Bone Box

Under the tent was a whirl of activity with police and coroner officials. There was a picnic table covered in white cloth. Atop were unearthed bones, tufts of hair, clothing fragments, and a few personal effects—jewelry and something that looked like leather—maybe a purse or a wallet. Two arc lamps attached to battery packs provided high-intensity illumination. Ben Roiters was watching the action from ringside. The man still had a head of hair—most of it dark—even though he had passed the six-zero mark a few years ago. He was stoop shouldered with a paunch and alert, dark eyes. He had been a seasoned detective in his heyday but had worked for Greenbury for the last ten years. Decker motioned him outside the tent.

Roiters said, “This is unbelievable. What’re the odds that you have two bodies in such close proximity that are not related?”

Decker shook his head. “Zero.”

“So what is it? A gang fight in the woods gone wrong? A satanic ritual? A serial killer?”

“My vote is on C,” McAdams said.

Decker turned to him. “Okay, Tyler. Defend your choice.”

McAdams shrugged. “I don’t know who the other body is, but there are no indications that Pettigrew was a hard-core gangbanger.”

“What about a satanic ritual?” Decker asked.

“Pettigrew was smacked in the head. If it was satanic, I’d expect to see more knife action in a ritual sacrifice: cut marks on his bones and things like that.”

Roiters said, “I agree with the kid, Pete. As soon as we found a second body, I thought of a serial killer.”

“Could be a one-off where the killer whacked two people at the same time,” Decker said.

“Coroner thinks the bodies weren’t buried at the same time. So a serial killing makes more sense.”

Decker said, “Then it’s someone who kills men and women.”

McAdams said, “Pettigrew had been consistently dressing as a woman when he came back to Greenbury.”

“Yeah, I know,” Decker turned to Roiters. “When was the Bogat hiking trail put in?”

“I don’t have a clue. I’m the quintessential couch potato.”

McAdams was already on his iPhone. “I can’t get reception. What are you thinking? That it doesn’t make sense to bury two bodies so close to a public trail?”

“Yep. I’m thinking the bodies were interred before the trail went public. Karen Osterfeld doesn’t remember Bogat when she was here around seven years ago. And it had just opened up when I came on the scene, after Delilah Occum’s disappearance.”

“Do you think there are more bodies out there?” McAdams stowed his phone.

“Possibly.” Decker blew out air. “Radar’s getting some dogs so we can cover a much bigger area.” He raised his eyebrows. “When are you going back to school?”

“Classes start in a week. But that doesn’t mean I have to show up right away.”

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