Although, you’d think after being rounded up by wolves a couple of days ago would have me jumping on this bandwagon. But something just doesn’t sit right.
The fact that the woman fits Salena’s description has me on alert. At the very thought of it being her who’d been killed, it tore at my insides. I don’t even remember the drive to her place or pulling up. And when she opened the door, the sense of relief that washed through me was instant. Then I noticed her top was see through. The cat was the perfect distraction to keep my mind on topic. Not on her perfect handful-sized tits.
I get out of my car and make sure my badge is clipped to my waist before making my way over to where the coroner is bagging the body. I raise the crime scene tape and flash my badge at the officers, each nodding in return.
“Hey, Doc,” I say as I come up behind him.
Doc’s warm brown eyes peer up at me, the corners crinkling with age as he smiles. “Logan. Good to see you.”
“You, too, old man.”
“Wish it was over a beer instead of a body though,” Doc mumbles gruffly.
I’ve only been here a month, but in that time, I’ve met Doc a few times around the station. Mostly when we both sought some peace and quiet on the roof.
I grunt in response and point to the victim. “How long until we know the cause of death?”
“I can say with great certainty that this was due to an animal attack. Most likely a coyote or wolf.”
Doc finishes zipping up the bag and stands. I look around the area and see signs of a struggle, she didn’t go down without a fight. Someone has to have heard something.
“Do we know who she is?” I ask.
Doc shakes his head, “There was no identification on her, and she doesn’t look like a local. Not that I know all108,250 people in Boulder, but she does have old injuries, and looks to be slightly malnourished.”
I lower my brows and stop him as he goes to walk past. “What kind of old injuries?”
Doc pauses to consider the question. “I’d have to take a proper look at the body, but from what I could see, it looked like she’d been whipped. She had several lacerations on her back and thighs. Also, what looks like an old break to her collar bone that didn’t heal right.”
“Okay, well, maybe we aren’t looking at an animal attack,” I say, shaking my head in frustration.
Doc frowns and thinks about it. “You could be right, but everything here suggests otherwise. It was an animal that killed her, but whatever happened before that . . . ” He trails off, a concerned look creasing his face.
My jaw tightens, and I pat him on the back. “I know. I’m going to find out who she is.”
I shift my focus to the jogger who discovered the body, her face etched with shock. She stands as still as a statue, huddled by the police cruisers, her arms wrapped tightly around herself.
I’d better get a statement from her, so she can go home and put this shitty day behind her.
“Let me know when you're ready to move the body,” I say absently to Doc.
Doc glances up at me and nods. “Will do.”
I head over to the jogger with a deep sigh, my feet sinking slightly in the wet ground.
After taking a statement from the jogger, I then proceed to knock on a few doors of the surrounding homes. No one saw or heard anything. Although the houses are widely spaced, and there is a considerable distance between the wooded trail and the yards, it’s strange that no one mentioned any disturbance.
A million thoughts run through my head as I make my way back to the station.
It’s late afternoon when I finally turn onto my street and see a group of teenage boys on the street ahead playing basketball. Someone must’ve dragged a freestanding hoop to the end of the driveway. Not the safest place, but this is a pretty quiet street. My house is the last on the street in the cul-de-sac. Behind my house is a small creek, then the woods. The neighbors on either side of me are young families.
I slow down the car so I can pass the kids safely and pull in my drive. Turning the car off, I stretch my neck side to side before getting out. A quick glance around shows nothing out of place, and I start for the front door when one of the teenagers calls out.
“Yo. You a cop?”
I pause at the bottom of my steps and turn, all of them now standing there watching me.
“Who’s asking?” I call back.
