“Yeah, I guess you could say our professions chose us, rather than the other way around.” Jake shrugged.
“Hey.” Louisa sat up. “Do you remember when we were kids and used to sneak off into the woods to our secret den and pretend to practice witchcraft?”
“To be fair, Lou, we were kinda practicing witchcraft.”
“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “Do you think it might still be there?”
“I have no idea.” Olivia blinked. “The woods are private property, at least that part was. I suppose it’s possible.”
“Let’s go see.” Louisa climbed off the couch.
“Are you being stupid just for fun?” Jake glanced up at her. “It’s late, it’s wet, and it’s been over twenty years. The secret den is probably long gone.”
Louisa tugged on his arm. “Quit whining and get your ass up.”
“No way.” He shook his head.
“Fine.” She grasped Olivia’s arm, pulling her to her feet. “You stay here, chickenshit. Olivia and I will go.”
Louisa marched toward the door, leading a bemused Olivia along in her wake. Growling in resignation, Jake hauled himself out of the worn leather chair.
“I just know I’m going to regret this,” he complained as he followed them out of the room.
Olivia pulled on her coat and her aunt’s gardening boots that had been left in the adjacent mud room and were fortunately the right size. Grabbing a couple of flashlights, she followed Louisa and Jake out the back door.
The three of them trotted down the steps and headed toward the edge of the woods. They’d barely made it to the tree line when the alcohol caught up with them, and Olivia and Louisa began giggling like a couple of kids.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Jake muttered under his breath.
“Oh my god,” Louisa huffed dramatically. “Quit your bitching, you’re the one with the gun and the badge.”
Suddenly, Louisa skidded on a patch of wet leaves and grabbed onto Olivia, making her lose her balance. Clutching each other they both went down in a tangle of limbs and uncontrollable hysterics on the muddy ground.
Shaking his head and sighing in exasperation, Jake reached down and scooped the pair of them off the ground with an ease that proved the muscles he’d acquired over Olivia’s absence weren’t just for show. “I really think we should head back to the house.”
“Whatever, Dad.” Louisa snorted as they began walking again, delving further into the dark woods.
“God, what is that smell?” Olivia covered her nose at the sudden rancid odor.
“Nice, Jake,” Louisa hissed in disgust.
“Hey, that wasn’t me,” he replied with an indignant huff. “Smells like a dead animal. You’d better watch where you step,” he warned.
“Yeah, yeah,” Louisa mumbled.
“Come on,” Olivia interrupted the bickering siblings. “It can’t be much further.”
“Fine.”
“Aw, come on, Jake, it’s not like we’re gonna get lost or anything.” Olivia laughed as she walked backward, her flashlight highlighting Jake’s frown. “After all, we know these woods like the back of our han?—”
The rest of her sentence was cut off by a small yelp and a whoosh of air as her heel caught and she stumbled, falling backward, and landing with a thud in something wet and slimy.
“What the hell?” Olivia gagged violently, the smell from earlier hitting her full force. Fumbling with her flashlight to see what she’d fallen in, a scream tore from her throat as the beam of light fell across the mangled remains of a human corpse.
5
Olivia huddled tighter in the blanket she’d been given, although it didn’t make a difference. The chill had settled deep into her bones and numbed her fingers. She lifted her face to the gray skies as the first pale, ghostly rays of sunrise dawned through the trees, illuminating the bustling crime scene.
