by Hood, D. K.
“Nope.” Kane scanned her face. “Don’t you think it would be a good idea to have them stay with us? We usually work into the night and it would be more convenient.”
Unsettled by his suggestion, Jenna stared at him. “If you want Jo to stay with you, that’s your call, but as sure as hell, I’m not sharing my house with Carter.” She shook her head. “I’ve offered him my cruiser but I don’t make a habit of inviting strange men to share my house.”
“You did me.” Kane smiled at her. “It must have been my irresistible charm.”
Jenna glared at him. “I did not! Giving you the cottage was a kindness. I didn’t ask you to move in with me.”
“Uh-huh, I guess. Anyway, I was thinking of offering Carter my spare room and wondered if you might do the same for Jo. It’s a temporary solution and would save time.” Kane shrugged. “But if sharing with Jo is a problem, we’ll find them rooms in town.”
Seeing the sense in his idea, she nodded. “Sure, why not? But I’m surprised you’d risk having an FBI agent snooping around your house, and what about his dog? Duke will go crazy.”
“Don’t worry about Duke, I’ll tell him to be nice.” Kane cleared his throat. “Security isn’t an issue either—he won’t find anything, and since Rowley’s stay, I’ve installed another safe in my bedroom. Trust me, it’s like Fort Knox.”
Jenna smiled at him. “Good to know.” She slid out the door and went to greet Jo. “To save time hunting down a place to stay, would you like to bunk with me? I have all the equipment we’ll need, and you’re welcome to use my cruiser.”
“That would be great.” Jo smiled at her.
Jenna turned to Carter. “What about you?”
“Yeah, thanks.” Carter nodded. “We’ll dump our bags and then head into town for a meal. We’ll meet you at the sheriff’s office in an hour and review the cases. I’ll think on how we can split the caseload, so make sure all your deputies are at the meeting.”
His attitude took Jenna by surprise. She walked closer and eyeballed him. “Agent Carter, I’m the lead officer on this case. When I’m ready to hand it over to the FBI, I’ll let you know.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Carter didn’t disguise an eye roll. “I’m used to working alone but that’s no excuse. I apologize, ma’am.”
Unconvinced, Jenna nodded. “Okay.”
“You’ll be staying with me.” Kane’s stony expression hadn’t changed as he looked at Carter. “I’ll show you your room.” He led the way to his cottage.
Jenna turned to Jo. “I’ll have to make up your bed tonight. I don’t have many visitors.” She smiled at her. “Do you have a pair of jeans and some more substantial boots to wear? Most of the crime scenes are out of town and the forecast is for snow any day now.”
“No, I don’t.” Jo pulled her suitcase wheels over the uneven ground. “I had no idea what to expect. The FBI moved me to Snakeskin Gully without notice.” She smiled at Jenna. “The local sheriff there informed me I can buy everything I need at the produce store in town.”
Jenna opened the front door, shut down the alarm, and waved her inside. “There are two places here in town that sell basic winter wear, but the jeans will need washing before you wear them. I have a pair that will fit you in the meantime, but a pair of hiking boots is a priority around here.” She looked at Jo’s suit jacket. “Do you have a winter coat with you?”
“Yeah, my FBI jacket is thick and I have my Kevlar vest with me.” Jo stood in the family room and looked around. “You have a lovely home.”
Jenna showed her to her room. “Thanks. I’ll grab those jeans.”
She hurried to her closet. Jo was smaller than her but she’d been thinner when she’d arrived in Black Rock falls and had three pairs of good jeans she no longer used. She took them into the spare bedroom and noticed Jo’s drawn expression. “Is there something wrong?”
“I’m worried about my daughter, Jaime.” She stared down at her phone.
Jenna’s stomach gave a twist. “How so?”
“She took my divorce and moving away from her friends really hard. It was a messy divorce and it’s been difficult explaining to her why her daddy prefers mommy’s boss.” Jo gave her a direct look. “That’s why I’m working in the backwoods of Montana with a team of misfits.”
Astonished, Jenna shook her head. “Hmm, I see. She wanted you out of the way.”
“Exactly. We haven’t unpacked yet and I’m off on a case.” Jo shook her head. “Jaime has her nanny but I feel as if I’m letting her down.”
Jenna sat on the bed beside her, surprised a virtual stranger had decided to confide in her. Perhaps she had no one else to talk to. “Divorce is hard on kids, but she is seven, isn’t she? Halloween is coming up and she’ll be involved in all sorts of fun things at school. Does she mix easily with other kids?”
“Yeah, and she’s used to me going away for days on end on cases. I’m lucky, she’s pretty easygoing.” Jo indicated with her chin toward the door. “Like Deputy Kane. You’re lucky to have him, he’s a real gentleman. He’s been calling me ‘ma’am’ all day.” She chuckled. “I’m stuck with Mr. Grumpy. I’m told Ty is one of the best in his field, but it’s going to be like working with a robot. He’s old-school and this assignment must be his worst nightmare.”
Jenna laughed. “Oh, Kane was pretty macho when he arrived too. It took him some time to understand that I could look after myself, but I’d trust him with my life. He’s a good man.” She stood. “I’ll leave you to get changed. We haven’t eaten yet either, so if you’d like to follow us to Aunt Betty’s Café in town, we can discuss the cases over lunch and then I’ll take you to the stores. It will be faster. Kane can take Carter back to the office. He’ll have all the info you need by the time we get back.”
* * *
Later, in Kane’s truck, Jenna glanced at him. “What do you think about Carter?”
“Arrogant but being off the grid for a year, you tend to lose your people skills.” Kane’s mouth quirked at the corners. “You sure shut him down.”
Jenna cringed. “Too much?”
“Nah, saved me the trouble of taking him out back of the woodshed and teaching him some manners.” Kane flashed a wide smile. “And to think I used to worry over you.”
Jenna shrugged. “I’m a big girl and there’s no way he was going to walk over me. He did try, but I must admit, after I took control of the scene, he came over as knowledgeable and allowed me to see the action through his eyes. You may be right. He’s been alone too long.” She turned in her seat to look at him. “And Jo. First impressions?”
“Smart, and she analyzes on the fly with incredible accuracy.” Kane frowned and glanced at her. “I picked up a vulnerability but she’s toughing it out. It’s hard to hide insecurity from me. It makes me wonder why she was sent to a small town in the middle of nowhere with an arrogant SOB like Ty Carter.” His gaze remained fixed on the road. “Wolfe gave me the impression she was super confident and used to running the show.”
Remembering the devastation on Jo’s face, Jenna wondered if telling Kane was breaking a confidence, but they had no secrets between them. “From what I gather, she’s concerned about leaving her daughter. Jo is recently divorced.”
“Oh, I see.” Kane pulled up in front of Aunt Betty’s Café. “That makes a lot of sense.” He nodded toward the café. “Will you inform Susie Hartwig about Ruby’s murder?”
“Not until I’ve notified her next of kin but I will ask her for Ruby’s details.” She frowned. “I’m surprised nobody has reported her missing.”
“Maybe they have.” Kane reached for his phone. “Do you want me to call Maggie and ask?”
Jenna slid from the truck. “We’ll ask her when we get into the office. I’m famished.” She waited on the sidewalk for Carter to pull up behind them in her cruiser.
They ordered their meals and sat at the sheriff’s table. It was quiet, with only a few customers lingering after the lunchtime rush. Jenna looked at Carter. “W
e’ll need to exchange case files; it will make life easier. What are your cell numbers?”
She took them down and the message ringtones chimed as the files flashed through cyberspace. After scanning the Baltimore case files, she glanced up at Kane. “What’s your take on this?”
“From the crime scene images and the autopsy reports, plus Jo’s profile, I figure we’re dealing with the same man.” Kane nodded to Jo. “Have you come to the same conclusion?”
“Yeah, unless it’s a copycat, but the link we considered between the Baltimore murders wasn’t released to the press. Although, nothing indicated our killer was left-handed.” Jo refilled her cup from a pot on the table. “Did you get a read from any of your suspects?”
“We interviewed Kyler Hall and Cliff Young but they lawyered up. We don’t know if either of them are left-handed.” Kane spread cream over the top of his cherry pie. “To save time, I’ll give you a rundown of the case against them. They were involved in a fight with the Stanton Forest victims, Louis and Addams. Young broke up with his girlfriend, Ann, over her affair with Lucas Robinson, our first victim. Robinson apparently swindled Hall out of his inheritance, so they all tie in. They have no alibis for TOD in the Robinson case and were in the vicinity of the Stanton Forest murders at the TOD as well.” He glanced at Jo. “Are they capable of murder is the question. Volatile and angry can escalate into this type of behavior, as you know.”
“Yeah, any of those scenarios could trigger a psychotic episode, but this anger seems more pronounced. It’s ongoing, a deep hatred.” Jo sipped her coffee. “Likely from a traumatic event in childhood.”
Jenna looked from one to the other. “Okay, say they’re the killers. What is the significance of the black feather? Why would it be significant to both men? They come from different family situations and it’s unlikely they’d have both suffered the same trauma as kids.”
“They could be a leader and a follower.” Jo smiled at her. “A psychopath has charm in spades, and this is attractive to a weaker man; he may look up to him. In this case they usually go along with them and get dragged into their world without really understanding the reason.” She placed her cup on the saucer and patted her mouth on a paper napkin. “Seems to me Hall and Young have common enemies.”
“That’s all very neat.” Carter let out a long sigh and scrolled through the images of the crime scenes. “So how do they tie in with the mass murder? I’m no medical examiner but I know enough forensics to see that the first three killings are clean. The killer or killers didn’t linger to enjoy their kills like the last one. Trust me, that amount of damage takes time.” He shot a direct glance at Jenna. “Can you make out any possible link between the cases because I sure as hell can’t.”
Jenna dropped some bills on the table and pushed to her feet. “At least we have suspects. Looking at the FBI’s past efforts, they’ve struck out on every murder.”
Thirty-Six
Kane headed to the office, taking in the constant changes to Main Street. Few weeks went by between a celebration of one thing or another. After suffering weeks of sleet, the townsfolk had replaced most of the hail-ruined decorations for Halloween. He’d noticed how Black Rock Falls embraced the celebration for well over two weeks prior to the day, although the jack-o’-lanterns didn’t come out until the last minute, when they lit up Main with eerie golden smiles during the trick-or-treat procession of kids collecting candy. He’d enjoyed patrolling with Jenna and seeing the happy faces and outrageous costumes. He hoped the current murders wouldn’t prevent the kids’ fun.
As they arrived at the sheriff’s department, he turned to Jenna. She hadn’t said too much to him since leaving Aunt Betty’s. “I believe you’re right about Carter. He has a good reputation of getting the job done; we can use his input same as Jo’s.”
“He sees things differently to the way we do.” Jenna rubbed her temples. “I admit, I prefer the team approach to solving crimes. Sure, I lead the case, but I rely on your profiling skills and Wolfe’s determination on the crime scene. Together, we consider all possibilities and go from there.” She puffed out a breath that lifted her bangs. “Carter looks at the whole picture at once and makes a snap determination. He came up with a different scenario than we did in about fifteen seconds.”
Kane rubbed his chin. “That doesn’t make him right. Considering all aspects before jumping to conclusions is a sound strategy. Using all your resources is a mark of a good leader. You shouldn’t doubt yourself. He’s a lone wolf. I think Jo is going to have her hands full with him.”
“The problem is, this time, everything he said made perfect sense.” Jenna met his gaze. “Wolfe didn’t mention he’d noticed the victim had his shoes on the wrong feet.” She explained her conversation with Wolfe, and Carter’s take on the murder at the Old Mitcham Ranch. “What Carter says is more than possible—he’s probably right.”
“Wolfe noticed the boots and will add it to his conclusions because he takes into account all the evidence.” Kane shrugged. “If he said it could’ve happened because the men rushed to dress, then he’s offering you reasonable doubt. Knowing him as I do, he’ll be testing those boots for any foreign DNA and search for proof the killer removed the man’s footwear. He doesn’t jump to conclusions. He wants his evidence to be rock solid in court.”
“Okay.” Jenna gave him a direct stare. “We have to live and work with them for a few days, and from what Jo said, she will be our go-to local FBI branch, so getting on good terms with them now will be to our advantage.” She smiled. “I kind of like Jo, and it’s nice to have someone close my own age to talk to.”
Bemused, Kane frowned. “I’m close to your age, Jenna.”
“Oh, Dave, you are so funny.” Jenna chuckled. “I mean girl talk. I’ve missed it, and Emily Wolfe is a great companion, but it was refreshing talking to Jo.” She reached for the door handle. “I’m taking the cruiser for half an hour. Jo needs to pick up a few things. If you could collate all the info we have to date, we’ll all meet up in my office when we get back.”
Kane stared at her in disbelief. “Can’t Carter take her?”
“No, I’m going with her. We’ll need to show them the murder scenes and Jo doesn’t have a decent coat or hiking boots. I know where to go, Carter doesn’t. It will take no time at all.” She slid out the truck and poked her head back inside and grinned at him. “Promise.”
Kane scratched his head. “Uh-huh.”
He waited for Carter and Zorro on the sidewalk and they walked into the sheriff’s department. After introducing him to Maggie and Walters, he went straight to Jenna’s office and pulled down the whiteboard. He stared for a few moments at the faces of the victims depicted in life beside the gruesome images of their deaths. It was as if they pleaded with him to find and stop their killer. “I’ll print the images from the crime scene and get them up.” He used his phone to access the file and sent them to the printer.
As the printer hummed and churned out the images, Ty Carter instructed Zorro to lie down on the mat and then walked up and down, staring at the whiteboard, stopping to examine photographs before moving on.
Kane rested one hip on the edge of the desk and looked at the dog. “There’s not much for Zorro to do in this case. If he gets on okay with Duke, you’re welcome to leave him at my cottage. I have an enclosed area out back they can access from the mudroom.”
“Yeah, I might take you up on that offer. He doesn’t like being cooped up inside.”
Kane nodded. “Jenna mentioned your theory about the footprints.”
“Not a theory, an observation.” Carter chewed on his toothpick. “Wolfe will find blood on the victim’s socks. From the blood spatter pattern around his feet, he wasn’t wearing his boots when the killer severed his hand. “Did you find shell casings at any of the scenes?”
Kane shook his head. “No.”
“Hmm that sure ties in with what Jo told me about the Baltimore murders.” Carter turned and looked at him. “What do you th
ink we have here?”
Kane collected up the photographs and then went to the whiteboard and attached them. “I figure we have to look into the victims’ backgrounds to catch this killer.” He stood back to admire his work. “The feather links them but apart from that, I’d say Robinson was a paid hit. The Stanton Forest murders don’t resemble a random shooting. They’re clean, like the Robinson case. It’s as if something these two men did, triggered the killer to run them off the road and kill them.” He moved along to the Old Mitcham Ranch killings. “This is completely different. It’s messy and dangerous. I mean, how did a waitress from Aunt Betty’s end up dead here? If the killer abducted her and brought her here with the intent of using her as bait, to kill the men, he’s changed his MO again. Jo believes this indicates a particularly nasty personality disorder.”
“Holy cow, are you suggesting he has a split personality and both sides are serial killers?” Carter dropped into a chair and scrubbed both hands down his face. “I’m going to need coffee intravenously to wrap my head around this one.”
Kane waved a hand to the two coffee machines on the counter at the back of Jenna’s office. “Well, make yourself useful and put on a couple of pots.”
“Sure.” Carter removed his coat and hung it on one of the pegs behind Jenna’s door. “This is the first time I’ve worked in an office that smelled of honeysuckle.” He chuckled and went about refilling the coffee machines. “Most times it’s bad breath and body odor.” He glanced at Kane. “I take it you’re close to Jenna. I had her all wrong and wasn’t expecting her to break my balls.”
Kane didn’t bite. “She has the respect of everyone under her command. The sheriff is professional all the way. I suggest you don’t underestimate her.”
“Hmm, I was warned the same about Jo, but at the time I’d assumed she was a guy.” Carter moved the toothpick across his lips and sighed. “I haven’t worked with many women.”
