Page 52 of Fatal Mistake
“Sorry,” he replied. “Rules of evidence prevent me from allowing you anywhere near potential evidence before I’ve had a look myself.”
“So you want me to sit down and wait.”
He shook his head. Gone were his smiles and easygoing laughter. “I want you on alert and ready to flee if needed.”
He and Rick shared a look as they raised their weapons. Cal a handgun, Rick his submachine gun. He planted the stock on his shoulder and scanned the area. Tara had no problem imagining him in his former role as a marine sniper, but his caution made her want to bolt in the other direction.
“You think Oren is here? Now?” Tara tried to keep the anxiety from her voice, but failed.
“Can’t be too careful.” Rick’s tone mirrored Cal’s.
They set off together. Rick was as light-footed as Cal, and he continued to prove his serious nature, smiling even less than Cal. Tara had seen another side to Rick, though. He was a compassionate man who wanted to help others, much like Cal. Like the whole team.
“Over here.” Cal jerked his phone from his belt clip and snapped pictures of the ground.
Rick stood at attention, his gun and gaze continually sweeping over the area. She respected his discipline, which kept him from changing his focus to check out the lead Cal had located. She didn’t possess the same discipline and warred with thoughts of racing over to Cal, where he now squatted in the ferns abutting the path. He dug latex gloves from his pack and snapped them on. He moved foliage aside, then jumped to his feet and shot a look at the tree line. He pointed at an area nearer to her.
“There.” He strode up the path.
Rick followed right on Cal’s heels, swinging his weapon in arcs, his posture and intense focus frightening Tara. Cal rushed to the tree and began shimmying up the trunk.
Amazed at the body strength that allowed him to move without much leverage, she couldn’t pull her eyes away, but her thoughts went back to yesterday when the climb involved a hail of bullets.
She had to know if they were in danger. “What did you find by the path?”
“A rifle,” Cal replied, but didn’t stop his climb.
“Make?” Rick asked, for the first time showing interest in Cal’s discovery.
“Remington 798.”
“It’s chambered for a .30-06, too.”
They were talking about the caliber of bullets, but she didn’t know the importance of this particular caliber. “Which means what exactly?”
Rick glanced at her. “The bullet we believe set off the bomb is a .30-06.”
“So this could be the rifle, then.” She paused to process the news and looked up at Cal. “But why climb the tree?”
“I wanted to check the firing angle to be sure.” He peered down at her. “There’s blood up here. Likely Keeler’s.”
Rick glanced around the area. “Nothing on the ground, so I doubt it’s a serious wound, and he wouldn’t have sought medical attention. We should still follow up with local medical facilities. Even if we strike out, at the very least, the blood could provide a physical connection to Keeler’s role in detonating the bomb.”
“Wouldn’t there also be fingerprints on the rifle?” Tara asked.
“Could be, if he didn’t wear gloves, but the blood will also place him in the right position to have fired at the truck.”
Thunder rumbled from above, a rare phenomenon in this part of the country. Tara’s attention went to the angry clouds rolling over each other as if trying to fight for space.
“Get back to the bomb site, Rick.” A thread of urgency wove through Cal’s voice. “Lead Brynn out here to preserve the evidence before it rains.”
Tara opened her mouth to remind Rick of the paths they’d taken to reach this location, but then it hit her that he, like Cal, would know their exact steps and could retrace them without any help, so she turned her attention back to Cal. He’d gotten out his camera and snapped pictures of a branch.
“Tara, can you locate our exact GPS coordinates on my device and mark it?” he asked without looking at her. “Then go to the area where I found the rifle and do the same thing?”
“Sure.” Not technically inclined, she hoped she could pull it off.
“Don’t step off the path by the rifle or you risk contaminating the area but get as close as you can.”
