“Were you on the ranch when you found Brennon’s body?”
She blinked as though the question had surprised her.“No.I was on public land.”
“And how exactly did you find him?”
“I had to get out of the side-by-side, and I was trying to find my way up the side of the mesa.”She thrust her chin at the sloping ground.“This same one, but farther north.And I saw a coyote.I freaked out.”She laughed.“I screamed, actually.Embarrassing, I know, but it made the coyote run away.I probably would have turned around right then except my flashlight—I mean, I could tell it was a person.”She paled and dug her fingers into her cheek, and with a trembling laugh, she said, “I threw up.”
Jem nodded sympathetically.“I don’t suppose you noticed anything distinctive about the body.”
“I couldn’t really look at him, not after that first time.I’m sorry.I’m not trying to be rude.He was just—it’s not like you think it’d be.”
“Of course.What about how the body was placed?Or where it had been left?”
“Nope.Just one of the caves.”Brightening, she added, “Did you know they used to do rituals in those caves?They’re sacred.And they still have power.”
“Who?”Jem asked.
“Native Americans.Nobody will say it, but I think that’s where the skin walkers live.”
Present tense, Tean noted.But all he said was “A cave in the mesa?”
She nodded.“It’s not like you’re thinking, though—not like a big opening you can walk into.These are down low, like cracks in the ground.There’s lots of them around here.”
“I don’t suppose you went inside the cave?”Tean asked.
She stared at him.“No.I called the police.”
“Right.Of course.”
“Is it possible you could show us where you found him?”Jem asked, pulling out his phone.
Katie waved the words away.“I can take you to him.”And then the growl of an engine broke the night’s stillness.“And there’s Zeb, right on cue.”
Headlights—smaller than a car’s, but still bright enough to break the darkness—spun out of the night.A vehicle drove up to the RV with gravel hissing under its tires.The side-by-side was black, with some sort of decorative trim, and it had a roof and windshield—clearly of a different order than the one Tean had ridden in a few days earlier.At an optimistic guess, he put it as more expensive than some cars.
A man got out.He was dressed like Kai—long-sleeved shirt, jeans, boots.But he was built taller and bigger than the other man.His dark hair spilled over his collar, and a scar marked his cheekbone.He came toward them, and his gaze flicked toward Tean and Jem before returning to Katie.
“All fueled up,” he said, holding out a hand.Keys jingled from one finger.“You sure you don’t want someone to go with you tonight?Kai says it’s on the house.”
“I’m fine,” Katie said with a laugh.And then to Tean and Jem, “I’ve been a little spooked since…you know, but I’m fine.”
“I’ve got to grab a few things out of the back,” Zeb said.But he waited, as though he’d asked a question.Now that he was closer, Tean could make out text in flowing black script tattooed onto his neck:Old things are done away, and all things have become new.
“I promise I’m fine,” Katie said.“Go home and get some rest.”
“You can get me on the radio if you need anything,” Zeb said.He moved back to the side-by-side without another glance for Tean and Jem.As he rummaged around in the side-by-side’s bed, he was nothing more than a shadow.
“Want to go?”Katie said.“I was about to head out anyway.”
“That would be great,” Tean said.“If you’re sure you don’t mind.”
“I just need to grab my coat.”
Katie disappeared into the trailer.Her words had reminded Tean of the plummeting temperature, and even inside his second-favorite jacket, he shivered.Jem held the same relaxed pose, at ease in Katie’s camp chair, but his eyes were intent on something in the middle distance.The only sounds were Zeb collecting whatever he needed from the back of the side-by-side.The process seemed to be taking forever—longer, in any case, than it should have—but finally Zeb trudged toward the front of the campground.When he rounded the side of the mesa, the sounds of his steps died away.
“What’s wrong?”Tean asked.“Is that him?”
Jem shook his head.“Too big.”