by D. K. Hood
“Down the hole?” Kane chuckled with obvious glee. “I guess you had the sense to unplug it first?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t use it again before I left.” Jenna stared at him then a thought crossed her mind. “It could be the heater in my bedroom too. It’s been acting up a bit lately.”
“I’ll take a look if you want me to.” He raised one dark eyebrow then headed to his car. “From the setup here, I expected you to be an electronics genius.”
Jenna followed him as he piled the rest of her gear into her arms. “I am, but when toasters and heaters break down, I usually just throw them in the trash and buy new ones.”
“That would be the best option.” Kane hoisted the microwave into his strong arms and closed the car door using his hip.
She moved up the steps before him, liking the way he followed behind her, guarding her back like a human shield. He was certainly different from anyone she had worked with in the past. Sure, he had a mask of professionalism and treated her with respect, but she sensed vulnerability when he let down his guard. She had witnessed his despair after discovering Sarah Woodward’s body; his reaction had been different to the way he handled the body in the barrel. Kane had suffered loss, and she expected it had been recently.
Although he had neglected to mention the circumstances resulting in his head injury, she understood the incident occurred in the line of duty, but she had the strangest feeling he had lost someone close to him that day. She dumped the box of dinnerware on the kitchen table and glanced at him. Strong and dependable, he had protected her with his body in the woods. Maybe he had lost his partner the day some ass clown had shot him in the head. A man like Kane would believe he had failed to safeguard his partner’s back. If that had happened, it might account for his overprotectiveness of her. I guess he’ll tell me in his own time.
“You okay?” Kane’s concerned expression moved over her face.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She checked the contents of the refrigerator.
“It’s freezing in here. You don’t need a fridge with the heat off.” He set the microwave in place and plugged in the cord. The machine beeped and he took the time to set the clock before turning back to her. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah.” Jenna took a pair of gloves from her pocket and pulled them on. “Are you looking forward to interviewing Rockford and his friends?”
“Oh, yeah, and I’ll be following up with John Davis as well. He might be trying to cover up something.” Kane scratched his cheek. “I’ll be interested to see if any of our suspects are on the list of locals who own blue pickups. I want to know the whereabouts of our suspects and what cars they drive. Especially Stan Clough.” He gave her a wry smile. “We’re going to be busy, and if we find any proof to connect the murders with the attempts on your life, you know you’ll need to step back and give me the lead? We don’t want lawyers yelling ‘conflict of interest’ and ruining our case.”
Jenna followed him down the steps and climbed into his SUV. “I told you before I am happy for you to take charge of the incidents involving me, and if the two cases are linked, I have no choice but to stand aside.”
“I’m not trying to take over but anyone can see Sarah’s murder was a warning directed at you.” Kane’s blue gaze searched her face.
She stared at him dumbfounded. After seeing him work in the field, his amazing reaction time and ability to keep all the facts of the cases in his mind, he was the best man for the job.
“Okay, but I’m not staying locked in my office like a frightened mouse. I’ll work behind the scenes and direct my deputies to make enquiries. They can follow leads if you’re busy.” She nodded. “Yeah, I could do with some spare time. I still need to chase up the insurance claim for my replacement cruiser. As it’s essential, you’d think the company would push it through for me.”
“Not when it’s part of an ongoing investigation.” Kane gave her a thin smile, slid into the driver’s seat, pulled on his gloves, then started the engine. “They like someone to blame and another insurance company to cover half or all the costs. I imagine the claim will take some weeks. Did you give Rowley the hit-and-run case?”
“Not yet.” Jenna stared out the window. “With everything else that’s happened, my priorities are elsewhere. I just want my car replaced.”
“It’s not like waving a magic wand. It’s a large payout.” Kane’s chuckle rumbled in his chest as he turned the car down the driveway. “Haven’t you ever filed an accident report for an insurance claim?”
Jenna laughed. “Oh yeah, but not for me personally, and nothing complicated like my incident. Mostly rear-enders and theft. You’re correct about the insurance investigator, and as you’re the only witness in my case, I guess they’ll be contacting you sometime this week.”
“The day just gets better.” Kane pulled a face and headed the SUV toward town. “So much for a quiet life.”
* * *
When they arrived in town, Jenna stared at the locked door and dark interior of the Black Rock Falls County Sheriff’s Department office and flicked a glance at Kane. “What’s going on?” She pulled the keys from her pocket and unlocked the main door. “We have people in custody. Where the hell are Walters and Daniels?” She pushed open the door and flicked on the overhead lights.
“I’ll go and check if there’s anyone in the cells.” Kane grunted his disapproval then moved ahead of her, checked inside her office, then continued down the hall.
The door opened behind her and she turned to see Magnolia’s bright smile. “Good morning. Where is everyone?”
“Mornin’ to you, too. You are the first in this morning.” Maggie removed her coat and hung it on a peg by the front door. “No call-outs overnight but Jake is trying to contact you.” She raised both eyebrows as if waiting for an explanation.
Jenna removed her gloves and unzipped her jacket. She refused to gratify Maggie’s unspoken question with an excuse. Exhausted, she had turned off her cellphone last night, and Rowley could not have reached her on the landline. She guessed he had not tried calling Kane to see if she had stayed the night at his place. No doubt I will get the same accusing look from him today. “Did he leave a message?”
“No.” Maggie took her seat behind the counter and switched on her computer. “I guess he’ll inform you himself soon enough.” She lifted her double chin toward the window. “There he is now.”
Not wanting to discuss anything in front of Maggie, Jenna strolled into her office and heard the door to the cells close and footsteps heading in her direction. She stared at Kane’s annoyed expression. “What?”
“We don’t have anyone in custody.” Anger flowed off Kane as he followed her into the office. “Walters and Daniels should have been on duty overnight. I told them we had probable cause to hold our suspects overnight for questioning. They could have split the shifts. On whose authority did they release them?”
Jenna’s face grew hot and she moved to her desk. She cleared her throat and chanced a glance at him. Oh, man, he resembled the sky just before a hurricane. “I turned off my cellphone last night and apparently Rowley tried to reach me.”
“Why didn’t he contact me?” Kane’s blue eyes flashed with anger.
Jenna shrugged. “Why do you think? He likely called the house without luck and guessed I stayed overnight at your place. He wouldn’t have risked disturbing us.”
“Oh.” Kane rubbed the back of his neck and his gaze raked her face. “Yeah, I see, but really that’s no excuse. We are single adults and what we do is our business.” His attention moved toward the door. “That sounds like him now.” He turned and marched out of the office.
A few seconds later, Deputy Rowley strolled into the office wearing an uncomfortable expression. The tips of his ears had turned a bright shade of pink.
“Morning, ma’am.” He gazed at Jenna then his feet. “I released the suspects.”
“Why?” Kane shut the door behind him then dropped casually into a chair in front of her desk
. “On whose authority?”
“Mayor Rockford came here with a lawyer who said he was representing Josh, Billy, and Dan. He insisted I show him the arrest warrants and asked if I’d read them their Miranda rights.” He sucked in a long breath. “I explained Sheriff Alton had brought them in for questioning and no charges had been laid. I also told him we had a right to hold his clients for seventy-two hours without charging them. I tried to contact Sheriff Alton but the lawyer insisted I conduct the questioning in his presence or release the suspects. I couldn’t quote probable cause or proceed because I wasn’t up to speed with the current investigation.” He ran a hand through his hair and shuffled his feet uncomfortably. “We didn’t get to impound the vehicles either. The lawyer said we needed a warrant. As the only vehicle suspected in any ongoing cases is a blue Ford pickup and none of the suspects own one, I didn’t have probable cause.”
Jenna folded her hands on her desk. She did not intend to come down hard on Rowley. He had followed the rules. “You had no other option.” She caught Kane’s annoyed expression in her periphery. “Just one thing. Did you ask the suspects to come in for questioning or did you arrest them?”
“I didn’t have a warrant for their arrest.” Rowley straightened. “I went to the hockey training and when they came out the dressing rooms, after training not before, I requested they accompany me to the station to answer some questions.” He sighed. “Rockford complained about police harassment, said this was the third time we’d spoken to him in a week. Their coach told them it would be better to cooperate and they came willingly. I didn’t put them in the cells or cuff them. Rockford called his father and shortly after the lawyer arrived and the mayor stormed off ranting about having you fired .”
“Did you get to question them at all?” Kane leaned forward in his chair. “About their whereabouts during both incidents involving the sheriff?”
“Yeah.” Rowley pulled out a notepad from his inside pocket. “I asked Rockford to account for his whereabouts on the night of the sheriff’s accident. He said he took Susie Hartwig to dinner and she spent the night at his place.” He flicked a glance at Kane and wiggled his eyebrows. “You’ll remember the waitress from Aunt Betty’s Café?”
“Go on.” Kane waved a hand in dismissal. “Did you speak to Watts or Beal?”
“No, I interviewed Rockford. I’m not sure if Daniels got time to ask any questions; he was assigned to Billy Watts.” He turned his attention back to Jenna. “I sent Walters home and swapped his duties with Daniels. He volunteered to be out at first light searching for Sarah Woodward’s purse. Do you want me to go and help him? I could work back from the motel to the crime scene?”
A knock came on her office door and she looked up to see Daniels. “Ah, just the person I wanted to see.”
“Mornin’, ma’am.” Deputy Daniels flashed a white smile and approached the desk.
“Did you have time to question Billy Watts about his whereabouts on the night of my accident?”
“No, but I did ask him if he was anywhere near Dutton Road yesterday morning. He said he did visit the landfill but couldn’t dump his garbage.” Daniels gave her a smug smile. “I know for a fact he keeps a hunting rifle in his SUV. He isn’t a bad shot either. I’ve been hunting with him on a number of occasions.”
“Who told you about the shooting?” Kane leaned forward in his chair then shot a death glare at Deputy Rowley.
“Rowley.” Daniels frowned. A bemused expression crossed his face. “He gave us both a rundown on the cases and what questions to ask the suspects. Times and whereabouts mostly. Although, he didn’t say squat about finding Sarah Woodward dead.” He put his hands on his hips. “It wasn’t a secret, was it?”
“Well in a way, yes, because we need to keep a lid on the details of her death for now.” Jenna glanced at Kane’s stony expression. “I couldn’t be reached last night and Rowley took the initiative to enable you to question the suspects.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” Rowley gave Daniels a smug smile then turned to Kane. “After three incidents involving Sheriff Alton in less than a week, I think one of us needs to be with her at all times.”
Sick of her deputies classing her as a woman first, sheriff second, Jenna let out a long sigh. “I can take care of myself in the office and if I am kidnapped and lose my cellphone, vehicle, or weapon, Kane has devised a backup device to track me.” She tapped her earring and smiled at Kane. “Our new deputy is very resourceful.”
Forty-Two
Dumbfounded, Kane stared at Alton. She had lost her mind to be informing anyone about the tracking device in her earrings. He caught sight of movement in the hallway and pushed to his feet. Through the open door, he recognized Billy Watts strolling past on the way to the bathroom. He rubbed his chin, concerned one of Josh Rockford’s friends had overheard the sheriff’s conversation. The sight of Billy Watts triggered an avalanche of coincidental information he had overlooked. Mind reeling, he cleared his throat and stared at Rowley. “Have either of you spoken to Billy Watts this morning?”
“I have and he’s waiting in the outer office.” Daniels stopped halfway to the door. “He came in again for questioning, says he has nothing to hide.”
“Okay thanks. Tell him to wait and I’ll speak to him.”
Turning, he raised both eyebrows at Jenna. “The sheriff has given me the lead in the murder case and my main concern is stopping a maniac before he kills again. We need to prioritize. Right now, we don’t have a positive ID for the man in the barrel. We’re assuming the victim is John Helms and I’ve asked Father Maguire to find the name of Helms’s dentist. If it is him, then I’ll request the local police contact the wife.” He massaged the plate in his head and winced at the throb of discomfort. “Someone will need to contact Sarah Woodward’s mother and get her down here to view the body.”
“I’ll ask Magnolia to make the calls. She is very good at handling delicate situations.” Alton pushed a strand of black hair from her forehead. “I wish I had more men. I need an update on the DMV files and someone to help Walters search for Miss Woodward’s purse.” She sighed. “Has anyone heard back from Mr. Davis on the whereabouts of Stan Clough?”
“I completed the DMV search yesterday; it’s in the file.” Daniels lifted his bushy eyebrows. “I’ll call my brothers on the off chance they know where Stan Clough lives.” He smiled. “Then I’ll help Walters if you like? Do you have a description of Miss Woodward’s purse?”
Kane gave him the description and turned to Rowley. “Interview Susie Hartwig and see if she can corroborate Rockford’s alibi.”
“Did you find Sarah Woodward’s body at the Old Mitcham Ranch?” Daniels gave him a worried look and rubbed his chin. “I mean, you are hunting for her purse from there to the motel, so what’s happening? I am entitled to know.”
“Are you now?” Kane narrowed his gaze. “All you need to know is we found her body and I’m conducting enquiries.”
Kane waved the deputies out and shut the door behind them then turned to face Alton. “Why did you tell the deputies about the tracker in your earring? As you are so concerned about a leak in the office, doesn’t them knowing defeat the aim?
“I agree it was a stupid thing to do.” Jenna shrugged. “It’s too late to do anything about it now, so forget it.” She straightened. “I can see your mind working. What else have you figured out about the case?”
“Seeing Billy Watts hanging around in the hallway triggered a few things in my mind.” He moved to the whiteboard and picked up a marker. “I don’t know if he is involved in the attempts on your life but coincidentally he’s been in the right place at the right time to collect information pertinent to one of our other cases.”
“Billy Watts? Really?” Jenna’s face creased into a frown. She stood and joined him at the whiteboard. “What makes you believe he’s involved? Watts is the quieter one of Rockford’s friends; in fact, more of an outsider. Hence the fight over money in the Cattleman’s Hotel. Which case?”
/> “I’m wondering if he is involved in Mrs. Woodward’s disappearance.” Kane wrote the man’s name at the top of a space on the board. “Let’s for a moment assume he murdered Mrs. Woodward. Watts gambles, so the money motive is a possibility.” Kane added the information to the board. “He thinks he’s home free and then Sarah comes into town looking for her grandma. He would not have been aware of her existence, but during my interview with her, he happened to be waiting in the next booth for Daniels to complete his paperwork. He could have easily overheard the information about the letters and would have been privy to her plans.” He scribbled on the board. “It would make sense for him to destroy the evidence if it implicated him. I did wonder how he discovered Sarah’s room number because the motel’s proprietor refuses to give out information on guests.” He snapped his fingers. “Then I remembered. Billy Watts was chatting to Sarah in the parking lot the night her car broke down. He overheard our conversation about her plans to search for her grandma on Monday and the intention to have her car serviced. He was not five feet away when I ordered Daniels to escort her to her motel. Billy Watts drove out in their direction and could have followed her to discover her room number.” He added the last incidents to the list. “If Watts is involved in the disappearance of Mrs. Woodward, then I think we may have found Sarah’s killer.”
“That sounds solid but I wouldn’t discount Stan Clough just yet. He is the only suspect we have with a prior conviction.”
Kane nodded. “Yes, but not if the torture was to extract information, for instance the PIN for the victim’s bank account. Hell, I’ve seen kids beaten to death for their shoes.”
“I suppose if Sarah’s grandmother stayed with Watts, as a housekeeper for instance, and mentioned him in a letter, we would be able to track Mrs. Woodward to him. Watts lives alone on a ranch not far from the Larks stadium, which means he could easily have met Helms as well. If Helms was the type of fan we imagine, an invitation to stay with a player would be too good to refuse.” Alton turned to him and tapped one neat fingernail on her chin. “If Watts is involved in both murders and the motive is money, we’ll need evidence.”
