Page 27 of Solid as Steele
He came to a stop in front of them. “Sheriff Sterling Wheeler. Who called this in?”
Ryan stepped forward. “I did.”
Wheeler fixed his steely blue eyes on Ryan. “And you are?”
“Ryan Maddox, guide for Mackenzie Steele and Owen, whose last name is unknown.” Ryan shared the story of why they were there and Owen’s memory loss.
That earned Owen a long look and raised eyebrow from the sheriff. “Now isn’t that something.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “You all touch anything back there?”
“No. We know better than that.” Mackenzie took a few steps closer. “I’m a former OSP detective in the investigations division, and Ryan served as a deputy in Emerson County.”
“Well, I’ll be.” Wheeler sounded like a slow-going good old boy, but his sharp gaze told Owen something else. “Good you didn’t disturb anything. After Deputy Dahl here gets the scene cordoned off, he’ll take your statements and you can be on your way.”
Translated—sit back and wait until we say you can go and don’t interfere.
“We don’t mean to step on your toes.” Mackenzie smiled. “But I wanted to make one suggestion.”
Wheeler looked put out. “One’s all I have time for.”
“With the state of the victim, I know you’ll have to call in a forensic anthropologist to recover the body.”
“And?”
“Might I recommend Dr. Dunbar at the Veritas Center in Portland?”
His forehead creased. “That frou-frou place where they charge my entire year’s budget to step into the lobby?”
Mackenzie stiffened at the comment but quickly recovered. “They often do work pro bono, and I have a connection to the partners. I’m sure they’d agree to do it for free, and they could get here far faster than the state expert.”
“Far’s I know, sixty-five miles an hour on I-84 is sixty-five miles an hour for anyone. Even a specialist who charges premium fees.” He gave a snide grin. “Unless you want to tell me they’ll be breaking the law, and in that case, I’ll be waiting for them.”
“They have access to a helicopter.”
“Right. Of course they do.”
“Dr. Dunbar can also bring a trace evidence expert with her to process the scene.”
He arched an eyebrow. “What’s in this for you? Or are you hoping to cut me out of the loop?”
She shook her head. “You’ll sign a contract with them. Unless you authorize someone other than yourself to receive reports, you’ll be the only one who will receive the info.”
“You don’t say? A contract.” He tapped his chin with his wide index finger. “The state folks are notoriously behind. I don’t have the budget to station someone out here round the clock until those remains are recovered.”
“We have a SAT phone, and I can call Dr. Dunbar right now. Maybe have her here in a few hours.”
He nodded. “Go ahead then.”
Mackenzie didn’t waste time. She raced to Ryan’s pack by the fire. She glanced at her cell phone first, then tapped a number into the SAT phone.
Wheeler turned his attention to Owen. “So no memory at all, huh?”
“The name Owen seems familiar and right. I also remembered the attack yesterday.” He described the assault and the vehicle that had come upon them last night. “I’d like to file an official report so you can investigate that too.”
“I’ll have my deputy take your information, but don’t hold out much hope. Got a Polaris dealership nearby. Means lots of Polaris UTVs in the area, so that’s not likely going to be a big help.”
Owen figured as much, but he still needed to report what had happened.
He heard Mackenzie say goodbye, and she hurried back to them. “Kelsey—Dr. Dunbar—agreed. She’ll arrange the helicopter and be here as soon as possible.”
