Dr.Hatathli carefully removed the herb bundle from the victim's mouth, placing it in an evidence bag."I'll perform the full autopsy as soon as we transport the body.Preliminary findings should be available by noon."
Agent Daniels approached, tucking his phone into his jacket pocket."FBI field team is expanding the search perimeter to three miles.If our suspect is still in the area, we'll find him."
Kari didn't share his confidence.Whoever had evaded them in Thunder Rock passage knew the terrain intimately.By now, they could be miles away, leaving no trail to follow.
Kari pulled out her phone, checking the time.Nearly 5 AM.Dawn would break soon, bathing the canyon in revealing light that might expose evidence hidden by darkness."We need to notify next of kin before this hits the news.Does he have family nearby?"
"His emergency contact information should be in the rental agreement," Daniels said."I'll have my team check."
"We should check his residence," Ben said, "see if there's any connection to the other victims or the original murders."
"Ben and I will head back to the station," Kari said decisively."Start building Haskie's background while forensics processes the scene.Captain, can you coordinate with Daniels on the expanded search?"
Yazzie nodded."I'll stay here until the scene is fully documented.Keep me updated on what you find."
As they walked back to their vehicle, the eastern sky began to lighten, the first tentative rays of dawn reaching across the desert.Kari felt the weight of missed opportunity pressing down on her shoulders.They'd been so focused on Whipple Creek, so certain the killer would follow the historical pattern precisely, that they'd missed the adaptive intelligence behind the murders.
"Three victims now," Ben said as they reached their SUV."All with the same signature, but with variations in method.The killer's evolving."
"Or testing different approaches," Kari suggested, sliding into the passenger seat.She hadn't slept in over twenty-four hours, and fatigue was beginning to cloud her thinking."Let's find out who Jason Haskie was, and why he deserved a place in this pattern."
***
The police station hummed with unusual activity for 6 AM, officers and support staff responding to the heightened alert following the discovery of a third victim.Kari stood at the coffee machine, willing the ancient percolator to work faster as Ben set up their incident board.
"Haskie's preliminary background is interesting," Ben said as Kari returned with two steaming mugs."Sixty-three, mechanical engineer specializing in vehicle fleet maintenance.Worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs for twenty years before starting his own consulting business.Married to Elaine Haskie, who still works for BIA in their Phoenix office."
"Any connection to our first two victims?"Kari asked, studying the photos Ben had pinned to the board.
"Nothing obvious yet," Ben said."He doesn't appear to have an academic background like Reynolds or Holbrook.No publications, no research interests beyond technical papers on fleet maintenance."
"So why target him?"Kari murmured."What makes him fit the pattern?"
"His widow might know," Ben said, pointing to his computer screen."I found her contact information.She's already been notified by Phoenix PD as a courtesy to us."
Kari nodded."Let's drive down there today.She might remember something that could help us understand why her husband was targeted."
"It's a three-hour drive," Ben said."If we leave now, we could be there by mid-morning.Want me to clear it with Yazzie?"
Kari nodded."And update Daniels, too.He'll want his people to canvas Haskie's neighborhood, check for security footage."
As Ben made his calls, Kari found herself staring at the three victim photos now arranged on their board.Reynolds, Holbrook, and now Haskie.Three deaths recreating a fifty-year-old pattern, yet with subtle variations that suggested both ritual purpose and strategic adaptation.
What connected these people?What had drawn them to specific locations at vulnerable moments?And how had the killer identified them as suitable targets for his ceremonial purposes?
The answers, Kari suspected, lay somewhere in her grandfather's missing notes—or in the memories of those who had lived through the original Shadow Walker killings.
"Captain approved our trip to Phoenix," Ben said as he put his phone away."And Daniels is sending agents to Haskie's home address.They'll coordinate with Phoenix PD."
Kari nodded, finishing her coffee."We'll need to be sensitive when we speak with Mrs.Haskie.Losing a spouse is devastating under any circumstances, but learning they were murdered as part of a ritual pattern..."She trailed off, unable to fully articulate the particular horror of such a notification.
"I found her address," Ben said, sending the information to their phones."Upscale neighborhood in North Phoenix."
"Let's go," Kari said, already moving toward the door."Maybe this time, we'll find the connection that brings this all together."
***
The summer heat had already settled over Phoenix by the time they pulled into the driveway of the Haskie residence—a tasteful Southwestern-style home in a gated community where drought-resistant landscaping framed neat stucco exteriors.Two vehicles were parked in the circular driveway: a Phoenix Police Department cruiser and a silver Mercedes sedan.
