The radio crackled softly."Wilson to all units.Suspect has split from main canyon, appears to be taking the Thunder Rock route.We're in pursuit but movement is difficult in the narrow passage."
"Copy that," Kari said quietly."Tsosie and I are approaching Thunder Rock from the east entrance.We'll intercept."
The Thunder Rock passage had earned its name from the acoustics created by its narrowing walls—even whispers seemed to amplify and distort, creating unsettling effects for the unprepared.As they entered the passage, Kari felt the air grow cooler, the ambient sounds of the desert night fading behind them.
"Movement ahead," Ben whispered, pointing to a shadow that shifted differently from the natural patterns of moonlight and stone.
Kari nodded, drawing her weapon and advancing.The figure ahead moved with unexpected speed, clearly familiar with the difficult terrain.As they rounded a bend in the passage, they caught a brief glimpse—a silhouette disappearing around the next curve.
"Police!Stop!"Kari called, breaking into a controlled run.
The figure didn't slow, instead accelerating with a burst of speed that suggested both youth and familiarity with the environment.Ben, slightly ahead of Kari, reached the curve just in time to see their suspect scale a seemingly sheer rock face with alarming agility.
"They're heading for the upper ledge," he called back to Kari."There's an old game trail that connects to the southern canyon system."
"Wilson, suspect is ascending to the upper level of Thunder Rock," Kari reported into her radio."Can you circle around to the southern junction?"
"Negative," came the breathless reply."We're pinned in the narrow section.Trail collapsed under Martinez—minor injury but we can't advance quickly."
Ben was already scaling the rock face, finding handholds where Kari saw only smooth stone.His years of recreational climbing gave him an advantage even their suspect might not have.Kari followed, pushing through the burning protest in her shoulders as she pulled herself upward.
When they reached the upper ledge, the moonlight revealed an ancient trail barely wider than a footprint, winding along the canyon rim toward a series of smaller ravines that eventually connected to the broader desert beyond.Their suspect was nowhere in sight.
"He knows this territory better than we do," Ben said, shaking his head in frustration."Even with additional units, we'd need dozens of officers to effectively block all these escape routes."
Kari caught her breath as she scanned the complex landscape of shadow and stone."Let's continue along this trail.He can't have gotten far, and he might have left evidence behind."
They proceeded carefully along the narrow path, alert for any sign of their elusive quarry.The silence of the canyon was broken only by the occasional call of a night bird or the distant report from other officers via radio.Their suspect had vanished into the complex terrain as thoroughly as a ghost dissipating at dawn.
After thirty minutes of careful searching, Daniels radioed that the FBI agents had arrived and were establishing a perimeter around the broader canyon area, but Kari sensed it was already too late.Whoever had evaded them knew the landscape intimately and had disappeared into its folds and shadows.
"We should head back," Ben suggested finally."Meet up with Wilson and Martinez, coordinate a more systematic search pattern with the additional personnel."
Kari nodded reluctantly."Agreed.But I want to check the main ceremonial site on our way back to see if there's any evidence he was there."
They descended carefully back to the canyon floor, making their way toward the central area where ancient petroglyphs marked what traditional knowledge identified as a ceremonial gathering place.The site included a natural amphitheater-like depression where water sometimes pooled during the rainy season, surrounded by rock walls covered with symbols that had been studied by generations of anthropologists.
As they approached, Kari noticed something odd about the shadows at the base of the largest petroglyph panel.Something darker, more substantial than the natural patterns of moonlight and stone.
"Ben," she said quietly, drawing her flashlight but not yet activating it."There's something by the main panel."
They advanced cautiously, weapons ready.When they were within twenty feet, the shape resolved itself into unmistakable form.
A human body, arms at the sides with palms facing upward.Just visible in the moonlight was a small bundle protruding from the mouth—the now-familiar combination of sage, cedar, juniper, and white prairie aster
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Kari stared at the body, the beam of her flashlight illuminating what the moonlight had only suggested.The now-familiar bundle of sage, cedar, juniper, and white prairie aster protruded from the man's mouth, placed with the same care they'd observed in the previous victims.The killer's signature was unmistakable.
"Call for full forensics," Kari said, her voice tight as she crouched beside the body.
Ben was already speaking into his radio, his words a distant murmur as Kari examined the scene.The victim was an older man, perhaps in his early sixties, with silver hair and the weathered skin of someone who spent considerable time outdoors.His clothing—a quality button-down shirt and khaki pants—suggested a professional rather than a tourist or hiker.
"No obvious signs of a struggle," she said, careful not to disturb anything as she leaned closer."Stab wound to the chest.Clean.Methodical."
The man's expression was peaceful, almost serene, giving no indication of a violent end.Only the ceremonial herbs and deliberate positioning revealed this as part of the pattern they'd been tracking.
Kari gently checked the pockets of the victim's shirt, finding a leather wallet.Opening it revealed a driver's license along with several cards.
