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panicked, afraid he’d be blamed. We’ll know more when we get the report back from the DCI.”
    “But you did see a probable cause of death.”
    Michael turned and leaned against the porch rail, his thumbs hooked in his front jeans pockets. “Possible, not definite. But I wouldn’t get my hopes up too high, because a lot of cold cases are never solved. If the bones belong to some drifter, perhaps a missing persons report was never filed.”
    She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, imagining what might have happened on this property—the terror and pain. Had there been a desperate fight for survival, or had the victim been caught unaware? “Would you have just a ballpark estimate on when it happened? I keep wondering if his killer could still be on the loose around here.”
    Michael hesitated. “From items found at the site, we know it didn’t happen before 1990, but the DCI will have more definitive answers later.”
    Janna’s breath caught in her throat as she thought back. She’d been sixteen that year. Throughout high school she and her sisters had ridden in this area often, to move cattle to summer range or for impromptu picnics with the Langley girls from the neighboring ranch. If she and the others had come by at the wrong moment and had seen too much…
    “…but don’t talk about anything you’ve seen or heard regarding this case—not even with your family,” Michael continued. “No sense in letting word spread and alerting any possible suspects, right?”
    She pulled her thoughts back to the present. “No. Of course not. Did you find any signs of the man I saw on our property?”
    Michael shook his head. “The rain probably helped cover his tracks. You couldn’t see any identifying features?”
    “Not even what he was wearing, really—given the distance. It just looked like he was wearing a dark hooded jacket of some kind.” Janna pensively gnawed at her lower lip. “But maybe he was a hiker who happened to be in the area. Just a coincidence, maybe.”
    “Perhaps.”
    But a coincidence didn’t seem likely, and given the look in Michael’s eyes, he felt the same way. “So what’s next?”
    “We’ll eventually get a DCI report on the victim, and they’ll also be testing the stains on the floor in Cabin Ten for DNA. In the meantime, I’ll be looking into old missing-persons reports and unsolved crimes in the area.” He glanced at his watch. “Speaking of that, I’d better get going. The dispatcher called me a few minutes ago about some break-ins on the other side of the county. Will you all be okay?”
    “Actually…I need to go to town for my mother’s prescriptions, and I have an appointment with my lawyer. Is it okay if we leave?”
    “Everything’s under control here. If we have any further questions, they can wait until you get back.” He started for the door, then hesitated. “Just be careful, okay? If the killer is still in the area, he isn’t going to be happy about this discovery.”

     
    All the way to town, Janna was lost in thought. Until now, she’d seen only the “civilian” side of Michael.
    The moment he arrived after her 911 call, he’d seemed like a different man. His professional persona with his officers and their obvious respect for him had instantly piqued her curiosity. What could have brought a man like him to this small, backwater town, when he was obviously so adept at his career?
    Janna pulled into a parking space in front of the only drugstore in town. She rested her head briefly on the top curve of the steering wheel, the enormity and horror of the day’s events settling over her like a damp, suffocating blanket.
    Before moving here, she’d expected hard work and an ongoing struggle to bring the lodge back to life. She hadn’t expected a death, investigators and possible danger.
    As she stepped out of the truck, she felt the hairs at the back of her neck prickle. She stopped. Looked around.
    A middle-aged cowboy leaned against the