by Hood, D. K.
He smothered a chuckle. The sheriff would arrive soon and he’d witness her expert crime-solving skills first-hand. He’d heard so much about her. In fact, she’d become almost a cult figure among men like him. Yeah, he had friends—no names, of course. In chat rooms buried so deep in the web nobody could find them, Sheriff Jenna Alton was a frequent topic of conversation, and outsmarting her was a fantasy for some. She’d become a challenge, and many creatures of the night, like him, would soon be rising for the bait.
Five
Jenna had sat bolt upright in bed at the sound of her cellphone. Her first thought went to Dirk Grainger’s mother. She’d left the seriously ill woman tucked up safely in Sunnybrook Nursing Home under Doc Brown’s care. However, the ringtone told her that Deputy Rowley, the young man she’d trained up from a rookie to become a first-class lawman, was calling her in the middle of the night. It was his turn to answer the 911 calls, and he wouldn’t have disturbed her unless something bad had happened. The wind rattled the shutters on the windows as she turned on the bedside lamp and glanced at the clock. Oh yeah, at this time of the morning, someone had to be dead. She grabbed her pen and notepad and answered the call.
The moment she disconnected, Jenna pushed the hair from her eyes and called Kane. As usual he snapped awake in a second and was on his way.
Jenna dashed to the front door. By the time she’d fastened her duty belt around her waist and slipped into her coat, she could see Kane’s headlights heading toward her. Having a deputy living in a cottage on her ranch had its benefits. She reset the alarm system and headed out the door into a dark, stormy night. An arctic blast hit her with force and cut through her thick jacket, raising goosebumps on her flesh. By the time she’d climbed inside Kane’s truck, affectionately known as “the Beast,” the cold had numbed her cheeks. “Drive fast. Rowley’s alone out there.”
“Roger that. I’ve had the engine idling since you called and there’s no ice on the roads. I’ll have us there in no time.” The powerful engine roared and the truck’s tires showered the fence with gravel as Kane pulled away from the house.
Jenna noticed that Duke, Kane’s bloodhound, was missing from his usual place on the back seat. “I thought it would rain today but the storm clouds might bring the first snow. Is it too cold for Duke already?”
“Yeah. I left him asleep in his basket. There was no way he was coming out tonight.” Kane sped along the driveway. “What did Rowley say?”
Jenna explained, entered the address into the GPS, and then turned in her seat to look at him. “We haven’t had a home invasion before. Burglary, do you think?”
“I can’t figure out why an intruder would use hollow-points in a burglary.” Kane turned onto the highway leading into town. “They usually prefer to grab anything of value and get out fast. It will be interesting to examine the scene.”
“I hope it’s not a hit. I’ve seen a few execution-style murders involving the cartel.” Jenna leaned back in her seat, trying to prevent bad memories from replaying like a movie in her head. “They wouldn’t think twice about breaking into a house and killing a man in his sleep.”
“Hmm, this town is spreading out so wide, anything could be happening out in the back country.” Kane accelerated and the Beast purred as they flashed past the open grassland surrounding Jenna’s ranch. The night was so dark, not one star peeked through the cloud cover. “What do we know about the victim?”
“I’ll see what I can find.” Jenna used her cellphone to access the records. “No priors. From what I can see, he’s a financial advisor working in the local bank.”
“Maybe he gave someone bad advice.” Kane’s gaze remained fixed on the road. “People have killed for less.”
Jenna stared out the window. “I don’t recall visiting Majestic Rapids. It must be the housing development close to the new White-Water Rapids Park.”
“I believe it’s between the park and the ski lodge.” Kane glanced at her. “I’m looking forward to the snow this year. It’s been a long time since I’ve had the chance to hit the slopes. Remember, as soon as the snow arrives and we have some downtime, you promised to come up there for a weekend to keep me company. It’s no fun skiing on your lonesome.”
Jenna laughed. “I wouldn’t miss it. It’ll be like taking a vacation.” She pulled a knit hat from her jacket pocket and pulled it on. “Maybe Rowley will come with us and bring Sandy. I figure they’re getting serious.”
“We could ask him.” Kane chuckled. “Maybe we should ask Wolfe and his girls along as well. I guess the town can get along without us for a couple of days.”
“We do have Walters to fall back on.” She considered her older deputy. “I mean, we’d only be a phone call away if the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse rode into town.”
Jenna chuckled as Kane turned onto Main Street and the headlights picked up the first Halloween decorations. The residents of Black Rock Falls went all out when it came to any festival, and Halloween was no exception. As they drove down Main and out to the suburbs, most of the homes would fit fine into the set of a horror movie. “Looking at our sweet little town, maybe the Four Horsemen have already arrived.”
“Oh, I hope not.”
Darkness seemed to close in around the truck as Jenna peered ahead for the entrance to the Robinsons’ ranch. “I thought this area would have more houses. I’ve only seen two other driveways in the last mile.”
“Maybe they’re like you and want land to run horses.” Kane slowed when the GPS told him the turn was coming up. “This looks like the place.”
As the headlights picked out the name on the mailbox, Jenna nodded. “Yeah, this is it, and luckily, the gate’s wide open.”
Jenna glanced out the window as they negotiated the winding driveway, and an uneasy sensation crawled over her. The trees formed a dense wall each side of the road, and it was as if they tried to grab hold of the truck as they passed by. The long branches loomed out of the night like demons’ claws from the surrounding blackness, only to become trees again in the beam from the headlights. With only the arc from their lights illuminating the turns in the road ahead, it was like driving into a tunnel. “I couldn’t live out here. Can you imagine the wait for the snowplow to arrive during winter? I’m not so sure it would be able to make it around some of these tight bends.”
“Most people aren’t lucky enough to have the local snowplow driver living close by like you do, and they use their own.” He flicked her a glance. “I’m getting one this year too.”
Kane never ceased to amaze her. Jenna stared at him. “You want a snowplow now?”
“Yeah, it’s neat. It attaches to the front of my truck. Rowley has a new one and showed it to me last time I dropped by. After last year’s blizzards, I can’t see the weather getting any better and we’ll need it.”
“Okay, but it’s more work for you to do.” Jenna searched ahead. “I don’t see any lighting at all, and this driveway feels like we’re driving around in circles.”
“It’s way too narrow. Too bad if another vehicle wanted to get by.” Kane scanned the area and turned to her with one raised eyebrow. “I don’t see any security either, and with the trees so close and all, they’re asking for trouble. With this town’s reputation, you’d figure they’d secure their ranch.”
After another few minutes on the winding path, the glow from the house lights filtered through the trees. Jenna heaved a sigh of relief as they rounded the next bend and Rowley’s cruiser and the ME’s van came into view. “It looks like the gang’s all here.”
She attached her earbud and turned on the communications device attached to her belt. “Rowley, we’re at the front of the house. I see the front door is open. What’s your status?”
“We heard something just before, maybe coming from the cellar.”
Jenna stiffened. “Okay, wait for backup.”
“Copy that. There’s blood everywhere. You’ll need gloves and booties.”
Jenna turned to Kane. “Stay aler
t. Rowley hasn’t checked the cellar yet and it’s a bloodbath so we’ll need to suit up.”
“I’ll grab what we need from my kit.” Kane slipped from the truck and opened the back door. “Here.” He passed her a handful of equipment.
They moved up the front steps and Jenna caught sight of Wolfe and Rowley, weapons drawn and staring down a passageway. She pulled on her booties and then the gloves, and then shut the door behind them. “What is it?”
“Listen.” Rowley motioned with his chin toward a door at the end of the hallway. “Sounds like someone or something is in the cellar.”
The eerie shriek and thump sent an icy chill down Jenna’s spine. Why do I always get the creepy houses and dark cellars?
Six
The last thing Jenna wanted to do in the middle of the night after a brutal murder was to climb down a dark staircase into the unknown. She exchanged a glance with Kane and he shrugged. The remoteness of the Robinsons’ home and the unusual noises had set her nerves on edge on arrival and the notion of opening the door to a cellar making noises straight from hell was sending her imagination into overdrive. She glanced at Rowley’s sheet-white face, pulled her weapon and walked past him. “Stay here and watch our backs. We’ll go and look.” She swallowed hard. “Wolfe would you mind watching Mrs. Robinson until we’re done?”
“Sure.” Wolfe holstered his weapon, turned and headed for the kitchen.
A loud whine and a thump came from behind the cellar door. She turned to Kane trying to ignore the apprehension cramping in her stomach. “Not the Four Horsemen at least.”
“Nah, maybe a hellhound or two.” Kane’s mouth twitched up at the corners. “Or an injured bear, whatever it is, men don’t make that kind of noise.”
Trust Kane to make light of the situation. “It’s just as well you don’t believe in ghosts or we’d be standing here all night. The door opens inward—pick a side.” She ignored the fight or flight response making her heart pound in her chest and took a deep breath. “Ready?”
“Sure.” Kane pulled his weapon, slid back the bolt, and glanced inside the pitch black. His voice boomed out in the dark space. “Sheriff’s department, is anyone down there?”
The whine and bump came again. Jenna repeated the question, and when no response came, she edged closer to the opening. The freezing air smelled of wet cement, as if the owner had only finished it recently, and it didn’t have the musty odor she usually associated with cellars. With the comforting warmth of her Glock in her palm, she eased one hand around the doorframe feeling for the light switch. She flicked it back and forth but nothing happened. Of course, the light didn’t work; it was almost as if she expected it. An awful sense of foreboding crept over her. They could be walking into a trap, and if they stood at the top of the steps, they’d make clear targets. She flattened against the wall outside the door and turned to Kane. “Why is it every time we go into a cellar the lights are out?”
She reached for her Maglite and it came on in a brilliant white stream. Aiming it around the door and into the cellar, she moved the light down a flight of stairs and over an open bag of cement with a shovel beside it, leaning against the wall. Long shadows seemed to fill every corner and she didn’t move until she’d checked out each one. Of course, the room was L-shaped and she couldn’t see around the corner. Never go into a dark cellar. The warning rattled around in her subconscious. “It’s as if it’s daring us to walk into the unknown.”
“At least the stairs are wide.” Kane’s flashlight came on beside her, and they stood side by side and scanned the area. “It looks empty but I guess we’d better take a look at what’s around the corner.”
The whine and bang came again, and the hairs on the back of Jenna’s neck prickled. “There it goes again. Where is it coming from?”
“Furnace maybe?” Kane slipped down the steps and moved along the wall with his flashlight aimed along his weapon.
The sound came again as he disappeared around the corner.
“Shit!” Kane barked a strangled laugh. “Now that scared the hell out of me.”
Heart pounding, Jenna rushed to his side. The darkness crept in behind her and an icy breeze seeped through her jeans. As she turned the corner, Kane’s wide shoulders blocked her view. “What is it?”
“It looks like they’re into taxidermy.” Kane’s light moved over a full-grown grizzly. Its glass eyes reflected the light back at them. “Funny place to keep it, down here in the damp.”
Knowing the bear was long dead didn’t prevent a rush of terror gripping Jenna as her light moved over the gaping mouth and outstretched paws. She took a step back and pushed down the need to run. After flicking her Maglite around the rest of the area, she sighed. “It’s empty.”
“It is apart from the bear and furnace but that’s not what’s making the noise.” He moved his flashlight to a window on ground level. “It’s that.”
Jenna stared up at a window propped open with a stick. The unfastened shutters whined and bumped against the side of the house with each gust of wind. She moved her flashlight to the floor. Leaves had fallen inside making a small pile and she made out indistinct footprints leading away. “I think we’ve found the point of entry.”
She moved closer to examine the window. “We’ll leave that for now and come back when it’s light to check for fingerprints and any footprints outside.”
“Sure.” Kane holstered his weapon. “I’ll get a few shots of the scene.” He pulled out his cellphone and took the pictures.
Jenna blinked from the flash but she turned and searched the floor. In one corner was a patch of drying cement. “Get a shot of that as well. I hope they’re not burying bodies in here.”
Once he’d finished, she headed back up the steps with Kane close behind. After locking the cellar door, she looked at Rowley’s anxious face. “Just an open window. The noise was the shutters. It looks like our point of entry. We’ll come back and check it out in daylight. Oh, and there’s a stuffed bear down there.” She smiled at him. “Go and take over from Wolfe. I’ll view the crime scene and then interview Mrs. Robinson if she’s talking. Does she have anyone she can stay with tonight?”
“No, ma’am.” Rowley frowned. “I already asked her.”
“Well, she can’t stay here.” Jenna frowned. “Call the hospital and make arrangements for her to be placed in our secure wing. I want her checked out by a doctor, and have them do a psych evaluation on her too. She’ll be safe locked in the ward but make sure hospital security keeps an eye on her until we can arrange for someone to stay with her. I’ll pack a bag for her as soon as Wolfe has cleared the crime scene.”
“Copy that.” Rowley turned and headed to the kitchen.
Jenna waited for Wolfe to return and they followed him single file up the stairs, avoiding the blood spatter on the carpet. The bedroom was off a landing at the top and its door stood wide open. Blood smeared the glossy white finish and frame as if someone had stumbled against it. The sight inside the room made Jenna gag. She’d witnessed many crimes from mutilated bodies to burn victims, but the smell of fresh blood seemed to surround her and crawl up her nose. Wanting to look away wasn’t an option, and she took the face mask Kane pushed into her hand and placed it over her nose. What she discovered here could be crucial to identifying the killer, and no matter how disturbing, it was her responsibility to find justice for the victim.
* * *
The ME took the lead in a crime scene, and Jenna listened to Wolfe’s running commentary. All around her, the house whined and moaned. She’d never experienced such wild weather since her arrival in Black Rock Falls, and as if seeing a blood-soaked victim wasn’t bad enough, the rattling windows made her glance over her shoulder more than once. She glanced at Kane, who had his usual mask of professionalism fixed in place. He had the unique ability, like Wolfe, to turn off his emotional side and concentrate on the crime scene as a whole. She could blank out emotion to some degree, due to her own training, but to see Wolfe and Kane in acti
on was awe-inspiring. “What do we have, Shane?”
“The victim is male but that’s all I have so far, and I found a black feather in the bed. It might mean nothing but I’ve bagged it.” Wolfe took several photographs of the scene, moving around the room and aiming his camera at every possible angle before pulling back the blood-soaked sheets. “From the metal fragments embedded in the wall and mattress, I’d say two maybe three shots to the head, and Rowley was right, this damage is from hollow-points.” He sighed. “One would’ve sufficed, and two or three is way in excess. It’s the same as a stabbing in some ways: people can use one thrust to kill, but in anger they stab a person multiple times. From this, and considering no one has disturbed anything in the house, I’d say this is a crime of passion.”
“Or maybe a hit.” Jenna looked at Kane. “This is your field of expertise, what do you think?”
“Possible.” Kane leaned over the bed to examine the bullet fragments. “Using hollow-points tells me the intent to kill was there from the get-go. It’s a sure thing, and whoever did this hit his target without injuring this man’s wife.”
“Or the shooter is the wife.” Jenna pushed down nausea and moved to his side to examine the body. “It looks well planned. I didn’t see any signs of forced entry but we’ll have a better idea in the morning. We assume, he came in via the cellar and gained access through a conveniently unlocked door and then straight here, two maybe three shots before he walks out the front door leaving it open.”
“Yeah.” Kane straightened and turned to Jenna. “If they’d left the window open to maybe dry the patch of wet cement, I would’ve thought they’d have secured the shutters.”
