Difficult Run Read Free

McMillan, but call me Dodd.   Most people do.”
    “What do you think happened here, Dodd?” she asked.
    “Well, it looks like these kids came into the park after dark.   We close the main gate then, but you can still get in through Difficult Run.   Bikers aren’t allowed on a lot of the trails in the park, so they come in at night this way and go up into the main part of the park.   I’d guess they were coming back down off the Ridge Trail and whoever killed them was down here at the bottom on Difficult Run,” he said.
    “Is there any way out of here other than the trail from the parking lot?” M.J. asked.
    “Well, they could have gone up the Ridge Trail and cut through the forest to the main entrance road or doubled back to the parking lot for Difficult Run,” Dodd said.
    “Can you check with your folks to see if anyone has come through the entrance gate or been in the main part of the park this morning?” she asked.
    “I’ll check, but the main park has been closed for two days due to the high water and there wouldn’t be any way for someone to get in or out of there on foot,” he said, adding, “We can’t even get to our offices in the Visitor Center.”
    “If the park is under water, how were these boys able to ride their bikes on the trails?” she asked.
    “Well, they could ride the Ridge Trail and the trails on this end toward Difficult Run because it doesn’t usually flood during high water.   You see, the basin below the falls is like the mouth on a funnel and Mather Gorge downstream is like the stem.   The water backs up at the entrance to the gorge and comes over the cliffs around the basin and into the main part of the park,” he said, putting his hands together like a funnel.
    “How about the river?” M.J. asked.
    “The river is so dangerous right now that even kayakers would get sucked under if they hit a rock and a swimmer would have no chance at all,” he said.
    “Then whoever did this may still be in the park,” she said.
    “Sure could be.   There’s lots of places to hide,” he replied.
    “Please ask your folks to keep an eye out and let us know right away if they see anybody,” M.J. said and started walking up the trail toward the parking lot.   She stopped to talk to the three uniformed Park Police officers, all of whom she knew from her days with the Patrol Branch.
    “One of you needs to stay here to secure the trail while Zerk does his job.   We could probably get by with one of you in the parking lot to secure the area where the victims’ car is parked and the other can go back on patrol duty,” she said and added, with a perceptible smile on her face, “I know how much you love patrolling the GW, so you can draw straws to see who does what.”
    The pilot of Eagle One came on her handheld radio.   It was circling over the park but had limited visibility, even with its infrared camera.   “We’ll stay on station until the fog lifts and then we should be able to get a better look,” the pilot said.
    M.J. and Jake made their way back to the parking lot and found Officer Crocker from the Fairfax County Police.
    “We think the murderer or murderers may have escaped on foot,” M.J. said to Crocker.
    “We’ve got cars patrolling all of the perimeter roads,” Crocker responded.   “I’ll let them know that our suspects may be on foot.”
    “We’re going to leave one of our guys down the trail to help secure the area.   There are two others coming back here and one of them can take care of the area around the car,” M.J. said.
    “Well, we’ve got to control the entrance to this parking lot anyway, since it’s Fairfax County property, so we could probably keep an eye on the car too,” Crocker replied.
    “We’ll leave our guy, just to help out,” she said. “Also, if you could notify the families, it would be a big help.   Probably a good idea to be sketchy on the details right now, though.   Maybe tell them the boys were killed in a biking