Read The Betrayed (Krewe of Hunters) for Free Online

recognize her, by any chance?” Aidan asked him.
    Van Camp shook his head. “No. And I guess we can’t be a hundred percent sure if this head goes with the body by the vault until...until the M.E. puts her together.”
    The two men scrambled down; the police photographer got into position to take more pictures. Members of the crime scene unit assembled to search for trace evidence.
    Aidan rejoined Purbeck. The man just stared at the display. He shook his head. “You know what our murder rate is around here? Practically zero.”
    “Doesn’t help that we’re close to Halloween,” Voorhaven said.
    That was probably true. There were few places in the country to rival the Sleepy Hollow area for Halloween. It came complete with the rolling hills, brooks, fog and spooky woods that first gave rise to legends and then to the stories written by the first American recognized as a great writer by the European community. So there were a zillion “haunted” venues: haunted houses, haunted hayrides, haunted happenings. Usually, it was an entertaining and commercially successful time—and the merchants were in a frenzy of happiness.
    And the headless horseman reigned supreme.
    “Whoever did this has to be stopped. Fast,” Van Camp said.
    “Van Camp, I need you and Voorhaven to go to the station with Special Agent Mahoney. Get him up to speed on everything. Mahoney, you’re alone on this?” Purbeck asked him, apparently puzzled.
    Aidan hesitated. It wasn’t that he couldn’t be a team player; he usually enjoyed working with others. True, he wasn’t completely familiar or completely comfortable with his new team yet. But he trusted that would happen in time.
    Everyone wanted a trusted coworker at his back.
    Still, he was well aware that he didn’t work like most agents. Sometimes his methods of investigation were...different.
    Just as he’d heard that the agents in the Krewe had what might be considered different methods of investigation.
    His methods worked—and that was why, he assumed, his superiors had decided to make use of him in a way that brought about results.
    “We’ll bring in more people, I’m sure,” Aidan said. “When necessary.”
    “Nice. Seems they give the locals some respect,” Voorhaven muttered sarcastically.
    Aidan looked squarely at the man. “Detective, I’m here because Lieutenant Purbeck called my office. Because, thank God, there aren’t many murders in this area. I was sent because I grew up here. More than that, I grew up here with friends—one of whom was Richard Highsmith. I know how the man thought. I know his habits, his virtues and his weaknesses. I’m not here to step on toes. But I’m going to get whoever murdered my friend.” He realized that, without really thinking about it, he’d made the decision to disclose his relationship with Richard to these policemen, even though he hadn’t yet told Jackson Crow.
    Voorhaven stared at him awkwardly. “I, uh, I’m sorry. By all accounts, Highsmith was a really good man.”
    Aidan nodded. “Yeah.” He looked at the headless horseman effigy—with its head. “And now we have a Jane Doe and she might have been a good person, too, and if not...well, she’s still entitled to the very best law enforcement can give her. So, I’m willing to do anything it takes to get to the bottom of this.”
    “Of course,” Voorhaven said.
    “The kid just got his shield a year ago,” Van Camp told Aidan. “He’ll learn. When you’ve been around long enough and you see something like this, you’re happy to accept whatever assistance you can get.”
    Aidan nodded.
    “So, now we’ve kissed and made up,” Purbeck said. “Good. You two, give the nice Fed anything he needs or wants, okay?”
    “You got it, yeah, sure, of course,” Voorhaven said.
    Aidan looked across the street.
    Mo Deauville was still there, Rollo at her side. She was watching them.
    Purbeck raised a hand in a gesture of thanks or farewell or both.
    She waved in return.