Among the Dead (A Cara Ward FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 1) by Katie Rush

Author:Katie Rush [Rush, Katie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2024-05-05T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

Darkness settled over the lake. For a moment, Cara stepped away from the others to take it all in. A single tear ran down her cheek as she considered the tragedy that had befallen this young woman. The lake was dark mirror reflecting the solemn faces of the officers and forensic team as they gathered around the grim tableau.

Cara’s boots sank into the damp sand as she returned to the scene, leaving deep imprints that were quickly swallowed by the lapping waves. She stooped beside the lifeless figure, her eyes tracing the contours of Anna's drenched auburn hair that splayed around her head like a macabre halo. The marine biologist's skin had taken on the pallor of the churning depths from which she'd been retrieved.

Cara watched as the crime scene photographers captured the stillness of death, preserving the finality of Anna’s last moments in digital amber.

As the initial shock subsided, Cara leaned closer, her gaze narrowing with clinical detachment. She had to put her personal feelings aside if she was ever going to keep a cool enough head to solve this case. There, nestled between Anna's parted lips, lay a flower that she didn’t recognize at first, its yellow petals an affront to the muted tones of the scene. T

However, the plant looked familiar, and soon she remembered the chilling name— henbane.

The killer had moved beyond harmless flowers and chosen to leave a poisonous one in Anna’s mouth.

The presence of the flower confirmed what Cara had feared—the killer had struck again, threading another bead onto the string of deaths that had already shaken the community to its core. This was no random act; the flower was his signature, a calling card left with a meticulous care that mocked their efforts to track him down.

In the burgeoning light, the henbane seemed to absorb the warmth of the rising sun, holding within its petals the chilling certainty that this spree was far from over. With each victim, the killer was weaving a narrative of terror, and now Anna Thompson had become the latest chapter in his twisted story.

Cara stepped back, allowing the coroner's team to move in, her mind already racing through the implications of this discovery. The ghastly botanical clue was a silent scream in the quiet morning, a reminder that somewhere out there, the person responsible was watching, waiting, and planning his next move.

Cara clenched her fists at her sides, the muscles in her jaw tightening as a wave of anger swelled within her. The serene backdrop of Lake Erie had turned into a grim stage where the killer had flaunted his latest conquest. She could feel the heat of her own fury mixing with the cool morning air that swept across the water, carrying with it the faintest whisper of something foul—death, decay, and henbane.

Her hands, encased in latex gloves, traced the outline of the henbane flower nestled within the victim's mouth—a signature as audacious as it was enigmatic. Cara's mind raced with questions that clawed at her reason.

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