by D. K. Hood
“I think it would be better if I speak with Father Maguire before contacting Helms’s wife.” Kane leaned forward in his chair and gave her a questioning gaze. “Don’t you agree?” He took a pad from the inside of his jacket. “Do you have his number? I’ll call him. I gather he didn’t supply any detailed personal information about Helms’s situation apart from some domestic problems?”
“He only gave us a brief outline and enough information to file a missing persons’ report.” Jenna pushed to her feet and went to the whiteboard. “Just make vague enquiries. The victim could be anyone at this point.” She jotted down three separate lists of names and heard Rowley’s sharp intake of breath.
“Do you believe Josh Rockford is involved in the murder?” Rowley leaned forward expectantly in his seat and clasped his hands together, resting his forearms on his knees. “We went to the same school.”
“I’m not sure. I need to have the three cases on the board so we can all see what evidence we have and who we believe is involved.” Jenna wrote “Attempted murder (shooting and accident)” on the top of one list, “Missing persons” on the second, and “Body in the barrel” on the third. “Rockford is on the list of suspects for the shooting and my accident. Watts, Rockford, Beal, and James Stone are the only people I’ve had personal problems with of late. The only other person who comes to mind is Stan Clough. There was a nasty court case after I arrested him for cruelty to animals a year ago, but as far as I am aware, he got out of jail a month or so ago and is living in the back county. Kane mentioned to me he could be a psychopath in training, and after what I witnessed on his ranch, this type of torture is something he enjoys.” She cleared her throat. “He sold his ranch, and I don’t have a current address.”
“I remember the case.” Rowley pulled a face. “He said it was alien mutilations. The man is nuts.”
“We need his whereabouts and you should have received notification along with his release information.” Kane’s blue gaze narrowed. “I’ll ask Walters; he seems to know the local gossip.”
She tapped the single name under Mrs. Woodward’s name. “John Davis is the only person of interest we have linked to Woodward’s disappearance, and his involvement if any is sketchy at best.” She added the names of contacts for each missing person under their names. The column under the “Body in the barrel”, she left blank. “I’m not adding the evidence Kane mentioned for obvious reasons but I’ll update this entry with a list of suspects as more information arrives.”
“What would be the motive for the murder? From the images, the body is naked. The killer didn’t take the gold from the victim, so not robbery. Kinky sex gone wrong?” Rowley’s face had turned an odd shade of green. “The bangle is distinctive and would finger the murderer if he tried to sell it, I guess.”
“What makes you believe the motive is money?” Kane raised both dark brows. “There is no evidence to suggest the victim was killed for monetary gain. Not kinky sex either; those deaths are usually accidental, and garroting a person to the spine would not be accidental. This is torture. This type of killer usually starts with animals and escalates, so Stan Clough fits the profile and he is living somewhere in the area. It makes me wonder if he had anything to do with the other missing persons’ cases reported before you started work here.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I agree. He does fit the profile if all the other missing persons are dead, but we don’t know that, do we?”
“You gave evidence against Clough in the court case.” Rowley’s brown eyes lifted to Jenna’s face. “Is he crazy enough to seek revenge?”
“That’s a good point. If he is unhinged, he might want to get back at you.” Kane gave Jenna a pointed look. “Does he fit the size of the man who attacked you?”
A chill ran down her spine at the memory of Stan Clough’s dead, sunken eyes. Although she had not seen him for over a year, he had the same build as the man in the bushes. She nodded. “Yeah, unfortunately he does, but I’m convinced these incidents involving me are warnings. If not, why not kill me too? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Yeah, it does.” Kane huffed out an exasperated sigh. “Psychopaths can lead completely normal lives and they don’t kill indiscriminately. They can have wives and children and appear completely normal. I can give you three reasons why he didn’t kill you. The killer might actually like you, or you don’t fit the type of person he desires to kill. The third and most likely—in his sick mind he believes you protected him the day you accidently overlooked a crime. Say for instance Stan Clough was feeding a corpse to his pigs the day you arrested him. It would be your little secret but now he is out of jail, he needs to remind you to keep your mouth shut because he plans to kill again.”
Oh my God. “Then we have to assume the killer and my attacker is the same person.”
“We have to consider the possibility and look at the whole picture, not just the murder.” Kane gave her a worried look. “I’m afraid you might be the key.”
“Whoever is doing this knows their way around town. A stranger wouldn’t know how to get into the landfill by the back gate or when to avoid the work crew.” Rowley’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “I’ve lived in Black Rock Falls all my life. I know these people and I didn’t think any of them capable of torturing a man to death.” He wet his lips. “Roughing up people, maybe… although…”
“If you have any idea who is capable of torturing someone to death—” Kane glared at him “—spit it out.”
“After seeing what Stan Clough did to his animals, yeah, he is capable.” Rowley moved around in his chair uncomfortably. “I wouldn’t rule out Josh Rockford either. He is a jerk and one of the worst bullies I’ve encountered. I would call what he did to the younger students at high school vicious. He does have a mean streak. Watch him play hockey and you’ll see how much he enjoys hurting people. He becomes a crazy man at the game. If any of the fans give him a hard time, he gets right in their faces.” He rubbed the back of his neck as if trying to make sense of the situation. “I don’t mix with his crowd but I know he intimidates people and I’ve witnessed him threatening the sheriff.” He sucked in an audible breath. “Yeah, he’d be capable of running the sheriff off the road and threatening her to prove his superiority, and I wouldn’t take him off the list for the shooting either. Two shots close to hitting you is good from that distance, and he prides himself on his marksmanship. Could he torture a man to death? I couldn’t say for sure.”
“I wouldn’t rule him out of the equation just yet.” Kane pushed to his feet. He held out one roughened palm to Jenna for the pen and added Josh Rockford to the “Body in the barrel” list then turned to face the others. “Rockford surrounds himself with a small group of friends, all wealthy hockey players, and he is quick to retaliate. We know Helms was a fan of an opposing team. Perhaps he abused him during a game and Rockford lost it and killed him.”
“Okay, but why is the real estate guy on two lists?” Rowley pointed one long finger to the name “John Davis.”
“He makes the ‘Missing persons’ list because as far as we can determine, Davis is the last person to see Mrs. Woodward. Davis spoke to her in his real estate office and gave her a list of properties to visit.” Kane’s wide brow creased. “Mrs. Woodward withdrew a considerable bank draft and cash. So we can’t discount money as a motive if she has met with foul play.”
Jenna returned to her seat. “Rockford has the strength to commit the crime but he doesn’t need money. If it is John Helms— and from the color of the hair, we can assume it is a younger man—he could have met Helms at a hockey game and argued with him. If so, vengeance could be the motive and we know he enjoys hurting people. I believe Rockford and Stan Clough are our prime suspects for homicide.”
Twenty-Seven
Excited at finding a lead to her grandmother, Sarah Woodward turned the hired SUV into the driveway toward the ranch house. Ahead, she made out a pickup parked out front with a man rugged-up against the cold, wearing a Stetson an
d worn cowboy boots. She parked beside the vehicle and slid down her window. “Hi, I’m Sarah.”
Cowboy Boots touched his hat. “Ma’am.”
Deciding to leave her purse inside the car, she slid from the seat and smiled at him. “Is this the place my grandma was interested in buying?” She glanced at the dilapidated old house. “It looks like a fixer-upper.”
“Yeah, that’s what she said she wanted.” His mouth turned up at the corners. “She told me she wanted a feel for the place and I arranged for her to stay in the root cellar. There’s power down there, beds, and a stove. It’s nice and warm. The house needs a lot of work before it’s habitable.”
“Did she stay?”
“I guess so, she left some of her things down there.” He started walking toward the barn. “She could be back anytime.”
Sarah wanted to jump for joy; no wonder no one had seen her grandma if she was staying out here in the sticks. “Can I take a look? I would recognize my grandma’s things.”
“Sure, I’ll show you the way.”
As she walked into the barn, she could hear the hum of machinery. When he waved the way toward an entrance cut into the barn floor, she hesitated. The dimly lit stairs made the place creepy, and she could see dusty cobwebs wafting in the breeze. Never go into a dark cellar. The warning played on a loop through her mind.
“If you’re afraid, I’ll come with you.” Cowboy Boots pulled a pistol from the back of his belt and smiled at her. “I have this if we see a rat.”
Apprehension slipped over her; going into a dark cellar with a man holding a gun might be stupid, but hey, if it was okay for Grandma, it was okay for her. “Okay.”
She took the steps with caution and moved along a short passageway then turned into the main room. A single bulb glowed over a wooden table and she could see bunk beds and a stove as he had mentioned. “It is warm down here. The stove works really well.”
Agony slammed into her brain. She lifted her hand and absently stared at the blood dripping through her fingers. “Oh, I’ve hit my head.”
She turned to look at him and the light fell on his expression, making his eyes appear to glow. Terror gripped her at the sight of the gun pointed at her face. She staggered back, uncomprehending. “Did you hit me?”
“Yeah.” Cowboy Boots gave her an evil smile and stepped closer to press the muzzle of the gun to her forehead. “Back up nice and slow until you reach the table then take off your clothes.”
Twenty-Eight
Jenna leaned back in her office chair and looked at Kane. “What’s your take on the suspects?”
“So far, Rockford is the only suspect with a possible motive, and I’m grabbing at straws here.” Kane pushed a hand through his thick black hair. “The evidence is weak and we’ll need a lot more proof before we can bring him in for questioning. The same goes for Stan Clough. We need to find out what he’s been doing since he got out of jail and pay him a visit. He appears to be a prime suspect but we still need to discuss the evidence we have linking Rockford to the crime.”
Jenna tapped her pen on the table. “Go on.”
“I saw a barrel identical to the one found at the landfill on the back of the vehicle involved in the accident.” Kane gave her a meaningful stare then moved to the whiteboard and made a numbered list in the “Body in the barrel” column. “One, a pickup carrying a black barrel ran you off the road. Two, we find a corpse in a similar barrel, and if it is Helms, we have the hockey link to Rockford.” He turned and stared at her. “Three, we concluded the person who dumped the barrel at the landfill used the back gate, which probably makes him a local. Four, on investigating, someone shot at us. Rowley mentioned Rockford’s a crack shot.” He pushed a hand through his hair, making it stick up in all directions. “What else can you tell me about Rockford? Why would he try to hurt you?”
Jenna frowned. “Rockford is big on getting even. I did bruise his ego in front of his friends. Do you think that is enough?”
“Unless I’m correct and all three incidents are warnings.” Kane rubbed the dark stubble on his chin. “Can you remember the attacker’s exact words?
I’ll never forget. Jenna pushed down the need to vomit and nodded. “He said, ‘Things were going nice and smooth and you had to bring in a big-city cop. Keep your mouth shut and your dog on a leash or I’ll show you exactly what I’m capable of doing.’ Then he cuffed me around the head, pushed me flat on my face and ran off. You arrived a couple of moments later.” She moved her gaze from one deputy to the other. “I have no idea what he was talking about, unless, like you said, I missed something during Stan Clough’s arrest.” She rubbed her temples. “If it was Rockford, I embarrassed him in front of his friends then you did the same when he tried to hit on me.” She sighed. “We know Rockford was at the Cattleman’s Hotel but from the size of the man, it could have been Stone as well. I have no idea if he was there though; I don’t remember seeing him.”
“I doubt whoever is responsible just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I think someone is monitoring our movements.” Kane rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully. “The question is, how?”
“Oh, shit.” Rowley’s face reddened. “When Daniels was at the landfill directing traffic, he called in over the two-way asking for you.” He winced. “I told him you had headed out to inspect the back gate at the landfill and would be in later.”
Jenna rubbed her temples. “What did he want?”
“Oh, he said he’d resolved the traffic problem and wanted to return to the station.” Rowley shrugged. “I told him to come on back. I didn’t think it was something requiring your permission.”
“That’s fine. It’s not your fault, you had no idea what was happening and neither did Daniels.” She met his gaze. “But from now on we need to keep my movements off the airways.”
“That solves one mystery because you are usually at the Cattleman’s Hotel after the Larks game.” Kane rubbed his chin and his hooded gaze went to her. “Either man would only require a scanner to listen in to the cruiser transmissions. That makes three attempts on your life, in my book. So far, Stone has only been a nuisance and we don’t know enough about him to believe he is capable of murder, so his name goes on the attempted murder list for now.” He drew a line under Josh Rockford’s name. “Rockford has threatened you twice, hasn’t he, and in front of witnesses? Is there any other reason he would try and warn you off?”
Jenna pushed a hand through her hair and shrugged. “I have no idea. I’ve looked over my files, and apart from a few warnings and the night in the lock-up, I’ve gone easy on Rockford. He is a pain in the ass but I’ve put it down to youthful exuberance. I don’t honestly believe I’ve given him a motive to hurt or threaten me.”
“There has to be a motive. Okay, the first one could have been an accident but three incidents in one week is not something I care to dismiss.” Kane raised one black eyebrow. “You sure you haven’t overlooked something or been in the wrong place at the wrong time when Rockford was up to no good? Maybe he’s committed a crime and this time his daddy can’t buy him out of trouble.”
Doubt flooded her mind in a wave of panic. Had she missed a vital clue to a crime? “Like murder, you mean?” She could not breathe and gripped the edge of the table to steady her trembling hands. “It certainly looks that way, doesn’t it? This morning, I made notes on the times I’ve had dealings with Rockford and the others. I can remember every incident but I’m not going to recall something I didn’t notice at the time. So we’re back to square one, I’m afraid.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. I need time to think, just in case I’ve missed something. “However, if you believe he is a person of interest in both cases, then by all means, check him out, and everyone else on the list, however trivial.”
“Oh, I plan to. Don’t forget I can identify the pickup, which is a motive for killing me too if Rockford is involved with the death of the man in the barrel.” Kane straightened to his full impressive height. “And fo
r the record, I’m not afraid of Rockford’s daddy.”
“If you’re correct and the cases are connected, Josh Rockford won’t come in easily.” Rowley rubbed his chin and stared blankly at the whiteboard. “Holy cow, if he gets wind we’re planning to haul him in for questioning, he’ll take off for sure.”
“I doubt he will go anywhere. If he’d planned to skip town, he would have by now. He was at Aunt Betty’s this morning sitting at the table right next to me, grinning like an ape.” Jenna pushed to her feet. “We’ll ask him to come in for questioning and see what happens. If he lawyers up, then we’ll know he has something to hide and we’ll dig deeper.” She looked up at Kane. “As James Stone is his lawyer, I’d appreciate if you would do the honors.”
“My pleasure.” Kane grimaced. “I’m looking forward to interrogating him too.”
“I’m sure you are, but first our priority is identifying the victim. I want you to chase up Father Maguire to make enquiries about the bangle and tattoo. Get the details on Helms’s wife in case you have to contact her for confirmation. Before you head out, send in Walters and Daniels.” When Kane looked at her with a bemused expression, annoyance made her skin grow hot. “What are you standing around for? Off you go.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Kane sauntered from the room, grinning.
Jenna turned to Rowley. “Find out where Sarah Woodward is today and go pay her a visit right away. Her number is on file. I want to know she is okay, then get back here, pronto—we have work to do.”
“Right away.” Rowley stood and left the room.
Jenna walked over to the whiteboard and pushed it up into the ceiling receptacle, then waited for Daniels and Walters to enter the office. “I’m waiting for information. Which one of you is doing the check on the Ford pickup?”
“That would be me.” Daniels smiled at her. “Duke said his head was spinning from looking at the screen for so long, so I took over. I have a list but it’s not complete.”
