by D. K. Hood
She sighed with relief when he followed her without question. The poor man was so pale she thought he might collapse. “The ME has a few concerns, as you do, about Jane’s death. He would like to do an autopsy but we’ll need the next of kin’s permission.”
“I’m her next of kin as of yesterday.” Adam gave her a disgruntled stare. “My parents are embarrassed and were too cowardly to tell her they didn’t want her living with them.” He let out a half-choked sob. “They won’t have to worry now, will they? You know, I haven’t bothered to tell them she died. I’m not sure if I ever want to see them again.”
Jenna blinked back the tears stinging the backs of her eyes and rested a hand on his arm. She did not know what to say to him. “Do you want me to speak with them?”
“Would you?” He straightened and looked down into her eyes. “Deputy Wolfe is the new ME, isn’t he? Is he good? Will he be able to find out what happened?”
“Yes, he is the best I know.” She led him to the nurses’ station and placed the paperwork on the counter. “If you’ll sign these forms, I’ll take you to see Jane.”
With the signed forms in one hand, Jenna took Adam into the room to view and formally identify his sister’s body. Kane and Wolfe stood to one side, their faces grim. Beside her, Adam allowed the tears to fall and held his sister’s hand for a long time.
“I’ll take care of her for you.” Wolfe stepped forward and laid one large hand on Adam’s shoulder. “Go home and get some rest.”
“Did she suffer?” Adam’s mouth turned down.
“No.” Wolfe led him to the door, his voice low and compassionate. “She went to sleep.”
Jenna watched the two men walk out the door and turned to Kane. “Do you know what her murder means?” She dashed a hand through her hair. “We’re chasing smoke and shadows. Whoever did this is running scared of the vigilante and the law. He killed Jane because he thought she could identify him and maybe others in his group of perversion.”
“Which means Zoe could be next on his list.”
Jenna pulled out her cellphone. “I’m calling Zoe’s father to give him the heads up. I’ll call the sheriff there as well to keep him in the loop.”
In the hallway outside Jane’s room, Jenna made the calls. She decided to inform the Blackwater sheriff she would be interviewing a potential suspect in his jurisdiction as well. She smiled at Kane when the Blackwater sheriff offered her his full cooperation to solve the case. “Yes, I do believe the pedophile ring is widespread, and from the list of missing girls I sent you, there may be other counties involved.” She put her cellphone on speaker and moved closer to Kane.
“Oh, I’m on the case, Sheriff. I’ve had my deputies working all weekend checking out cold cases from ten years back. I’ll be chasing down leads to any street entertainers as well. We have a few clowns coming through at odd times of the year. If we find anything, I’ll call you.”
“Thank you.” She disconnected and turned to Kane. “That’s good news and we have the go-ahead from the Blackwater sheriff. I didn’t want to tread on anyone’s toes.”
When Wolfe strolled toward her wearing a concerned expression, her stomach dropped. What else is wrong? She lifted her chin. “You look like the sky before a storm, what’s up?”
“Being here in the hospital clicked something in my mind.” He glanced at Kane. “Do you have the images you took of the bottle of pills found in Amos Price’s truck?”
“Yeah.” Kane pulled out his cellphone then scrolled through the images. “Here.” He gave Wolfe the phone.
“Dammit, I missed it.” Wolfe held up the image of a bottle of pills with a printed white label on the front with Diazepam 5mg written in black. “See this bottle? This is a bulk bottle supplied to hospitals. When a doctor prescribes medication, there is a patient’s name, dosage, number of pills, and doctor’s name on the label.”
Jenna swallowed the bile in her throat. “So whoever killed Jane has access to the hospital pharmacy.”
“It’s something I’ll notify the FBI about when I contact them. We found drugs of the same type with both our other victims. It makes sense one of their group is supplying them.” Wolfe rubbed the back of his neck in an agitated manner. “Something else—when I was organizing for the removal of the body, the pathologist working in the morgue informed me that after eleven at night, access to the hospital is by a swipe card or via the emergency room.”
A rush of excitement hit her. “So they’ll have a record of anyone entering the hospital?”
“Yes and no.” Wolfe’s brow creased into a frown. “You’ll be able to get a printout of the people entering the hospital using a swipe card but not the names of patients in emergency because of confidentiality laws, but we do have the CCTV footage. All we need is a court order, but if Jane’s killer worked here, he would make sure he would avoid the camera or be in disguise. To go to this much trouble to kill her he would be taking every precaution.” He met her gaze. “I spoke to the office. They’ll email you a list of people who used their cards overnight and a list of employees.”
“Thanks.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “How long before you start the autopsy?”
“I’ll start as soon as the body arrives at my office. Although, I won’t have the toxicology screen results back for about three weeks. If she died of a drug overdose, which I suspect, it points to someone with knowledge of the administration of drugs. I mean, for instance, an overdose of insulin would kill. It doesn’t have to be a narcotic. We shouldn’t discount we could be looking at an underground drug supply in town.”
“I understand drug trafficking, Wolfe. Now you’re moving into my area of expertise.” Jenna nodded. “The FBI investigators will do a complete audit of the drugs. Make sure we are kept in the loop; I want to know if the drugs came from here.” She thought for a few minutes. “If that’s all, we’re heading over to Blackwater to interview the Booval girl.”
“Nothing more I can think of, ma’am.” Wolfe nodded.
“If you’re finished here, ma’am, we should be going.” Kane moved to her side. “It’s an hour’s drive at least and you mentioned wanting to speak to the local social worker as well. If we leave now, we’ll have time to grab some takeout on the way to interviewing Angelique Booval.”
She heard his stomach rumble and sighed. “I’m ready. I think you burn up calories faster than anyone I know.”
“Nah, I just like food.” Kane grinned.
“I’ll travel down with you in the elevator.” Wolfe pushed the paperwork under one arm then bent to pick up his bag. “I have to make arrangements with the hospital administrator to remove the body.”
As they walked into the confined space, Jenna turned to Kane. “You’re the profiler on my team. We have two killers running us around in circles. I need more information to catch them. What can you tell me?”
“The vigilante we know is a woman set on revenge and is not a danger to anyone else in the community. She has one goal and that is to wipe out the men who killed the girls in the newspapers.” The nerve in Kane’s cheek twitched. “The person who killed Jane has gone way past being a pedophile or a child killer. Child molesters who kill are not necessarily psychopaths. They often kill the kids out of fear they will identify them and then they feel remorse. The person who killed Jane must be the mean one the girls mentioned. He is a completely different killer and has definite psychopathic tendencies. He likes to frighten and intimidate his victims. He is a dangerous man and we need to stop him before he kills again because next time, it’s going to be nasty.”
37
She was having one of those days that never ended. It felt as if she had been driving for hours without a break. She had time for lunch before going home. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and donuts hit her with a blast of delicious aroma as she stepped inside the local café. She collapsed into a seat in the back corner and bit back a moan. Battered and bruised from Bobby-Joe’s assault, she had dressed in a long-sleeved blouse to cover the
injuries to her forearms. Her stomach ached and his punches had bruised her ribs but she offered the waitress a wide smile and ordered her meal.
“You look pale today. Are you feeling okay?” The waitress filled her cup with coffee.
“I’m just tired. I had a hot date last night.” She winked at her. “Can you leave the coffee pot? I’m still half asleep.”
“Lucky girl.” The waitress placed the coffee pot on the table. “I’ll be right back with your order.”
She smiled at her, glad Bobby-Joe had not marked her face. His blows had been swift and immobilizing before he’d caught and murdered Jane. The idiot must have believed she would be waiting around for him to kill her as well. Anger shook her hands and she clutched the coffee cup. Only a fool would rush out to get revenge with injuries, and she was no fool. She would deal with him soon enough. With the law crawling all over Black Rock Falls, she would have to bide her time a little longer and concentrate on eliminating an easier target.
She sipped her coffee, deciding the best way to activate the next step of her plan. The sheriff would likely leave the two new deputies and Rowley to run the office in her absence and distracting them would not be a problem but Deputies Kane and Wolfe would be another matter. One simple call will take care of the sheriff and her two faithful dogs.
It had taken some months to set up her different identities in the chat room to lure the monsters but Bobby-Joe had still not taken the bait. She did have another on the hook and spoke to him as often as possible online. The idea of watching him die filled her with a rush of excitement. A tingle went through her as she pictured him writhing in agony. There could be no better feeling than watching the terror in his eyes as his life leaked away. She stabbed the steak on her plate and lifted a rare piece to her lips. The smell of blood filled her nostrils and she smiled. She had to admit she enjoyed killing the monsters. Maybe too much. Her mind went to the hunting knife she had purchased at a yard sale. It was as sharp as a razor blade. It will do nicely.
38
Kane set the GPS in the car for the address of the social worker Jenna had called and headed toward Blackwater. They traveled for over an hour without speaking, Kane content to listen to the soft music on the radio and to take in the view. The long straight blacktop spread out for miles like a black snake slithering through the green countryside. Here the forest followed one side of the road with pine trees like giant fence posts guarding the way to the mountains. As they rounded a long sweeping bend, the majesty of the Rocky Mountains came into view, spread out in a line, jagged peaks stretching up to the blue sky. Along the other side of the road was flatter terrain. Wildflowers grew in abundance amidst the scrub and when caught in the wind appeared to move across the grasslands in waves of color.
He spotted a few ranch houses in the distance but this part of the county was isolated. He turned to Jenna, who had not taken her attention from her cellphone since they left. “The views are spectacular out here.”
“Yes, I know, but I wouldn’t travel out this way alone.” Jenna flicked him a faraway glance. “I can’t imagine how you drove all the way here from DC in the middle of winter, you must be crazy.”
He chuckled. “Even I’m not that crazy. Although it would have taken about three days in summer, I wasn’t going to risk it in winter. I was in Helena before I came here. I had things to arrange, and I needed to purchase a decent vehicle. I wanted to have it customized before I attempted to drive to Black Rock Falls.” He met her confused gaze with a smile. “For the record, you never asked me how long I’d been traveling. It took longer than I expected due to the recent snowfall. That’s why I arrived in town so late.”
“Oh, after hearing where you came from originally, I figured as you love this SUV so much, you must have driven it from DC.” She held up her cellphone. “I’ve been going over our case files. If we decide Angelique Booval is our vigilante, we are going to have a problem. We can’t arrest her in Blackwater; we have no jurisdiction.”
Kane drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “Why is this a problem?”
“If she is our killer, and realizes she is a suspect, she might leave the state; then we’ll have a bigger problem.” Jenna regarded him with a serious expression. “It wouldn’t look so suspicious if I interviewed her alone. I’ll wear my com device so you’ll hear the interview and can prompt me if I forget anything vital.”
“Okay, but if you took a Blackwater deputy with you then they could make the arrest if necessary.” He glanced at her then moved his concentration back to the road. “We’d have to go through due process to bring her back to Black Rock Falls anyway, but I’m sure the Blackwater sheriff will do what he can to help.”
“Good idea but she’ll have to be a female deputy.”
He shrugged. “After the disturbing interview I had with Lizzy Harper, I think you’re right.” He cleared his throat. “You mentioned profiling people to find suspects. Lizzy Harper is on the top of my list for being the vigilante. She radiates anger and has killed before. Sure, we need to pinpoint her whereabouts at the time of both deaths, but we do know she was in town when both murders were committed.”
“Oh, she’s on the top of my list, and Pattie McCarthy is running a close second.” Jenna snorted. “She looks fit enough to run the distance from my house to the road. Both of them are vindictive enough to have thrown blood all over your front door and threatened you over the phone.”
The voice on the GPS told them to take a right at the next intersection and Kane slowed the SUV to take the corner. She was correct: The women had become defensive the moment they laid eyes on him. Both appeared to be fit and able to sprint if necessary. He nodded in agreement. “Yeah, and both live in town.”
Signs of habitation came into view and soon the GPS advised him he had reached his destination on the right. He pulled up in front of a brick building and did a visual sweep of the main street. “Rowley said the sheriff’s department is across the road from the community health center, which is right here.”
“Yeah, I can see it, down there on the left past the pizza place.” Jenna unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to him. “Go and speak to the social worker and I’ll head down to see the sheriff; it will save time.”
“Okay.” Kane pushed open the car door and stepped onto the sidewalk. “Do you mind calling me when you’re ready to leave?”
“I could just meet you back here?” Jenna gave him an inquisitive stare.
Kane cleared his throat. “You know social workers, always trying to psychoanalyze everyone. I might need an escape clause.”
“Ha! Sure, I’ll call.” She headed down the street, shaking her head.
As Kane entered the building, he heard police sirens wailing and kept walking. Not my problem. He spoke to the woman at the desk then strolled along the passageway to find the room number. To his surprise, the door was open, and seated on a sofa inside was a willowy blonde, engrossed in a magazine. Her carefully made-up face lifted in his direction and she crossed her long, tanned legs. His attention lingered on the white stilettos, with straps around the ankles, and the long bare thighs peeking from beneath a tight white skirt. He dragged his gaze away and knocked lightly on the door. “Ah, Miss Simpson? I’m Deputy Sheriff Kane from Black Rock Falls. Do you have time for a quick word?”
“Yes, of course. Deputy Rowley called to tell me someone would be dropping by this morning.”
“I have someone in my department who suffered trauma earlier in the year. We have nothing to help in Black Rock Falls and I was wondering if you have any support groups in the area?”
“That depends on the trauma.”
Kane clasped his hands in front of him. “Kidnapping, attempted rape, and murder.”
“Male or female?” She eyed him critically. “It makes a difference. You see, women often refuse to open up in front of men.”
Kane gave her his best concerned stare and leaned forward in his chair. “Female, and it will take some convincing to get her to attend b
ut I want to try.”
“Then you must try to persuade her to make an appointment with me. We do have various help groups but what you are describing requires specialist help.” She smiled but the humor did not go to her eyes. “Group sessions, if any, are held under the supervision of a therapist in the strictest of confidence.”
Kane could see from her defensive posture he would get no information from her. “I see. I will speak to her and ask her to contact you.” He stood. “Thank you for your time.”
As he strolled toward the front door, he heard a deep voice issuing orders through a megaphone and took in the chaos happening in the middle of town. Deputies’ cruisers blocked the street and in the middle of the road, a man held Jenna to his chest with a pistol pressed against her temple.
39
Time seemed to stand still as Kane pushed his way through the gathering crowd with their cellphones held high, seemingly unconcerned for their own safety. “Move.” He pushed a man to one side and elbowed his way to the front of the crowd. After a year of fighting the effects of PTSD, the last thing Jenna needed was a maniac holding a gun to her head. Something was going down and she had neglected to call him. He noted Jenna’s Glock was missing from her holster and ground his teeth. What the hell had happened? No way would she give up her weapon.
Catching sight of a gray-haired man holding a megaphone over the roof of a cruiser, he shouldered his way to his side. “Are you the sheriff?”
“Yeah.” The man turned to look at him. “Sheriff Johnson, and you must be Deputy Kane?”
Kane’s attention did not move from Jenna. “Yes, sir. What’s the situation?”
“The man with the gun robbed the convenience store and took a pregnant woman hostage. Sheriff Alton gave me her sidearm and, without a word of explanation, marched over there and demanded to take the place of the hostage.”
