Monty gestured to the body. “Her head and torso are on federal land, and her waist and legs are on state land. This is a weird one, for sure. So I figured we’d share jurisdiction.” He motioned toward a younger Fish and Wildlife officer taking photographs near the tree line. “Tso, get over here.”
The man let his camera hang over his neck and walked toward them, his black eyes intense. Frozen chips of ice dotted his longish black hair, showing he’d been photographing the area within the trees. He wore an F&W jacket over jeans and thick boots. “I shot the full scene and took extra photographs of the cracked ice over the river. There’s blood on the edges, and the techs captured samples before the ice melted.” He smiled at Laurel. “You must be Laurel Snow. I’ve heard about you.”
“I am.” She held out a gloved hand to shake. Huck had mentioned the new officer, but she hadn’t met him.
Monty provided the introductions. “Laurel Snow, please meet Qaletaga Tso, fresh from Arizona. You know? Where there’s actually some sun and not constant winter?”
That might possibly be sarcasm, but Laurel couldn’t read the tone. Perhaps Monty was dreaming of a trip to a warm beach resort. She and Huck had planned to vacation in Cabo, but work kept interrupting. The new officer appeared to be Native American, and if she remembered correctly, Qaletaga was a Hopi name. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Officer Tso released her and held out a hand to Walter. “You as well.”
“Walter Smudgeon,” Walter said. “I bet you miss the sun. Like Monty, I’m seriously tired of the gray skies but am going to have to put my vacation on hold.”
Tso grinned, showing perfectly symmetrical features. “Vacation?”
“Yeah.” Walter sighed. “My girlfriend won a sunny two-week vacation from her church’s raffle a week ago, and we had planned to leave this afternoon.”
Laurel studied the victim. “You are maintaining your departure schedule.” The man was recovering from multiple gunshot wounds, and although he appeared healthier than ever, he needed this break from murder. “I have backup, and if I need you, I’ll call.”
Walter frowned. “Fine. Welcome to the team, Qaletaga Tso.”
“Thanks.” Officer Tso stared up at Snowblood Peak. “I’ve recently taken up snowmobiling, so I’m enjoying myself in Washington State so far. I have my diving certification but have never plunged into icy waters like this.” He looked over his shoulder at the frigid water. “I suppose since we found blood on the ice we’ll need to do a dive?”
“That’s up to Huck.” Monty straightened as two of the techs brought over small flat shovels. “Good. They’re going to turn her over. Let’s see what we can find.”
Laurel’s stomach rolled. As the head of the FBI’s PNVCU, she was accustomed to crime scenes. However, because she was eleven or so weeks pregnant, HCG and estrogen hormones were causing unexpected nausea. She drew in several frigid breaths and exhaled through her mouth, attempting to calm her autonomic nervous system to prevent her from vomiting all over Walter’s new boots.
“You okay, boss?” Walter asked.
She must’ve paled. “Yes. The wind is chilly.” She and Huck hadn’t informed anybody about the pregnancy other than Laurel’s mother. They’d agreed to keep the pregnancy a secret until she reached the safer second trimester. Although Huck’s paternal overprotectiveness would probably alert the ones closest to them soon. She accepted that characteristic in him.
The team moved a foot away from the body to allow the techs to gingerly scrape away ice. “Monty? Detail the scene for me, please,” Laurel said.
“The first is the cracking of the ice over the water with blood found on the edges,” Monty said. “The action was deliberate, which could indicate that the deceased broke the ice and tried to jump in, but in that case . . .”
“Who pulled the body to the bank and away from the river?” Walter finished for him.
Monty nodded. “Exactly.”
Laurel bent to study the body. Jason Abbott had been furious the night before—he might’ve killed the first victim he could find. “We’ll proceed as if this is a homicide considering the blood on the ice and the fact that somebody dragged the body away from the water.”
A truck rumbled from behind her, and she turned to see Huck pull to a stop and jump out. He opened the back door and let out his Karelian Bear Dog. Aeneas leaped gracefully to the ground, still wearing his search and rescue vest, his black-and-white markings adorable. Then the two walked toward them, both slightly wild and very sure-footed.
Huck’s gaze swept her from head to toes, no doubt making sure she’d properly dressed for the weather. His protectiveness toward the female carrying his progeny was no doubt strongly rooted in biology and evolutionary psychology. Or perhaps that was just Huck.
He stood tall and broad, filling out his Fish and Wildlife jacket with natural muscle. His hair was a dark brown, his eyes a mellow topaz, his bone structure strong and symmetrical. He wore faded jeans and black boots, and the dog looked natural at his side. “You said we share jurisdiction with the FBI?”
Monty nodded. “Yeah.”
Huck’s focus had already moved to the cracked ice, and he headed toward the river.
Laurel shifted into motion, noting he slowed his pace until she reached his side. “What do you see?”
“The ice.” They reached the edge of the bank, and he put his body slightly between her and the river. “Watch your step.” Then he dropped to his haunches as Aeneas sat at his side. “Something sharp cut through this part.” He pointed to several jagged edges. “There’s blood.”
“The techs collected samples.” Officer Tso came up behind them. “Do we need to dive?”
Huck stood. “I don’t want anybody going beneath that ice. The river is moving faster than you think.” He turned to face Monty. “Let’s use Polar Paul first, and then if it finds something, I’ll consider a dive.”
