The Guardian Read Online Free PDF Page B

yet,” Bergman said.
    â€œThere’s got to be parts of the body around here…somewhere.” Joe glanced at the dogs and shrugged. “And what’s up with the damn dogs? They’ve gone loco. We’re going to have to bring in some more teams.”
    Yeah, canines that couldn’t smell death and fear and something that frightened them to the point of madness. Fala looked down at the blood and another chill crawled down her neck. Then she felt Winter’s gaze on her. When she looked at him, he quickly glanced at Joe. He knew something he wasn’t saying.
    Winter said, “The body could have been taken from the scene.”
    Bergman gulped and said, “Or consumed.”
    â€œOne hungry creature,” she said.
    Joe asked, “What kind of animal would eat a whole body?”
    Bergman sneered, his usual expression while he thought. “Don’t know of any animal that eats flesh and bone in one sitting. Even lions and bears leave carcasses.”
    Fala felt the predator’s aura pricking her senses, and it caused another tremor to go through her. “What about tracks?”
    Bergman shook his head. “None found. That’s one of the weird things, too. There should be tracks, especially with this much blood.”
    Fala knew only some supernatural beings left tracks in the physical world. She had a feeling the only track this killer had left was the energy crawling down her skin as she said, “We’ll need surveillance tapes of the park entries and exits. I want men questioning every regular night jogger.”
    Joe added, “And we need background on the vic—”
    â€œI have all the information on Ms. Sanecki’s friends and contacts in the area,” interrupted Winter. “Her family lives in Cincinnati and I have an agent on the way. I also have her BlackBerry, her itinerary for the past two days and a log of phone calls from her apartment. And I’ve requested her cell phone records.”
    Fala looked askance at him. “Couldn’t get her shoe size yet?”
    â€œJudging from what I saw, I’d say size eight.” He pointed to the jogging shoes.
    Fala cursed herself for the easy set-up. Without turning toward the shoes, she said, “Asics Gel 500s, actually. She must have been a pronator.”
    Joe’s cell phone rang to the tune of Brahms’s Lullaby. “Sì.” His expression darkened, his nose twitching. He slapped the phone closed and said, “All animals are accounted for at the zoo.” Before he could put his phone away it rang again. He answered, his expression quickly growing in concern. “What? Mannie, that you? Speak up!”
    Fala could tell by the panic in his eyes that something was horribly wrong. Mannie, Joe’s cousin, had just joined the force. Unlucky guy had drawn the graveyard shift.
    In the bright halogen lights set up around the scene, Joe’s face turned pale. He slapped the phone shut, his eyes haunted. “What’s wrong?”
    â€œSomething’s going down at the station. I could barely hear Mannie.”
    â€œWhat did he say?”
    â€œHe asked for a priest.”
    Fala turned to Winter. She hesitated but had no choice. “Can you handle the scene alone for a while?”
    â€œOf course.” He looked offended she’d asked such a question.
    â€œLet’s go.” She ran behind Joe toward his car, feeling Winter’s gaze piercing her back.
    â€œI hope everything’s okay,” Winter called to them.
    A silken undertone of sincerity stirred beneath Winter’s words and caused her to turn and look at him.But his eyes said something entirely different. On the surface they glistened like pearls in a crystal glass, but deeper the transparency turned opaque, indistinct, obscuring what? A hidden agenda? Yes, she’d learn what it was.
    Before she jumped in the car with Joe, the moon caught her attention. It wore the same