by D. K. Hood
“Up there, he’s still after her. It’s Bexley Grayson.” Jenna was sitting against the wall, holding her wrist. “I’ve busted my wrist. Go!”
Kane headed up the stairs and burst into the hallway. It was as silent as a church. He grabbed his phone, hoping to hear Julie’s voice, and peered at the pulsating dot on the map. It wasn’t moving. The GPS signal gave no indication of Julie’s position inside the building but somehow, she’d gotten outside. Mind spinning, he bolted for the opposite fire exit. He called Rio as he ran and gave him the location. “If he’s planning on strangling her, we have two maybe three minutes.”
Stuffing the phone inside his pocket, he jumped over the railing to the next floor, landing and rolling before crashing through the exit and out into the snow. Grayson hadn’t bothered to disguise his trail into the forest and, drawing his Glock, Kane charged into the frozen tundra after him. The silence was deafening, which could mean Julie was hiding or dead. As he pushed his way through the snow-laden branches, ice flicked into his cheeks. The cold bit into his unprotected skull, freezing the metal plate he’d received courtesy of a car bombing and sending crippling agony across his eyes. He shook his head, scanning the forest for any movement.
A scream cut through the silence like a knife. Digging deep, he blocked out the pain and ran. He burst through the trees as Julie’s scream sent birds flying into the air. Julie was fighting for her life, clawing at Grayson’s face as he choked her. Kane grabbed him by the arm and tossed him against a tree. As the man staggered to gain his feet, Kane aimed his weapon at him. “Sheriff’s department. Facedown on the ground, hands on your head.” He flicked a glance at Julie. “You okay?”
Julie nodded and rubbed her sore neck, backing away from Grayson. “Shoot him. He tried to kill me.”
“Don’t you see? I must kill her.” Grayson refused to comply and his eyes swiveled toward Kane. “Then I’ll have peace for a time. Just one more. Look, I’m not armed. You can’t shoot an unarmed man, can you, Deputy?” He staggered to his feet. “That’s against the law.”
Kane wanted to laugh. Grayson honestly believed he could take him. He stared at the shivering man. “Who’d tell anyone if I did? And who would care? It would save the county a ton of money if I finished this now. But I don’t need a weapon to deal with the likes of you. Bare hands are so much more satisfying, don’t you agree?” He holstered his weapon and narrowed his gaze. “Hands on your head. Now!”
“I’m not finished yet.” Grayson pulled something from his pocket and lunged at Kane.
Fifty-Five
Terrified, Julie screamed as the sound of a stun gun clicked and Grayson lunged toward Uncle Dave. “Watch out!”
The punch came so fast Julie almost missed it. The man’s head snapped back and he fell sliding into the snow, coming to rest under a tree, the stun gun slipping from his hands. Shivering, she stared after him and then noticed Rio bounding through the trees. Behind him, she made out Jenna, walking slow, gripping her arm. Holding back a sob, Julie pointed at Jenna. “Jenna’s hurt!”
“I know.” Kane held out his arms. “Come here.” He slid one arm around her shoulder and hugged her trembling body. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
“Not really.” Julie burrowed into him, her teeth sounding like castanets. “I have his DNA under my fingernails, but it was so dark I couldn’t see to power up the stun gun. I bashed him with it though.”
“You did everything right. Your dad will be very proud of you. I’m just sorry I didn’t get here sooner.” Kane smoothed her hair and pushed her gently away. He turned to Rio. “Cuff him, pat him down, and when he regains consciousness read him his rights.”
“Sure, but tell me one thing.” Rio secured the prisoner and looked up at him. “He could’ve had a knife. Why did you holster your weapon?”
“Kane is a weapon.” Jenna walked into the clearing, her teeth chattering. “I’ve seen him take down six men in a fight. That piece of shit was never a threat to him, with or without a weapon.” Her mouth turned down and she looked at Kane. “It’s hard to believe that flamboyant, over-tanned, self-confident egomaniac murdered all those people. I can’t wait to hear his story.”
“Me either.” Rio dragged Grayson to his feet and read him his rights.
Freezing, Julie rubbed her arms. “Why didn’t you kill him, Uncle Dave? A man like him doesn’t deserve to live.”
“Oh, I sure wanted to, but he’ll suffer in jail for the rest of his life.” A nerve ticked in Kane’s cheek and it was as if he’d turned to stone. “Bexley Grayson, I’m arresting you for the attempted murder of Julie Wolfe.”
Fifty-Six
Head throbbing fit to burst, Kane pushed Grayson toward Rio, and they trudged back through the snow to the front entrance of the ski lodge. He shielded Jenna and Julie with his body as the hovering press that frequented the lobby bombarded them with questions. He glared at them. “No comment.” He followed everyone into the elevator.
“You don’t have any evidence against me.” Grayson gave him a bloodstained grin. “It will be my word against the cops. Look at me. This is police brutality.”
“Dream on.” Rio snorted. “This isn’t a novel. You’re going to rot in jail.”
“Nah, I’m special.” Grayson smiled and winced, the scratches down his cheek and his swollen eye showing how well Julie had defended herself. “You won’t be able to prove a thing.”
“Have you ever heard of DNA?” Jenna lifted her chin and her lips twitched into a smile. “The earrings you left at the crime scenes belong to Diane Tate. If you’re a match, then we know you’re Paul Tate. You killed your own mother, didn’t you, Paul?”
“I killed a demon.” Grayson’s lips curled. “You know nothing about me.” He changed from anger to amusement in a blink of an eye and chuckled. “I’ll walk away from this… and you’ll never know when I’m coming back… to get you.”
“Good luck with that.” Jenna stared at him and turned back to Kane. “I’ll speak to the DA. He confessed to killing his mother in front of us. I want him held until Jo can get here. Between the two of you, you’ll be able to get the truth out of him. He has a story. Something turned him into a monster and I figure his mother had something to do with it.”
“Yeah, I blame my mom.” Grayson grinned at her. “I’ll tell the judge she drove me to insanity. I’ll have the old women on the jury crying for me.”
Anger bubbling just under the surface, Kane fixed him with a stare that shut his mouth. “You planned your murders, and revenge isn’t a defense. Don’t worry, I’m sure the judge will give you the same consideration you gave your victims.”
Cold and dripping with melting snow, they reached the interview room and Kane opened the door. He turned to Rio. “Secure the prisoner. Cuff him to a pipe under the sink for now. Use flexicuffs on his legs as well. We’ll head down the mountain as soon as the road is cleared.” He looked at Grayson. “One more word from you and I’ll gaffer-tape your mouth.”
He waited for Rio to secure Grayson and, shutting the door behind him, went back to the other room. Taking in Jenna’s ashen face, Kane went to her side and examined her arm with care. “I’m pretty sure it’s broken. We need to get that looked at.” He smiled at her. “You’re the bravest woman I’ve ever met. You saved Julie’s life.”
“We both did.” She eyed him critically. “You’re as pale as a ghost.” Her eyes widened. “Oh, no. You went outside without a hat. Your head must be killing you. Do you have your meds with you?”
Kane rubbed his head and rummaged inside his pockets. His fingers closed around a bottle. “Yeah. I’ll be fine. Forget about me. Sit down before you fall down.” He grabbed some blankets from a cupboard and wrapped them around Jenna and Julie. “You need to get warm. I’ll make us a hot drink and then you need to change into dry clothes.”
“I hope they have a doctor here.” Jenna swayed a little and sat down hard in a chair, holding her arm protectively. “I want someone to look at Julie.”
“Good.” Kane nodded and prepared hot chocolate. “Jenna, we’ll get the paramedics here to triage you, and then you’re going to the ER and so is Julie. I want Grayson out of here and locked up in a cell. I’ll call out snowplows to cut a path through the back road. That’s the most logical way to go. It has some cover from the forest and it hasn’t snowed since lunchtime. I’ll get through with the Beast, and Rio can follow us with the prisoner.” He looked at Julie. “I’ll call Em and tell her what’s happened. She’ll be able to help you pack. I’m sorry about cutting your time here short, but leaving with us is nonnegotiable.”
“It’s okay. I miss my dad.” Julie rubbed her neck. “He’ll be so angry. I placed every one of you in danger.”
“No, you didn’t.” Jenna took a cup from Kane and blew across the steaming beverage. “In fact, you helped us catch him. We didn’t have enough people to watch the suspects twenty-four/seven. This guy is an anomaly. We may never have caught him.”
After calling the ski resort’s paramedic team to Jenna’s room, Kane arranged for the snowplows and then called Wolfe and explained. “We had Julie covered. Rio was watching her on the CCTV camera, in a crowd.”
“I’m seriously wondering if I should move the girls to Helena. I could still work on your cases, but they wouldn’t be in constant danger.” Wolfe sounded calm, but Kane could hear the anger just below the surface. “Have you asked her why she took the stairs?”
Kane reeled at the idea of Wolfe moving but refused to comment. “No.” Kane headed toward the front desk. “She’s traumatized enough as it is without me badgering her with questions. She fought well, and if she’d flipped the switch on the stun gun, she’d have taken him down unaided.” He sighed. “I’m arranging for the freezer to be loaded on a trailer. I’ll bring it down the mountain and drop it at your office. You’ll need a forklift to unload it.”
“Nothing is going to defrost in this weather. Drop the trailer and get the girls to the hospital. Delay with a fracture could be life-threatening.”
Fully aware of the problem, Kane cleared his throat. “The ski lodge does have a team here for emergencies. I’d figure broken limbs would be the most common. I’m sure they can stabilize Jenna for transporting and check Julie, but she seems to be okay.” He sighed. “I’m getting the road cleared as fast as possible. I’ll get back to you when we leave. Call Julie, she needs her dad right now.”
“I wish her mother was still with us. She’d know what to do.” Wolfe paused for a beat. “I want to wrap them up and prevent things happening, but in truth I’m powerless to do anything. It is so much easier with Anna, but when kids become adults, it’s sure hard to protect them.”
Unable to keep his concern from spilling out, Kane bit the bullet. “Maybe, but here you have Jenna and me. In fact, you have the entire darn team to protect them.” He dashed a hand through his hair. He’d had Wolfe around for so many years, it would be like losing a brother. “Trouble can come from anywhere and we’re a family. I don’t figure moving away is the answer. Staying and facing the problems together is the key.”
“Yeah, maybe it is.” Wolfe suddenly chuckled. “Good advice. Maybe you should take some of it for yourself.”
Kane frowned. “What do you mean by that?”
“Oh, nothing. I just remember the best part of arguing with my wife was the making up. I’ll see you in a couple of hours. Drive safe.” Wolfe disconnected.
Fifty-Seven
Traveling down the mountain at a snail’s pace behind the snowplow in the dark, with her arm throbbing, was an experience Jenna never wanted to go through again. She’d refused pain meds from the paramedics as she needed to have her head in the game. With one arm in a sling, she could feel every bump on the uneven service road. They had Julie and Emily with Duke between them in the back seat and gave Rio the responsibility of transporting their prisoner. In a convoy with Kane following behind Rio, she kept a vigilant eye on the back of Rio’s vehicle. Although his vehicle was equipped to carry prisoners, Kane had insisted on securing Grayson in the back seat, behind the bullet proof divider, by tethering him hand and foot to metal rings. Due to the frequent occurrence of serial killers to their quiet town, all the sheriff’s department vehicles had been similarly equipped. Only Kane’s Beast, being his private vehicle, was not able to carry prisoners. His was more a team survival vehicle, built for speed and protection.
Jenna handed her phone to Emily in the back seat. “Can you get Jo on the phone for me, please?”
“Here you go. It’s ringing.” Emily handed back the phone.
Jenna waited. It was after office hours and she had called Special Agent Jo Wells on her cellphone. “Hi, Jo. What’s the weather like there? We have a situation.”
“The snow is thick on the ground, but we’ve had clear skies all day, no snow forecast.” Jo sounded enthusiastic. “I’ll call Carter, but he was out in the chopper this afternoon. I’m pretty sure we can get to you. What’s been happening? Did you arrest the killer?”
After explaining, Jenna sighed. “Kane’s dropping the girls and me to the hospital and then following Rio to the office. Wolfe will meet us there. Grayson is dangerous. He needs guarding around the clock, and shipping him off to county before we get the chance to interview him will depend on his lawyer. We have him dead to rights for the attempted murder of Julie. Three law enforcement officers as witnesses means he won’t walk.”
“What else do you have?” Jo sounded interested.
Jenna glanced at Kane. “He admitted to killing his mother… well, when I confronted him with it, he said he’d killed a demon. If the DNA is a match, he’s the missing kid Paul Tate. If he killed his mother, there’s reason to believe he murdered the men in the forest as well.”
“Hmm. He could have been a victim of abuse. If you call us in officially, as you have at least four homicides and one attempted, over two states, he is a suspected serial killer. It’s obvious from reliable witnesses that a crime was committed and a suspect identified. In this case, we can hold the prisoner for seventy-two hours and delay moving him to county in order to obtain additional evidence proving the suspect’s guilt.” Jo paused a beat. “I’ll confront him with his crimes and, as he’s been Mirandized, he’ll either call for a lawyer or not. In either case, there’s no doubt he’s guilty of at least one crime, and likely the four at the ski lodge. He is a danger to society. I’m sure his lawyer will allow us to question him. It’s essential we gather as much information from him during his heightened state. As they calm down, they become more cunning.”
Relieved, Jenna leaned back in her seat. “Okay, yes, please, come and help us. You’ll have to use one of the helipads at the hospital. Wolfe keeps his chopper on top of the ME’s office now. We’ll meet you there.”
“Not a problem. I’ll call Ty and get right back to you with an ETA.” Jo disconnected.
“They’ll probably arrive before us the time this is taking.” Kane flicked her a glance. “How are you holding up?” He glanced in his mirror at Julie. “Julie, you okay back there?”
“I’m okay. My throat is sore is all and I have a headache.” Julie snuggled with Duke under a blanket.
Jenna smiled at her. “We’ll both be fine although I’m not too excited about seeing your dad. He won’t be too happy with me.”
To her surprise, Wolfe was the opposite of mad. He thanked Jenna for saving Julie. It was a relief when the ER doctor sent Julie home after a few tests and a surprise when Wolfe returned to check on her. She glanced up and smiled at him, as a nurse adjusted a sling on her arm. “It’s a clean break. Six weeks in plaster. I’m just happy it’s my left hand.”
“Carter and Jo have arrived.” Wolfe indicated with a thumb behind him. “They’re loading their bags into my truck. The roads are clear to Louan, and Kane has organized deputies to watch over the prisoner toni
ght.” He frowned. “Grayson lawyered up and called in Sam Cross, but Kane has already spoken to him and he’s willing to allow Jo to speak to his client. Kane suggested letting her and Carter handle him—Sam Cross, I mean.”
Hackles up, Jenna shook her head. “No way. It’s my collar. I should be doing the interview.”
“It’s your call, but you know as well as I do that having a behavioral analyst like Jo asking the questions and Kane as her wingman, would make more sense. Grayson has a violent history and they need to find the underlying cause of it.” Wolfe sighed. “Kane obtained a DNA sample from him as well. Grayson wanted a soda, so Kane gave him one and bagged the can. I’m running it against Diane Tate’s DNA now.”
Jenna took the bottle of pain meds the nurse gave her and pushed them inside her pocket. “Trust Kane. He doesn’t miss a trick.” She gave the wheelchair a grimace but sat down. It was pointless arguing with hospital policy. “Shouldn’t you be home with Julie? Surely Webber can wait on the DNA results?”
“Julie was asleep before we arrived home.” Wolfe pushed the wheelchair out the door. “She’s bruised and shook up but okay. The doctor gave her something to sleep. Emily is sitting with her. I have a bag of body parts to take care of and you’ll need answers ASAP.”
It was good to see Jo and Carter sitting in the back seat of Wolfe’s truck. Jenna climbed in the front and turned to look at them. “Thank you so much for coming. My cruiser is at the office if you need it, and you’re welcome to stay in the cottage.”
“Thanks. We’ll move our gear into the trunk when we get to the office.” Carter looked her over and frowned. “You look like you need some rest. Nasty bruise you have on your head, and your arm must be painful.”
Jenna shook her head. “They gave me something for the pain, but I’m not missing the interview with Grayson. This guy is one of a kind.”
