The Amulet. Joanna Wayne

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СКАЧАТЬ someone who’d given this crime a lot of thought before he committed it. Be nice if someone had found either the gun or the knife.”

      “Agreed. We have the bullet that hit the squad car. It was from a .38.”

      Crazy, but she almost felt guilty talking to Rich about this case. Bart had been the only partner she’d ever worked with. He’d taken her on when she was so green she didn’t even know her way around a warrant. He was her mentor, her friend, her…

      “Had to be a man who not only knew about evidence, but also knew his way around the mountains and around the hotel,” Rich said, breaking into her troubling thoughts. “A stranger to these parts would never have taken off through the woods on a pitch-dark night. Reminds me of some other murders that occurred near here a few years back.”

      Damn. She didn’t know about any other murders. Not one person had mentioned them, not even Sheriff Powell.

      “A serial killer?”

      “No. A mass slaughter. Four female campers had their throats cut one summer night. Two were found in the tent, apparently killed while they slept. The other two were killed in the surrounding woods. It appeared they’d tried to run away, but the lunatic had chased them down.”

      “How long ago did that happen?”

      “Twenty years or so. I was in junior high. It made quite an impression on me at the time.”

      “What happened to the killer?”

      “He was never officially apprehended, but some transient who’d been sleeping at the camp grounds killed himself a few days later, and most thought he’d done it from guilt.”

      “I’m surprised the sheriff hasn’t mentioned those murders in view of the present investigation.”

      “Why? No reason to think there’s any connection between those and what we’re dealing with.” He rested one foot on the trunk of the downed tree and lifted his head as if studying the dark haze that surrounded them. “Ready to head back to the car and a little warmth?”

      She nodded, but the campsite killings stayed on her mind during the hike back, making the woods feel more eerie than ever.

      Rich didn’t talk at all until they reached the car. “See, that wasn’t so bad,” he said, opening his door and sliding behind the wheel.

      “Not bad at all,” she lied. “I found the mountain air invigorating.”

      And she missed Bart so much it hurt.

      THREE DAYS LATER, Bart had still not run into the woman who’d mesmerized him in the ballroom. He had seen Rich McFarland several times, however—always at a distance.

      It galled him that Rich had replaced him as Carrie’s partner. This should have been his case all the way. He wouldn’t interfere with what they were doing, but he wouldn’t let them interfere with what he had to do, either. And he’d keep an eye on Carrie the way he’d done since the day he’d taken her on as a partner.

      She was smart, but she still had a lot to learn. Not the kind of things you could learn from books. She’d aced all of that in her classes at the university. The knowledge she lacked was the kind that came from experience.

      Bart had gotten his experience the hard way, working his way up the L.A.P.D. He didn’t miss it anymore—at least not often. He breathed a lot better in the Cascades.

      The sun was fighting its way through the early-morning haze when he took the service elevator to the first floor and slipped into the garden. It was too cold for blossoms, but the maze of perfectly manicured shrubbery still made for some interesting scenery.

      Besides, if he went all the way to the far south corner, he could watch the arriving employees and the departing night staff. You could learn a lot by seeing who left in groups and who took off alone.

      The garden was empty except for an older woman sitting on one of the stone benches. She looked to be at least in her seventies with paper-thin skin and deep wrinkles around her mouth and eyes. A full, dark skirt hung to her ankles revealing only a glimpse of her black leather boots. A woolen cloak shrouded her, covering her head, but he could see enough of her hair to tell it was gray.

      She looked up when he approached. “Good morning, sir.”

      “Good morning. What brings you out so early?” he asked, mostly making small talk, but somewhat curious as to why she was out and about before the sun had cleared the horizon.

      “I like to watch the sunrise from the garden.”

      “Do you come here often?”

      “Too often.”

      A strange answer, but he wasn’t about to pry into her business. “Enjoy your day,” he said, in way of goodbye. He’d already walked by her when she responded.

      “He’ll kill again.”

      Bart stopped and spun around, wondering if he’d heard her wrong. “What did you say?”

      “He’ll kill again.”

      “Who’ll kill again?”

      “The man who abducted the woman and shot you.”

      The statement threw him off. He’d been certain no one knew who he was or why he was here. “How do you know who I am?”

      “I listen.”

      That didn’t explain much, but his thoughts were rushing ahead. “Do you know who abducted the woman?”

      “No. Why are you looking for him?”

      “I just want to find him and make certain he goes to prison before he strikes again.”

      “Is that your duty?”

      “That’s the way I see it.”

      She nodded and pulled her cloak tighter. “Maybe you should reconsider your priorities.”

      She stood and walked to a nearby fountain. Slowly, she slipped off her gloves and stuffed them into her skirt pockets. She spread her open arms in front of the spray the way people held their hands in front of the fireplace to get them warm. After a few seconds, she pressed her damp fingers to her thin lips.

      “He kills because of what was done to him.” Her voice was low and she was still facing the fountain, more as if she were muttering to herself than talking to him. He stepped toward her.

      “You seem to have given the killer a lot of thought.”

      “No, but the mist is full of whispers.”

      Bart was beginning to doubt the woman was totally lucid, but she knew about him, so maybe she knew about other people as well. “I’ve been looking for a woman I saw the other night in the ballroom,” he said. “She was wearing a long, green satin dress and a magnificent diamond-and-emerald pendant.”

      “Katrina.”

      “Is СКАЧАТЬ