Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 126823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 634(@200wpm)___ 507(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 634(@200wpm)___ 507(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
“Felicity told me the triplets did everything together,” Shabina explained. “She didn’t just imply they were inseparable, she stated it. They went to the same schools, and they had the same hobbies. They were always together until Emilio came along.”
“That doesn’t mean they know how to hike or climb,” Stella said. “Those are specific hobbies. I thought maybe Emilio got Freda into hiking and climbing, and that was part of the reason Felicity and Eve felt left out.”
“They hired Miguel to help them learn to climb,” Vienna pointed out.
“True,” Shabina conceded, “but that doesn’t mean they don’t know what they’re doing. It only means they’re clever. They used the term highball when talking to Theresa and the others about a certain boulder. Most people would think in terms of drinks, not climbing, when someone drops the word highball. Theresa sounded as if Felicity and Eve explained what a highball is and did so thoroughly enough that the women were aware they couldn’t boulder that rock.”
“The two women could have had Miguel explain it to them,” Vienna said. “I just can’t see them doing this. It makes no sense. They’d both have to be a little insane.”
“Let’s, just for the sake of argument,” Raine said, “put them as our number one suspects. What motive could they have? Why would they go on a killing spree a year after their sister died?”
“Preparation. Thinking of a plan from every aspect,” Harlow said. “If we’re going there, the two of them are intelligent and personable. They get people to talk to them.”
“We know Felicity is a hacker. She tried hacking Raine’s computer,” Shabina said.
Raine nodded. “She tried, and then she apologized and made the whole thing into a prank. One hacker to another to see who could come out on top.”
Zahra rolled her eyes. “Are you kidding? She just came out and admitted she tried to hack you?”
“She realized her computer was being fed viruses as well as being tracked. It was in her best interests to confess,” Raine said. “You don’t get to attempt to break into classified documents without repercussions. Felicity knew as soon as she triggered the alarm that she would have to do something to get herself out of trouble.”
“So you think they’re that methodical?” Stella asked. “That these murders were premeditated, and they chose each of their victims ahead of time?”
“I think it’s a possibility,” Shabina said. “No one would suspect them. They could have met Deacon on the trail, one in front of him, holding his attention, pretending to be lost, while the other one bashed him in the head with a rock. It wouldn’t have been difficult to lure Lucca off trail when he was searching for bodies. Like I said, they’re personable. They seem to know everyone and make it their business to do just that. If one of them came off of a trail and told Lucca they were lost, he would believe them. They presented themselves to the community as newcomers to the hiking and climbing world. Lucca had a reputation for taking care of others. He was conducting a search and rescue mission. He would listen to the tale of woe and not hear the other one coming up behind him swinging the rock at his head.”
“What about the ritual?” Zahra asked. “The strange altar with feathers and rocks and sticks on it? Flowers from here and Saudi Arabia. What would that represent to them?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it?” Raine asked. “I’ve acquired several photographs of the altar. The FBI asked if I would help analyze the data, so no, I didn’t hack my way into the case. We want the chain of evidence to be as pure as it can be.”
“What is your take on the items on the altar, Shabina? You’ve seen quite a few rituals. Does this feel like a familiar one?”
Shabina shook her head as she studied the photographs. “No two altars are exactly the same. The murderer chose items they found nearby, or in the case of the things from Saudi Arabia, I doubt they even knew they were from a different country. They found a box and used the items discovered inside.”
“The two men from Algeria said they thought Shabina was coming up the trail,” Raine reminded them. “That would mean they heard a female voice.”
“If it is Felicity and Eve, what’s with this ritual and the altar?” Harlow asked. “Is it real? Did you look up rituals to see if they match anything, Raine?”
“I did. I put the various items on the altar into a search engine with as many details as possible. There are a few similar but no exact matches. I searched religions, cults, countries. The computer is still searching, but I believe the murderer or murderers came up with their own ritual.”
Shabina had been studying the photographs of the crime scenes, the ones Raine had on her computer. “What would be the point of a fake ritual?”