CHAPTER FOUR
1539 Words
CHAPTER FOUR
Katie sat next to Leblanc in the RCMP vehicle that they'd been loaned by local police. It had been waiting for them at the tiny Saint Jules airport. In it, they were powering north, with the low, mid-morning sun on their right hand side. Leblanc was at the wheel and Katie was rereading the information on the murders so far.
She felt focused and intent, ready to be out in the field and on a case. It was reassuring to her, somehow comforting, that her mother had sensed her worry and had suggested a solution that made sense. That she’d been looking after Katie, and thinking about her.
And she felt massively relieved to be able to partner with Leblanc - for the next twenty-four hours at least. It felt right to be here. Going it alone, on any case, was dangerous.
For that time, she was happy to be heading toward the vast forests of Quebec, and seeking a strange, brutal criminal.
Katie was barely aware of the scenery passing, ever more scenic and remote as the miles sped by, with massive tracts of forest covering many miles, interspersed by rolling hills and deep blue lakes. But she’d given it no more than an occasional glance because she was immersed in the case files, frowning intently down at the descriptions of each victim.
"The first victim was Marie-Louise Ortega. She was a twenty-seven-year-old admin assistant. She was found last week in a forest north of the town of Great Falls."
Katie stared at the photo of Marie-Louise. She was a beautiful young woman, with long dark hair and shining eyes. Marie-Louise had been discovered lying dead at the base of a tree. Her throat had been cut, and she had bled out.
"And the second victim was Jillian Holmes. She was thirty-three-years-old. She worked as an assistant on a maple tree farm, and she was the recent victim who was discovered late last night, killed in exactly the same way.”
Katie took a look at Jillian's photo. She looked strong and resolute, with platinum blonde hair and icy blue eyes.
"And no connection between the two?” Leblanc asked.
"Well, they lived about fifty miles apart at the time of their deaths. It’s a small community out there so they are likely to have known each other. We need to find out whether there are any significant links between them, or any people in common."
“And the bodies, how were they found?” Leblanc asked.
Katie read on. “Marie-Louise was found about two days after her death by hikers. And Jillian - now that's more interesting." She read the report. "Jillian was found soon after her death. It seems that someone entered the farm's forest, trying to do illegal tapping of maple trees."
"It's a problem up there," Leblanc agreed.
"This thief, Max Granger, hid away from a security guard that was checking the forest, and in the process, stumbled over Jillian’s body."
"And then security was alerted?" Leblanc continued.
"Security was alerted. The guard ran over to Max, who by that stage was in a complete panic, shouting and screaming. They saw what he'd found and immediately called the local RCMP."
"So we are heading to that scene now?" Leblanc said.
"Yes," Katie said. "I hope that we can gain some information from it, seeing it is so recent. The victim is estimated to have died just a few hours before this happened. Probably in the early evening. I believe Max entered the forest at around midnight."
Katie frowned down.
“There’s also a warning from Scott here for us to be cautious. Law enforcement is not particularly liked or trusted here. They had an incident a few months back where a trigger-happy RCMP officer shot and killed a local man, believing he was a fugitive on the run. So he’s warned us to be careful about using our guns, or threatening people with guns, unless we’re sure they are guilty.”
“That’s good. I’m glad they have put that warning into place,” Leblanc agreed. “When that relationship goes bad, between police and civilians, it’s a real problem in small communities like that.”
“Agreed,” Katie said. And then, looking up, she added, “Is this the farm ahead of us?”
“It is,” Leblanc said.
With such a recent crime scene, Katie felt hopeful there might be more to be discovered. But she had to admit, as they drove up to the gateway of the estate where the farm was located, that the distances here were vast.
Literally millions of green-leaved trees were growing in this forest. Although there were few main roads, there were numerous tracks and smaller roads leading in and out of the forest, she saw. Being an area that was farmed for maple sap and wood, this would be necessary, but it meant that there would be many escape routes for the killer, who she guessed must have arrived here in a car. He could easily have driven down one of the forest roads, gotten out, walked to a tree with his victim, and then gone about the killing process.
"Here we are," Leblanc said.
The gateposts arched over the track in front of them. ‘Maple Acres Estate’ the sign read.
Katie was pleased to see that a local RCMP vehicle was waiting by the gate. Scott had said that police would be in attendance, looking out for them, to take them to the scene.
As they pulled up, the RCMP officer jumped out to greet them. The officer was a middle-aged man, dressed in a dark blue uniform. He had neatly cut brown hair, and a small mustache.
"Good morning. I am Officer Wilson," he said, "You are the cross-border investigators?" He sounded pleased to have their help, and his face was friendly.
Katie climbed out and walked over with Leblanc to introduce herself. The morning was getting warm now as the sun climbed higher in the sky. But it reminded her that they were not getting an early start on this case, seeing it was already close to eleven a.m. They had a short day and a lot to do in it.
"Good morning. I’m Agent Winter," she said, shaking his hand before Leblanc introduced himself.
"This is a gruesome case," Wilson said. "It's shaken our community, the more so when we found out it's the second of two such crimes. I'm glad you’re working with us on it."
"I hope we can help," Katie said. "Can you take us to the scene?"
"Sure. Shall I get in your car, and direct you there?"
"Thanks," Katie said.
Officer Wilson got into the back of the SUV.
"Drive up toward the farmhouse, and then turn right on the access road leading into the forest," he said.
With the window cranked partway open, Katie breathed in the fresh, rich smells of the forest. The breeze wafted in an enticing smell that she decided was part cherry, part almond. Perhaps this was the smell of the sugar maples, she wondered.
"Are the roads into the forest accessible from outside?" she asked.
Wilson nodded. "Yes, they are. It's such a big area it couldn't be fenced, but security teams do patrol through to try and guard against illegal sap theft. Which is also a worsening problem unfortunately."
Wilson directed Leblanc to turn down a road that led deeper into the trees. Katie was aware of a hushed stillness. It seemed suddenly darker, as the sun vanished behind the thick, tall forest.
"Stop here," he said.
They climbed out and walked toward one of the tallest and most imposing trees in the forest.
"Here is where she was found," Wilson said quietly.
Katie stepped forward, taking in the scene. It was surprisingly peaceful. The only sign of the gruesome death was a stain on the soil. Looking around her, she did not see anything that might offer a clue.
"The thief who stole the sap, does he have an alibi? Did he see anything?"
"He's lawyered up because the farm is pressing charges of theft. Together with his lawyer, he has provided an alibi for earlier in the evening. He stopped at a roadhouse and had a meal there at about ten-thirty p.m., before driving into the forest. It took him another hour to get where he wanted to go, and then he walked into the forest where the guard discovered him about half an hour later. So his time is accounted for, based on the estimated time of the victim’s death which was between nine and ten p.m., although he's still guilty of the attempted theft," Wilson explained.
Katie thought what the next step should be, and turned to Wilson.
"Could we speak to the pathologist who did the postmortem?" she asked. She was interested to learn more about how these deaths had occurred.
These women had been brought here, miles out of the way. They must have been subdued or drugged in some way. And how had the killings been done?
Knowing more about the modus operandi, she hoped, would give them more of an insight into the killer himself.
- Writer
