The heavy stench of blood lingered in the damp forest, so thick it seemed as though it could drip from the air. Diana stood beside the body, her brows furrowed. Even she, a woman who was usually unfazed, felt overwhelmed by the scene before her.
“Bruce, should we hand this case over?” she asked cautiously.
Bruce remained crouched beside the body, his gloves stained with dried blood. He glanced up at her. “Don’t rush it. Let me finish first. By the way, Thirteen was digging around the empty lot near the cabin earlier. Did he find something?”
Diana pulled a transparent plastic bag from her coat pocket. Inside was a piece of fabric with uneven surfaces and soil on the edges. “This is it. It wasn’t buried very deep, and it looks like it was stepped on. The material feels odd, and Thirteen k
