The body, dressed in ash-smudged camouflage trousers, khaki shirt, and leather boots, lay mostly in Elk Creek, which was now a slow trickle of sludge. The face was turned into the scorched ferns along the bank, the visible portion a mass of blisters interrupted by a singed eyebrow. Blackened hair was clumped into snarls by congealing blood that flowed from a gaping wound at the back of the head. Sam’s stomach lurched at the odor of charred flesh. Not even an illegal hunter deserved this end. “Is he—” A dribble of blood slid over her lower lip. She wiped it on her sleeve and pressed her lips together to lessen the flow from the gash her teeth had cut. Mack pressed his fingers to the victim’s neck. After a few seconds, he said, “Can’t feel a pulse.” He placed his hand in front of the blistered lips, then, after another interval, shook his head. “We’re going to need a body bag.” Slipping his fingers under the web belt at the broad waist, he tugged. With an obscene sucking sound, the body broke free of the mud and flopped over onto its back.
What do You think about Bear Bait (9781101611548) (2012)?
