Page 164 of 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Forty-Two

She looked back at her screen.

After the war, relocated permanently to northern Virginiahimself, Conte went back into the business of designing homes. He was said tohave created beautiful places, but the war was barely over, and the land wasscarcely civilized. He created lookout posts at the homes he designed, as wellas some of the country’s earliest escape routes and bell-trigger alarms.

“Interesting,” she murmured quietly.

“Angela,” Jackson said.

She looked up and saw that he and Colonel Clayborn hadstopped directly ahead of her.

“You were right,” he told her.

“About what?”

“That was our crime scene unit. They found remains in theground. Ones that don’t belong there. Chuck Downing said that while he isn’t amedical examiner, he believes the two bodies found might have been in theground for a little more than three months. If he’s right, and the ME coming inconfirms it, the kills—if they are murders—likely took place at about the sametime as or just before our John Doe number one went into the mausoleum.”

“My God,” she murmured. “Trust me. I didn’t want to be rightthat someone has been on a murder spree. No bodies were discovered until thosein the tomb, so our victims were still considered missing persons.”

“We’ll get them now,” Jackson assured her. And she lovedthat even though they both knew that wasn’t a guarantee, he sensed her need forreassurance and, like always, gave her what sheneeded.

“Tire tracks. Right here,” he said, pointing. “I saw themwhen I stopped to get the phone. We will rip the woods apart. The killer haslikely been using the trail. Creating diversions in plain sight and bringing inwhat he’s wanted and needed from the woods.”

His phone rang again as he spoke to her. He answered itwhile sweeping out a hand to better show her the tire tracks he had discovered.

He listened intentlyto whoever was on the call, frowning. He thanked the caller and ended the callto look at her.

“Kat just got information back on our first John Doe. It wasWyatt Lange.”

“Wyatt Lange?” she repeated, surprised. As far as she knew,he was doing time in a federal prison. He’d shot a guard while taking part in abank robbery eight years ago, nearly killing the man. The Krewe was called inwhen the three robbers took off with hostages. Theyhad been instrumental in finding the robbers’ hideout. Angela had testified atthe trial and had been the one to play head games with him during thenegotiations, attempting to get him to release the young woman he held. As shebegged, pleaded, and reasoned to buy time, Jackson managed to slip in frombehind and disarm the man.

He’d had a good defense, convincing his attorney that he’dbeen forced to take part in the robbery and that two other men had held him atgunpoint until the very end. He hadn’t known then that they’d both been killed,and thus failed to convince a jury.

“Dead three months, and we didn’t even know he was somehowout of prison?” she asked skeptically. “Is it really him? Did Kat...double-check everything?”

“You’re forgetting how long ago that case was,” Jacksonreminded her. “He was sentenced to ten years but made parole. He shouldn’thave. And if he hadn’t, he’d at least still be alive I imagine, albeit behindbars,” Jackson said.

“How strange that he was among those murdered... here,”Angela said. “Well, at least we know he’s not the one after me for testifyingfor the prosecution, since he became a victim himself.”

“We’ll get his phone records,” Jackson said.

“But that’s interesting. If an ex-con was directly connectedto a fired tech guy and a luxury plane flight attendant, then I think you’reright. This has to be drug-related,” Angela said.

She’d almost forgotten that the ghost of Colonel Claybornwas still with them until he spoke.

“The shooter in the woods. Yes, he was drugged to theteeth,” he said. “But again, I don’t understand how all of this happened withus seeing so little. Of course, as you know, we don’t just hang around ourgraves feeling depressed, we...” He paused, grimacing. “We haunt our families.That’s often why we stay. And still, how did we—how have Imissed so much?”

“They’ve clearly been working it through these woods. I say theybecause we know someone else dropped off our shooter today,” Jackson said.

“Yes, that’s true. That would make a difference. We don’t go wafting through the trees all that often,”Clayborn said.

“There’s something here,” Angela said. “And I still thinkthere is something about the Robertson tomb we haven’t figured out yet.”

“Angela,” Jackson said quietly, “I asked for a medicalexaminer to go through the tomb and make sure the bodies match the records.”

She shook her head. “No, that’s not it. I don’t think therewere others that didn’t belong there—besides those hung up on display. Mytheory is out there, I know, and I’m sorry, but something just... isn’t right.Anyway, we know that—”

She broke off. The sun had shifted, and inthe distance through the trees, she thought she saw a strange glint of light.

“Something’s out here. Over there,” she said and pointed.