Blake Pierce - Before He Envies

“More or less.”

“It was refreshing to see you—a young woman—take charge of a force that was primarily men. Made me feel good.”

Mackenzie wasn’t sure how to handle that sort of compliment, so she skipped it entirely and went straight to business.

“I’ve studied the reports on both of the victims and there’s very little there,” she said. “I know the second victim was only discovered yesterday, but why the hold-up on any details for the first victim?”

“Because for the first half a day or so, everyone assumed it was just a tragic accident. Or maybe a suicide. I was even thinking along those lines myself. The body was found at the bottom of Exum Ridge. Mostly likely had been there for several days.”

“How far apart at Logan’s View and Exum Ridge?”

“It’s about two and a half miles. There are a few central trails that run between the two.”

“And the murders are believed to be about four days apart, right?”

“As far as we can tell. That’s based on that the coroners are saying. You have to keep in mind…both bodies were discovered by hikers. We have no way of knowing for sure how long the bodies had been there. Speaking to family and putting together the schedules of the victims, we can only come up with a pretty good idea, but nothing absolute.”

“Can you walk me through what you know of the first victim?”

“Sure. A woman named Mandy Yorke, twenty-three years of age. Her body was discovered at the base of Exum Ridge. She was a good distance away from any of the normal advertised climbing spots, indicating that she was something of a pro. It happens a lot…climbers that get quite good don’t stick to the traditional climbs. They’ll go off the beaten path to find something more challenging. That’s why it was assumed her death was an accident. But when we started looking over the evidence from the crime scene, we saw that her climbing rope had been cut.”

“Intentionally?”

“Sure looked like it. It was a clean cut. We compared it to some old broken ropes at the park. The difference in appearance. A rope that had been frayed and Yorke’s clean-cut one were very different.”

“Any idea where the rope was cut?”

“At the top. It’s as if the killer was waiting there, waiting for Yorke to reach the top and then cut it.”

“Any sabotaged equipment from the second victim?” Mackenzie asked.

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