Promises in the Dark

by D. K. Hood

  “So do I.” Kane looked at her and his eyes softened. “It will be good to lay the ghosts to rest.” He looked at Carter. “You ready to leave?”

  “Yeah.” Carter looked relieved and closed his laptop. “I sure need some sleep.” He collected the empty cups from the table and headed for the kitchen.

  “One thing before it slips my mind. Did you find out where Sandy Rowley disappeared to today?” Jo stood and picked up the coffee pot and a plate of cookies. “You haven’t mentioned her.”

  Jenna smiled. “She’s fine. She was heading into town for an appointment with Doc Brown when she had the flat tire. Rowley said she hurried from Miller’s Garage and made it in time. That’s why her phone was turned off.”

  “She’s not ill, is she?” Jo frowned.

  Jenna shook her head. “Not that I’m aware.” She collected the rest of the plates and stared at Kane busy on his laptop. “You told Carter you were leaving and you’re working again. You need to get some rest. We’ve gone as far as we can with this case tonight. Whatever you’re doing can wait until morning.”

  “Oh.” Kane gave her an angelic smile. “Sorry, I was just checking tomorrow’s specials at Aunt Betty’s.” He rubbed his stomach. “Mmm ribs. They’ll be worth the wait if we’re driving to Louan. It will be something to look forward to after a busy day.”

  The sudden change in his demeanor made her smile. The anger at the man who’d murdered his wife had melted away as fast as it had emerged, or he was better at hiding his emotions than she’d imagined. Whatever the reason, she’d play along. “That’s a good idea.”

  “Did I hear you say ribs?” Carter came back into the room, eyebrows raised in question and one hand rubbing his belly. “I sure hope they’ll have some left by the time we get back.”

  “I’ve already sent Susie a message, she’ll hold back a stack for us.” Kane chuckled. “She’s never let me down yet.”

  Forty

  Saturday, 1 a.m.

  “Jenna, wake up.” Jo’s voice broke into a dream. “Jenna.”

  Jenna slapped at the hand shaking her awake. She had been asleep for what felt like seconds and her head was still in slumber mode. Forcing her eyes open, she made out a shape in the light filtering in from the hallway and blinked at Jo’s shadowed face. “What’s wrong?”

  “You awake?” Now Kane had walked into the room, fully dressed and armed.

  Jenna sat up and stared at him. “It seems I’m the last one to the party. What the heck is going on here?”

  “Kane will explain, I’ll go and get dressed.” Jo hurried from the room.

  “I called you and then Jo.” Kane picked up her phone and stared at it. “Your phone is on silent.”

  “Yeah.” Jenna pushed the hair from her eyes. “I’m not on call for the 911 emergency line, so after working a seventeen-hour day, I didn’t want to be disturbed by townsfolk complaining about a dog barking.” She glared at him. “What’s so important you’re in my bedroom in the middle of the night?”

  “One of the deputies out of Blackwater called in an explosion at Sheriff Stuart’s house.” Kane switched on the light beside Jenna’s bed and looked down at her. His hair was damp from the shower and Jenna wondered if he’d slept at all. “At first, he figured it was a gas leak but the neighbors heard three explosions. After what happened in Louan, he called the FBI and they contacted Carter. Wolfe is heading out there as soon as he can get his team together. I figured you’d want us on scene too.”

  A pool of acid formed in Jenna’s stomach. It was always difficult when bad things happened to folks she knew. She’d called on Sheriff Stuart many a time for assistance, and respected him. With effort, she pulled on her cloak of professionalism and nodded. “Survivors?”

  “Not a hope in hell.” Kane shook his head. “It’s bad. The place was fully ablaze in seconds. Whoever was inside didn’t stand a chance.”

  The shock of losing a fellow officer jolted her fully awake. She tried to shake off the wave of incredible sadness engulfing her and swallowed hard. In times of great stress and tragedy sticking to procedure lightened the burden. It was as if the way ahead had already been mapped out. No flustering or second thinking. All she had to do was move forward one step at a time down an imaginary list in her mind. “Is the local fire department on scene?” She slipped from the bed and dragged clothes from the closet and threw them on the bed.

  “Yeah but they’re volunteers, so if there’s another unexploded device lying around, we don’t want them going inside. The local deputies have sealed the town, no one in or out accept essential services. We’ll need to move fast.” Kane frowned. “I’m concerned about this, Jenna.”

  Jenna stood and stared at him. “Okay, so why are you worried? We’ve dealt with worse cases than this one? How do you know it wasn’t three propane tanks exploding? People often have more than one for the house.”

  “Maybe but think about the surrounding circumstances.” Kane stared at the wall as if mulling over the problem. “Sheriff Stuart’s granddaughter goes missing and then his house is set on fire. It’s as if someone used the girl to clear the way to the sheriff. All his men would be out scouring the countryside for his granddaughter, and if he’d called for backup, it would have taken ages for anyone to respond.”

  She noticed the tick in his cheek; he was angry, not concerned. “You figure it’s the Louan bomber, don’t you?”

  “Yeah and if this is the bomber, we might be walking into a trap. He’d know for sure we’d be called in again.” Kane pulled out his weapon and checked the clip. “It could be three propane tanks exploding but until we’re sure, we should take all necessary precautions.”

  “Yeah, my thoughts exactly.” Jenna shrugged off the concern, she had a team of professionals around her. “What about taking the chopper?”

  “Yeah, I thought about that too but Carter said it will take longer to prepare the chopper than it will take me to drive, if we all ride in the Beast.” Kane met her gaze. “I’ll go and make sure we have everything we need packed in the truck. We’ll need Zorro, so I’ll leave Duke here to save room.” He turned and headed for the door.

  Jenna glanced around at her team as they all climbed into the Beast. All wore liquid Kevlar vests, helmets, and com packs. Taking the extra precaution against an unknown threat might save a life, although if they tripped an IED they’d be toast. She turned to Carter. “Do you worry about sending Zorro in to look for explosives?”

  “Of course, I do.” Carter attached his seatbelt and patted Kane on the shoulder. “Go, we need to be there yesterday.” He looked back at Jenna as Kane swung the Beast around and headed down the long driveway. “It’s not a case of, ‘the dog will get blown up first and protect us.’” He snorted. “We’re a highly trained team, but he smells what my eyes miss. I’ve seen him discover IEDs hidden in places many would have overlooked. He’s very smart, he won’t walk into a situation and he won’t allow me to do so either.”

  Surprised by his passion, Jenna nodded. “Good to know.”

  They went through the gates and Kane hit the winding blacktop. Once they’d blown through town, he took the on-ramp to the highway and punched the gas, throwing Jenna back in her seat with the force of acceleration. She relaxed the moment she caught sight of Kane’s determined grimace. His truck was like another limb and she had complete confidence in his ability to drive at hair-raising speeds. Lights flashing and siren wailing they sped along the highway leaving the tall pines of Stanton Forest far behind them. The Beast passed vehicles so fast, they became indistinguishable shapes with lights. They hit the long curving stretch through the lowlands and groups of industrial buildings loomed up like dark lumps in the distance. The mood inside the vehicle was somber, everyone deep in their own thoughts. It was as if they were all heading out on a combat mission and making plans on how to survive.

  As they rounded a long curve in the road, Jenna tried to center her mind on anything else but blackened burned bodies and had a flashback to
the night in the middle of winter when she’d first met Kane. He’d appeared out of the freezing cold night to rescue her from an upturned cruiser on this very stretch of highway and she’d stuck her Glock in his face. She grinned into the night at the memory. He could have disarmed her and broken her neck in seconds but he’d called her ma’am, and then been so darn polite, she’d thought him too good to be true. Dealing with an overprotective ex-sniper with more baggage than a freight train had been an experience but she’d never regretted one single day.

  As they left Black Rock Falls county, the ranches on the outskirts of Blackwater, some with lights blazing in the windows, came into view. They passed through a small forest and came out on a long straight stretch of highway. In the distance a red glow lit up the sky. “Oh, that doesn’t look good.”

  “I think that’s Wolfe up ahead.” Kane lifted his chin but his eyes remained fixed on the road. “We’ve made good time, he left well before us.”

  “I’m sure glad we caught up with him.” Carter leaned forward and peered at the glowing sky. “It’s not safe to go near that place. The fire department called out the Black Rock Falls fire chief the moment the explosions went off, so it’s possible the Black Rock Falls Fire Department is here as well. They’ll know to keep clear.”

  The idea of her local fire department getting there before Jenna concerned her. “They should have called us first. We needed to be on scene from the get-go.”

  “You’re asking a lot from a deputy who is used to following orders, Jenna.” Kane flicked her a glance. “Think about it, his sheriff has just been blown to hell and he wouldn’t have the contacts the sheriff had on hand. His first priority would have been to evacuate the neighbors and stop the fire spreading. His volunteer fire department would have panicked. I’m guessing they needed assistance so the fire chief would be the logical person to call. When he arrived, I’m guessing he called the Louan sheriff, as he’s just dealt with a similar situation and Crenshaw told him to call the FBI. That’s why we had the delay.”

  “He followed procedure.” Carter sighed. “Let’s just hope no one has tried to be a hero and ended up spread over half the town.”

  Huffing out an annoyed sigh, Jenna looked at Kane. “I know the deputy followed procedure; I meant the fire chief. He was fully aware we’re involved in a similar case out of Louan and should have called us before he left for Blackwater. He’s irresponsible. One mistake I’d overlook, but two? Not a chance in hell.”

  “You go straight for the jugular, don’t you, Jenna?” Carter barked a laugh. “I would too. If he has a problem with you, he could have called me. I gave him my card.”

  “Well, we can deal with him later.” Kane slowed the Beast to the same speed as Wolfe’s van.

  Jenna snorted. She didn’t like the fire chief’s attitude toward her. “Oh, I intend to.”

  Forty-One

  The smell of the burning wood filled the cab, and smoke swirled around them rising in great plumes and moving across the blacktop in a slow procession. Ahead flames reached for the sky like red and orange dancers with waving outstretched arms. The trees around the house had burst into flames and firetrucks, set well back from the blaze pounded them with jets of water in what looked like an insurmountable battle. The water boiled and hissed, sending out great clouds of steam but the fire had escaped. It roared like an angry lion determined to tear everything in its path to shreds. The recent dry spell had desiccated the undergrowth to kindling making it a perfect medium to spread the flames. Horrified, Jenna stared in disbelief. Inside the raging inferno that was once a family home, Sheriff Buzz Stuart and his wife Cathy had perished. She turned to Carter. “You can’t send Zorro in there.”

  “I’m not a fool, Jenna.” Carter peered over her shoulder at the blaze.

  “How close do you need to get?” Kane slowed to a crawl. “It’s getting hot in here already.”

  “Not close at all, keep well back. We’ll need to access our equipment and a have a safe place to rest up if necessary.” Carter pointed to an open area of plowed land, where Wolfe had just parked his van. “Follow Wolfe. It looks safer, dirt and no trees to catch fire.”

  “Good choice.” Kane headed to the field and drove through the open gate. “The wind is heading in the other direction as well.” He turned the truck around and stared out the windshield. “I thought you said the fire chief was on scene?” He indicated toward the road. “That’s his truck heading our way now.”

  Moments later, the fire chief pulled in beside them. Jenna jumped out the truck and was blasted by hot and smoke-filled air, ashes twirled around her falling like snow. Although the middle of the night, the light coming from the fire illuminated the area in a rosy glow. She marched straight up to him. “I thought you were on scene?”

  “I am on scene.” Matt Thompson gave her a quizzical stare. “Did the smoke get in your eyes, Sheriff?”

  The air between then sizzled with more than heat from the fire. Jenna waved a hand toward his truck. “You’ve only just arrived. I saw you coming in behind us.”

  “Have I?” Thompson rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner. “In case you haven’t noticed the fire is spreading east. I moved my truck to a safer position. I could say: ‘What took you so long?’ but I really don’t give a damn.”

  Anger threatening to bubble over, Jenna folded her arms across her chest. She had to deal with him, she had no other choice. “Give me the rundown.”

  “Ah… I know you were brought in on the Louan case but Blackwater isn’t in your jurisdiction and I believe you’re only under the FBI umbrella as a consultant.” Thompson removed his helmet and looked down his nose at her. “I’ll give my report to Agent Carter.”

  “She’s leading the investigation, man.” Carter walked up beside her.

  As Kane and Jo joined her, Jenna stared at him. “If that’s a problem for you Chief Thompson, we’re all here now so how about bringing us up to speed?”

  “Sure. Nice to see you again Agent Wells and you too, Agent Carter.” Thompson ignored Kane and waved a hand toward the firetrucks. “The house was well ablaze when I arrived. The local boys could see the house was too far gone to save, so they evacuated the ranch houses either side and then called it in. My crew have been containing the fire since arriving, preventing the spread.” He shrugged. “It’s all we can do. The fire will burn itself out soon.”

  “There were three explosions?” Carter looked at him, grim-faced. “All gas bottles?”

  “I’m not sure, I didn’t see them explode and to make things worse, the sheriff had a ton of ammunition inside the house.” Thompson frowned. “If he stored it inside a metal container the heat from the blaze could have caused an explosion. I’ll have a better idea of what happened when we get inside the house.” He looked at Jenna. “That won’t be for hours.”

  Astonished, Jenna shook her head. “Then call out the Louan Fire Department as well. They can assist with preventing the spread and your crew can get the fire out.” She lifted her chin. “For God’s sake, there are people in there. We need to know if a crime was committed. Leaving it to burn itself out will destroy evidence.”

  “And I’ll need to get closer and check for unexploded IEDs.” Carter stared at the fire. “You have no idea what else is hidden around the perimeter of the building. You’re putting lives at risk.”

  “I am not.” Thompson’s eyes flashed with anger. “I’m keeping my men well out of harm’s way. I gave them strict orders not to move inside the fence.”

  Jenna stared at him. “I’m ordering you to call in assistance. I want this fire out. Do it now!”

  “You can’t give me orders.” Thompson shook his head in disbelief. “I’m the fire chief but I will call in the Louan crew just to keep the peace.” He stomped toward his truck and climbed inside, slamming the door behind him.

  “Jenna.” Kane moved to her side and handed her a jacket with FBI written front and back. “There are two deputies just south of the firetrucks, maybe we need to
have a word with them as well and see if they’ve found the girl?”

  “Yeah.” She turned to Carter and Jo. “I’m going to speak to Wolfe and then go talk to the deputies.”

  “Okay.” Jo indicated to a group of sightseers bunched together alongside the road. “We’ll see what they have to say.” She headed off with Carter and the fluorescent FBI logos on their jackets bounced away into the night.

  Jenna hustled over to Wolfe’s truck. Inside, she could make out Wolfe, Emily, and Webber staring at the fire. As he buzzed down his window, she moved closer. “The fire chief figures it will be hours before we can get inside. He’s calling out another crew to hurry things along.”

  “Colt’s been filming the blaze and we’ve been scanning social media for any footage.” Wolfe’s eyes reflected eerily in the fire. “I might not be able to get inside the house but I’m observing the fire. I’ve seen one hell of a lot of housefires but nothing like this one. How did it get out of control so fast? From the reports of the blasts the local fire department were on scene in ten minutes, which for a volunteer crew is pretty fast.” He sighed. “Unless the sheriff had a ton of combustibles inside the house, it shouldn’t have flared up so fast.”

  Jenna nodded. “I thought the same and the fire chief said ammunition was popping and if the sheriff had stored some in a metal box it could have caused an explosion.”

  “Do you keep your ammo in a metal box?” Wolfe raise an eyebrow.

  “No, but it’s all over the house, in drawers.”

  “Sheriff Stuart was a sensible man, no way he’d have stored ammo in a metal box in his home.” Wolfe met her gaze. “If the propane gas bottle exploded, it would have blown the house apart but it dissipates fast or burns up. The deputy I spoke to on the phone told me they heard three clear explosions. A whoosh and two loud cracks. I’m seeing debris all around, so a blast of extreme force. It sure sounds like C-4 to me.”