by D. K. Hood
The nursing staff at the hospital had been amazing. Once Jenna had the results of her X-ray, they’d helped her out of her wet clothes and she’d showered and washed the filth from her hair. The crack in her wrist was painful but she would get away with only wearing a brace; the bruise on one hip and the other scrapes just added to the assortment of bruises she’d gathered during the week. She had to admire the nurses for asking discreet questions and giving sideways glances at Kane when he finally arrived with her clothes. If she’d been a battered woman, Black Rock Falls General wouldn’t have let her down.
She glanced inside the bag he handed her to find toiletries, a nightgown, slippers, and a robe. “I’m not staying. I’m good to go as soon as I’m dressed.” She waved a packet at him. “They even gave me pain meds.”
“Yeah, I know, but they told me you need bedrest, so this way there’s no arguing when we get home.” Kane sat on the edge of the bed. “I know you won’t have eaten so I’ve ordered Chinese takeout and I’ll drop by and collect it on the way home.” He gave her a long look. “I’m staying overnight in case you need anything.”
Jenna smiled at him. “I’m sure I’ll be fine but I’ll probably hurt all over in the morning.”
“I’d say so.” Kane pushed the hair away from a bruise on her forehead. “I’ll be checking on you every couple of hours during the night. Concussion has a habit of creeping up on people.” He sighed. “I can’t believe you and Em survived the fall. I was expecting the worse.”
“I’m not surprised. I didn’t think we’d survive either. We landed in the bushes and they slowed us down, but I couldn’t stop us rolling back toward the water.” Jenna leaned back and studied him. “You had your battle face in place when you came down the ravine. It’s kind of intimidating, you know. I figured you were going to raise hell and then you calmly dragged us to safety.”
“Is Emily okay?” Kane frowned. “I know Wolfe came by to collect her.”
“She’s fine. She went home hours ago but Wolfe insisted we drop questioning her until the morning. She has a sprained ankle and they put three stitches in her head. She has bruises all over but hasn’t complained and figures her moon boot is a new fashion accessory.” Jenna smiled. “Webber dropped by as well, he’s fine. He’ll have a sore neck and a husky voice for a while though.”
“That’s good. I’m relieved they’re both okay.” He shook his head. “Though Wolfe is not too happy with me for including Emily this afternoon.”
“She’d planned to run there anyway; she does most afternoons. It was only a matter of time before Lyons made a move on her. When Wolfe calms down he’ll realize she could’ve been up there all alone.” Jenna studied his face. Something else was bothering him. “It’s not just Wolfe, is it? Are you mad at me?”
“No, we’re fine. It’s the flash drives that guy gave you, the ones Lyons dropped.” Kane looked away, swallowed hard, and then stared at his hands. “They’re the uncut versions of the videos of the young women Lyons and his teammates drugged and raped. Not a few—twenty, maybe more—and now we have absolute proof who was involved apart from Lyons. The three murder victims and Josh Stevens.”
“So we’ll be making the arrests tonight?” Jenna frowned. “Have you seen Lyons since he arrived here?”
“Nope. I couldn’t get near Lyons. They’re keeping him overnight for observation. Apparently, he was raving when he arrived.” Kane grimaced. “Maybe it’s for the best. I’m not sure I’m the best person to question him right now.”
Jenna gaped at him. He wouldn’t look at her and his back was rigid as if he was on the edge of losing his temper. She touched his arm and taut muscles met her palm. “You look as if you’re going to explode. What the hell is on those files?”
“I’ve only skimmed through a few and they’re very disturbing.” He scrubbed his hands down his face. “They made me ashamed to be a man.”
When he wouldn’t meet her eyes, she squeezed his arm. “You’re the most respectful, kindest man I’ve ever met, and you make me feel safe. Heck, you make the whole town feel safe.”
“Do I?” Kane lifted his gaze to hers but only deep sorrow filled his eyes. “Thanks, but right now, I wish I wasn’t a deputy.”
Jenna sighed. “How so?”
“I keep thinking Lyons will get some high-profile lawyer and he’ll walk.” Kane cleared his throat. “We can’t allow that to happen.”
“We have to enforce the law.” Jenna bent to look at him. “Once he goes to trial—and he will—it’s out of our hands.”
“Yeah but I’m not thinking like a cop right now, Jenna.” Kane flicked her a lethal glance. “I’m fighting a primal instinct to go drag that smart-mouthed animal outside and teach him how to respect women—Kane style.”
Fifty-One
Saturday
After Jenna considered everything that had happened on the mountain, she couldn’t discount Lyons as the person responsible for causing at least one of the accidents that had killed his friends. She ignored the ER doctor’s orders to rest and decided to go into the office. Although in considerable discomfort, and bone-weary from Kane waking her every two hours to make sure she hadn’t fallen into a coma, or whatever, she’d already organized two arrest warrants. As usual, Kane had left at daybreak to tend the horses and completed his exercise routine before making breakfast at seven. Not that she complained; in fact, she kind of liked the attention.
She’d remained in her office, updating case files and leaving Kane and Rowley to hunt down Josh Stevens and Seth Lyons. As the case involved serial rapists, she’d made a call to the local FBI office. Cases involving serial rapists went way above her pay grade, and they had people to deal sensitively with victims. She glanced up as Kane walked into her office, showing no hint of weariness. “What do you have for me, Kane?”
“I have Stevens and Lyons in custody.” Kane flipped open the file to display an image of a young man with dark curly hair. “Stevens is in interview room one for questioning and hasn’t asked for a lawyer; I figure he wants to cut a deal.” He sighed. “We picked up Lyons from his house and he’s not saying much. He’s in room two but I figure he’ll lawyer up as soon as we show him the evidence.”
“I’ll talk to Stevens first.” Jenna leaned on her desk. “I spoke to the DA and he’ll drop by later. He wants copies of the flash drives and then his office will hand the evidence over to the FBI. He’s confident enough of the women will come forward. Apart from getting justice, they have another reason: Lyons and his accomplices had considerable estates. There’ll likely be a number of lawsuits for damages against them.”
Jenna pushed the hair from her eyes and looked up at him. “I went over the evidence to consider if Lyons is implicated in Jacobs’ death, but the DA considers it to be circumstantial at best and we don’t have enough to charge him.”
“We have the rapes and blackmail.” Kane frowned. “If Josh Stevens confirms our suspicions, they’ll both be spending a long time in jail.”
Jenna pushed to her feet and bit back a moan of discomfort. “Okay, let’s see what he has to say.”
She followed Kane down to the interview room, waited for him to swipe his card, and then followed him inside. After taking a seat, she switched on the recording device and stated her name, and Kane did the same. “Mr. Stevens, you’ve been read your rights and agree to questioning, is that correct? Please state your name before replying.”
“Josh Stevens and, yeah, I’ve waved my right to have an attorney present at this time but I reserve my right should it become necessary.”
Jenna flicked Kane a glance then moved her attention back to Stevens. “Are you studying law?”
“No, but I watch TV.” Stevens leaned back in his chair. “Okay, ask away.”
Jenna took the digital notepad from the file. “We’ve seen the rape files, the uncut versions Lyons kept in the safe at his house. This is why you’re under arrest. We’ve identified you as one of a number of men involved.” She regarded him closel
y. “We know drugs were involved to an extent where the women involved were in no condition to give their consent.”
“How can you prove we drugged them?” Stevens’ mouth twitched up in almost a smug smile. “You don’t have any proof.”
“We have Chrissie Lowe’s autopsy report.” Jenna stared at him without blinking. “By the end of the day, we’ll have testimonies from other women on the tapes. You see, now that we have you and Seth Lyons in custody, and the other men involved are dead, the women feel safe enough to come forward. The court will protect their identity. This part of the interview process isn’t why I’m here. I want to know if Seth Lyons was involved in blackmailing the victims to keep them quiet.”
“Do I get a deal if I throw him under the bus? I don’t want my name all over the media.” Stevens leaned forward and clasped his hands on the table. “If his dad finds out, my life is over.”
“Your life is already over, Josh.” Kane glared at him. “You think the DA will give you a get-out-of-jail-free card for talking? You’ll be charged as a serial rapist, we have all the proof we need.” He leaned forward. “But as Lyons was the ringleader, any information you supply now may go in your favor. You might get lucky and receive a lighter sentence.”
Jenna collected her thoughts. “Was Lyons involved in blackmail?”
“Yeah, he used the images and video files to keep the girls from crying rape, but he used them to keep us in line too.” Stevens pushed a hand through his hair. “This is why I didn’t participate after the first six or so. I told Seth I had contracted an STD. He used the tapes to prevent any of us shooting off our mouths about the parties, and he used Alex and Dylan as his muscle if one of the girls threatened to expose us.”
A cold chill ran down Jenna’s back. “And what did he threaten to do? Surely he couldn’t use the images or he’d incriminate himself.”
“He said he’d kill us.” Stevens gave her a long look. “The girls were easy to convince. He threatened to post their videos all over the media, but he’d make sure none of our faces were visible. Seth was good at manipulating images and video files.”
“Okay.” Jenna made a few notes. “Did you ever see him threaten any of the men who died recently?”
“Sure, all the time.” Stevens frowned. “That doesn’t mean he killed them.”
Jenna moved in harder. “Where did he get the drugs?”
“I’m not sure.” Stevens shrugged. “He always had something to slip into a girl’s drink. Some girls he’d shoot up halfway through, depending on how long we needed them.” He chuckled. “We had one freshman in his room for three days.”
“You think this is funny?” Kane’s fist smashed down on the desk. “What if Chrissie Lowe took her own life rather than face living with the shame of what you did to her?”
“Not me.” Stevens held up both hands. “I didn’t touch her.”
Jenna lowered her voice. Beside her, Kane had regained his composure in seconds but his deadly expression remained. She leaned forward and took an almost conspiratorial pose. “How did that evening play out?”
“Alex Jacobs and Pete Devon drove out to the college and took the janitor’s car. They went to meet Chrissie.” Stevens shrugged. “Seth never gave the girls a ride; he always sent one of the guys. When she arrived, he gave her a few drinks and then took her to his room. I didn’t do anything. He gave her a few pills and then Jacobs held her down. I just filmed it.”
Biting back the urge to slap his arrogant face, Jenna kept writing. Although she had no need to write notes with the entire interview on tape, the process focused her. “And afterward?”
“From what they said, they drove her back to her dorm around two, dumped her on the grass, and then took the car back to the parking lot and returned the janitor’s keys to his office. The girl had left her shoes in the car, and on the way back Alex chucked them out the window.” Stevens leaned back in his chair.
“Did they threaten her or strike her?” Kane glared at him.
“Jacobs gave her a slap to wake her and then Seth gave her a warning before she left. He told her if she opened her mouth, he’d have her sister the following weekend.”
“Her sister?” Jenna raised her gaze. “The one in high school?”
“I guess.” Stevens smiled at her. “Seth was careful who he chose; he always said he picked someone who had something or someone to lose. They were the easiest to control.”
“Did they mention her phone?” Kane drummed his fingers on the desk.
“Nope, just her shoes.”
“Okay. I’ll have a statement typed up for you to sign and then I’ll call the DA.” Jenna stood. “You’ll need a lawyer. Do you want me to call someone?”
“Okay, call me a lawyer but I don’t want Sam Cross.” Stevens didn’t appear the least bit concerned about facing possible jail time. “Call my family lawyer. I’ll give you his number.”
Jenna gave him a nod, closed the interview, and turned off the tape. She followed Kane out into the hall and leaned against the wall. “How did Lyons react when you hauled him in?”
“He went ballistic.” Kane’s mouth twitched into a smile. “It took two of us to take him down and cuff him. Rowley wanted to Taser him and I admit the thought had crossed my mind, but I didn’t want his lawyer crying foul.”
“Maybe you should sit out of the next interview and cool down.” Jenna cleared her throat. “I know you’re angry but this isn’t the Kane I know. Can you reboot? I really need your professional side in these interviews.”
“Sure.” Kane let out a long sigh. “I’m glad we have Lyons in custody. I won’t jeopardize the case, Jenna. You have my word.”
“Okay.” Jenna lifted her chin. “Do you figure he’s capable of murder?”
“Yeah, anyone who can inflict that kind of violence is capable of murder.” Kane shrugged. “Maybe Jacobs wanted to stop after Chrissie died. Hell, maybe they all did, and it made him angry. He likes to be in charge; controlling people and dominating women is his thing. He figures his friends owe him loyalty. Yeah, he could’ve snapped and killed Jacobs. I figure Lyons is the only person he would trust to spot him.”
“True.” Jenna frowned. “And Lyons having the flash drives doesn’t mean a thing. In hindsight, Lyons could’ve taken them out of the safe before Court overdosed. He’d never admit it, would he? We’ll never find out if he was at any of the murder scenes, his friends will cover for him. The only thing worrying me about Jacobs’ death is motive. Lyons needed him on the team to make the NFL. That was something his daddy couldn’t buy him.”
“Maybe not—there are lots of great players on the bench. As long as he shone out as a star player, the others were disposable. It had to be something else.” Kane shrugged. “Right now, all we have on him is blackmail and serial rape.”
“I need to know who he fought with at the old bridge.” Jenna pushed her hair behind one ear. “Who could it have been?”
“We’ll get Emily to take a look at the images Rowley took on the day.” Kane shrugged. “She might be able to make an ID.”
Jenna turned to walk to the next interview room. “Wolfe will be here soon with the final results from the autopsies.” She looked over her shoulder at Kane. “I hope he’s found evidence against Seth Lyons or Steve Lowe. I can’t ignore my gut feeling that one of them is a very smart killer.”
Fifty-Two
If Jenna had to describe the difficulty of walking into a room to interview a man she despised and act in a professional way, she wouldn’t be able to. Facing a person who’d ruined so many lives made her skin crawl. Seth Lyons was a monster but she put her sheriff’s mask firmly in place to deal with him and hoped like hell she’d be able to keep Kane from leaping across the table and beating him to death. She nodded at Rowley, who was standing outside the room, and stared through the one-way mirror to the man inside interview room two. With his wrists cuffed to a ring on the table, Lyons’ head hung down and he was panting like a cornered animal.
&nbs
p; Holding her head high, Jenna walked inside with Kane at her heels. Without preamble, she turned on the recording device and camera. “Mr. Lyons, you’ve been read your rights and understand them?”
“Yeah, Sheriff.” Lyons’ eyes shifted to Kane. “Your deputy explained and I agreed to speak to you, okay? I don’t need a lawyer. I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the victim.” He moved his head slowly to her, and the look he gave her was contemptuous. “You’re wasting my time. Get on with it.”
Before she could start the interview, her cellphone chimed. “Excuse me.” Jenna paused the tape at the sight of the DA’s phone number. “Sheriff Alton.”
“An agent from the FBI called. The first four women they’ve contacted agreed to come forward and testify against Lyons and his friends. I’ll give you their names. This is only the start, Sheriff; by the end of the day I figure we’ll have many more.”
We have him. Jenna tried unsuccessfully to suppress the bolt of excitement rushing through her. She glanced at Kane and allowed her mouth to twitch into a small smile. “Thank you.” She made notes and then went through her folder and selected a number of photographs. She placed them face down on the table and restarted the interview.
After giving the time and people present, and again making sure Lyons was aware of his rights, she met the man’s sullen gaze. “I’d like some more information about the fight you were involved in on the trail up by the old bridge.”
“It was nothing.” Lyons looked at his hands.
“That’s not the impression Emily Wolfe had; she said you were in fear of your life.” Jenna leaned forward in her chair. “Do you know this man and did he threaten you with a weapon?”
“Just drop it, okay?” Lyons moved around in his chair. “Nothing happened. I went on the bridge to help Emily, is all.”
