by D. K. Hood
Panic bubbled up in a gasp of terror but before she could reply, he cuffed her around the head and shoved her hard into the bushes. She fell onto her knees, tangled in the dense undergrowth. Disorientated, she dragged off the hood and stared into the shadows. Footsteps pounded off into the night in the direction of the Cattleman’s Hotel. Head pounding, she pressed her earring to alert Kane then crawled out the bushes on hands and knees, searching around for her pistol. “Oh my God, what is happening to me?”
Seventeen
Footsteps crunched on the pathway moving fast in her direction. Sheer panic grasped her and years of training melted into terror. Get a damn grip. Staggering to her feet, she took a fighting stance. With her back pressed against the bush, she caught sight of the bouncing light from a flashlight. “Who’s there? Show yourself!”
“It’s Kane.” A dark form came into view. “You okay? Did you press your earring?”
She blinked as Kane’s flashlight moved over her. Trying to make her voice come out as casual as possible and not like a blithering idiot, she took a deep breath and stepped into the beam of light. “Yes, and am I glad to see you. Some guy jumped me and I’ve lost my weapon.” Sensing his desire to chase after the man, she touched his arm. “Don’t waste your time, he’s long gone.”
“What?” Kane strode past her and up the pathway then turned back. “Did he hurt you?”
“Only my pride. I feel like such an idiot allowing him to get the jump on me.” She moved to his side. “I’m not sure what happened. I’m convinced the footsteps came from behind me but when I turned to look in that direction he grabbed me.” She rubbed her throat. “Stuck a bag over my head and disarmed me then held a knife to my throat.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah just shaken.” She stared along the path toward the hotel. “Did you hear anyone running away?”
“Nope.” Shadows obscured Kane’s face as he swung the light back and forth then bent to pull her Glock out of the snow. “Did he say anything?” He handed her the weapon.
She explained, wiped the snow from her pistol, and slid it back into the holster. “One thing for sure, he thinks you’re a threat. I’m confused. I have no idea why I’m supposed to call you off.”
“Did he touch you?”
Jenna swallowed the lump in her throat. She could still feel the pressure of the man’s hard thigh against her, and the stench of the filthy bag clung to her nostrils. She wanted desperately to get into a hot shower and scrub her attacker’s touch from her flesh. “He pushed his thigh between my legs. He had a solid build, maybe one-eighty pounds and six foot, maybe taller. The description fits many of the men in town, including you.” She grabbed his arm, turning him to face her. “I want you to keep this incident between us for now. Being a female sheriff is hard enough but if it gets out I lost my weapon, I’ll never live it down.” She stared into his shadowed features. “Please?”
“Okay, but if this is the same person who tried to kill you, we should be getting every man to sweep the area for clues. I don’t like this one bit. You’re letting him get away with assaulting you, which means he wins.”
She squeezed his muscular arm. “But I won’t be calling you off, will I? I’m not hurt, and overreacting could make things worse. Please just let it go.”
“You’re my superior officer and if you order me to stand down, I have no choice but to obey. Where did you throw the hood?”
“In the bushes.” Jenna watched Kane retrieve the hood. “It can’t be the same man who caused the accident. This guy could have killed me but I think he only wanted to frighten me. I’m not sure what’s going on but I saw the way Josh Rockford looked at you before. It could have easily been him or Dan Beal; they are both strong men.”
“Yeah, if a cab dropped them close by they could have doubled back. It’s easily checked. I’ll speak to the cab company.”
The shadow-lined pathway closed in on her, dark and threatening. I have to get out of here. Jenna moved ahead along the trail. “Okay. Let’s go.”
“Sure.” Kane wrapped his large hand around her arm and shone the flashlight along the pathway. “You’re trembling. Is there anything you’re not telling me?”
Jenna pulled her arm from his grip. “I’m freezing. I’m angry too. I should have fought back. I feel like a complete idiot.”
“I don’t think so. He had you immobilized and with a knife at your throat.” Kane made a snorting sound. “In your place, I would have remained calm and tried to reason with him too.”
She glanced up at him and moved closer, glad of his company. “It was a warning to call you off and I’m thinking the accident was a warning too.” She blew out a huff of white steam. “You have to be tied up in this somehow.”
“Me? The question is why they believe I’m a threat to them unless they have a thing for you and now I’m living in your cottage.” Kane sighed and she heard a rasping sound as he rubbed his chin. “Rockford did mention where I am living, but frightening you isn’t something a man usually does out of jealousy or to get a woman to go out with him. It has to be something else.”
“Then I have zip.” Jenna sighed with relief as they entered the floodlit parking lot and made their way to the front of the hotel.
“No, we have the hood.” Kane pulled an evidence bag out of his pocket and held it up like a trophy. “I’ll get this to the lab ASAP and see what comes up. He could have grabbed it from the trash; it sure smells bad.”
“Yeah, I know. I had the damn thing rammed in my mouth.”
She found Rowley and Daniels leaning on the cruisers. Making an effort to appear casual, she smiled at them. “I came around the back way to check the parking lot. Did you report the lights are out to the management?”
“The lights round back are turned off after closing. They keep the parking lot floodlights on all night and here in the driveway.” Rowley’s face creased into a frown. “Kane wondered what had happened to you. It’s as black as pitch on that pathway at night. Did you get lost in the dark?”
“Not at all. I’m fine. I was making sure no one was hiding back there.” She avoided Rowley’s scrutiny by glancing away.
A few moments later Walters checked in to inform her he was on his way home. For once, the home game and dance had gone off without a hitch. She sucked up the worry gnawing in the pit of her stomach and smiled at her deputies. “Good job. I’ll see you Monday morning.”
“Just a minute.” Kane raised a dark eyebrow at her then skirted his SUV and jogged back toward the parking lot.
Jenna stared after him then noticed Billy Watts leaning into the window of a yellow sedan. She turned to her deputies. “Is that Sarah Woodward’s vehicle? I didn’t notice her leaving the building.”
“Yeah, I did. She came out the back door earlier.” Daniels smirked. “I’ve had her all wrong. I didn’t think she was the type to hang around a bar.”
“She’s not and she’s not old enough to be drinking. Wait here.” Jenna zipped up her jacket and headed toward the parking lot.
She arrived in time to see Kane pop the hood of Sarah’s car and peer at the engine. A few minutes later, the car rattled into life. Moving closer, she caught the young woman’s attention. “What are you doing at the Cattleman’s Hotel?”
“I went for dinner and was waiting to see if there was a room cancellation. I don’t like staying at the motel.” Sarah gripped the steering wheel. “Unfortunately all the rooms are taken so I’m heading back to the motel. I guess the noise will die down now the game is over.”
“You won’t have to stay here much longer. We have reason to believe your grandmother has left town.” Jenna smiled. “She may be in the next county.”
“No, she’s not.” Sarah worried her bottom lip and gave them a baleful look. “I have a letter mentioning her interest in buying a ranch somewhere in Black Rock Falls.”
“All done.” Kane slammed the hood and moved toward her with a confident smile. “Drop by the station on Monday and we’ll
take a look at the letter. I’ll send someone out to check the property.” He moved closer. “Do me a favor and leave the investigating to the police. Driving around in this old car in bad weather is dangerous.”
“Okay.” Sarah met his gaze and frowned. “It’s just you don’t seem to be doing anything and I’m really worried about her.”
“You have my word we are following leads to find your grandmother.” Kane smiled warmly at her. “We want to keep you safe and I’m sure your grandmother would feel the same. I’ll tell Deputy Daniels to follow you to the motel just in case the car breaks down again.” His hard gaze moved over Billy Watts and his mouth formed a thin line. “We’ll take it from here.” He waved him away.
Jenna bent to speak to Sarah. “You should get your car serviced. Kane is right. Breaking down at this time of the year could be life-threatening. Miller’s Garage is very reasonable and they have loaners.”
“I’ve been meaning to get it fixed. I’m staying home this weekend but I’ll stop in at the garage first thing Monday morning.” Sarah beamed at Kane. “Thank you for your help.”
“My pleasure.” Kane turned and strode off toward Daniels.
“He is a nice man.” Sarah’s face pinked.
Jenna watched Billy Watts’ truck fishtail over the patches of ice on the way out the parking lot then pulled on her gloves. “He is very efficient.” She indicated toward Daniels’ cruiser; the engine was running and spilling clouds of white vapor into the still night. “Off you go. My deputy will see you safely to the motel.”
When the car pulled out at a snail’s pace, Jenna trudged back through the gray frozen sludge to Kane’s SUV. He stood chatting and laughing with Rowley as if he had known him for years. They both stopped talking and turned to look at her as if waiting for instructions. She gave them her best superior stare and dismissed the younger man with a wave. “Go home and get some rest.” She grimaced at Kane. “Get a move on. I’m freezing to death here.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Jenna climbed into the vehicle, glad to find the interior warming from the heater. The incident had upset her more than she cared to admit and highlighted her vulnerability. No man had ever caught her off-guard before; she had believed she had the skill to take down the largest man with ease. Oh boy, was I mistaken. Although armed, the idea of walking into her empty house alone disturbed her. Perhaps she could entice Kane in for a hot drink. When he climbed in beside her, she offered him a smile. “Is that a ploy to get hot chocolate and cookies?”
“Yeah, after working me so hard and making me swear to cover up a potential crime, I think you owe me.” Kane turned the car toward home.
“Okay, but I refuse to discuss the incident tonight. There is nothing to discuss until I figure out who he is and why he is threatening me. Maybe the hood will give us a clue but for now that can wait. I’m exhausted.” Jenna leaned back in the seat. “I’ve had enough excitement since you arrived in town and I need some downtime.” She lifted both eyebrows at him. “What do you say?”
“For your chocolate chip cookies? Let me think…” Kane smiled at her. “Deal.”
Eighteen
Jenna paced the house into the early hours of Sunday morning, constantly checking the locks on windows and doors like someone with OCD. Every time snow slid off her roof and hit the ground with a plop, she grabbed her weapon and slid along the wall, turkey-peeking around each corner. Convinced someone wanted her dead, she opened her laptop and went through each case file, checking every minute detail in case she had missed something, but came up with zip. All her cases had been straightforward.
Living in constant fear should be a thing of the past, and if one of Viktor Carlos’s men found her, she would not get a warning. Death would be instantaneous. Who in Black Rock Falls thought her a threat now that David Kane had joined the department? Someone had something to hide and believed she had turned a blind eye—or ignored it until backup arrived in the form of David Kane. But what crime? What did I miss?
Trying to think of every angle, she crawled into bed, glad of the warmth, and with her Glock nearby, she pulled out a notepad and made notes on anyone who might be a threat to her. Okay, so Josh Rockford had made advances, but if serious why not just ask her out? She had belittled him to some degree of late. A man needing to uphold his reputation with his fans and teammates when under the influence of alcohol might threaten her. Perhaps he feared rejection or had some weird possessive thing going on with her.
Who else in town had she had contact with over the last few months? Her mind went to a nasty cruelty to animals court case over one year ago. A local rancher, Stan Clough, a man in his early forties, had blamed aliens for the animals gutted alive and left in the fields on his ranch. She had committed him for psychiatric evaluation but the report came back negative and the case proceeded. Clough had not taken his dead, sunken eyes off her during the court case, but there had been no threat. Although, his one-year sentence had been a joke, especially as the jail released him after six months.
Apart from Josh Rockford, another man, James Stone, had pestered her since her arrival. A tall, athletic man in his late thirties was also the size of her attacker. The lawyer of the well-heeled residents of Black Rock Falls was a popular choice to smooth over their crimes. In truth, Stone practically stalked her. If he had not been such a close friend of Mayor Rockford, she would have been tempted to take out a complaint against him for harassment. It would have been a waste of time as Mayor Rockford protected his friends. In a local court hearing, she would have lost the case and her job because she required the mayor’s sanction for her elected position.
She allowed her mind to drift back to the last time she had contact with the outwardly handsome and charming James Stone. It had been Thanksgiving and, being alone, she had joined him as his guest at the Cattleman’s Hotel Thanksgiving dinner. His kiss on her doorstep had been demanding. In fact, he had not taken rejection easily, and the angry flash in his eyes had disturbed her.
Although they often crossed paths, she kept him at arm’s length and refused an offer of dinner from him the day before Kane arrived. She made the excuse of being far too busy settling in the new deputy sheriff to enjoy herself. His vow never to give up suddenly took on a whole new meaning. Holy cow, could he have taken stalking to a new level? She made notes in her book and fell back against the pillows.
Telling Kane would be difficult; she found him a little overprotective but many of the agents she worked with had a similar work ethic toward their female partners. In fact, all of them would have taken a bullet for her, and she guessed Kane would be the same. Although some women might find his actions a little condescending, she found his caring nature quite charming and she could keep him in his place if necessary. She smiled and hugged the book against her chest. “Right now, you can be as protective as you like. I think I need all the help I can get.” She gently fingered the earrings he had altered. Having Kane close by was certainly a bonus.
Nineteen
Early Monday morning, the persistent ringtone of Jenna’s cellphone broke into her dream of riding a black stallion in the mountains, and she pawed at the bedside table for her cell. Glancing at the clock, she sighed. Being in charge of the nine-one-one service overnight usually meant a sleepless night, but she had made it to six without being disturbed. “Sheriff Alton. What is your emergency?”
A man’s voice rushed through the earpiece in a garbled flow. She sat upright and pushed the hair from her eyes. “Who is this?”
“George Brinks.”
She pulled the covers up to her chin and shivered. Brinks ran a landfill business on the outskirts of town. “Okay, take a deep breath and tell me what’s wrong.”
“I found a dead body.”
Shit! “Okay. Nice and slow. Where and when?”
“At the back of the landfill area at the Saddler’s Crossing end. It fell out a fifty-gallon barrel.”
“Fell from where?” Jenna grabbed a pen and notepad from the bedsid
e table. “Did you see it fall?”
“No, no, it was my fault.” He drew in a deep breath but the panic in his voice was evident. “I don’t allow that type of garbage—barrels, I mean—in that area, so I moved it with the forklift. When I moved the container, it toppled over and the lid came loose. The stink was overpowering and I could see part of a body sticking out.”
Every sense locked into action, the fear of the previous evening melted away, and a professional calm slipped over her. A murder under my watch? Jenna slipped from the bed and put the cellphone on speaker then dragged on her uniform. “Don’t touch anything and keep everyone away from the area. Close the gates to the landfill and don’t allow anyone inside. Not anyone. I’ll contact the medical examiner and be there as soon as possible.” She waited for him to disconnect then called Kane.
“Okay, I’ll be there in five. I guess it’s just as well I haven’t eaten breakfast?”
Jenna pulled on her boots. “Yeah. I haven’t eaten either. The call woke me and I don’t have time to brew coffee, so expect me to be cranky.”
“I can meet Mr. Brinks if you want to take some time after what happened last night? I’ll give Rowley a call to meet me at the landfill.”
“Thanks, but we don’t have dead bodies popping up every day. I want to see if it has any relation to our missing persons.” She yawned and blinked the sleep out of her eyes. “Mr. Brinks mentioned the body stinks, so someone must have dumped it recently or it would have frozen solid. Don’t wear a clean uniform; that stink tends to hang around.” She straightened then reached for her belt and holster. “The beginning to another perfect day.”
“Do you have an ME in town?”
“The Black Rock Falls Funeral Home has a very experienced ME. Max Weems and his son have worked for the county in that capacity for ten years.” She holstered her weapon. “I’ll call them now.”
