He looked back at feces the size of a baseball. “I, for one, do not want to run into any animal in the daylight that could produce such large scat, much less the dark.”
8
Colin had met Kelsey and Sierra in the lab and expected them to be sharp and scientific when in the field. He didn’t expect them to be kind and compassionate too, but they were. They stood near a white van they rented after flying in. Both women were tall, but that’s where the similarity ended.
Sierra swung open the back doors, and her stick-straight blond hair that hung down to the middle of her back slid over her shoulder. Equipment in tubs and boxes filled the back of the vehicle.
Kelsey slid a blue storage tub toward the door, and her shoulder-length black curls remained in place. Sierra wore khaki tactical pants and a polo shirt, but Kelsey had on a frilly blouse and black dress slacks along with dress heels. Not the way he expected her or any woman to arrive at a crime scene.
Sierra glanced over her shoulder. “Have you secured our participation with the locals yet?”
“Not yet,” Colin said. “I’ll notify them in a minute.”
Sierra turned and locked gazes, hers intense and curious at the same time. “Mind if I ask what you’re waiting on? It’s been some time since Nick called us.”
He really didn’t want to answer in case she thought he was manipulating them, but she deserved an answer. “We’re hoping if you were on site when they arrived, they’d be more apt to let you do the work.”
“Ah, yes. That’s been tried several times.” She chuckled.
“Successfully?”
“Depended on the officer in charge.”
“I know the sheriff from college,” Dev said. “She’s a real stickler for rules, but she has an open mind too.”
“Let’s hope the open mind takes precedence with us,” Colin said. “I wouldn’t want to have brought you here for nothing.”
“Never for nothing.” Kelsey smiled. “If the temps have cooled enough in the house we could do a cursory look at the scene before they arrive and give you an overview.”
Now that sounded like a plan. “Could you?”
“We’ll do it while you call the locals.” Sierra reached into a storage tote in the van and took out two protective suits. She handed one to Kelsey, who’d removed rubber boots from the bin she’d slid closer to her.
Practicality at last. He had to respect the fact that she liked to dress in a feminine manner. Maybe it was her way of saying she didn’t deal with gruesome things. Either way, she sat on the bumper to slip into the legs of the white suit and put on the clunky boots.
Sierra looked up from pulling on her suit. “Nick said you saw an accelerant trail and suspect arson.”
“We did and do,” Dev said. “Looks like the trail leads from the door to the body.”
Kelsey’s delicate eyebrow raised. “So someone could’ve been trying to hide a homicide by starting a fire.”
“Could be,” Ryan said. “Or the fire was set to kill him.”
“I don’t much like that thought.” Kelsey stood. “I always hope the victim died of another cause and not by flames. To me, dying in a fire is what nightmares are made of.”
“Same,” Colin said as he thought that had to be one of the worst ways to go. Horrific even. “We also located a fortified enclosure that held some sort of large animal. Sierra, might you be able to help us with identifying the animal?”
She slid her arms into the suit. “I can take a look.”
“The enclosure is located on the east side of the house.”
She gave a firm nod and put protective booties over her shoes. “I’ll check out the house first. Then, if time allows, review the enclosure.”
Kelsey handed a pair of disposable gloves to Sierra. “We’ll get to it, but know that this will be cursory, as I said. We can’t move anything to get a better look at something else or alter any evidence.”
“Understood,” Colin said.
“Then we’ll check in when we’re finished.” Sierra slung the strap of a camera around her neck and led the way. Kelsey moved behind her as they strode confidently toward the burned-out shell of a house.
