by D. K. Hood
“A deer maybe.” Rowley’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed. “The door is six inches thick. I figure it’s a freezer.”
Kane shone his light over the door and surrounds searching for a handle. Above the door, he found a rod to keep the door open and slotted it into place. “See if you can get the lights on.”
Moments later the room flooded with light. Kane shook away the macabre images inside his head and scanned the room before him. Frozen carcasses of elk and deer hung in lines. It was unusual to see so many in one place. Hunters in Montana field-dressed their tagged kills, left them to cool then took them home or donated them to charity. Seeing so many in storage made him suspicious. He would contact Fish, Wildlife and Parks and give them the heads-up. Taking care to avoid touching anything, he walked the walls of the freezer, checking each line of carcasses. There was only one entrance, yet the building was vast. There must be another way into the place. He strolled back to Rowley and they headed back out and into the watery sunshine.
“What was that all about?” Rowley scratched his head under his woolen cap.
Kane shrugged. “I’m not sure. Poaching perhaps. I’ll get the FWP to look into it but right now our priority is finding the missing persons.” He pulled the outer door shut, locked it and led the way around the building.
After an extensive search, they’d found nothing but a bunch of empty rooms. Disappointed, Kane exchanged his gloves for something warmer than latex and sent Rowley to do another search of Burns’ office and yard. He made his way back to Jenna and explained what they’d found. He noticed Jenna’s excitement and the pile of evidence bags sitting on the counter. “What have you got?”
“We have enough here to bring Burns in for questioning.” She smiled. “Blood evidence in the vehicle and on the seats. Also, we found Ella Tate’s cellphone. Sitting right on the bench in clear view.”
Kane frowned. “Wolfe had no luck searching for her phone. You sure it’s Ella’s?”
“Oh yeah, but the battery and SIM are missing.” Jenna held up an evidence bag. The pink phone had “Ella” on the cover in rhinestones. “Just like the description she gave Wolfe.” She smiled. “We have enough evidence here to book him.” She pulled out her cellphone. “I’ll call Wolfe.” She made the call, then lifted her gaze to Kane. “He’s on his way, we’ll wait.”
“Ma’am.” Rowley came jogging back. “The snow is a foot deep around the vehicles. Nothing has disturbed them since we were here. The office doesn’t have a cellar. I can find no trace of Sky Paul or the others.”
She turned to Webber. “Wrap it up. We’ll wait for Wolfe to arrive now.” She turned to Rowley. “Take Burns back to the station and put him in a cell. He can cool his heels until we get back then I’ll call his lawyer. We’ll be along as soon as Wolfe has completed his examination of the scene.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Rowley tipped his hat and strode toward his cruiser.
Kane walked out of the oil-polluted atmosphere and into the crisp winter morning. He took a few deep breaths and looked at Jenna. “I wonder if he’ll talk. We still have three people missing.” They crunched through the snow back to his truck. “I’m starting to wonder if there are more people involved in this crime.”
“How so?” Jenna rested one hand on the door of his truck.
Kane shrugged. “A gut feeling. There’s too much going on for one person to handle.” He waved a hand toward the junkyard. “If he’s working with Knox, for instance. It would make more sense. Knox kidnaps the people and Burns disposes of the vehicles. The only part of this that worries me is where Doug Paul fits into his MO. If it’s a killer we’re dealing with, unless Doug was collateral damage, and he mistook Levi Holt for a woman, the motive doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.” He leaned against his truck. “Kidnappers who aren’t interested in collecting a ransom or selling their victims usually do it to rape, murder or both. I’ve never heard of one who deals in spare car parts and frozen poached meat on the side.” He snorted. “They’re usually way too smart to keep a victim’s car in their possession.”
“So you’re not convinced we have our man?” Jenna’s brow crinkled into a frown. “It all adds up to me. Especially if Wolfe finds evidence that Burns disposed of the bodies in the crusher.”
Kane shook his head. “It will be hard to prove he is involved in Doug or Olivia’s disappearances, especially if the vehicles he used to conceal the bodies have already been recycled.” He blew out a huff of steam. “That’s if he murdered the other victims. Burns doesn’t fit the profile I’d expect for a killer escalating so fast. He was quaking in his boots when I had hold of his arm and didn’t try and sweet-talk his way out of trouble.”
“The evidence is stacked against him, Kane.” Jenna folded her arms and stared at him. “What do you see that I’m missing here?”
Kane shrugged. “Oh, he’s involved but he doesn’t have the street smarts to do this alone.” He waved a hand toward the garage. “What’s his motive?”
“He could have raped the women.” Jenna stared into space. “I figure the chop shop would be lucrative.”
Kane nodded, then mimicked her pose and folded his arms. “Sitting out on the highway hoping to kidnap a woman and steal her car seems a bit extreme, when he’d have the ability to steal one from a parking lot. To be perfectly honest, it would be difficult to rape someone outside in this weather. He must have taken the women somewhere other than here. We’ve searched this place and there’s no sign anyone’s been in the other building for some time. And the junkyard office hasn’t got more than a spare foot of space.” He kicked at a wedge of snow with the toe of his boot. “Then we have to factor in Doug Paul. He plays hockey for the Larks so he’ll be fit. How did Burns subdue him, drug Ella, then get Olivia out of the wrecked car all on his lonesome?”
“All good points I’ll consider after Wolfe has examined the premises.” Jenna brushed snow off her jacket and opened the door to Kane’s truck. “I think Burns is guilty as hell. The evidence is right in front of us.”
Kane met her gaze. “Well, I figure Burns is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Fifty-Six
Doug woke to the sound of arguing, his head pounded and his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth. The memory of Jim ramming the gurney into him was the last thing he remembered apart from the searing pain in his head before he blacked out. From under his lashes, he watched the nurse and Jim come toward him. He lay very still and tried not to flinch as the nurse moved close then touched him.
“He won’t last much longer if you keep damaging him.” The nurse peered down at him. “His organs will be worth zero if they’re bruised. “Look at him. What will they say about his condition?”
“I don’t care what they say.” Jim slammed down a fist on the side cabinet, shaking the utensils. “They work for me just like you do and be here first thing to complete the orders. I’m going to see her now and make the final arrangements, then I’ll be back to finish up outside. Pack up everything we don’t need and I’ll store it somewhere safe when I return.” He turned on his heel and charged out the door.
Doug clamped his jaw shut as the man washed him and changed the dressing on his wound but neglected to fasten the restraints. His heart pounded at the thought of escape and the monitoring machine kicked up the beats, but the nurse was too busy with Olivia or didn’t care. He attempted to move and discovered his limbs worked just fine. Moving with slow measured movements, he eased the needle carrying the drip from his arm and pressed down hard to stop the flow of blood. Then he pressed the needle into the mattress. The effort made the machine beep faster and he heard the nurse curse under his breath. Doug pushed his arm under the blanket, leaving his right arm on top.
The curtain swished open, then closed, and the nurse peered down at him.
“I told him the drugs would kill you. Too late now. I’m not letting you suffer.” The nurse adjusted the drip, then turned to look at him closely. “Oh, great, now you’re sweatin
g. I bet you have a fever.” He bent over the bed to attach the restraints.
Using every ounce of strength, Doug balled his fist and slammed the nurse in the temple, then hit him again. The man fell across him, stunned, with his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Doug ripped the needle out of the bed and jammed it into the nurse’s jugular. He held him down until he went limp. “There. How do you like it?” Agony ripped through him and he lay back panting.
“What’s happening?” Olivia sounded as if she’d been crying. “Are you okay?”
Doug leaned over, ripped the curtain from the railing and looked at her tear-stained cheeks. “I’ll do.” He rolled the nurse away from his legs and staggered to his feet. “You don’t look so good. Let me get you out of there.” He made it to her bed and unstrapped her wrists. “Do you know if Jim is here?”
“He was… before but he had to go organize something in town. He was in a real bad mood. Something has gone wrong. I figure the cops are onto him. He wants to harvest our organs then get rid of us before they find this place.” Olivia blinked away tears and looked up at him. “What’s the point trying to escape? Jim will bash us again and drag us back here.”
Doug turned and unclipped the swipe card from the nurse’s scrubs, then patted him down and found a set of keys in one pocket. “This time, we have a card to open the door and car keys.” He placed the items on the cabinet and looked at her. “Help me get him on the bed. We’ll tie him down and gag him.”
“He must have outside clothes here. We have to find something to wear or we won’t survive outside.” Olivia grabbed the nurse’s feet and lifted them onto the bed. “Grab an arm. You’re in no condition to lift him.”
The monitors beeped in panicked alarm as they heaved the man up on the bed. In agony, Doug pulled the tubes and wires from his body. Then tied and gagged the nurse. He dragged the blankets from the bed then turned to her. “We don’t know when Jim will return, we have to risk it. Grab his shoes, they’ll fit you. I’ll wear the rubber boots in the corner over there. Hurry!”
He shuffled out the door listening intently but it was all quiet. The office was empty and so was the room with lockers and a shelf packed with surgical scrubs. They pulled on pants and tops, wrapped the blankets around them and moved as fast as possible down the dark hallway and into the large room with the door to freedom. He glanced around for a weapon, then thought better of it; being so weak, he would be useless in a fight. The pain had drained him and it was becoming hard to breathe. He leaned one hand against the wall, panting, then swiped the card and the door clicked open. They moved outside into the bitter cold and he spotted a locker. “Bingo.” He dragged out two heavy coats and handed the smaller one to Olivia.
“I found gloves and a hat in the pockets of mine—check yours.” Olivia shrugged on the coat and buttoned it up, then pulled on the gloves and hat. “Now we just have to find his vehicle.”
Sweat trickled down Doug’s neck from the effort of dressing. It was as if cotton filled his head and his vision blurred. He shook his head violently, then staggered after Olivia. She turned a corner and he followed. At the end of the passageway, they encountered another door. It opened without a problem but the moment he peered cautiously outside a blast of arctic air and snowflakes smacked him in the face, followed by a horrendous stink. He blinked, blinded by the snowscape before him. They were in an industrial area. Red brick walls loomed up high on each side and ahead he made out snow-dusted machinery.
“There’s no one here.” Olivia pulled on his arm. “Hurry, he could be back any second.”
Half dragged down a laneway by Olivia, Doug shielded his eyes allowing them to adjust to the light before scanning the area. “There’s a truck over there in the parking lot.” He pointed the key fob at the vehicle and the lights flashed. “Do you drive?”
“Yeah.” Olivia’s reply came out in a puff of steam. “I know you’re hurting but we must get in that truck now.”
They slid and slipped across the icy roadway, negotiated the chain fence then climbed into the SUV. Before Doug had clicked his seatbelt, Olivia had the engine running. She glanced at him. “How long should I idle the engine before we leave? I don’t want it to break down.”
“Drive it real slow. The engine will warm up by the time we hit the highway.” He turned up the heater, then searched the vehicle for a cellphone. “Why doesn’t he have a cellphone?”
“I’d say he doesn’t want to be traced.” Olivia had crawled the truck out the parking lot and made her way down a long road, keeping it in the tire tracks of another vehicle. “I doubt harvesting organs from kidnapped people is legal.”
They reached the highway and Doug placed a hand on Olivia’s arm to prevent her making the turn to Black Rock Falls. “We have plenty of gas. Head to Blackwater. I don’t want to run into Jim on his way back. We’ll tell the sheriff what happened and he’ll contact Sheriff Alton.”
“Sure.” Olivia accelerated along the highway. “I want to be as far away from that creep as possible.”
Doug leaned back in the seat. “I won’t let him get away with this.” He smothered a moan of despair at the thought of what his sister Sky must have suffered at the hands of Jim. “If I have to, I’ll hunt him down like the animal he is, then tear him apart with my bare hands.”
Fifty-Seven
The smell of freshly brewed coffee and donuts greeted Rowley as he walked back into the office after delivering Burns to the cells. He made his way to the small kitchenette at the back of the room and helped himself. In the background, he could hear the demanding voice of a woman and Deputy Walters’ calming monotone. Not wanting to be involved, he slipped behind his desk to write a report.
He had finished the donuts and was leaning back in his seat enjoying the coffee when Walters came blustering toward him looking like a thundercloud. “Anything wrong?”
“Maybe, maybe not but I went to school with Beatrice Paul and I don’t take too kindly to being screamed at as if I am some doddery old fool.” He sat in Kane’s chair and pushed a hand through his gray hair. “She claims to have seen someone wearin’ her granddaughter’s sweater in town just before and seein’ as the young woman is missin’ I called the sheriff and she told me, you should haul tail out there and get a photo of the alleged sweater. She said to hunt down where it came from then call her immediately.”
Rowley glanced up to see an elderly woman marching down toward them with a determined expression on her face. He pushed to his feet. “Can I help you, ma’am?”
“You sure can.” She pointed a finger at Walters. “This old fool won’t listen to me. I saw Doctor Weaver wearing Sky’s sweater not twenty minutes ago.”
Rowley dropped his voice to a calm steady tone. “How can you be sure it is the same sweater?”
“Because I made it for her.” She lifted her chin. “I gave it to her last winter. It is one of a kind. It’s yellow and has a red heart right in the center. It’s a big size. Sky wanted it big so it would fit over layers of clothes and it comes down to her knees.” She glared at him. “She would have had it with her. Don’t you understand? If Doc Weaver has it, whoever gave it to her must have taken it from Sky.”
Rowley’s heartbeat picked up as he considered the implications. Doc Weaver had a vital clue to Sky’s disappearance in her possession. “Did you ask her where she obtained the sweater?”
“Of course I did.” Mrs. Paul’s cheeks flushed deep red. “She informed me her boyfriend picked it up at a yard sale.” She gave an exasperated sigh. “And before you ask, no she didn’t know who had the yard sale but I can tell you, there aren’t many at this time of year.”
Rowley frowned. He needed to move on this clue immediately. “Okay, give Deputy Walters all the details and I’ll speak to the sheriff.”
He stepped out of earshot and called Jenna to explain the situation. She didn’t hesitate to send him to hunt down Dr. Weaver and get photographs of the sweater. After dragging on his coat and hat, he headed do
wntown to Dr. Weaver’s clinic, found a parking space and headed inside. He nodded at the people in the waiting room and went straight to the desk. “I need to speak with the doctor.”
“Oh, is it a medical emergency?” The receptionist blinked at him over her glasses.
Rowley shook his head, sending ice crystals in all directions. “No, a police matter.”
He waited for the door to open and the patient to walk out, then, before the receptionist could open her mouth, walked inside the doctor’s office. “Doctor Weaver, I’m sorry to bother you when you’re so busy but I need to know about the sweater you’re wearing.” His attention went to the sweater. It was yellow with a red heart. “May I take a photograph of it please and where did you get it?”
“If you must.” Dr. Weaver came from behind her desk and stood in front of him. “I already told the crazy woman, my boyfriend purchased it at a yard sale in town. It’s just like new and although a little snug, is very warm.”
Rowley used his cellphone camera to take the images. “What’s your boyfriend’s name and where can I find him?”
“You only just missed him.” Dr. Weaver smiled at him. “He’s heading back out to the fertilizer plant. He has some maintenance work to do outside in the yard, so he’ll be easy to find. I’d say he left about twenty minutes ago.”
“Okay.” Rowley rubbed his chin. “What’s his name and contact details?”
“Wyatt Sawyer. He owns the meat processing and fertilizer plants outside of town.” She smiled at him. “Did you know all the waste, the bones and the like from meat processing, end up in blood and bone fertilizer? It’s made right next to the meat processing plant.” She looked up at him, eyes sparkling with obvious pride. “That’s why he buys things at yard sales, he hates waste.”
