How come no one had missed them?

“How is that possible?” she asked the detectives. An hour at the scene hadn’t answered any of her questions; it’d only raised more. “How can no one miss three women? I can understand one person who possibly moved here from out of state, living as a transient going unidentified, but three?”

“It was a different era,” commented Mason. “I knew there’d been a mass suicide in Forest Park a long time ago, but didn’t know where. This place is gigantic. You can believe we’ll be looking into it again.”

Dr. Campbell stepped up to the group. “I’m done here. It looks like I’ll be seeing these young women again. With the air temperature here I’d estimate it’s been six to eight hours since death, but I’ll have a more accurate window tomorrow after the lab work.”

Her heart ached at the regret on his face. She knew he didn’t like seeing kids on his table.

“What a case to catch near the end of my career,” he added. “I hope to get a clear answer on this one. Soon.”

“I didn’t realize you were retiring, doctor,” Ray said, raising a brow at Mason, who looked stunned.

“I’m looking forward to sleeping in and not getting phone calls in the middle of the night. Or during my dinner.”

Both detectives nodded in grim agreement. “Holidays are also bad,” said Ray.

“I’ll stick around to help transition in the new chief examiner. We’ve narrowed it down to two applicants. Either will be a good chief.”

“You’re not promoting from within?” Mason asked.

“Not this time. I’ve got fine deputy medical examiners, but none of them want the extra responsibility of the position.” Dr. Campbell turned and looked over the young women in the ferns. “This case will stick with me for a while.”

“Detective Callahan,” came a different voice.

The group spun to see the new arrivals in the forest. Another Portland police officer had spoken as he led two men to the scene. One was a man in a dark green uniform with a baseball cap that read RANGER, and the other was a tall civilian in jeans and a heavy jacket. The civilian’s face was in the shadows, but Victoria stiffened at his approach. Something about the way he carried himself set off alarms in her head.

“This is Bud Rollins.” The police officer gestured at the man in the ranger hat. “He’s one of the park rangers and knows this forest inside and out. He’s the first guy we call when we need help in here.”

Mason shook hands with the slender man. “Sorry to get you out of bed.”

“Not a problem. I like to know what’s going on in my woods.”

The weathered ranger spoke with a soft southern accent, making Victoria blink. The sound was a rarity in the Pacific Northwest. His eyes were kind, and she estimated his age to be in his early fifties. He scanned the scene ahead of him and paled. “Dear Lord. One of them lived?”

“So far,” said Mason. “Doesn’t look good for her, though.”

The second man stepped forward and held his hand out to Detective Callahan.

Victoria couldn’t breathe; her gaze locked on the man’s face. Every coherent thought vanished from her brain.

“This is Seth Rutledge,” said Dr. Campbell as he greeted the man. “Glad you could make it. Dr. Rutledge is one of the applicants for my position. I had the office call him to the scene,” Dr. Campbell told Mason as the men shook hands.

Dr. Rutledge met Victoria’s eyes. “Hello, Tori.”

Everyone looked at Victoria.

Victoria pressed her lips together as she held Dr. Rutledge’s gaze, her spine stiff, her hands crammed in her pockets, her ears ringing. “Seth.”

Seth gave a half smile, and the shield around Victoria’s heart started to crack.

“Been a while, Tori.”

Victoria nodded and all ability to speak abandoned her brain.

Victoria couldn’t believe it.

After a decade of silence, Seth Rutledge was standing in front of her with that familiar cryptic smile—the one that never exposed what he was thinking. Suddenly the years were gone, and she felt like she’d just seen him yesterday. When he’d abruptly dumped her for another woman.

Lacey was watching her with an expectant look on her face, indicating she knew something was up and was patiently waiting for an explanation. Victoria wasn’t in the mood to share. Her past belonged to her. She didn’t need sympathy or more questions from anyone. She scanned the group. Lacey wasn’t the only one with the curious look.

“You two know each other?” Dr. Campbell asked.

Trust Dr. Campbell to ask the question on everyone’s mind. Even the two detectives looked interested in their history. Few people had facts on Victoria Peres. She liked it that way.

“We were at Stanford at the same time,” said Seth. “Haven’t really seen much of each other since then.”

Not since one night at a conference in Denver.

Victoria saw the same thought in his eyes.

He still thinks about it, too.

“I didn’t know you were considering the position here,” she heard herself say. How could she have known? She avoided office politics the same way she avoided office socializing. Her dinner with Lacey and Dr. Campbell tonight had been an anomaly. A result of Lacey pressing her and a bit of guilt that her boss was retiring, and she knew she’d be skipping the formal retirement party. A small dinner had seemed logical.