Free Profile of Evil by Alexa Grace Page A

look for?" asked Jason, a deputy in his first year of service.
    "You may come upon a large area of disturbance in a search area that may represent where the perpetrator rested or re-adjusted the weight of the body. Alternately, the same disturbance may simply be a result of animal activity. There may be signs of passage leading to a specific area, including human or tire tracks and signs of dragging.
    "Ask yourself what is the likely or probable path taken by the perpetrator? Was the body dragged or carried to the scene? Look for evidence of the killer's activities, such as the presence of cigarettes, food wrappers, etc."
    "This is my first search for human remains. How will we know if we've found a shallow grave?" asked Tessa, another one of the deputies.
    Dr. Harris advised, "Some shallow grave indicators to look for are changes in vegetation, or bare patches in an otherwise plant-filled area.
    "You may find a halo of little or no vegetation. Depressions in the soil often indicate a shallow grave. Significant bloating of the body will cause soil to be pushed upwards, and then resettle as the body collapses.
    "In older graves, you will find depressions with plant growth."
    "Is there anything else they should look for?" asked Cameron.
    "Yes," said Dr. Harris. "Look for animal burrowing or signs of digging, especially in relation to ground depressions. Cracking or fissuring of the soil is often present around grave sites.
    "In addition, look for maggot trails that leave a wet and dark trail consisting of decompositional fluids. Maggot trails have been seen extending as far as twelve feet from remains. Lastly, look for fly activity."
    Cameron took over from there. "Before you go back out, get a couple of bottles of water and some fluorescent yellow flags to mark your findings."
     
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    The searchers had only been back in the woods thirty minutes, when a deputy signaled he'd found a shallow grave. An hour later, another was found. By nightfall, they'd found three shallow graves, a leg bone, pelvis bones, and the second arm complete with skeletal fingers. On the arm was a stainless steel identification bracelet. They'd found the skeletal remains of thirteen-year-old Kayla Stuart, who had been missing from Attica, Indiana, for three years. Bryan would use dental records to confirm the identification.
    Two of the skeletons found in shallow graves were loaded into the coroner van, along with the bones of the partial skeleton the boys had found. A third skeleton was carefully placed in the CSI van, and both vans headed back to the coroner's facility so Dr. Harris and Dr. Pittman could analyze the skeletal remains for identification.
    By the time the deputies had loaded up the tables and canopy tents, a media helicopter was circling overhead.
    "Just what we need," said Brody with a sigh. "Once this hits the news, this county is going to be spinning with fear and there's not a damn thing we can do about it."

Chapter Four
     
    Alison tried desperately to adjust her eyes to the dark. Where was she? What was happening? Naked and shivering, she felt the clammy chill of the air on her skin as it settled into her bones. Where were her clothes?
    She tried to rub her aching neck where the man had jabbed her with his stun gun, but remembered the silver duct tape he'd used to bind her wrists and ankles. A sticky strip of it covered her mouth. How many times had he used the stun gun on her? Three? Four? Each time she tried to sit up in the backseat of the car, he poked her again, turning her muscles into Jell-O.
    A faint stream of light from the only window in the room and the smell of mold and mildew let her know she was in a basement, like the one her grandmother had in her house. The room was filthy, with old, sagging storage boxes, broken televisions, and ancient furniture. A swath of cobwebs was on nearly every surface, and hanging from pipes running along the ceiling beams. The thought of spiders made her skin crawl. How could she