Chapter 2

PD was ready to go by the time the first rays of the sun reached the mountain tops. She heard Cal in the shower as she warmed up the rest of the hobo hash for breakfast.

She had showered, dried her hair and put it into a ponytail, got dressed in jeans, an old sweatshirt, heavy cotton socks, zip up boots, and a heavy uniform jacket with her badge over her heart. She checked her service automatic and a small handgun she had clipped to her back. She carried extra ammo on a heavy leather belt and some in her back pack. In the pack were also some canned goods for three days, six cokes, six Snickers bars, and a change of clothes. It weighed close to forty pounds which was the usual weight when she went out to track. Being at the scene so late, she didn't expect to find much.

"Good morning," Cal said cheerfully as he clomped down the stairs.

"Good morning," PD replied with a warm smile. She dished out their breakfast, poured him some coffee and popped a can of coke for herself.

"Ready for a hike of futility?" he asked. "Hey this is better than last night." He referred to the meal.

"Thanks!" she drank down about a third of the can. "Do you have all your gear together?"

"Yep, even brought the most important thing we'll need."

"OH! And what is that?"

"A roll of toilet paper."

"My hero," she clasped her hands, placed them over her heart and fluttered her eyes.

"You never know when you have to go behind a tree and drop your drawers," he joked.

"If bears can shit in the woods, why can't we?"

"Right!"

They drove up a frontage road until it ended. Only fifty feet below them was the main highway. Cal checked in and told them either or both of them would have their portable radios on. He handed PD a GPS and made sure his was in working order.

They tied on a sleeping bag at the bottom of their packs and set off.

Surprisingly PD kept up with Cal as they climbed the steep mountain terrain. Both kept their .30 rifles at the ready though they did not expect anything to happen. Both took long deep even breaths and saw the steam coming from their mouths. PD watch Cal's footsteps which caused her not to think of the heights they were headed. She wanted to turn her baseball cap around but the ponytail sticking out of the back prevented her.

It took them an hour before they reached a plateau. It was there that they stopped to rest. PD found a boulder and sat down. Her legs were tired but the rest of her felt okay. The jogging she did in the past had done some good. She reminded herself to start it up again.

"I've got to take a leak," Cal headed for a large tree.

"While you're at it, take one for me," PD smiled.

Cal laughed.

PD looked around her and saw a branch of a bush had been broken. She got up to take a look. It wasn't recent. The break was dry meaning that whoever or whatever did it, was long gone. She spotted some hairs and picked one up to examine. Definitely a bear. Most likely a grizzly.

"You've got a grizzly around here," she showed him a few strand's of hair.

"There are loads of them," he replied. "Usually they scamper if they get a sniff of us. If not, you're in a load of shit."

"Remember what I told you," PD repeated. "Aim for their eye. There's very little between the eye and the brain."

"That's if you can get a shot at their eye," he retorted.

She took out her canteen and took a drink of water. Cal did the same.

"Ready?" he asked as they put their canteens away.

"Ready! How far from here?"

"Another hour or so."

"Lead on, sheriff," she smiled.

He grinned back and they started straight up again. Cal looked at his GPS and was glad to see they were going right to the murder scene.

"Sheriff," came Alan's voice.

"What's up, Alan?"

"A semi tipped over just east of town. He spilled his entire load of bananas. It was one of them banana reefers."

"Well, get out there and take charge. That's why you're getting paid."

"Who's going to watch the office?"

"Patch all incoming calls to your radio. Answer them as priority dictates. You know the drill."

"Yes sir."

"Too bad we don't have a bunch of chimpanzees, they'd clean the area in no time," Cal said to PD.

"That'd help," she chuckled.

At the scene everything looked pristine. The killings took place three weeks back and the police had been back and forth several times. Still, PD looked around. It looked like a great job. She felt a drop hit her nose. Staring up, another struck her face.

"Rain," she announced.

"Damn, the weather guy said it was going to be sunny all day."

"Look at the clouds, looks like a big one coming. You dig the trench and I'll gather some brush to build a lean to," PD ordered.

"Okay," he said, reaching for a small shovel in his pack. PD went searching for the brush. She drew her sharp knife just in case she had to cut some. Something shiny caught her eye as she picked up a shrub. It was a garnet ear ring. Only one. She put it away in her pocket and continued to get more brush. It was a steady drizzle by the time she returned. Cal had a few pieces in place. With hers, they built a pretty large one to protect them from the elements.

"Look at what I found," PD showed Cal once they were settled in the shelter.

"The missing ear ring," he studied it. "One of Sylvia's ears were torn at the lobe. I guess when the killer who brutalized her, one of them flew off. We had dozens of people search this area. Where did you find it?"

"In the grass after I picked up one of the shrubs," she reached in and pulled a coke out of her pack. That's a semi precious stone. It doesn't cost a fortune but it isn't cheap either."

"Maybe we should go over this place again," Cal wondered aloud. Maybe our forensics gal Susan Green can find something in this."

"This isn't a clue, it's a piece that was overlooked. If the guy who did this took the other ear ring, then it would be something big."