that had magnificent views of the town below and the ocean in the distance. Alexa ambled toward a low wall that stood at the outer edge of the clearing. The wind buffeted her hair when she moved into the opening, no longer protected by the forest. As she removed her dark glasses and peeked over the edge, she was faced with a sheer drop of about five hundred yards. She pulled back.
The sky up here was harsh and blue and hurt her eyes; there wasn’t a cloud in sight. The Cape of Storms, volatile and beautiful.
She slipped on her glasses and breathed in the musky dampness of the forest floor. She held a deep reverence for forests like these, and she felt the same way about the ocean and mountains and wide, open desert plains of sand or ice. As places of wonder and awe-inspiring beauty, each could just as soon become la veuve noire , a black widow to her unsuspecting lover. Just as any mistreated woman could, she guessed. Gaia, the abused Mother Earth.
“Welcome to Slander’s Peak,” Moolman said.
Alexa turned on her heel. “Slander?”
Eben de Vos placed a palm on the smooth concrete surface of the dam. “When they built the dam, they used to find brightly colored lizards in the area, so they called it Salamander’s Peak. But it was soon shortened to Slander’s Peak in the native dialect.” He turned to face Moolman. “Where did you find her?”
Moolman led them to the edge of the clearing. Several trees had been cut down and stacked one on top of the other in the kind of atavistic funeral pyre you see in the movies. “They found her lying on top of these.”
Alexa kneeled next to the stacked pile of wood, looked at it closely, and scraped something off of the surface of one of the branches. “Drops of wax. Did you find any candles?”
Moolman kicked the ground with the tip of his shoe. “Should I tell you what we found?” he asked tentatively.
“Please do,” Eben said gruffly.
Moolman hesitated for a second and started uncertainly. “She was lying on top, naked, her arms crossed over her breasts.”
Eben nodded.
“We found dead animals in jars hanging in the trees. We also found markers on the ground that led us directly here.”
“Markers?”
“Arrows made from wood, pointing in this direction, every couple of yards or so.”
“So whoever murdered her wanted her body to be found?”
“Maybe they pointed the way to the place where the ritual was going to be performed so that the others could find it easily.”
“But that means that there must have been a crowd. How could someone not have come forward if there were so many eyewitnesses?”
Moolman bent down and picked up a round stone. He rolled it in his hand. “It’s all speculation at this point. We don’t know anything for sure.”
Bruce had busied himself by inspecting the ground around the stacked logs. “Over here,” he called. “Some ashes, still fresh.” He pointed to the ground, drawing a circle with his finger in the dust. “It’s been swept clean, but here’s a track as well.”
They bundled around Bruce and stopped when he gestured for them to stay where they were. He followed the tracks down the side of the mountain and disappeared in the dense undergrowth. A minute later he came jogging up the incline. “They disappear where the ground becomes rocky, but someone was here recently. I suggest we get some people together to search the area.”
Moolman dug out a cell phone from his pocket. “OK, leave that to me.”
Alexa touched Moolman’s arm. “I would like to talk to Alida’s friend, Jake Petzer.”
Moolman looked at her uncertainly then looked back at Eben. “OK, but only if Eben stays here with me. Jake’s dad doesn’t want Eben at his house.”
Alexa glanced back at the big man. “Is that OK?”
He shrugged. “That’s fine. I want to find out who these tracks belong to.”
Moolman pulled out a notebook and scribbled something inside then tore out the page. “Here’s their
The sky up here was harsh and blue and hurt her eyes; there wasn’t a cloud in sight. The Cape of Storms, volatile and beautiful.
She slipped on her glasses and breathed in the musky dampness of the forest floor. She held a deep reverence for forests like these, and she felt the same way about the ocean and mountains and wide, open desert plains of sand or ice. As places of wonder and awe-inspiring beauty, each could just as soon become la veuve noire , a black widow to her unsuspecting lover. Just as any mistreated woman could, she guessed. Gaia, the abused Mother Earth.
“Welcome to Slander’s Peak,” Moolman said.
Alexa turned on her heel. “Slander?”
Eben de Vos placed a palm on the smooth concrete surface of the dam. “When they built the dam, they used to find brightly colored lizards in the area, so they called it Salamander’s Peak. But it was soon shortened to Slander’s Peak in the native dialect.” He turned to face Moolman. “Where did you find her?”
Moolman led them to the edge of the clearing. Several trees had been cut down and stacked one on top of the other in the kind of atavistic funeral pyre you see in the movies. “They found her lying on top of these.”
Alexa kneeled next to the stacked pile of wood, looked at it closely, and scraped something off of the surface of one of the branches. “Drops of wax. Did you find any candles?”
Moolman kicked the ground with the tip of his shoe. “Should I tell you what we found?” he asked tentatively.
“Please do,” Eben said gruffly.
Moolman hesitated for a second and started uncertainly. “She was lying on top, naked, her arms crossed over her breasts.”
Eben nodded.
“We found dead animals in jars hanging in the trees. We also found markers on the ground that led us directly here.”
“Markers?”
“Arrows made from wood, pointing in this direction, every couple of yards or so.”
“So whoever murdered her wanted her body to be found?”
“Maybe they pointed the way to the place where the ritual was going to be performed so that the others could find it easily.”
“But that means that there must have been a crowd. How could someone not have come forward if there were so many eyewitnesses?”
Moolman bent down and picked up a round stone. He rolled it in his hand. “It’s all speculation at this point. We don’t know anything for sure.”
Bruce had busied himself by inspecting the ground around the stacked logs. “Over here,” he called. “Some ashes, still fresh.” He pointed to the ground, drawing a circle with his finger in the dust. “It’s been swept clean, but here’s a track as well.”
They bundled around Bruce and stopped when he gestured for them to stay where they were. He followed the tracks down the side of the mountain and disappeared in the dense undergrowth. A minute later he came jogging up the incline. “They disappear where the ground becomes rocky, but someone was here recently. I suggest we get some people together to search the area.”
Moolman dug out a cell phone from his pocket. “OK, leave that to me.”
Alexa touched Moolman’s arm. “I would like to talk to Alida’s friend, Jake Petzer.”
Moolman looked at her uncertainly then looked back at Eben. “OK, but only if Eben stays here with me. Jake’s dad doesn’t want Eben at his house.”
Alexa glanced back at the big man. “Is that OK?”
He shrugged. “That’s fine. I want to find out who these tracks belong to.”
Moolman pulled out a notebook and scribbled something inside then tore out the page. “Here’s their
Similar Books
