by Hood, D. K.
“Do we need our coveralls?” Emily thought for a beat and then shook her head. “No, we don’t, right? It’s been raining for two days and any trace evidence will have been washed away?”
Wolfe noticed Jenna and Kane emerging from the forest, rain dripping from the brims of their hats. “Probably not. Wait here and I’ll take a look.” He slid from the van and walked up to Jenna and Kane. “What have we got?”
“Looks to me like the vehicle was chased, the driver lost control, crashed through the trees, and came to rest over there.” Jenna pointed. “The doors are wide open, so they left in a hurry. I checked for footprints, from back here where the bushes are broken from the path of the truck.”
“I found skid marks on the road, but with the sleet, it’s hard to determine how long they’ve been there.” Kane peered in the truck and then straightened. “I found nothing to point to the shooter following them into the forest. The pine needles are so thick, they’re like a carpet. It looks like the shooter used a rifle. We haven’t found any casings using the flashlight. It’s so dark in the forest today, we could’ve missed them.”
“Two gunshots per victim, from what we can determine.” Jenna’s mouth turned down. “We disturbed a bobcat, so one of the victims is torn up some. We’ve taken photographs of the scene. I’ll forward them to you now.”
Wolfe nodded. “Okay.” He turned and waved to Emily and Webber to join them.
He took his forensics kit from Emily and turned to Webber. “Run the metal detector from the edge of the road to the bodies. Photograph the position of anything you find before bagging it.”
“Yes, sir.” Webber went to work.
Wolfe turned to Jenna. “Lead the way.” He looked at Emily. “Follow behind Jenna and be aware there’s a bobcat close by.”
As he walked, Kane moved beside him. Wolfe turned to his friend. “Coincidence?”
“I’m not sure.” Kane ducked to avoid a low branch. “Both crime scenes have the feeling of professionalism, although in this town, we have a number of marksmen.” He slapped him on the back. “Just another string of mystery deaths for you to solve in Black Rock Falls.”
Wolfe shook his head. “Me? Nah. It’s usually no mystery discovering how a person died, but if these murders are connected and as professional as you say, I don’t envy the investigation you and Jenna have to wade through.”
“Me either.” Kane frowned. “I thought I’d seen every side of human nature before I moved here.” He sighed. “Man, I hadn’t touched the surface.”
Thirteen
Midday Wednesday
The waitress at Aunt Betty’s Café brushed past his table, spilling his coffee all over the plate of cinnamon buns. He didn’t have much time to spare after waiting in line for ages beside a man who smelled of wet dog, and the thought of the delay waiting for a replacement made his blood boil. Not wanting to make a scene and bring attention to himself in the crowded café, he waited for her to turn around and pointed at the ruined food. “You bumped into my table.”
“Oh, I seem to be clumsy today. Can I get you anything else?” She wiped the table and refilled his coffee cup, and then waited expectantly.
“I’m not buying anything else. I’d like you to replace my food.”
“I’m not sure I can do that.” She glanced over one shoulder to the front counter. “It will come out of my pay.”
He gave her a long look. Aunt Betty’s Café was renowned for its great food and customer service; heck, it said as much on the sign out front. “Tell me something, if I wrecked your car, do you figure I should pay for the damages?”
“Sure, it would be your fault.” The waitress rolled her eyes and let out a bored sigh. “That’s the law.”
He nodded as a familiar anger rose up inside him. The need to grab her by the throat and squeeze the life out of her was overwhelming. “Exactly.”
It was as if he’d been speaking to a brick wall. She just picked up the plate of soggy buns, edged her way through the tables, and went back to the kitchen. Pushing down the rage, he scanned the room, making sure his conversation with the waitress had gone unnoticed. He gripped his hands together in a practiced move to regain control as the woman who’d taken his order glanced in his direction. He dropped his chin, allowing the shadow from his hat to cover his features, but in his peripheral vision, he noticed her slip from behind the counter and head his way. As she got closer, he made out a pin on her shirt that said, Susie Hartwig, Manager.
“I’m sorry, it’s Ruby’s first day.” Susie smiled at him. “I’ll replace those cinnamon buns and your meal is on the house.”
He tipped his hat. “Thank you, ma’am.”
Moments later, Susie returned with a plate of cinnamon buns and a wedge of apple pie, fresh from the oven.
He glanced up at her. “Is Ruby new in town?”
“Yeah, she’s down from the city.” Susie smiled. “She’ll be fine once she gets to know our ways.”
He sipped his coffee. “I bet she will.”
Making plans as Susie walked away, he eyed Ruby from under the brim of his hat. Guys that tried to play chicken on the highway asked to die fast, but smart-mouthed women really ticked him off. A shiver of excitement ran through him as his gaze locked on her face. He’d plan something real special for her.
Fourteen
It was past lunchtime before Jenna dropped into her chair in her office. She’d stopped by the Sunnybrook Nursing Home to see Mrs. Grainger. The desperately ill woman was comfortable and grateful for Jenna’s lenience toward her son. On Doc Brown’s insistence, she’d asked Dirk to commit to a psych evaluation, which Doc Brown insisted would keep him in the hospital for a week. She’d also dropped by the plant and spoken to the owner. The man hadn’t known about Dirk’s mother and had fired him on the grounds of not returning to work after a vacation. He reinstated him at once and made sure his health insurance was in order. She sighed. It had been worth her valuable time to make things right for the Grainger family.
Trying to ignore the unrelenting battering of sleet on the windowpanes, she placed the wallets of Parker Louis and Timothy Addams on her desk and then pulled up their names in the database. Like the first victim, Lucas Robinson, neither of them had a rap sheet. They carried no weapons in their vehicle; in fact, on paper they appeared to be ordinary people going about their lives. Why would someone want to kill them?
She stared at the driver’s licenses of the two men and shook her head; both carried the gold star denoting them to be Montana Real ID licenses but they didn’t prove the men’s identity. The headshots had destroyed any chance of asking next of kin to identify the bodies. By now, Wolfe would be checking the victims for any distinguishing marks or tattoos. He’d take an impression of the teeth in hope the men had seen a local dentist at one time. Of course, she’d have the awful task of visiting the next of kin, and asking questions to establish identity and getting permission for the dentist to release his files.
The victims’ truck had a bumper sticker promoting the new ski resort, and by the tools inside, it was possible both men had been heading to work at the time of the murder. Kane and Rowley had hotfooted it to the growing resort to speak to the site manager and see if he recognized either of the men. Jenna had turned her attention to searching social media for all three victims when someone knocked on her door. She lifted her head. “Yes, come in.”
“Afternoon, Jenna.” Atohi Blackhawk, a good friend and the Native American tracker who helped them with cases, waited in the doorway.
Jenna smiled, glad to see a friendly face. “Hey, what drags you out in this weather?”
“I come bearing gifts.” Atohi placed a holder containing three to-go cups of coffee and a bag of takeout on her desk. “I ran into Dave outside Aunt Betty’s. He was buying you lunch, but seeing as we were coming to see you, he asked me to bring it along.” He flashed white teeth. “So, I grabbed some extra coffee.” He turned and looked at the door. “There’s someone here I’d like you to m
eet.”
“Sure, get out of your wet coat and take a seat.” Suddenly famished, she peeked into the takeout bags.
“Jenna, this is Brad Kelly, a cousin of mine from the res.” Atohi waved in a tall man in his twenties. He had tiger’s eyes, and when he removed his soaked Stetson, it revealed dark, straight hair to his collar. “Brad came to us after his mother went missing. He went away when he turned eighteen but is now back on a mission and we need your help.”
Jenna took the to-go cup with her name printed on the side and nodded. “Sure, what do you need?”
“When I was a boy, I saw my pa kill my mom.” Brad’s tiger gaze never left her face. “He killed my brother as well.”
Jenna frowned. “Have you spoken to the tribal police? In the first instance, it’s really a matter for them.”
“No, it occurred here in Black Rock Falls.” Brad appeared agitated. “Atohi believes you might have records we can use to establish our case.”
“Sure. How long ago did this happen?” Jenna took out her pen and made some notes on the pad on her desk.
“Twenty years.” Brad frowned. “I’m kind of foggy on the exact date. I didn’t tell anyone about my mom because I didn’t remember. Atohi remembers it being late fall when I arrived at the res. I know now I blanked it out for a long time. It wasn’t until the cops told me my pa had died, it came back in bits and pieces.”
Not sure how factual his recollection could be after so long, Jenna met his gaze. “So, where have you been since you turned eighteen?”
“Alaska.” Brad frowned. “I left the res because my pa was hunting me down.”
“At eighteen you could’ve spoken to the law enforcement on the res or come here to speak to the sheriff and had him arrested. There’s no statute of limitation on murder.”
“I didn’t remember how I’d gotten to the res at that time, and if I had recalled that morning, do you think the sheriff would’ve taken notice of me?” Brad clenched his fists on the table. “The only thing that would’ve happened is my pa would’ve killed me too. I had to get as far away from him as possible. The only thing I remembered at the time was my mom telling me to run.”
“What he says is true. My mom took him in and told me the story of how he returned to the res.” Atohi’s dark eyes settled on her face. “He was in shock and not talking. The family was suspicious and my father went to speak to Joe Kelly on the pretext of inviting the family to my grandfather’s birthday. He was told Luitl, Brad’s mother, had left him and taken the boys.” He shook his head and sorrow filled his eyes. “That is the edited version of what happened, but trust me when I tell you Joe Kelly was a wife-beating coward and too scared to set foot on the res. My family hoped one day Luitl would return.”
“See, nothing was done. If I’d been able to remember, no one would have heard my voice.” Brad’s eyes bore into her. “I’m wasting my time. We’ll let our people deal with this.”
“I’m listening to you, Brad, but you’ll have to help me. I need all the details, names, birthdates, addresses, anything you can remember.” Jenna made more notes as he responded and then raised her head to meet his penetrating eyes. “I gather your father is not a Native American?”
“Nope, but my mom was a Blackhawk, Atohi’s cousin.” Brad shrugged. “After what happened, I ran through the forest. My mom had told us what to do if we had to run, to follow the river until we came to the rock like a bear and then follow the road to the res. It took me days but I found it, and they took me in and cared for me.”
Jenna was finding his story strange. If his father had killed his mother and brother, someone would’ve found their bodies. They would have notified the authorities and they’d have hunted down his father and brought him to justice. “So why come forward now? Your father is dead, there is no charge to pursue.”
“Maybe not, but if I can find my family’s remains, I can ask the ME to put the case forward to the state coroner for an inquest. I want the truth to come out. Why weren’t my mother and brother ever listed as missing? Someone was covering up for my pa and I want them charged.”
Jenna nodded. “On the day your mother and brother died, do you remember anything? Do you remember what made your father angry enough to kill them?”
“He was always hitting her and us.” A flash of anger so intense moved across Brad’s face and startled Jenna. “Mom wanted to escape to the res. She could hide there and her family would protect her. They’d never allow him near her. I recall, creeping down the stairs and running for the truck. We’d gotten to the forest before he caught us. He came after us with a shovel and Mom told me to run and don’t look back. I ran some ways but I stopped to see what had happened. They were both covered in blood and my pa was standing over them with a shovel. He yelled at me to stop but I ran like the wind. I heard him crashing through the forest after me and he hunted for me for a long time but I holed up in a hunter’s blind. I fell asleep, and when I woke, all I remembered was I had to run away from my pa and get to the res.”
Jenna tapped her pen on the table. “When did you remember the details?”
“Like I said, it started coming back to me the day the cops told me my pa had died.” Brad pushed a hand through his thick black hair. “A little came back each day and then I remembered everything. I had to come back. My mom’s ghost will be walking the forest unable to rest.”
“Okay.” Jenna turned to her computer. “Over the last couple of years, we’ve been uploading old hard copy case files into our system. I’m not sure if they go back that far but I can do a search.” She smiled at him. “As luck would have it, not many things happened in Black Rock Falls twenty years ago—unlike now, we have three murder cases.” She turned to the screen and placed the names into the search engine.
“Really?” Brad leaned back in his chair. “Maybe we can help. Atohi tells me you often ask for his assistance.”
“Tracking, most times, but Jenna can always call on me if she needs help.” Atohi glanced at him. “Don’t underestimate our sheriff. She has hunted down many a serial killer.”
“Yeah, I know.” Brad reached for his coffee. “Her reputation isn’t a secret.”
Jenna stared at the computer screen in disbelief. “There’s a report from his teacher expressing concern she hadn’t seen you or your brother for a week. The sheriff says in his notes he spoke to your father and he told him your mother had taken his sons and returned to her people.” She looked at Brad. He stared back with an expression carved in stone. “There was no follow-up.” She frowned. “The procedure was different back then I guess. I’d have made sure your mother was safe on the res.”
When Brad said nothing, Atohi cleared his throat as if to break the awkward silence. “We’ve been searching the places Brad can recall in the forest before the first snow. There’s a group of us, and I’ve contacted the forest wardens so they know where we’re working and will keep the hunters away from the area.”
Jenna nodded. “That’s a good idea. Keep me informed if you find any remains. Don’t touch anything. Wolfe will check it out, and he knows a forensic anthropologist out of Helena who has assisted him with other cases.” She looked directly at Brad. “Is there anything else you need?”
“I didn’t realize we needed your permission to touch anything in our forest.” Brad pushed to his feet. “But if it means justice for my mom and brother, I guess I can live with it this time.” He turned, grabbed his coat and hat from the peg behind the door, and stormed out.
Jenna stood and walked to the door to stare after him. “Was it something I said?”
“Nope.” Atohi sighed. “He came back with a chip on his shoulder. Don’t take it personal.”
The anger radiating from Brad had unnerved her to some extent. She shook her head. “I won’t but he seems so angry. I feel as if I’ve let him down somehow.” She leaned against her desk.
“You’ve been very helpful. Now we know why nobody searched for him.” Atohi pushed to his feet and gave Jenna a hug.
“Thanks for your help.”
“Any time.” Surprised by the gesture, she glanced away from Atohi and her gaze settled on Kane standing in the doorway. “I hope you find them. It will bring him some closure.” She stepped away and reached for Atohi’s hat and coat.
“Thanks.” Atohi smiled at her and then bent down to greet Duke as the dog pushed past Kane, tail wagging. He took his coat and hat from Jenna and then raised his gaze to Kane. “I’ll be on my way.”
“Sure.” Kane stepped to one side. “Get things sorted?”
“Jenna will bring you up to speed.” Atohi pushed on his hat and then pulled on his coat. “Catch you later.”
“Uh-huh.” Kane shut the door and leaned against it.
“What?” Jenna raised one eyebrow.
“Should I be jealous?” He removed his coat and hung it on the peg, and then removed his black Stetson and shook off the raindrops before dropping it on her desk.
Stifling a smile, Jenna shrugged. “No, but he is a remarkably handsome man, don’t you think?”
“I don’t really take much notice of other men’s looks.” Kane folded his arms across his substantial chest. “What happened to make his friend bust out of here like his tail was on fire?”
Jenna shrugged. “Not sure, but he did add another murder to our growing caseload. A cold case, but from what he described, twenty years ago his father brutally murdered his mom and brother. He believes his mother’s ghost is walking the forest unable to rest.”
“Hmm, do you figure it’s payback for what we did before coming here?” Kane sat down and peered up at her. “I mean, a case waiting twenty years for us to come along. You talk about strange things happening around Halloween, now that’s darn right spooky.”
