Difficult Run (2 page)

CHAPTER THREE

T
HE THREE OF THEM knelt down by the first body.
 
The boy’s neck was badly bruised and there were abrasion marks on his chin and cheeks, most likely from the strap on the helmet.
 
They moved to the second body and found the same bruises and abrasions.
 
The two trail bikes didn’t show any signs of damage.

“It looks like whoever did this jumped the first rider, broke his neck and then took out the other one the same way,” Zerk said. “The bikes just continued moving without the riders.”

“Whoever it was would have to be really fast to kill them both,” Jake said.
 
“It looks like the boys might have been trying to get away and got pulled off their bikes from behind.”

“Either the killer was really fast or there was more than one,” M.J. said. “Get us some good pictures, Zerk.”

“Will do,” Zerk said.
 
“From the look of things, that may be about all we have in terms of evidence.
 
I’ll take the helmets and bikes back to the lab but I’ll be surprised if there are any usable prints.”

Zerk led them back up the trail from the crime scene and they rejoined the others.
 
M.J. approached the park ranger, who held out his hand.
 
“I’m the site manager for the park,” he said. “My name is Randall McMillan, but call me Dodd.
 
Most people do.”

“What do you think happened here, Dodd?” she asked.

“Well, it looks like these kids came into the park after dark.
 
We close the main gate then, but you can still get in through Difficult Run.
 
Bikers aren’t allowed on a lot of the trails in the park, so they come in at night this way and go up into the main part of the park.
 
I’d guess they were coming back down off the Ridge Trail and whoever killed them was down here at the bottom on Difficult Run,” he said.

“Is there any way out of here other than the trail from the parking lot?” M.J. asked.

“Well, they could have gone up the Ridge Trail and cut through the forest to the main entrance road or doubled back to the parking lot for Difficult Run,” Dodd said.

“Can you check with your folks to see if anyone has come through the entrance gate or been in the main part of the park this morning?” she asked.

“I’ll check, but the main park has been closed for two days due to the high water and there wouldn’t be any way for someone to get in or out of there on foot,” he said, adding, “We can’t even get to our offices in the Visitor Center.”

“If the park is under water, how were these boys able to ride their bikes on the trails?” she asked.

“Well, they could ride the Ridge Trail and the trails on this end toward Difficult Run because it doesn’t usually flood during high water.
 
You see, the basin below the falls is like the mouth on a funnel and Mather Gorge downstream is like the stem.
 
The water backs up at the entrance to the gorge and comes over the cliffs around the basin and into the main part of the park,” he said, putting his hands together like a funnel.

“How about the river?” M.J. asked.

“The river is so dangerous right now that even kayakers would get sucked under if they hit a rock and a swimmer would have no chance at all,” he said.

“Then whoever did this may still be in the park,” she said.

“Sure could be.
 
There’s lots of places to hide,” he replied.

“Please ask your folks to keep an eye out and let us know right away if they see anybody,” M.J. said and started walking up the trail toward the parking lot.
 
She stopped to talk to the three uniformed Park Police officers, all of whom she knew from her days with the Patrol Branch.

“One of you needs to stay here to secure the trail while Zerk does his job.
 
We could probably get by with one of you in the parking lot to secure the area where the victims’ car is parked and the other can go back on patrol duty,” she said and added, with a perceptible smile on her face, “I know how much you love patrolling the GW, so you can draw straws to see who does what.”

The pilot of Eagle One came on her handheld radio.
 
It was circling over the park but had limited visibility, even with its infrared camera.
 
“We’ll stay on station until the fog lifts and then we should be able to get a better look,” the pilot said.

M.J. and Jake made their way back to the parking lot and found Officer Crocker from the Fairfax County Police.

“We think the murderer or murderers may have escaped on foot,” M.J. said to Crocker.

“We’ve got cars patrolling all of the perimeter roads,” Crocker responded.
 
“I’ll let them know that our suspects may be on foot.”

“We’re going to leave one of our guys down the trail to help secure the area.
 
There are two others coming back here and one of them can take care of the area around the car,” M.J. said.

“Well, we’ve got to control the entrance to this parking lot anyway, since it’s Fairfax County property, so we could probably keep an eye on the car too,” Crocker replied.

“We’ll leave our guy, just to help out,” she said. “Also, if you could notify the families, it would be a big help.
 
Probably a good idea to be sketchy on the details right now, though.
 
Maybe tell them the boys were killed in a biking accident.
 
We’ll be talking to them later and can fill in some details, but I want to wait until we have some more information.
 
Same thing goes for the press,” she added.

“What about the Medical Examiner?” Crocker asked.

“Let’s wait until our technician finishes before we call the M.E.
 
He shouldn’t be much longer,” M.J. responded.

“Got it,” Crocker replied.
 
“By the way, one of our cars picked up some coffee and doughnuts.
 
They’re sitting on the hood of my car over there.
 
Help yourself.”

“Thanks,” M.J. said. “I’ll let my partner know.”

While M.J. was talking to Crocker, Jake had been interviewing the woman who had discovered the bodies.
 
Her name was Mary Stevens and she appeared to be in her mid-fifties, with short graying hair, an intelligent-looking face and an air of self-assurance.
 
She was sitting in her car with her dog Rambles, a yellow Labrador retriever who did not appear to have missed many meals.

“Rambles and I walk Difficult Run every morning just after sunrise,” she said.
 
“There was fog on some parts of the trail when we started, but we know it so well that it seemed safe to go ahead.
 
We usually go all the way down to the river, but right after we rounded the bend about halfway there, Rambles started growling and wouldn’t go any farther.
 
I could see two lights shining up in the air on down the trail and thought somebody might be in trouble.
 
I called out, but nobody answered.

“Well, I couldn’t get Rambles to move, even when I put on his leash and tugged.
 
I finally just tied him to a tree and started on down the trail by myself.
 
When I got close to where the lights were shining, I took out a little flashlight that I carry on my belt so I could get a better look.
 
That’s when I saw those two boys on the ground.

“I knew they were dead.
 
They weren’t moving and had horrible expressions on their faces.
 
I’ll never forget those expressions.
 
I just hurried back up the trail, got Rambles and headed to my car as fast as I could.
 
I had left my cell phone there and I called 911 right away.”

“Did you see anyone else on the trail or in the parking lot?” Jake asked.

“Not a soul,” she replied.

“Did you ever find out what was bothering Rambles?” Jake asked.

“I think he just sensed that those dead boys were down there and got spooked.
 
Dogs are funny that way, you know,” she said.
 
“What happened to them, anyway?
 
An accident of some sort?”

“We’re still investigating it, but thanks for your help.
 
I’ve got your phone number and we may be back in touch if we have any questions,” Jake replied as he reached into the car and gave Rambles a pat on the head. “Good boy,” he said.

M.J. was over by the boys’ car and Jake joined her there. They ducked under the crime scene tape, pulling on latex gloves as they went.
 
M.J. reached out and tried the door handle.
 
“Locked, of course,” she said.
 
“The keys are probably in one of the boy’s pockets.
 
Let’s wait and see if Zerk has them.”

The car, an older model Toyota, was blocked from view from the road by the trees.
 
Judging from the beer cans and condoms littering the area, it appeared to be a popular parking place for teenagers.

Jake filled her in on his conversation with Mary Stevens.

“We can’t do much more until Zerk is finished,” M.J. said. “The Fairfax County guys got some coffee and doughnuts,” she added, pointing toward Crocker’s patrol car.
 
“Go ahead and get some.
 
I’ll be over in a minute.”

M.J. walked around the parking lot imagining the sequence of events:
 
The boys would have arrived, unloaded their bikes from the rack, rested them against the car, put on their helmets and started for the trail.
 
Was there anyone else in the lot?
 
Did they talk to them?
 
Perhaps there were other trail bikers looking to enter Great Falls Park after hours.
 
If so, was it someone they knew or a stranger?
 
Mary Stevens said there were no other cars in the lot when she arrived just after sunrise, so anyone else who had been there had probably left before dawn.

She walked over to the patrol car where a group of officers were drinking coffee and munching on doughnuts.
 
Jake was standing off to the side and as she approached he pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, took one out, and lit it.

“I thought you quit,” she said, showing some annoyance.

“I pretty much did, but this seemed like a situation that called for a cigarette,” he replied.

“Every situation is one that calls for a cigarette if you let it be,” she said reprovingly and walked over to get a cup of coffee.

Jake’s smoking was just one of a series of minor irritations that seemed to have recently become more of a problem for her.
 
It also occurred to her that they had been dating seriously for almost two years and that finding fault with him was just a way of justifying her own fear of commitment.

She enjoyed her freedom and had sometimes chafed at Jake’s attempts to make their relationship grow into something more permanent.
 
He had wanted her to move in with him, an idea that she had steadfastly resisted.
 
Although they slept together regularly, it wasn’t the same as living together and she wanted to maintain her own apartment as a refuge and expression of her individuality.
 
He had even brought up the subject of marriage more than once, but she had dismissed it first with “We haven’t known each other long enough” and more recently with “I’m not ready.”

She also had to admit that there were a lot of things that continued to attract her to Jake.
 
First of all, he was very handsome. He was about her height and in very good shape, which was important to her. He kept his dark brown hair reasonably short and had piercing brown eyes that she found quite sexy. He was also very thoughtful and affectionate, almost to a fault.

Her reflections on her personal life were interrupted by a call on her radio.
 
It was Eagle One.
 
The fog had dispersed enough to allow use of its infrared camera.