Bree rolled the man onto his back and gasped. His face was destroyed, pulverized into a mess of broken bone and ragged flesh.
She jerked backward, then exhaled. “It takes a lot to surprise me.”
Water soaked through her gloves and chilled her hands for two shallow breaths. There would be no euphoric feeling of saving a life today.
“I’ll bet.” Matt rocked back on his heels. He was an impressive figure. Snow dotted his short, reddish-brown beard. A broad-shouldered six foot three, with a corpse at his feet, he looked like a Viking warrior on a winter battlefield.
Wind whipped across the lake, empty, frozen, and desolate. Bree glanced down at the brutalized body, and a feeling of foreboding passed through her. The case was going to be freaky. She could feel it in her bones. She had two handguns strapped to her person, but she was still glad to have Matt by her side.
A few yards away, Brody whined.
Bree shook off her initial shock. There was no need to take the victim’s pulse. No one could survive the injuries to his face and head. His brain was visible in several places.
Shivering, she leaned forward to inspect the corpse’s hands. Some aquatic creatures had been nibbling on his fingers. “I shouldn’t have disturbed the body. He’s been in the water too long.”
“No way to know that until we pulled him out and turned him over.”
“True.”
“The body looks young,” Matt said. “Possibly older teen or twentysomething.”
“Yes,” Bree agreed. The corpse was lean in a way that suggested youth. The victim’s hair was shorn close to the scalp but was too wet for her to determine color. Mud smeared the skin. Plant matter and other lake debris clung to the body. “Could it be the university student you’re looking for?”
“I hope not.” But Matt’s jaw was clenched and his eyes grim. He didn’t want this to be Eli.
“I’ll call the lead detective,” Bree said. “And let him know we have a body the approximate age of the missing man.”
Other than the damage to this man’s face, the corpse wasn’t in bad shape. Cold water had delayed decomposition. A body on land for one week resembled one that had been in the water for two.
Bree stared down at the ruined face. The body had been freshly pulled from the lake, and the victim’s wounds were oddly bloodless. “His whole face is bashed in. I can’t imagine any accidental way that could have happened.”
“Me neither. Nor do I see any other obviously fatal injuries.” Matt exhaled hard. “It would take some serious rage to do that to another human being.”
“It would.” Bree stepped back. “I’ll call the medical examiner.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket. “I’ll get you and Brody a ride back to the cabin too.” She and Matt retreated back onto the frozen lake. She reported the death to the ME’s office, then called Todd and gave him the news. “We’ll need a forensics team over at the boat ramp.” Then she glanced at Brody. The dog looked sad. “I also need a car for Matt and Brody. The parking area is part of the crime scene. Don’t let anyone drive over the existing tire tracks.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Todd ended the call.
Bree turned to Matt. “How is he?” She motioned toward the dog. Brody had stretched out on the snow, resting as if he knew his job was done.
Matt’s jaw tightened. “I’ll take him to the vet today. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious.”
Bree wished Brody didn’t freak her out. Her brain knew he wouldn’t hurt her, but she was conditioned to fear him.
A few minutes later, a sheriff’s department cruiser drove up from the opposite direction, stopping short of the parking area.
Bree gestured toward the vehicle. “The deputy will take you back to your vehicle. Thanks for your help, Matt.”
“It was all Brody, but you’re welcome.” Matt called the dog, who rose painfully to his feet.
She watched Brody limp to the patrol car and gingerly climb into the back. Worry for the big dog tugged at her.
Matt climbed into the passenger seat, and they drove away. She instantly wished he could have stayed. Not that she couldn’t handle being alone with a dead body. That was hardly a first for her. But she missed having a dependable partner, and Matt was solid.
Another sheriff’s department cruiser appeared on the road above the parking lot. Her chief deputy climbed out and approached Bree. He avoided stepping on the tire tracks leading to and away from the boat ramp area.
Bree turned back toward the body. Todd fell into step beside her.
She retraced her own path back to the bank. “Try to stay on the tracks Matt and I left so we disturb the scene as little as possible.”
“Holy . . .” Todd stopped cold. “What the hell happened to him?”
Bree shook her head. “Best not to make assumptions this early in the investigation. Let’s wait for the ME.”
“Is he the shooter?”
“Too early to say. We’ll have to wait for the ME to ID the body and give us a time of death. I need you to secure the scene. Include the tire tracks and footprints in the parking area. Direct responding vehicles to park on the south side of the access road. Set up an area for the press. When in doubt, add distance to the crime scene perimeter. You can always make the area smaller. Harder to go back and expand it later.”
Todd took a small notepad from his pocket and wrote in it. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Let’s get a forensic team down here.” Bree pointed to a set of tire tracks. “These tire imprints look good enough to cast. Some of the footprints here are clearer than they were back at the cabin, maybe clear enough to get an impression. Get someone on that.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Assign a deputy to start a crime scene log ASAP. I’m going to need you.”
Todd hurried back to his car. While he secured the scene, Bree called the SFPD and asked for Detective Dane. The desk sergeant put her through to the detective’s voice mail, and Bree left a brief message.
She turned back to the body.
Could this be the shooter? If so, how did he end up in the lake? She scanned its frozen surface for a place where he could have gone through the ice but didn’t see a hole. A human body was slightly heavier than fresh water. Bodies sank, and a lake wouldn’t have much of a current. Drowning victims were typically found close to the place they went under. Where and when had this victim gone into the water? What had happened to his face?
Bree surveyed the area. Even if they’d found the shooter, they were still missing the victim.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Two hours later, Bree watched the forensics tech shake a can of spray paint and crouch over a shoe print next to the vehicle tracks. He’d set a camera up on a tripod over the shoe print. Now he sprayed the print lightly with gray paint to create enough contrast and show the tread.
Shoe prints in snow, white on white, were difficult to photograph. The spray paint would also help prevent the casting material from running between the crystals of snow.
The tech snapped a photo. Then he added a scale, a black L-shaped ruler, pushing it into the snow until it was level with the shoe print. He snapped another picture using the ruler to show the size of the print.