Holly stopped her Accord halfway up the hill. She had been driving for several hours since the early morning, finding herself in the heart of Rockies just after 10am. She had not recognized much of anything since she got on I-82 past Buena Vista. But after turning off the highway she was really lost. She did her best to ignore the feeling she was going to get bad news. Getting a call at 7am requesting that you drive out to Twin Lakes for assistance has to be bad news. She took another swig of her coffee. She only had time to make it black instead of her normal routine of dropping in a couple spoons of honey. This frustrated her to no end. Not only was she in the middle of nowhere with bitter coffee, but she barely had time for breakfast, adding to the frustration. She kicked herself that he seemed to have a way that he could call her up and off she would go. Remembering the offer her father had made her last year, she considered maybe doing it part time. Westly would disapprove as was his nature, but Oliver would likely be on board. It would have to be cleared with Tanya though, who was always tough to pin down. Stepping out of the car, she reached for her phone. She had only a few bars, but figured it was enough. The lack of sounds save for the birds in the trees and the slow splashing of the river was quite a pleasant change from the bustle of the city. The phone ceased its ringing with a familiar voice answering on the other end.

“Yeah you called me out to Twin Lakes and said take the third dirt road past the town. Well I am here but there is no way my car can get up this hill. You want to tell me what this is about? Really? Well I don’t see him…Fine. But he better be here in half an hour.”

She hung up her phone and looked over the mountains. She missed coming out to them more often. When she had the time, she preferred to ski Vail or Copper Mountain. The roads in winter were always too hazardous between Leadville and Aspen so she never went. After seeing the sun peak over the mountains, she wished she had. The low whining hum of an ATV rang out as she turned to see a grizzled older man driving down to her. He was massively sunburnt and bald, save for a disheveled gray beard. Across his face was an old white scar which clustered mainly around his right eye. The eye had been removed and covered with a dark black patch. He was dressed in a green shirt with a Forest Service logo pinned to the front. He stopped the ATV and slowly dismounted, gripping the handlebars tightly, as the rifle on his back threw him partially off balance.

“Are you Miss Yan?”

“Yeah.”

“He’s waiting for you just a little further up the mountain.”

“Sure.”

“I can ride if you want to drive,” he said slowly.

“No that is fine Mr…”

“Just Dale,” he said remounting the ATV.

Holly sighed, grabbed her thermos, and mounted behind him. He turned the ATV back up the mountain. They drove for about a half mile before Dale said anything.

“I am sorry about the rifle. This is bear country.”

“I don’t mind, I just want to get to him.”

“It ain’t pretty,” Dale mumbled.

They drove up the through zigzagging switchbacks before the eaves of a small but well-kept cabin broke through the trees. It was made of aspen with gray and black river stones leading up to a freshly painted navy-blue door. The porch was covered in wooden rocking chairs and a cedar tree trunk coffee table. If it weren’t for the police tape across the door, it would be the perfect postcard cabin. Dale stopped the ATV just outside of the door. As Holly dismounted, Robert Estevez emerged from around the back of the cabin. He slipped his notebook back into his back pocket, sighing as he approached her.

“What does he have for me?” He said gruffly.

“Seems to be that’s my question. You’re the one who called me.”

“I called you and asked you to come out because Westly is not picking up his phone.”

“And you couldn’t have told me this when I was in Colorado Springs?”

“I assumed he was with you and was purposely avoiding my calls.”

“Westly is taking some time off. After Vail and everything that went down with Pike. He took a vacation and went back to California.”

“I am sorry about all that. DPD says Pike is still on the run, we’ll get him. But Westly isn’t in California. He called me yesterday evening and told me to come up to this cabin. Even gave me coordinates. When I got here at 6am he was nowhere to be found. I need him to explain what happened here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Best if you see it for yourself.”

Robert led her into the cabin. As she ducked under the police tape, the sight nearly made her vomit all her breakfast. The cabin was completely empty. All of the furniture had been stacked up and pushed to the far end of the room where a white stone fireplace lay. The area around the fireplace had been burnt, leaving the furniture and stone covered in a thick coat of black soot. Tied to the flue of the fireplace was a long black chain that stretched to a pully system that traveled to the center of the room. The other end of the chain was strapped tightly around the neck of a man hanging two feet off the ground. He was naked, with both wrists and ankles tied with the same type of black chain. Each chain fell to the floor where it was bolted and taut, leaving the man in perfect suspension. His shoulders were impaled with a gambrel hook not allowing them to slump. His entire skin was covered in blood that had pooled on the floor under him. The blood originated from his head where eight arrows had impaled the entirety of his face. Two through his cheeks, two through his eyes, two through his forehead and two through the top of his head. Holly turned and left the cabin immediately with Robert following behind her.

“What in the hell Robert? What the is that?”

“That is why I need to talk to Westly. Either he knows about who did this or he did this himself.”

Holly regained her strength from the shock and turned to face Robert.

“I know you hate him. But honestly, do you really think he could have done something like this?

Robert growled.

“No, I don’t. But this just like him running off half-cocked when I need some real answers. Cause from what I am looking at this looks like something Jordan Vernal would do. Or perhaps Dying Star.”

“This doesn’t look like Star’s ideology. Star was all about peace and one togetherness. The people we found were always at rest. This…this is violent.”

“When did you become a criminal profiler?”

“I did have a life after the army. Do we even know who this guy is?”

Robert pulled his notebook out and started to flip pages.

“Alexander Piercy. 41. He’s an investment banker with Galvinston Lyra based out of LA. Looks like he was vacationing up here in Aspen. Cabin is rented to him.”

“You got all that in the two hours it took me to drive up here?”

“No, the killer literally left all this information in Piercy’s clothes.”

Robert pointed to a pile of clothes at on the left of the cabin. Holly nodded as Robert continued.

“Do you want to take another look? Maybe Westly left us a clue as to something he found, like perhaps where he is?”

Holly sighed and returned to the cabin. Holding her breath, she peered through the door. She looked Piercy up and down trying to take all of his gore in. She stared at the arrows, each one perfect spaced from the other, yet the more she stared, the more she could see that each arrow faced downward as if someone had shot him from above. Looking at the gambrel hook holding him in the perfect position, she stepped back running her hands through her hair.

“I have seen this way of hanging before.”

“It is how you gut a deer,” Dale’s voice called out from the ATV.

Robert and Holly looked back at him, confused.

“You normally hook the gambrel through the feet before hosting up through the pulley with the chain. I have also seen it with the neck but that’s just a straight chain loop usually for elk though,” he continued.

Robert nodded.

“So, you think Piercy was a hunter and some animal rights radical from Boulder came out here to give him a taste of his own medicine?”

Holly shook her head.

“I don’t think so. I’m not seeing a rifle, or a bow, and we are coming on the tail-end of bow season so he should have one or the other. Also, if I am right…”

Her thoughts trailed off as she stepped outside and grabbed a long stick. Reentering the cabin, she arched it above her head, pushing on the roof until she hit a small wooden hatch. The light poured in from the outside, landing directly on Piercy’s head. She made her way outside again and looked up at the nesting of pine trees that surrounded the cabin. Trying to do her best to block the light, she pointed to a spot on one of the trees. The branches had been broken and bark shaved away.

“There! Right there was a tree stand, and the killer shot the arrows down through that hatch.”

Robert did his best to mask a smile.

“You are quite good at this. Straight Razor should be working for you.”

“I am not as good as him. I just have seen this type of killing before.”

“Where?”

“Afghanistan. The shooter picks a spot high above the rest and aims the weapon downwards and kills the target without them even knowing. Sometimes they would do it through glass.”

“You thinking our guy is solider?”

“All I know is that he’s a marksman. The clustering of the shots and the height from where he shot shows he either took his time or was a great shot. Given Piercy was chained up it is likely he took his time. But what I really think is that it does not do us any good unless we can talk to someone who knew him. We’re about an hour from Aspen right?”

“Right?”

“Well he may have rented this cabin but rich guy like him from LA, he’s gonna want the good life. I bet he’s also staying somewhere in Aspen. Check his wallet, see if he has a room key.”

“I checked, no room key. Just the key to the cabin and receipt that he paid for it.”

Holly made her way over to the pile. His expensive shirt, silk tie, dress pants, loafers, running clothes, and shoes. The clothes were all spread out over a Nike duffle bag. She picked up a running shoe and felt around the inside of it and smiled, pulling her hand out producing a key card.

“Looks like he was staying at the Cozy Hollow in Aspen. I guarantee you, that is where Westly is.”

“How can you be sure?”

“He taught me that trick. Hide your keys in your shoes. Come on, it’s a bit of a drive.”

Robert sighed.

“Just as bossy as he is,” he mumbled.

The two of them walked up to Dale.

“Dale, do you mind staying with cabin until we get back? I will call you some back up.”

“Don’t bother me,” he said rubbing his eye patch.

Robert led Holly over to his patrol vehicle. The two got in and Robert headed down the hill. As with Dale it was almost till they were at Twin Lakes before either of them spoke. This time though it was Holly’s turn.

“Did he say he was working with anyone else?”

“Sorry?” Robert responded, half paying attention.

“It just isn’t like him to not call me. I mean I know I ignored him for three months after Vail but that was different, and he knows why. But after everything with Pike and the Olenicks it feels like he has completely shut me out.”

Robert sighed.

“Well I wasn’t there so I can’t judge but I do know what it means to be on the end of Straight Razor’s disappearances. He did the same thing to me in Albuquerque and…”

Robert stopped talking and turned back to the road.

“What happened between you two?” She asked, trying not to sound invasive.

“He didn’t tell you?”

“The farthest south I have ever seen him travel was Trinidad and he did not seem like he enjoyed it.”

“Typical,” Robert muttered.

The drove in silence for a bit longer. Holly gazed out her window to see the mountains hide behind low hanging clouds that kissed the top of the butte. As she continued to stare, she spotted what appeared to be a gray bumper off the side of the road. She sat up and stared at it closer, it was a Toyota Supra, quickly she tapped Robert on the shoulder.

“Stop the truck. That is Westly’s car!”

“You sure?”

“Positive! Just stop!”

Robert brought the truck to a halt, driving it partially off the road, just shy of the ditch. The two rushed out and made their way to the car. There was no one in the car, just Westly’s phone and gun on the passenger seat. The windshield however had an arrow impaled through it, pinning itself to passenger seat. Affixed to the arrow was a scroll of paper wound tightly around the shaft. Holly opened the door and grabbed the note before Robert could stop her. She quickly unraveled the scroll, as she did a bloody straight razor fell out onto the dirt. Robert held up his hand.

“Don’t touch it!”

Holly ignored him and began to read.

Dear Most Curious and Intrepid Traveler,

I do hope I know who you are. Yet we live in a world of unknowns and happenstances. If you are not who I think you are I would kindly ask you return this note to where you found it. I would not wish to make your acquaintance in these most of unpleasant circumstances. Yet, if you are who I think you are, please continue to read. If you have come from the cabin where Mr. Piercy was staying, then you are familiar with my work. I do wish to remain humble, so I won’t go into details of the sight, but knowing you I won’t have to. The owner of this vehicle, he and I need to have a conversation about theft and how it is quite wrong to do to another creature. He has transgressed against me in this way and I plan to forgive if he just rectifies the situation. A small punishment would be in order but after which he’ll be free. I please ask that you leave this between him and I as I would not wish more problems than needed. I have given you a gift, a sort of metaphoric talisman. I am sure you can guess the symbolism so again, I won’t explain. I cannot stress enough the need for privacy in this manner, as if we are interrupted, well the metaphor becomes more of a reality. I thank you kindly for your understanding.

Sincerely,

The Elk King

Holly held her breath holding the letter tightly. Waves of fear and anger washed over her as she looked down at the bloodied straight razor, trying to piece together the horror she just read. Robert pulled his phone and started to dial.

“I am going to put out an APB for Westly.”

“No!” She screamed.

“Holly-”

“I don’t want to find him like Piercy. Please let me do this my way?”

Robert nodded. Holly took out her phone and scrolled through her contacts. She held her breath and dialed.

“Hello, it’s me. Please don’t hang up. I know you are still mad at him but Westly’s been kidnapped. I really need your help.”