Hotwire: A Maggie O'Dell Novel by Alex Kava

Author:Alex Kava [Kava, Alex]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Adult
ISBN: 9780385532020
Amazon: B004CFAZT0
Publisher: Anchor
Published: 2011-07-12T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 31

“Did your techs find anything more in the forest?” Maggie asked Donny as soon as they were back on the road.

“We did find the live wire Dawson Hayes ran into. Someone must have cut it, rigged it from the fence post, and strung it between two trees.”

“Like a trap.”

“The fence line they took the electric wire from actually cordons off pasture land from the forest. The kid must have run into the trap wire and the shock was enough to throw him into the barbed wire. We could see where it snapped from the posts.”

“And the momentum kept him rolling, taking the barbed wire and wrapping it around him.”

“Yup. That’s what we’re thinking. We left the hotwire coiled and out of reach. I’ll need to find and talk to the rancher who leases that pasture. Have him shut off the current.”

“How did you touch it without getting a shock?”

“Whoever rigged it left pieces of plastic—they’re sort of safety guards so you can handle it hot without getting shocked. That’s why we know it was rigged on purpose. Ranchers don’t use anything like that.”

“Is it possible the other two boys ran into the wire, too?”

“We’ll have to wait and see what Lucy says, but I’m guessing no. Not enough juice to electrocute. Just enough to knock you on your ass. Remember, ranchers just want to discourage cattle, not fry them. Sorry,” he said, his ears turning red. “Didn’t mean to be crude.”

“I guess that’s why Dawson’s alive.”

“The crime team also cast some of the footprints.”

“So the tarps held?”

“Yeah, the tarps preserved them from the rain but I’m not sure it’ll matter unless we confiscate all seven kids’ shoes.”

When she didn’t respond he glanced at her and winced. “You want me to confiscate all seven kids’ shoes?”

“We already have three pairs.”

“There’s one set of prints that looks like a size thirteen work boot. I don’t remember any of the boys wearing anything close to a work boot.”

“So it may come in handy collecting the shoes, after all.”

He didn’t argue.

“We did find some animal tracks up on the ridge. Rain made a mess of them. Could be a cougar. Maybe a coyote or large dog. Hard to tell.”

“You’re kidding?”

“Hank said there were a few sightings of a cougar reported in the last several weeks. Nothing confirmed. Still, doesn’t add much to the story. None of these kids had injuries that come close to a cat attack.”

“What about Amanda Vicks’s arm?”

“That didn’t look like an animal bite to me. I think we got a photo of it if you wanna take a look.” He glanced over at her. “What’s this all about?”

“Dawson Hayes said this morning that a wolflike animal came at him.”

“Really?”

“Did you find any tracks down in the campsite area?”

“Not a one.”

“Anything that could have produced a light show?”

He shook his head. Glanced at her again but this time it looked as if he was trying to decide how to say what he wanted to say.

“I have to tell you, I think some of those kids were stoned last night.

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