them had sold them to an independent scientist who used most of the body parts for various experiments.”
“Were there any rumors as to who that scientist was?” Cabal asked her.
Danna laughed at that. The sound was hollow and bitter. “Not until recently. There are rumors it was Brandenmore.” She shook her head at that. “He and Engalls kept an elaborate cabin in the mountains, but we had no idea it was being used for anything like that until he was arrested last year by your people. I heard there was a research facility beneath the cabin?”
There had been. Cassa had seen the pictures of the underground lab, and it had horrified her. Not that there had been any proof that Breeds had been tortured there; they had been smarter than that. But the extent of the equipment found there, and its uses, horrified the imagination.
“Danna, have you heard any rumors of vengeance strikes by a Breed against the group of men who attacked the pride that night?” Cabal asked the sheriff then.
Cassa watched the sheriff’s gaze flicker between the photo and Cabal before she frowned back at him. “You think Banks was part of that group? And that he was a killer?” she asked curiously.
She was sharp, Cassa gave her credit for that.
“I know there were rumors that he was a part of the Dozen, but I didn’t take them seriously.” There was an edge of a laugh in her voice. “You didn’t know David Banks then. He was a bully, yes, but he puked at the sight of blood. I don’t think it’s possible.”
Cassa disagreed with her. David Banks would have no more fainted at the sight of blood than Cabal would have. The man had been hard-core evil, despite the compassionate facade he often used.
“We’ve definitely tied him into the Dozen,” Cabal assured her.
Danna’s frown deepened. “You’ve found his body?”
“Not yet, but we will.” Cabal shifted his shoulders as he blew out a hard breath. He pulled the photo back toward him as he lifted the envelope.
“What else do you have there?” Danna leaned forward as the edge of several other photos peeked free at the top of the envelope.
Cabal looked up as though in surprise. Cassa knew better. Breeds were rarely surprised by anything or anyone, especially Cabal.
It was interesting to watch these two together. Beneath her calm facade, Danna was obviously irritated that information was being held back. It was also clear that she was well aware that something was going on in her county. It would be impossible to miss with Banks’s disappearance and the sudden influx of Breeds running around.
Cabal pulled several more photos free of the envelope as Cassa watched Danna’s face. The other woman paled at the sight of the first bloody picture. The features were indistinguishable, but there was no doubt that the victim had been horribly mauled.
It was a photo Cassa had seen herself. It had been in the file that had included the crime scene photos of Dr. Ryan Damron. Where he had been murdered Cassa didn’t know, but she had a feeling it was in the same mountains where H. R. Alonzo had died as well.
“My God,” Danna whispered as she raised shocked eyes to meet Cabal’s. “Who is it?”