Page 56 of Forever Dark
Arnold nodded at once and lifted the tape for her.“This way.”
They moved along the side of the chapel, boots wetting in the grass.Selena glanced toward the front doors as they passed.
“Are we not going inside?”
Arnold shook his head.“No, ma’am.That’s not where the body was found.”
A shift, then.Brenda in the church tower.This one outside.If the killer could move the staging from one kind of site to another, or adapt, when necessary, that made him harder to anticipate.Patterns mattered.Flexibility on the killer’s part could undo all of that.The thought began to creep up her spine.I’m stuck in Elmsview for the foreseeable.
Arnold cleared his throat as they walked.“So how does someone even get into the FBI?”
Selena kept her eyes ahead.“Same way anyone gets into law enforcement.Training.Work.Patience.”
“You always know you wanted it?”
“No.”
“Oh… What changed?”
“A lot of things.Wanting to see the big bad world, I guess.Make a difference.The usual stuff.Leaving here made it all possible.”That last part just slipped out.
The deputy gave a short, eager nod as if that answer contained some hidden lesson.“I’ve thought about it.About applying.”
“That’s good.”
“You think local experience helps?”
“It doesn’t hurt.You have to be dedicated and have an eye for detail.I’m sure as deputy you’ve picked up plenty of transferable skills.”
That seemed to satisfy him for the moment.The ground dipped behind the chapel, and Connor came into view below them.
He stood at the bottom of the slope with his hat off in both hands.Morning light had not fully reached the hollow yet, leaving the graves in a dull gray wash.A forensic tech in blue protective gear moved a few yards away, taking photographs with a camera that flashed sharp white against the dimness.
Then Selena saw the body.
A woman lay tied to a horizontal gravestone, arms spread and fixed in place.Dark blood had soaked the front of her clothes and blackened the stone beneath her.Even from a distance there was no mistaking the slackness of death.
Connor turned as Arnold and Selena approached.
“Arnold,” he said, voice flat with fatigue, “you’re supposed to be staying out front to stop anyone from the public coming here.”
Arnold stopped short.“Sorry, Sheriff.I thought I’d get to know Agent Raven and say hi.”
Connor looked from him to Selena.“Was he by any chance asking you about joining the FBI?”
Selena said, “We could always use some more good people.”
Arnold’s face lit up like a porch light.“You hear that, Sheriff Chase?”
Connor sighed through his nose.“Don’t encourage him.This week it’s FBI agent.Next week it’ll be tour guide.He changes his life’s calling every seven days.”
Arnold gave an awkward laugh, seemingly uncertain whether he was being mocked.Connor rescued him by jerking his chin toward the chapel.
“Go back up front, Deputy.”
“Yes, sir.”
The deputy trotted off, visibly straighter than before.
