“I saw the chains on the one door,” Ryan said. “So if you’re intimating that Mia made it up, you’re wrong. But is that really the big thing right now? Isn’t it more important that we figure out who the guy is in the barn and why he was killed?”
Russ settled against the porch railing and massaged his forehead. “No ‘we’ in this, bro. I’ll take care of the investigation.”
“Then you haven’t discovered the man’s ID?” Mia asked. “Or how he died?”
Russ turned to her. “The ME’s very preliminary finding suggests blunt force trauma to the head. Once he completes his initial exam here, he’ll search the body for ID. He’ll also do fingerprints at the morgue.”
“But this is probably the reason for the fire, right?” Mia’s gaze hunted around as if she were trying to come up with a reply. “If I hadn’t come along when I did, the fire would likely have burned the entire barn, and we may never have known a body was there at all.”
Ryan hated to disagree with Mia when she was in a fragile state, but as a trained firefighter, he knew her interpretation might be wrong. “If the intent of the fire was to do away with the body, it seems likely the arsonist would have started the blaze near the body. And he wouldn’t have said he was trying to scare someone off. Plus, if that areahadburned, our team would’ve searched it and found the remains. The clean-up crew probably should’ve inspected that debris pile too, and the chief is going to let them have it for not being thorough.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Are you saying the fire and the murder aren’t related? That we might be looking for two different suspects.”
“Could be,” he said. “But it’s possible the arsonist just wasn’t very good at his job.”
Russ pushed off the railing, and the strain of the gruesome discovery hung on his face. “Your theory doesn’t take into account the missing locks. The doors could’ve been locked to conceal the body. If so, our arsonist wouldn’t have access without breaking a window like you did. Unless he has a key. Which he would’ve needed to drive a truck inside as Jessie didn’t mention him cutting a chain to open the doors.”
“That changes things completely,” Ryan said. “Unless the doors weren’t locked at that point.”
“Since I didn’t know about the locks, I didn’t ask Jessie how she got in,” Russ said. “But I will now. Then once we ID the victim, we should have a better idea on how to proceed.”
“I don’t suppose anyone in the area has been reported missing?” Ryan asked.
“If only it was that simple.” Russ frowned. “Anything else to add to your statements?”
Ryan and Mia shook their heads.
“I’ll get back to you if I have additional questions.” Russ headed back toward the barn.
Ryan watched Mia as she rocked her chair, and her gaze tracked Russ. She set her jaw. Lifted her chin.Right.This was the Mia he knew. She wouldn’t sit back and do nothing. She planned to investigate on her own.
Somehow, they found themselves in the middle of a murder investigation, and she was too stubborn to sit on the sidelines. She could be putting her life in danger, and there was nothing he could do to stop her.
* * *
Activity at the barn ramped up, and Mia’s heart raced. For once she was alone. After a call from Ian at Wilderness Ways, Ryan had reluctantly gone to check in and change clothes. He promised to return as soon as possible. Not only did he want to protect her, he didn’t want to miss out on the action. And action it was.
Deputies cordoned off the area around the barn with fresh yellow crime scene tape that fluttered in the breeze as if issuing a warning to anyone who approached. The medical examiner unloaded a gurney from his van and slipped under the tape without a backward glance.
Collecting someone who died was probably second nature to him. Maybe not in a burned building as often as when a person died of natural causes at home, but a deceased person nonetheless.
Mia, on the other hand, couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that someone had died in her barn. Was murdered. Not far from her house. On her property. Or what would be her property in a year.
How could that be, and what did it mean?
A white van eased down the drive and parked near the barn. The driver’s door held the same black logo that she’d seen on the financial paperwork for the Veritas Center. A guy with thinning dark hair and a slight build slid out from behind the wheel, and a pregnant woman eased down from the passenger side. Had to be Sierra, but she’d never mentioned that she was pregnant.
She stood, hands on her back, surveying the area. Mia jogged down the steps to greet her, and Russ left the medical examiner to head their way.
“You must be Sierra.” Mia offered her hand. “I’m Mia Blackburn.”
Sierra grasped Mia’s hand firmly, pumping it hard. “Nice to meet you. This is my assistant Chad. He’ll be working with me on gathering and processing your evidence.”
He tipped his head at Mia in greeting and went to the back of the van to open the doors.
Russ marched up to them and gave Chad a clipped nod but extended his hand to Sierra. “Thanks for coming so quickly.”
“Good to see you again, Sheriff.” Sierra shook his hand. “Where do you want us to start?”
