One touch of the first package she encountered, and Naomi knew they were in trouble. It wasn’t that the item was completely thawed but it was far softer than it should be.

  Not good.

  She needed to call Arlene and hurry her up. If there was anything in this freezer of particular importance there could be a serious issue. A bag, not a plastic garbage bag—something cloth—drew her attention deeper into the stack of frozen items. She tugged it from the mass, pressed one of the lumps in the bag and felt a little squish.

  Definitely not good.

  How in the world had this happened?

  She opened the drawstring on the bag she now recognized as muslin and peered inside. What appeared to be the tip of a nose...definitely nostrils...dragged her attention to one package in particular.

  She shook her head and looked again, expecting to find a mask left in the freezer to freak her out. Arlene was quite the prankster when the mood struck. Halloween was coming up. She probably had plans to give Sean or Joe a little payback for all the times they had pulled one on her.

  “Arlene, you are one sneaky old lady.”

  In truth, the woman’s sense of humor kept things from ever being boring around here. Winchester was a small, quiet town. Peaceful. Trouble rarely happened. Before Naomi came back there was a bit of a stir with the undertaker’s daughter. Her dad had told her about Rowan DuPont Brannigan and the bizarre goings-on at the local funeral home. But that trouble was a rarity. Not much happened around Winchester. Weddings and funerals were the biggest social events besides church on Sundays.

  Naomi reached for the package containing what appeared to be a nose. If this was Arlene’s or maybe Sean’s or Joe’s idea of a joke, all she could say was payback was a devil.

  Like the first package she touched, this one was slightly soft. She studied the fake nose that was actually part of a fake face. A mask. With Halloween coming up maybe Arlene was making something creepy for a friend. Seemed a little odd since Arlene was like Naomi. She didn’t do a lot of socializing.

  Naomi stilled. Damn. This mask certainly looked realistic. A shudder quaked through her and she sat the bag on the counter behind her to study it more closely under the light. Blood pounded in her ears as her pulse rate picked up. Naomi couldn’t be sure what drove her at that point—perhaps some instinct hovering way down, deep inside. Whatever it was, it compelled her to turn back to the freezer. She dug beyond the packages scattered around the top of the pile.

  Ear.

  Her stomach clenched as her brain assimilated what her eyes saw. Ear. Two ears. Her hand shook as she reached for the clear plastic bag. The same sort of bag her mom might have placed ears of corn in for stocking the freezer. Only this was certainly not corn. Another poke into the pile of packages revealed a wad of dark...something. Hair, she realized as she clutched the clear plastic bag.

  Wait. Wait. Wait.

  Her heart pounded harder and the air seemed to trap inside her chest.

  This wasn’t some mask to be used for a prank. This was...

  No. No. Impossible.

  Even as she shook her head at her own thoughts and warned herself the idea was totally crazy, she started to dig once more. Skin.

  Hand skin...it looked as if it had been peeled from the bone like a natural glove.

  Fingers trembling, Naomi reached into her back pocket and tugged out her phone. Whatever this was, it was time to call the sheriff.

  Sheriff Colton Tanner needed to see this...whatever it was.

  “Arlene,” she muttered, “if this is some sort of joke...”

  Every instinct Naomi possessed warned that this was not a joke.

  It was the start of a nightmare.

  Chapter Two

  Honea Farm, 11:00 a.m.

  Sheriff Colt Tanner and several of his deputies were scattered over the farm. Two of Winchester’s new forensics technicians were going through the farm’s lab. The sheriff had confirmed Naomi’s potential nightmare.

  The remains were human. Real human. Not silicone masks. Not a Halloween prank.

  Naomi reminded herself to breathe. She grabbed hold of the nearest fence post and steadied herself. There was a dead person in her freezer. Or at least part of a dead person.

  Holy moly, as her dad would have said. How the devil did this happen? Arlene, Sean and Joe were the only people who had access to the lab. Besides Naomi, of course. There was no sign of a break-in. She shook off the silly thought. Who would break in and leave human remains?

  Sheriff Tanner had asked her to wait outside the fenced area that surrounded the lab. She didn’t mind. The more distance between her and the remains, the better. She’d called Arlene’s cell phone three times, but the call had gone to voice mail on each attempt. Maybe Arlene was on her way and had forgotten her cell. She could have been in an accident. A heart attack? She was seventy-two or -three.

  “Stop it,” Naomi muttered. She was making herself crazy.

  “Naomi.”

  She shifted her attention to the man striding her way. “Did you find anything else?”

  Sheriff Tanner was the quintessential cowboy—boots, hat and all. He stopped a few feet away, propped his hands on his hips and glanced around as if he was unsure where to begin with what he had to say. Not a good sign.

  “Any luck reaching Ms. Beck?” he asked.

  “My calls keep going to voice mail. I’m hoping she’ll show up anytime.” This was so unlike her. Arlene was as dependable as the sun rising in the morning. Naomi’s parents had always complimented the woman’s loyalty and dependability. Not showing up or calling was very much out of character.

  The sheriff’s brow furrowed with concern. “How many employees you have this time of year?”

  “Just two. Sean Riley and Joe Jones. They both have the day off today. The only person who was supposed to come in today was Arlene.” Naomi stared pensively at the long drive that wound through the front fields connecting the road to the house. Having Arlene show up and explain everything away would be so good about now.

  “Well, I’ll send one of my deputies out to her house to see if she’s had any trouble this morning. Maybe she broke down somewhere between her house and here. She drives that old VW Bus and the thing has been on its last legs for a while now.”

  “I appreciate that.” Naomi had thought of going but she wasn’t sure of the protocol. Was she supposed to stay put during this search? It was official police business. He was right: that old Bus of Arlene’s was like something from the flower-child days. Although the era was right for Arlene’s age, Naomi couldn’t see her as the hippie flower-child type. Then again she had seen a photo of her mom and dad looking like hippies. Not so odd considering her dad was a farmer but a little strange given that her mother had been somewhat of an uptight physician. She’d operated a clinic in town until just before her death.

  “Why don’t you see if you can get Sean and Joe to come in? Don’t mention the reason. If either one of them knows anything about those remains, I don’t want him taking off or developing a cover story.”

  Naomi nodded, then shook her head. “I will, but I really can’t imagine either of them doing something like this.” It was totally over the top. She’d known these two men for years. They had worked for her dad.

  “I agree,” Sheriff Tanner said, “but one of them may have allowed someone not employed at the farm to use the freezer. Maybe one or the other stored something for a friend. Probably had no idea what was in the bags.”

  Made a sort of sense, she supposed. “Okay. I’ll call them.” She tugged her phone from her hip pocket.

  “Meanwhile,” Sheriff Tanner went on, “I’ve put in a call to Dr. Brannigan. She’s coming by to help us out.”

  Dr. Brannigan was Rowan DuPont Brannigan. Everyone knew the undertaker’s daughter. She was also the county coroner. “Thank you.”

  Naomi wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say but “thank you” seemed adequate.

  “You don’t have to wait around out here,” he offered. “If you have something else to do, feel free to do whatever it is. We’ll be here for a while.”

  If she went to the house, she would only walk the floors. She might as well stand around and keep an eye on how this situation unfolded. The idea that she might still make it in Hollywood with a film about an organic farmer who skinned people and froze their body parts almost made her laugh out loud.

  She was delirious. Obviously.

  “I’m fine,” she said, forcing a stiff smile. “I don’t think I could wait inside knowing all this was going on out here.”

  He nodded. “I understand.” The sound of a car engine drew his attention toward the long drive. “We’ll see what Dr. Brannigan has to say.”

  Rowan DuPont Brannigan was a gorgeous woman. Tall, thin, with blond hair. She was also smart. A psychologist, she had worked with Nashville’s Metro Police Department for years before returning to take over the family funeral home after her father’s death. Nowadays someone else ran the funeral home and Rowan served as the county coroner. Made sense. She had quite the reputation in solving crime and she certainly had a firm grasp on the ins and outs of the dead. In addition, she was married to Chief of Police William “Billie” Brannigan. Even though he was more than a decade older than her, Naomi remembered him from her high school days. Billie was a local hero. Hometown boy made good. Everybody loved Billie Brannigan.

  “Good morning, Sheriff,” Rowan said as she approached. She turned to Naomi. “Ms. Honea.”

  Naomi nodded. “I hope you can figure out our mystery. I’m completely at a loss.”

  Dr. Brannigan smiled. “I can promise you this—if I cannot, I will call in someone who can.”

  The woman’s confidence made Naomi feel far better.

  Sheriff Tanner and Dr. Brannigan headed for the lab and Naomi made the calls to Sean and Joe. Keeping the events of the morning to herself wasn’t easy. Both men liked their time off, and since they’d had to work all weekend, the call wasn’t one either had wanted to receive. While Naomi waited for the guys to arrive, she watched the deputies move about the area, checking for any little thing out of place. Footprints, etc. They would find plenty of hers where she’d stepped in the mud.

  Unable to wait any longer, she walked to the house and used the bathroom. Brushed her teeth to rid her mouth of the taste of stale coffee. It was lunchtime and food had been the last thing on her mind. A cold glass of water settled her stomach and helped her feel slightly more steady.

  Human.

  There were human remains in the freezer on her property.

  How in the world had this happened?

  She watched for Sean’s and Joe’s arrivals as she sipped her water. These were people she had known for years. Good grief, her parents had known Arlene for decades! There had to be some reasonable explanation. Human remains hadn’t just appeared in that bag in the freezer. Someone had put them there and, unless Dr. Brannigan said differently, they were real.

  Who was she kidding?

  They were real. This was real.

  Naomi tried Arlene’s number again. Same as before. Voice mail. “Arlene, please call me as soon as you get this message. It’s really important.”

  Sliding her phone back into her pocket she spotted Sean’s blue pickup sailing down the drive. Joe’s white truck followed close on his tail.

  Maybe one of them would be able to provide some insight into this insanity. Naomi started for the door, but Sheriff Tanner was already approaching the guys. She might as well hang back and let him give the news. It wasn’t something she was looking forward to doing herself.

  She should probably make a fresh pot of coffee. Distracted by the stunning find on her property she hadn’t thought to offer water or coffee to the sheriff and his deputies. She had to get her head back on straight. Preparing coffee was the least she could do.

  Ten minutes later with the carafe in one hand and a stack of disposable coffee cups in the other, she walked outside and caught up with the deputies one at a time. She thanked each one and was just pouring the last cup when Sheriff Tanner waved her over to the lab.

  “I just ran out of coffee,” she said when she reached the door where the sheriff waited. “I can make another pot.”

  “That’s a good idea,” he said, to her surprise. “I’ll give you a hand.”

  “Sure.” He ushered her to the back door of her house rather than into the lab, which was yet another surprise. She wasn’t sure whether to be worried about what he’d learned from Sean and Joe or if there was some other more horrifying update about this morning’s find.

  “Takes just a few minutes,” she said as she prepared the grounds and refilled the water reservoir.

  Sheriff Tanner removed his hat and sat down at her table. “Naomi, my deputy couldn’t get anyone to the door at Arlene’s house. Her vehicle is in the driveway so I gave him the go-ahead to use force to get inside. At this point we have to assume there’s something wrong.”

  Naomi’s chest tightened. No. No. No. She’d lost both her parents in the past few years. She didn’t want to lose anyone else. In spite of the worry choking her she managed to give a nod. “Of course. I understand.”

  “Arlene was not at home, and based on what she’s found so far, Dr. Brannigan believes we’re looking at the remains of possibly three people.”

  The news slammed into Naomi like a load of bricks falling from the sky. “Three people?” She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “How in the world?”

  “Sean and Joe seem to be as surprised by all this as you.” He shrugged. “For now, I’m reasonably confident they’re telling the truth.”

  Of course they were. Which left Arlene.

  “Why would Arlene do something like this?” The concept made no sense whatsoever. The woman was kind, caring. A little quirky. She wouldn’t hurt a fly much less a person. It just wasn’t possible.

  “Both Sean and Joe said basically the same thing.”

  At least she wasn’t the only one who hadn’t noticed anything off. Surely one of them would have picked up on something off-kilter.

  “Have you found...” How did she say this? “The rest of the parts?”

  “No bones. No organs. Just...tissue.”

  “So the flesh and...muscle were literally filleted from the bone.”

  “It looks that way.”

  Deep breath. “I think the coffee’s ready.” She walked slowly to the coffeepot, struggling to maintain her composure. Someone had filleted three people and left the remains on her property.

  Who were these people?

  Who in the world—her world—would have done such a thing?

  For the love of God, she was almost always here. Right here on the farm. How had this happened?

  She managed to pour the sheriff a cup without spilling it. “Cream or sugar?”

  “Black is fine.”

  She carried the mug to the table and placed it in front of him. “Can you use fingerprints or DNA to identify the...the victims?”

  “We’re going to try. Even if we’re successful it might take some time.”

  Her head was swimming with possibilities. “Surely they’ve been reported missing?” With ubiquitous devices, people noticed when a friend or family member disappeared. Even those separated by geography stayed in touch via cell phone or social media.

  But that wasn’t always the case. There were people who had no family. Homeless folks. The ones society often ignored.

  Her hand went to her stomach as acid burned there. “What else can I do?” She felt totally helpless under the circumstances.

  “Right now,” he said, “you’re doing all you can, and we appreciate your cooperation.” He sipped his coffee.

  What she would give to have her dad here to work this out. He had never been one to operate on emotion. Sadly, Naomi seemed to have inherited the propensity for emotional unsteadiness. Her mom had been sure it was from her own mother’s side of the family. On the other hand, her dad had insisted it was his only sibling, sister Trina—the one who left Naomi the car.

  “What happens next?” She had an awful, awful feeling that this was not going away any time soon.

  There were parts of no less than three people out there—of course it wasn’t going away quickly.

  “I’ve put in a call to the FBI office in Nashville. They’re going to send a team to have a look around. Their crime scene investigators have far more experience and far more state-of-the-art equipment. If there’s anything to be found they’ll find it.”

  The FBI.

  The ability to breathe escaped her for a moment.

  The sheriff held up a hand. “Don’t get unnerved by the federal authority becoming involved. I know the agent they’re sending, Casey Duncan. He’s a good guy and he knows his stuff. The case will be in good hands with him.”

  “But why the FBI? Why not the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations?” Seemed far more logical to her but then she knew little about police work beyond what she saw on television shows and in movies.

  “Considering we have three victims,” he explained, “there’s a possibility we’re looking at a repeat offender.”

  He didn’t say the words, but she knew what he meant. Serial killer.

  The queasiness returned with a second wind. “Serial killer?”

  He gave a noncommittal nod. “Possibly. This is nothing we want going public, but we have to consider all possibilities. Whatever happened here, it happened more than once to more than one person.”

  She managed to swallow back the bile rising in her throat. “Should I be concerned for my safety?”

  “I can’t say for sure at this stage, but I’d feel better assigning a security detail. Just as a precaution.”

  She nodded, the movement so stiff she felt her neck would snap if she so much as tilted.