Linda parked in front of the Deputy Burg's patrol car, with its top light bar flashing and well-known markings. Getting out she noticed Owen's blue pickup coming up the lane. Owen raised and trained search and rescue dogs. She was surprised to learn that most of his work was volunteer and payment for the service was rarely enough, stacked against the effort and committed hours. The bulk of his funding for raising and training came from donations and the few classes he taught every year.
Striding over to the yellow tape she gave Deputy Burg a wave, "Ask Owen to keep back for a bit. I want to see what we got before his dogs tear through it."
Deputy Burg nodded his head, but his attention was on the large man behind her. Glancing back over her shoulder, she returned her attention to Burg again, "Deputy Burg? Meet US Marshal ..." she paused and looked to Logan, "I don't think I've heard your last name, Marshal."
Logan stepped forward to Deputy Burg, extending his hand, "Grimm, Logan Grimm. And just Logan is fine. I'm not here to step on toes. Sheriff seemed to think it would be polite to ask me to join in and observe."
Burg took his hand, "Name's Bren. We usually go by first names around here. I don't believe I've ever met a US Marshal before."
"We don't get much press," Logan said. "Most of our duties are on the boring side of the Justice Department."
"Know anything about tracking or woodcraft?" Burg asked.
Logan nodded, "I'm at home in those areas. I was recruited out of the US Forest Service, after tracking down six convicts who took to the hills about seventy miles north of here. Worked the Canada border for just over a year in Washington state, tracking down meth labs. Before that, I was a contractor inside a joint DEA and US Marine operation team along the Mexican border for a few years."
Burg tipped his hat up with his index finger, "You mean the six from Sterling? Almost two years ago? That was you?" Burg looked Logan over with new interest. "I heard they were all brought back alive."
Logan shrugged and looked around the area, and the yellow tape, "There were six of them. Hard to carry that many. Better if they can all walk on their own."
"Not all I heard," Burg pressed.
Logan met his eyes, "Well, they didn't need unbroken arms to walk."
Linda shot a glance up at Logan, and then turned to Deputy Burg, "Owen is pulling up. Go catch him up, okay?"
Burg nodded and started toward Owen's truck. Linda looked towards the trees and noticed the yellow tape lines extended several yards into woods. "Get a little crazy with the tape?" she grinned to the deputy, "Or is this the Sheriff's doing?"
Burg didn't smile. He was in his late thirties and had a natural ease about him which made his life less complicated even with the rowdiest of drunks. She saw none of that ease, or calm in him right now. His square jaw line and sharp cheek bones had a chiseled look to them, and his hand remained on his gun. "No ma'am."
She looked back into the woodline, "You get any casts worth anything in this grass?"
"No ma'am. I got one from back where I taped to, though. It's about twenty yards into the woodline."
She raised an eyebrow, "Can I see it?"
"Sheriff took it with him, but I can show you the track."
He didn't look like he wanted to do that. In fact, his expression told her it was the last thing he wanted to do. But he would.
"Yeah, alright," she said slowly. "Let me get the shotgun out of my trunk first. You got yours?"
"I'll get it," he agreed, "after I catch up Owen."
Logan walked with her back to her car, "So, what do we have here?"
She looked back at him, then opened her trunk, "Sorry. It's been on my mind so much I guess I just assumed everyone knows the story already. But you aren't from around here, so how would you know?"
Logan said nothing, just waited.
"About twelve days ago a girl went missing, Bright Wilson. Age14, high school student. No real problems at home. Normal teenage girl stuff. Two days later she's found dead, drained of blood, cleaned like a deer. Bullet to the back of the head. Large caliber .45. Her body was nailed up on a Billboard just north of town, out by the gas station."
Linda pulled out her auto-shotgun and set in the barrel clip. "A day after she is found, Sally Marks, 13 years-old went missing. Two days later, same story, only she's nailed to a billboard at the south end of town. A couple of days ago, fifteen-year-old Doug Thomas goes missing. Found him this morning at five o'clock nailed to the Sanders' barn, on the back wall, which faces the main road through town. Same condition."
She closed the trunk and turned to face him, "This truck over here is Andy Roslen's. Deputy Burg and the Sheriff think he was coming home late last night, stopped here to take a piss, and now he's missing. They both said they found no sign of struggle, but that's my job. Whether he's been taken by this murderer or he's sleeping off a bender out in the woods, we need to find him." story here...
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