by Hood, D. K.
“Just a moment.” Glover hammered on his keyboard and ran his finger down the screen. “Yeah, they’re working on number six.” He narrowed his gaze. “Not in any trouble, are they? I don’t want any criminals on my site.”
“Not that we’re aware.” Jenna stepped forward. “Have they been working here long?”
The man used the keyboard and nodded. “Yeah, according to the payroll, since the project started, over a year now.”
“And yet you acted as if you didn’t know them when my deputy asked you.” Jenna pressed one hand flat on his desk and glared at him with an intimidating stare. “Why is that?”
“Oh, I know them.” The manager waved a hand as if to include all around him. “I just don’t know where each individual man is at a given time. We have two hundred men working here in a variety of crews. I can’t keep track of all of them in my head.”
“Okay, what are their usual hours?” Jenna made notes.
“Ah, any time between daylight and dusk.” The manager smiled. “It’s contract work here for the most part, and crews work longer hours. The faster they work, the more they get paid.”
“Is that usual for this type of work?” Jenna straightened.
“It’s usual practice for most building work these days. We have a project manager who arranges for trades to come and do the work; it’s not like a plant where people are employed by the firm.”
“Point us in the direction of number six.” Jenna headed for the door.
“First right, halfway down on the left. The numbers are outside.” The manager leaned back in his seat. “You can’t miss it.”
Kane followed her out. “Thanks.”
“We’ll drive, the wind is cruel up here.” Jenna climbed into the truck. “I had the weirdest feeling the manager was hiding something; he seemed distracted somehow. Did you notice the way his eyes kept flicking to the door?”
Kane nodded and drove the short way to number six. “I didn’t see anyone hanging around. He gave you the information you asked for, I figured he was cooperating.” He pulled up beside a truck loaded with a variety of waste. “Whoever owns the truck doesn’t take too much pride in keeping it nice.”
“Maybe they don’t have time, working all hours.” Jenna slid from the seat and headed to the door, swinging her small forensics kit over one shoulder before Kane had time to unclip Duke and let him down.
Kane started after her, and Duke bounded off, tail wagging and ears pushed back flat against his head by the wind. The dog wasn’t letting Jenna out of his sight. Kane scratched his chin. What’s wrong with him? Is there someone here we should know about?
He made it to the front door of the cabin in long strides, scanning the area in all directions, but nothing seemed suspicious. Men moved in and out of unfinished cabins, and the cacophony of different tunes surrounded him. Inside the cabin, Jenna waited for a man using a nail gun to stop what he was doing. Kane moved to her side, and the man raised his head and started at the sight of them. The nail gun rose in his hand and Kane instinctively drew his weapon. A gas-driven nail gun could be lethal. As Jenna stepped closer, Duke’s hackles rose and he gave an uncharacteristic growl and showed his teeth.
“Aim that someplace else.” Jenna’s voice sounded loud in the empty room. “In fact, lay it down on the counter over there. What’s your name?”
“Cliff Young, ma’am.” He turned away and placed the tool on the counter. “Is there a problem, Sheriff?”
“Where’s your friend?” Kane holstered his weapon, noticing the concern in Young’s eyes.
“I’m here.” A man in his late twenties, tall and muscular, walked out from another room. “I’m Kyler Hall. What do you want with me?”
“I hear you were in a fight with Parker Louis and Tim Addams at the Triple Z Bar on Saturday night.” Jenna lifted her chin and stood her ground. It was obvious this man’s show of hostility hadn’t fazed her. “We have reason to believe you were all involved in a racket to steal appliances from the site.” She narrowed her gaze at his arrogant bark of laughter.
“Nah, it wasn’t about anything of the sort.” Hall gave her an insolent grin. “It was over a woman. We’d all had too much to drink.” He looked at Kane and winked. “You know how it is? Things got nasty. I had to put those boys down to teach them a lesson.”
Kane met his gaze. “Are you admitting to shooting Louis and Addams?”
“What?” Hall gave Young an astonished look and swallowed hard. “No! I don’t know nothing about no murders.”
“Can you account for your movements on Wednesday morning between daybreak and eleven?” Jenna opened her notepad.
“Just a minute.” Young’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “Do we need a lawyer?”
“I’m not arresting you.” Jenna passed a meaningful look at Kane. “I’m here to hunt down suspects in a shooting incident, and if you pulled the trigger, I’d say ‘yes.’ As you have some concerns, we’ll make it official.” She glanced at Kane. “Read them their rights.”
“We didn’t kill anyone.” Hall straightened as if regaining control. “We share a house. We had breakfast together on Wednesday morning and then headed here before seven. We left here around four.”
Kane frowned at their responses. They’d not informed them either man had died and yet Hall and Young had mentioned murder and killing. He read them their rights, and when they refused legal representation, he moved on with the questioning. “Do you live in town?”
“Yeah, on Lake.” Hall leaned against the counter, his tool belt scraping against the granite top.
There was only one way out of town to the highway, and that put both men in the area at the time of death. “Then what time did you hit Stanton Road, and do you recall any other vehicles passing by?”
“Lake runs into Stanton so around seven, I guess.” Hall glanced at Jenna. “I had trouble seeing a few feet in front of me. A thick mist was coming in from the forest. Some vehicles passed us but I don’t remember anything about them at all.”
“Okay.” Jenna nodded. “What do you carry in your truck for protection? I mean, working up here, you can’t be too careful, can you?”
“There’s a shotgun on a rack in the cab.” Hall shrugged. “Most guys carry one up here.”
“And when was the last time either of you fired a weapon?” Jenna slipped her small forensics kit from one shoulder.
“Not for about three months—we went to the practice range.” Young moved around restlessly. “We didn’t shoot no one.”
“Then you’ll agree to a gunshot residue swab?” Jenna opened the kit and looked at them expectantly.
“No way.” Hall gripped his friend by the shoulder. “They’re looking to blame someone. We need to have this done legal. We’re not answering any more questions, we want a lawyer. You have to provide one free of charge, we don’t have any money.”
Dammit. Kane sighed. They needed information about their involvement with Robinson. Both men had an ax to grind, and now they’d have to pull them in in for questioning. He rolled his eyes at Jenna and she sprang into action.
“Fine, then get your gear together. I want you back at the sheriff’s department for questioning.” Jenna looked from one to the other. “I’m giving you a break by allowing you to drive back to town, but if you take off or do anything stupid, trust me you won’t like the consequences.” She glared at them. “I’ll call you a lawyer and have him meet us. We’ll wait for you outside.” She headed through the door and leaned against Kane’s truck. A huge puff of steam came from her mouth as she sighed. “I sure misjudged them. I thought they’d welcome a gunshot residue test to clear their names.”
Kane whistled Duke to his side and lifted him inside the truck. Once he had the dog secured in his harness, he looked at her. “They’ve tipped their hand. We never mentioned anyone was dead; it’s a pretty big assumption. Duke didn’t like them either. I’ve never seen him become aggressive before today.”
“Maybe we should give
him the scent of the victims and see how he reacts to Hall and Young then?” Jenna threw her arms up in the air. “That’s not conclusive either; we know they were in a fight.”
Kane watched the men pack their truck and climb inside. “This is going to be interesting. Why didn’t you just cuff them and take them in?”
“Well, they’ll have Cross for their lawyer, and at this stage of the investigation I don’t want to give him any excuse to undermine me.” She climbed into the truck. “This way, it appears they agreed to come in for an interview.” She turned to look at him. “Between you and me, I think they’re as guilty as hell.”
Twenty-Five
Rattled didn’t come close to the way Samuel J. Cross, the local lawyer, made Jenna feel. The man dressed like a cowboy, straight from the rodeo circuit, but the casual look was deceiving. Sam Cross was as smart as a whip and she needed to be on her toes with him. She peeled off her coat and hung it on the peg in her office, and noticed Duke had stuck to her like glue since the encounter at the ski resort. The dog usually went to visit Maggie at the front counter, looking for snacks, and would lie under her desk in a basket or at Kane’s feet most of the time. It was unusual for him to be so protective, and the growling and teeth-showing was out of character. Jenna patted him on the head. “Can you feel my resentment toward the lawyer? Don’t worry, he won’t hurt me. While he’s talking to his clients, why don’t we go see how the handyman is doing in the basement?”
She walked through the office and took the steps down to the basement. One door led to the evidence locker, a secured area, and a second, currently open, led to the furnace and a storage area. She moved to the door and Duke barked, making her jump. The dog rushed forward and Jenna raised her voice. “Down boy.”
Inside, Tom Dickson dropped the stack of old papers he’d been carrying and staggered back. Jenna grabbed Duke’s collar and instructed him to sit. She looked at Dickson’s face. He was an old, wrinkled mountain man with no hint of compassion in his hard gaze. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure what’s gotten into him today.”
“Dogs are nothing but trouble.” Dickson raised his gaze to her and bent to pick up the papers.
Jenna ignored his comment. So, he wasn’t a dog-lover; it made no difference to her. She considered him for a moment. He looked so down on his luck, she wanted to help him in any way she could.
“Is there something else you wanted me to do, ma’am?” Dickson dropped the papers into a carton and straightened. He pressed a gloved fist to his back and groaned. “Sorry, my arthritis plays up something fierce in the winter.”
Jenna shook her head. “No, I was just checking on how you were going down here.”
Rowley had offered him a day’s work over the weekend, but he really needed something else now. She searched her brain for a job for him to do. “If you can come by my ranch first thing in the morning, it would be a great help if you could make some room in my barn. I have the winter feed delivery due soon. I’d planned to help Kane over the weekend, but we’re snowed under right now and I need to be here.”
“You won’t be there?” Dickson frowned.
“No, but the house and cottage are under CCTV surveillance.” Jenna shrugged. “If you enter the perimeter of the house or cottage, you’ll risk setting off the alarm system. So long as you avoid those areas, you’ll be fine.”
“I’ll be there by seven.” Dickson bent to pick up more papers. “As long as that mutt isn’t running loose.”
Jenna headed for the door. “No, he’ll be leaving with me. Just remember, bring everything you need with you because once you leave the perimeter of the ranch, you won’t be able to get back inside without tripping the alarm. I’ll be happy to leave you some lunch.” She ran up the steps with Duke on her heels. Time to face Sam Cross.
She made her way to the interview rooms and found Kane sitting outside, sipping a cup of coffee. “This seems like a waste of your time—shouldn’t you be chasing down a court order for Mrs. Robinson’s bank account details?”
“Cross said his clients would be ready to talk at any time now, so as you’d gone missing, I thought I’d wait here.” Kane lifted a second to-go cup from beside his chair and handed it to her. “Rowley has taken the paperwork over to the courthouse and although the probable cause is vague, we might be lucky.”
Jenna sat down beside him in the cramped alcove and sipped the coffee. “Hmm, seems to me it was common knowledge Lucas Robinson was having affairs for some time. I find it hard to believe the wife was that naïve. We’ll go and speak to her again as soon as the doctors have finished their evaluation of her state of mind. I’m still convinced there’s a link to her that we’ve missed, and she is left-handed like the killer.” She smiled at him. “I’ve asked Tom Dickson, the handyman working in the basement, to drop by in the morning. That’s where I vanished to. He’s going to reorganize the barn before the winter supplies are delivered.”
“You planning on leaving him there while we’re out?” Kane frowned at her and shook his head. “You don’t know him from Adam.”
“No, but what could that old man possibly do?” Jenna sighed in frustration. She had to believe people were inherently good. “We have a security field around the houses. If he so much as moves inside the perimeter, we’ll know. He can’t access the saferoom, and the rest of the barn holds feed and stables. Nothing to steal. He’s worked here without a problem, kept to himself and not wandered around. He’s going to be there by seven, so we’ll set him to work and leave.” She could see he was unconvinced. “I’ll put his lunch in the old refrigerator so he doesn’t have to leave during the day; he’ll be fine.”
“Okay. You’re making him lunch as well?” Kane gave an agitated roll of his shoulders. “You planning on inviting him to dinner too?” He indicated to Duke, who was leaning against her leg. “Duke is agitated, has been since we started working this case. He won’t let you out of his sight.”
Jenna laughed at his sour expression. “He’s getting like you, overprotective. If you recall, Duke became aggressive when we spoke to Hall and Young. They posed a threat to me and he sensed it is all.” She patted Duke on the head. “Although he did frighten Dickson enough to make him drop the papers he was carrying.”
“He did what?” Kane chuckled. “Really?”
Before Jenna could explain, the light flashed outside the interview room, indicating Sam Cross had concluded his interview. She glanced at Kane. “That’s one down.”
“Nope, two.” Kane threw his to-go cup into a nearby trash can and stood. “He didn’t spend more than a few minutes with Young. Most of his time has been with Hall.”
Jenna swallowed her coffee and tossed the cup beside Kane’s. “Okay, I’ll take the lead and you observe unless you have any of your own questions.”
“Okay.” Kane stretched and his long fingers touched the ceiling. He bent to pat Duke on the head. “Stay here, good boy.” He swiped his card and they entered the interview room.
Jenna nodded at Sam Cross. “Afternoon, Sam. Is your client willing to answer a few questions?”
“Yeah, within reason, but I’m stating for the record neither he nor Mr. Young were involved in the shooting in Stanton Forest.” Cross nodded at Kane. “Deputy Kane.”
“Cross.” Kane nodded and sat down. “I’ll start the recording.” He gave the date and time, and everyone in the room stated their names.
Jenna laid her notebook on the table and sat opposite Cross and a very belligerent-looking Hall. She glanced down at her case notes on Robinson; she already had what she needed from them about their involvement with the Stanton Forest murder victims. Both Hall and Young were in the vicinity at the time of the crime, and both men had history with the victims and had refused a gunshot residue swab. Now she needed information on Hall’s interaction with Lucas Robinson. “Mr. Hall, can you account for your whereabouts on Monday night after eleven and Tuesday morning before three?”
“Yeah.” Hall leaned forward on the desk and rested his
head in one hand. “I was home with Cliff. We have to get up early for work so we don’t go out weekdays.”
“Did anyone else see you?” Jenna glanced up at him. “A neighbor perhaps? Did anyone call you, or did you interact with anyone online during that time?”
“No, I’d say I was sound asleep.” Hall smiled. “Alone in my bed, unfortunately, so I can’t prove it. Why?”
Jenna pushed on. “I believe you had a grievance with Lucas Robinson. Can you elaborate?”
“A grievance?” Hall snorted and his eyes flashed with anger. “Is that what you call swindling a man out of his inheritance?”
“How so?”
“He told me to invest in a crazy scheme and it went bankrupt two weeks after I invested my money.” Spittle flew from Hall’s mouth. “I’m sure he knew it was going to go bust. I shouldn’t have trusted him to invest my money… if he invested it at all. Seeing the house he built at Majestic Rapids, I’d say he’s been swindling everyone in town for years.”
Jenna made a few notes and felt Kane touch her arm. She nodded at him.
“Did you make a complaint to the bank manager?” Kane leaned back in his chair, making it creak. “If you believed someone was running a scam, you could have reported it to us or the FBI.”
“What’s the point?” Hall choked back a laugh of disgust. “Who’d listen to me? And I don’t have the cash to pay for lawsuits, I’m living hand to mouth since that guy ripped me off.”
Jenna nodded. “I can see you’re upset, Mr. Hall, and why. Did you enter Mr. Robinson’s home on Monday night and kill him?”
“Don’t answer that question.” Cross sent daggers across the table at Jenna. “You said you wanted to interview my clients about a shooting incident; now you’re bringing murder one to the table.” He shook his head. “Lay it out for me, Sheriff. What are you accusing my clients of doing?”
