Promises in the Dark

by D. K. Hood

  Jenna took Rowley into her office. “How do you feel about running the office for a week, maybe two?”

  “You planning on a vacation?” Rowley smiled at her. “About time. Sure, I can manage with Deputy Walters, he’s getting bored sitting around home, retirement isn’t his style and I can go to Wolfe if there’s a problem I can’t solve.”

  Jenna nodded. “Oh, I’ll be here but not here. If you need me or Kane, we’ll be in the communications room, now the temporary FBI office until further notice. You’ll be working in my office. We’re consulting with the FBI on a case out of Louan, so we can’t run the office as well. The FBI room is off-limits for everyone.”

  “Oh, sure.” Rowley touched his hat. “I’ll go and call Walters.” He turned to leave looking very pleased with himself.

  Jenna hustled back to the others. “Okay, now we have this set up, what’s first on the list?”

  “We should head out to Louan and I’ll walk you through the crime scene.” Carter moved his toothpick across his lips. “We need to find a clue to where this guy has taken the girl. Right now, the local sheriff is chasing his tail.”

  Taking a seat at the table, Jenna stared at him. “What makes you think he’s left a clue?”

  “There’s always a clue.” Carter leaned back in his chair and stretched like a cat. “We just have to find it. Are you going to partner with me on this case?”

  Although she would value Carter’s insight, she worked with Kane and they were supposed to be consultants, which left her in limbo without any powers at all. Jenna glanced over the files and tried to be diplomatic. “As I have a small team, I usually delegate the work to the people with the most experience. As we’re all experienced in the field, I can’t see any reason to split up. It’s counterproductive at this stage of the investigation.” She looked at Jo and wondered why she’d left Bobby Kalo, their black hat hacker, behind at the field office. He was very useful at hunting down information. “What about Kalo? Is he available if we need him?”

  “Yeah.” Jo nodded. “He works better from our office. He has everything he needs there.”

  “You’re the highest-ranking officer, Jo, how do you want to play this?” Kane leaned back in his chair. “One of you has to take the lead or we’ll be running around bumping heads.”

  “We’ll work together and pool resources. I’m happy to take charge of the office but I’m not a detective. What about you, Carter?” Jo glanced at Carter.

  “I’d rather Jenna takes the lead.” Carter looked at Kane. “No offense but she is your boss. Jenna is known throughout the local counties and people trust her. I figure if the victims have any skeletons in their closets, the locals are more likely to open up to her than us. Her record for solving crimes is impressive.” He shrugged. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re all equals here. Let’s do as Jenna suggested and go with the most experienced in solving murder crimes.”

  Jenna exchanged a look of bewilderment with Kane. “But you’re FBI Agents—we don’t have the power to arrest anyone outside Black Rock Falls.”

  “When the time comes, Jo or I will make the collar.” Carter smiled. “So, it’s nice and legal but who we use as consultants to get to that point is at our discretion.”

  “At this point we’re all working under the FBI umbrella.” Jo went into her briefcase and pulled out two cred packs and handed them to Jenna and Kane. “We have jackets for you as well, for in the field if there’s a situation.” She smiled at Jenna. “Take charge, Jenna. There’s a ton of information to sort through before we start a list of possible suspects. I’ll work on a profile and I’d appreciate Kane’s input but I agree with Carter, we’ll need to walk you through the crime scene. You’ll see things we might have missed.”

  Confused no one seemed to be worried about the missing girl, Jenna drummed her fingers on the table. “Okay, I’ll take the lead because right now we’re running around in circles. We’ll visit the crime scene later, right now we need more boots on the ground to find the girl. What’s happening now, Carter? Do you know if Crenshaw organized a search of the Woods’ farm and surrounds?”

  “Yeah, I called him just before and they’re searching the area now, along with some volunteers from town. There’s no sign of her, Jenna. I also called Kalo and told him to hunt down any firebugs in the area.”

  Glad that the Louan sheriff had the search covered, she glanced at the statements on her screen. “We’ll start with the witnesses’ statements. Once we have an idea what happened prior, during, and after the explosion, we’ll head out to the crime scene.”

  They all worked in silence for some time. Jenna made notes on a few points. The people who called in a crime, especially in a fire, were often involved. A firebug enjoyed watching the firetrucks as well as the blaze.

  “Now this is interesting.” Carter scrolled through the statements. “I’ve found a report of an older model blue Ford sedan seen in the vicinity of the Woods’ ranch before the explosion.” He frowned. “They didn’t take down the plate number but the vehicle was parked alongside the road just before nightfall and then drove into the Woods’ ranch. The neighbor, Joe Ranger, noticed it as he was feeding his horses.” He continued scrolling through the information on his screen. “Ranger headed into town soon after and didn’t see the fire.”

  The memory of yesterday morning’s conversation with Kane flashed through Jenna’s mind. “Kane picked up a stolen vehicle fitting that description on Stanton Road the day after the fire. It’s in the impound lot in town.” She scanned her files. “The driver, Harvey Haralson, is in custody. We have his statement. I’ll add it to the files.”

  “I’ll call Wolfe.” Kane pulled out his phone. “That car may hold the clue you’re after.”

  “As firebugs like to watch the fire—” Jo’s attention moved to Kane “—did you smell smoke on him? It would’ve been hard to miss if he’d been close.”

  “No.” Kane’s brow furrowed. “The vehicle went missing on Tuesday, was used in a crime that night, and found abandoned in the forest opposite the Triple Z Bar, the following morning, so I doubt the eighteen-year-old I pulled out the car was the bomber. I’d like to know why he was at the Triple Z, he’s too young to drink. How did he get there and where was he coming from? We could stop by county and let Carter flash his creds to put the fear of death into him by threatening to charge him with murder one?”

  “Yeah, good idea.” Carter smiled and pushed his toothpick to one side of his mouth. “But he seems a mite young to be our bomber, unless his daddy taught him.” He looked at Jenna. “It might be an idea to find out if the kid was related to the DC bomber?” He accessed a database and they all waited expectantly. “No, Harvey Haralson is not related and has lived here in town all his life.”

  “I don’t think he’s involved but we shouldn’t discount him completely. These days, men of his age are volatile and some are easily led into crime.” Jo looked from one to the other. “I’ll contact county and inform them he’s a person of interest in the bombing. They’ll be able to hold him until we can get to interview him.”

  “But why would he risk being caught in a stolen vehicle after the bombing?” Carter frowned.

  Jenna nodded. “I agree. No one is that stupid. He’d have known someone could’ve seen him by the ranch. He was out there before dark in plain sight.”

  “Yeah but remember, if we’re dealing with a psychopath, they never believe they can be caught.” Kane crossed his legs at the ankles. “The arrogance I witnessed is typical behavior.”

  Jenna stood and added Harvey Haralson and the vehicle to the whiteboard. A thought grabbed her. “Has the Triple Z recently installed a CCTV in the parking lot?”

  “Now that would be a first.” Carter snorted and grinned at her. “Trust me, none of the clientele in that place want a record of their comings and goings. This one is going to be tough.”

  “No one said solving crimes was easy.” Jenna pushed both hands through her hair. “Kane, call the impound yar
d and make sure no one goes near the car before Wolfe collects it. Carter, get out another media statement asking for any information on the vehicle. Someone might have seen it after the explosion. If the fire had people out sightseeing someone might have passed it on the highway.” She frowned. “Let’s get to work, we have a missing girl out there and someone has to have seen that car.”

  Eleven

  The Whispering Caves

  Deep inside the Whispering Caves, water trickled just out of Sophie’s reach. Trying to ignore the tantalizing drip into the small pool of crystal-clear water, she swiped her parched tongue over her cracked lips and picked up the small rock. Trying to concentrate as she dehydrated had become harder by the minute but determined to cut herself free, she used the sharp rock to keep up a relentless sawing across the zip-tie binding her ankle to the ring in the ground. Blood trickled from her palm making the stone slip and slide. She’d dropped it so many times and suffered waves of frustration when it blended into the rock bottom of the cave. Acutely aware of any sounds in the catacombs, she stopped to listen but the skitter scatter wasn’t the man returning, it was the critters that shared her hellhole. Right now, he couldn’t see what she was doing and she knew exactly what turned on the trail cam. If she moved, the red light came on, so she turned her back, covered herself with the blanket and waited. Once the whir of the camera stopped, she moved one hand carefully to avoid triggering the motion sensor. The camera had come on at other times as well, so she figured he must have a way of watching her at any time.

  Time was non-existent inside the cave. It had become one endless night and she’d gone from her stomach reminding her she hadn’t eaten, to rolling in waves of pain. Her body ached and her brutal captor reminded her each time he visited how nobody missed her or cared if she lived or died. He’d described in detail how her family would have looked after the fire. The sound of his laughter at her suffering filled her head in an endless tormenting earwig. He wanted to watch her starve to death and no doubt would find the rats consuming her dead flesh entertainment. She had to get away.

  In desperation, she tugged at the fraying zip tie and suddenly it snapped. Lunging on unsteady legs, she crawled to the pool of water. It tasted metallic but she didn’t care and scooped it up in her hands to quench her thirst. Her stomach rolled as the freezing water slid down her throat making her nauseas. Slowing her pace, she sipped slowly. Sharp rocks dug into her bare flesh but she didn’t care and splashed water over her face. Breathing heavily, she didn’t hear the footsteps at first but the cough was unmistakably human. Frozen with fear, she turned and stared into the lens of a camera. The echo of footsteps rumbled toward her. The unmistakable rhythm of his walk was imprinted in her mind. He’d decided to torture her again.

  Panic gripped her as she scampered back to the filthy mattress and snatched up the blanket. She fashioned it around her for warmth. Trembling, she glanced at the lantern. Indecisions clutched at her. If she took it, he’d find her in seconds but her fear of the dark made the pitch-black tunnels leading away in all directions terrifying. A cool wind blew against her cheek and she moved closer to the forbidding abyss. There had to be a way out. And the draft was coming from outside. She glanced behind her down the main tunnel as a slither of light bounced off the walls from his flashlight. His footsteps had gotten closer and now she could hear him whistling. Whatever the darkness held for her it had to be better than suffering a moment longer. She gathered her courage and ducking under cobwebs, ran into the darkness.

  Twelve

  Jo climbed into Jenna’s sheriff department’s SUV and glanced at Carter. They’d decided to take both vehicles, mainly to carry all their gear and two dogs. “What possessed you to give the lead to Jenna? You’re one of the top people in your field.”

  “Like I said, she has a reputation in the local counties, many of the deputies have worked under her before. It was the right move and leaves my hands free to investigate. If Kane has the knowledge he claims to have in explosives, then we’ll be working on identifying the bomber using our expertise. Jenna is great at finding potential suspects and with you profiling, we have everything covered.” He glanced at her and his green eyes flashed with amusement. “They can’t arrest anyone unless the killer walks into their county but we have that covered. Don’t worry, Jo, everything will work out just fine.”

  “Oh, I don’t have a problem with Jenna, I just don’t want you and Kane butting heads.” Jo sighed. “It doesn’t take a behavioral analyst to recognize something isn’t sitting too well with Kane. His reaction to the images of the car bombing surprised me.” She shook her head slowly. “I was expecting this case to freak you out, not Kane, he seems so laid back.”

  “Did you know, he has a metal plate in his head?” Carter flicked her a glance. “I read up about him: after the marines he joined the force and took a bullet in the head during a gunfight. I’m guessing he suffered PTSD and maybe the images triggered an episode. He took a deputy’s job in a backwoods town for some peace and quiet.” He snorted. “He’s not having too much luck to date, is he?”

  They soon arrived at the crime scene and Jo climbed out and waited for Jenna and Kane. She had questions but would ask them later, when she and Jenna were alone. She waited for them all to pull on protective suits and gloves. “Okay, it’s best if Carter explains the technical side of the explosion. We have the report from the Black Rock Falls Fire Chief as well.”

  “That’s good and with Kane’s input we should get a very clear picture of what occurred here.” Jenna turned toward the gutted remains of the large ranch house and then looked at Carter. “I can see the perimeter is marked. Have entry and exit points been established?”

  “It’s good to know you follow procedure.” Carter smiled around his toothpick and tipped back his Stetson. “Yeah, we enter around the detonation crater and exit by the backdoor.”

  “As we haven’t reevaluated the crime scene yet…” Jenna waved a hand in the direction of the ruins. “Why isn’t there a deputy on duty around the clock to preserve the evidence?” She scanned through the files on her screen. “Anyone could’ve been inside since the ME left.”

  Jo walked to Jenna’s side. “Webber took a video and hundreds of pictures. Wolfe and the fire chief both took samples of the crater and the accelerant. They found a can of gas upturned on the kitchen floor.”

  “Okay.” Jenna looked up. “Who collected evidence from the second floor?” She looked puzzled. “I see from the preliminary report, the fire destroyed the stairs.”

  Jo frowned. “No one went upstairs to collect evidence as far as I’m aware, Jenna.”

  “Really? We’ll need to get someone up there to collect evidence and take some shots. I’d say the youngest victim would have been in her bed around the time the bomber broke into the house. How old did you say she was?”

  A vivid flash of the charred body crossed Jo’s mind as she opened her iPad and scrolled the information on the family. “Jody Wood was five. The explosion occurred a little after nine.”

  “Kane, can you hunt down a ladder and gain entrance to the second floor?” Jenna looked at the images on her tablet. “The bottom of the stairs are toast but the structure looks okay.”

  “Are you suggesting the fire department didn’t clear the upper floor for survivors or bodies?” Kane shot a look at Carter. “Surely once the area had been cleared of explosives, the fire chief would’ve checked?”

  “Not that I’m aware.” Carter frowned. “I assumed it had been cleared before we arrived. Everything was out and the firefighters had left by the time we arrived.”

  “You assumed?” Jenna rolled her eyes. “You’re an expert in your field and you didn’t ask if the upper floors had been cleared?”

  “I was called in to hunt down a secondary device.” Carter shrugged. “I did my job and cleared the crime scene of explosives.”

  “And yet you didn’t clear the upper levels?” Jenna glared at him. “Why was that?”

  “The st
airs were gutted.” Carter met her gaze unperturbed. “It’s highly unlikely a bomber would bother to place another explosive on the second floor. He wanted a big bang and backed it up with a secondary device and used gas as an accelerant. Trust me, there is no bomb upstairs.”

  “You should have cleared the area anyway.” Jenna lifted her chin. “It is normal procedure. You couldn’t hunt down a ladder?”

  “Oh, the boss has claws.” Carter straightened, removed his hat, and ran a hand through his shaggy blond hair and stared down his nose at her. “Don’t let the promotion go to your head, honey.”

  “Pull your head in, Carter.” Jenna stared at him, unmoving. “You chose me to lead the case, and if you don’t like to follow procedure, too bad because I do, so quit the sexist remarks and suck it up.”

  “Fine, but you should be blaming the fire chief or Wolfe, not me.” Carter was holding his ground. “We cleared the area and Zorro would have alerted me if there’d been another explosive device close by. I did a thorough search of the ground floor. Zorro doesn’t make mistakes and neither do I. It wasn’t my job to search for bodies. I collected evidence in the bombing, which led to the connection between this case and the ones in DC.” He creased his hat down the center and slammed it back on his head. “Since when did calling a woman ‘honey’ become sexist? It is an endearment, not a slight.”

  “It’s rude and demeaning. I know you’ve been living alone for a couple of years but you’re representing the FBI now and need to get your filter back in place. We’re not living in the 1970s.” Jenna’s eyes flashed with anger when his mouth twitched at the edges. “Forget it. I’m not standing here arguing with you all day. We have a case to solve.”

  “I’m not arguing, Jenna.” Carter’s infuriating smile was back in place. “You’re so easy to rile. Loosen up a bit and we’ll get on just fine.” He indicated to Jo with his thumb. “Look at Jo here, she doesn’t take offense to every word I say but if my being friendly makes your hackles rise, I’ll do my best to think before I speak, okay?” He glanced at Kane. “Man, is she this hostile with you?”