by D. K. Hood
“Someone hit me with a flashlight.” Sandy sounded groggy and she gripped his arm. “I can feel the baby moving, and nothing hurts but my head. I thought they might have kicked me again.”
He looked down at her in horror. “Who kicked you?”
“I’m not sure, it was dark. The power was out.” Sandy touched her face. “They kicked me under the chin and I blacked out.”
Rowley helped her to sit up, stood, and then carried her to the old chair. He removed his jacket and draped it over her. “The paramedics are on their way and Jenna and Dave will be here soon.” The image of the dead girl flashed across his mind. He didn’t want Sandy to see a brutal murder. “I’ve checked the house, there’s no one here. I’ll go and see if the power has been turned off at the breaker box. Just wait here for a second.”
He pulled out gloves and snapped them on as he walked down the hallway and closed the door to the first bedroom before he ran downstairs. He went into the laundry to flip the breaker and lights spilled through the house. He checked the backdoor and finding it unlocked, turned the key before running back up the stairs to Sandy. After checking her over again, he crouched beside her. “How are you feeling?”
“You mean apart for my head feeling as if it’s been split in two? I’m okay.” Sandy gripped his arm. “I’m dizzy and sick to my stomach but okay. Why? Do you need to go somewhere?”
“No, I’m not leaving you alone again, but this is a crime scene and Jenna won’t want the paramedics destroying evidence. Will you be okay if I carry you downstairs? We’ll wait in the family room for the paramedics. You’ll need to go to the hospital; you have a nasty cut on your head. I’m coming with you. I’ll follow right behind in my SUV, okay?”
“Sure.” She reached out a hand and squeezed his arm. “Don’t worry, I’m tougher than you think.”
He stood and helped Sandy to her feet and then lifted her into his arms. Heart in his mouth, he descended the stairs. It might look good in the movies but negotiating the steps was hazardous with his precious cargo. Once he’d deposited her safely on the sofa, he sighed with relief. “They should be here soon.”
“Can you grab my purse and the Thermos from the kitchen?” Sandy gripped his arm. “I’ll need my purse at the hospital.”
Rowley smiled at her. “Sure, I’ll be right back.”
After taking the purse and flask to Sandy, the unmistakable sound of Kane’s siren blared outside and Rowley closed the door to the family room before he hustled to let them in. He needed to speak to them without Sandy overhearing. He opened the door to Jenna and Kane. Rio and Agent Carter followed them inside. He looked at their concerned faces. “Sandy is in the family room, she’s conscious and doesn’t know about upstairs. Can we keep it that way?”
“Sure.” Jenna lowered her voice. “What’s it look like?”
Rowley leaned in so only she could hear. “I figure it’s another cheerleader murder.”
Thirty
Trembling with a confusing mixture of exhilaration and blind panic, he drove like a maniac in the direction of the old barn. His girl was giggling about how they’d come close to being discovered. The deputy’s SUV had pulled up out front just as they reached the front door to leave. They had planned to lock the backdoor and leave by the front. The deputy had come inside, missing them by seconds. The backdoor had clicked shut behind them just as he’d entered the front door calling out a woman’s name. “That was too darn close and who is the woman he was calling out for?”
“His wife, I figure.” His girl grinned at him like a cat who’d just finished a plate of cream. “Some pregnant woman was upstairs when I was taking the cleaning stuff into the bedroom. I had to kill her.”
Sickened, he turned to look at her, swerving on the road before she screamed at him to be careful. “You’ve killed a pregnant woman? How and why? What did she do to you to make you kill her?”
“She could have seen us and told the cops. I know her, she’s married to one of the deputies, and now he’ll be out for our blood.” His girl shrugged. “She was easy to kill, I hit her with my flashlight and when she dropped, I kicked her in the face just to be sure.”
Sweat trickled between his shoulder blades and the bile curdling in his stomach threatened to rush up his throat. He had to get away from her and find time to think. “I’ll drop you home. I’ll go and burn the clothes now. If you’ve killed a deputy’s wife, they’ll be hunting us down tonight. They’ll have already found Becky. They’ll find us, I know it.”
“Not if we’re careful. There was some blood when you killed Becky, so when you’re done, wash your clothes, take a shower, and make sure you clean your boots with bleach. When they’re dry polish them to get rid of the smell.” She gripped his arm. “No evidence means they can’t catch us.”
Realization dawned on him. He’d. Killed. Becky. His girl had ordered him to hit her and he’d complied without question. There’d been no thrill and he’d seen the betrayal in Becky’s eyes as he’d slammed the flashlight into her head. I’m a murderer. He glanced at his girl; things had changed and being with her unnerved him now. He couldn’t trust her and didn’t know what she might do next. “This was the last one. It’s getting too hot out there. Did you see all the Blackwater deputies in town today? We came too close to being caught.”
“We’ll stop when I say and I have one more to kill. When she’s dead, I’ll be happy.” She leaned against him. “You want to make me happy, don’t you?”
He cleared his throat. Her touch suddenly made his skin crawl. “Sure I do, you know that, right?”
He had to make an excuse—anything not to kill again—but he’d seen her face and the thrill she’d gotten from killing. She’d never be satisfied. Now he’d killed Becky, he was in deep shit. If he tried to stop his girl, she’d turn on him and murder him in his sleep. He needed help, someone he could trust to give him advice, someone who couldn’t tell the cops. As he drove, he ran the idea through his mind. A priest was out of the question, he wasn’t Catholic, and old Doc Brown would find some excuse to tell the sheriff. He’d have to talk to someone before his girl chose her next victim.
Thirty-One
Torn between giving reassurance to her friend and processing a crime scene, Jenna turned to Carter. “Call Shane for me please and then go upstairs with Rio to give Wolfe a rundown of what’s happened. We’ll need to preserve the crime scene. I’ll speak to Sandy and be right there.”
“Sure.” Carter glanced at the forensics kit in Kane’s hand. “We’ll need gloves, a mask, and booties.”
“Help yourself.” Kane dropped the bag on the hall stand and flipped it open.
Jenna looked at them. “Not one word about the other victim to Sandy. She’s been through enough already.”
“I hear sirens in the distance, it must be the paramedics.” Kane frowned. “If you want to speak to her, you’d better hurry.”
“You know how to deal with trauma victims far better than I do. I’ll be the support crew and take down notes. I can imagine the pain she’s in, my head still aches from the slap from Mr. Law.” Jenna opened the door to the family room and went inside with Kane close behind her. She smiled at Sandy. “We leave you alone for a few minutes and look what happens.”
“Me? Look at you with a black eye.” Sandy leaned back in the chair. “At least you fought back. I played possum and hoped they’d leave me alone.”
“That was the best thing to do.” Kane squeezed her shoulder. “It wasn’t you they came here to hurt. We figure they were looking for someone else. What do you remember?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t remember much at all.” Sandy was holding a wad of tissues to her cheek in an attempt to slow the flow of blood. “I don’t figure I can tell you anything.”
“Yeah you can.” Kane squatted beside her. “You’d be surprised what the mind sees even if we don’t register it at first. Go back to when you arrived. Did you see any vehicles parked close by?”
“No, only the red pickup
next door, and it’s always there at night.” Sandy looked at him. “Everything was normal. I cleaned up the papers and dirty footprints left by the delivery guys, poured a cup of hot chocolate from the Thermos, and came up here to rest and watch the first display of fireworks.”
“Did you have the doors closed downstairs?” Kane pulled out more tissues from a box on the floor and handed them to her.
“I checked the backdoor when I arrived.” Sandy dabbed at the cut on her head and winced. “It was locked then and the front door needs a key to open it.”
“Then what happened?” Kane smiled at her. “You sat here and drank your chocolate. Did you fall asleep?”
“Yeah I did and then something woke me, a noise in the hallway.” Sandy frowned. “It was dark and I’d left all the lights on for when Jake arrived.”
“So, you heard a noise and then what happened?” Kane’s face was filled with emotion.
Jenna leaned against the wall and looked at her battered friend and tried to quell her anger. Her gaze moved to Rowley balanced on the arm of the chair holding Sandy’s hand. She’d never seen him so pale and he was trembling with rage.
“I went into the hallway and heard sounds and then someone came at me, I tried to run but they knocked me down. They hit me with a flashlight and when they kicked me—” Sandy blinked and then stared at Kane. “They were wearing cowboy boots, something flashed like a medallion or something on the boots. That’s all I remember until Jake arrived.”
“Did they say anything?” Kane regarded her closely. “Did you smell anything?”
“No, they didn’t say anything.” Sandy thought for a beat. “There was a smell, I’m not sure what it was, cologne perhaps?”
“One person or two?” Kane glanced at Jenna and then back at Sandy.
“One, it was only one.” Sandy sighed and dabbed at her head again. “One set of footsteps came running behind me, I’m certain.”
Jenna smiled at her. “You did really well.” She headed for the door. “The paramedics are here. I’ll come by the hospital and check on you later. No doubt, the doctors will want to run a ton of tests.”
“They will.” Sandy gripped Rowley’s arm. “I’ll be fine. Don’t drive when you’re angry. Wait awhile and call my folks, I’ll need some things. Ask Mom, she’ll know what to bring.”
“Okay.” Rowley kissed her. “I’ll be right behind you.”
The paramedics came in with their usual swift efficiency, checking Sandy and getting her onto a gurney before whisking her away. Jenna had expected Rowley to dash after her but he slumped against the wall and covered his face with both hands. She walked to his side. He always reacted well to orders and obviously needed some direction. “You have things to do. Contact her parents and then follow her to the hospital. You have a long night ahead of you, these things take hours. We’ll be by as soon as we’ve processed the scene. Do you need me to get anything from the ranch for Sandy?”
“No.” Rowley straightened and a strange calm had descended on him. “Sandy still has things at her parents’ house. I’ll call and ask her mom to bring the necessities. They’ll keep her in the hospital for at least overnight, won’t they?”
Jenna nodded. “Yeah, they’ll want to make sure she and the baby are okay.”
“Babies.” Rowley’s eyes filled with unshed tears. “Twins, one of each, we were keeping it a secret until my parents come back from vacation. God, I hope they’re okay.”
She hadn’t seen Wolfe slip in the front door with Emily and Colt Webber at his side. She turned at his voice.
“Did she have any bleeding or contractions? Could you feel the babies moving?” Wolfe was staring at Rowley.
“She was only bleeding from her head injury. I felt the babies moving and no contractions.” Rowley looked relieved to see Wolfe.
“Was Sandy lucid?” Wolfe was regarding Rowley intently.
“Yeah, not at first, but yes she was answering Kane’s questions just fine.” Rowley took the drink Emily thrust into his hands. “I don’t have time to drink coffee, she’ll need me at the hospital.”
“Sit down and drink the coffee.” Wolfe patted him on the shoulder. “Call her parents and get what she needs for a couple of days’ observation. Trust me, the moment the paramedics wheel in the gurney, she’ll be having scans and there will be doctors crawling all over her. You’ll be stuck in the waiting room for hours. It’s best you sit here for a while until the shock wears off a bit before you get behind the wheel.”
“Okay.” Rowley removed his Stetson and dropped into a chair. He looked up at Jenna. “For the first time in my life, I feel like killing someone. The monster who killed those girls laid hands on my wife.” His hands shook around the cup. “It’s obvious they’ll stop at nothing.”
Jenna waved everyone from the room. “Get suited up, folks, and get that crime scene processed. I’ll be up in a moment.” She waited for them to leave and looked at Rowley. “That’s a perfectly normal reaction. I get mad when people are killed and when Dave was shot, I wanted to kill the man who did it.” She crouched beside him. “You’re a great deputy and you know we have the best team around, so I want you to trust me to catch this guy.” She squeezed his arm. “I need to know the office is in capable hands while I’m working on this case. You’ll need to step back now that Sandy is involved.” She noticed his face stiffen and sighed. “Look, I know it’s difficult to stand by when something like this happens but when we catch him, if his defense team believe there was any chance of a conflict of interest, he’ll walk.”
“Yeah, I understand.” Rowley stared at the door. “Do you figure Agent Carter and Wells will stick around now?”
Jenna shrugged. “Maybe but they’re always there if we need them. Drink your coffee and make the calls. I’ll go and see what’s happening upstairs.”
She suited up and skirted past Colt Webber who was checking every inch of the staircase for hairs. “Find anything?”
“Yeah, a fiber that might be from a pompom.” Webber held up an evidence bag. “It’s the right color.”
Jenna nodded and moved up the steps, following the voices into the first bedroom. “What have we got, Shane?”
“This one is different to the last one but the same in many ways.” Wolfe pointed to the marks on the girl’s neck. “Someone tried to strangle her and couldn’t kill her so they bludgeoned her to death by the look of it. I’ll know more from the post. So that’s different, so is the tape, and I’m assuming the material poking out from under the tape are men’s briefs. She isn’t naked but her clothes are missing.”
Jenna moved closer to the victim. “I know her, she’s the vice-captain of the cheerleading squad. Her name is Becky something.” She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her files. “Becky Powell.” She thought for a beat. “We have a connection. She was chasing after Wyatt Cooper the night Laurie was murdered.”
Thirty-Two
After seeing Rowley off with the promise of following as soon as possible, Jenna pulled Kane to one side. “I’ll leave Rio to observe Wolfe. If he has a near perfect recall like he says, he’ll be taking in the entire scene and can apply it to our investigation at will. I’ve seen all I need to see and Wolfe doesn’t need our help. I figure we canvas the area while things are fresh in people’s minds. The lights are on in many homes and I can see people watching us through windows.”
“Okay.” Kane followed her from the house. “I’ll be interested to see what Wolfe finds in the autopsy. At first, I thought this might be a copycat killer but when Wolfe mentioned the briefs, well we’ve never mentioned that detail to the press, have we?”
“No, we haven’t.” Jenna stopped walking and turned to him. “Even with the blood and all, that’s Becky Powell. I recognize her and as soon as we’ve finished here, we’ll have to track down her parents and give them the bad news.” She shook her head slowly. “They won’t even know anything is wrong. If she was out on a date, they might not be worrying just yet.”
&
nbsp; “You know they’ll want to rush to the morgue and see her tonight.” Kane kneaded his shoulder and stared into the street. “It’s as if they don’t want them to be alone. It’s heartbreaking to tell them they have to wait.”
Jenna started to walk again. “Maybe but when they see her, she won’t be covered in blood. That’s not a memory any loved one should have to suffer.”
“Trust me, I know.” Kane pulled out a notebook and pen. “Let’s get this over with.”
They spoke to everyone along one side of the road and down the other and pulled blanks on the two homes opposite. Both families had just gotten home from the festival and had only seen the arrival of the paramedics. They crossed the road and went to the neighbor. Jenna rang the bell and the door opened at once. “Good evening, I’m Sheriff Alton and this is Deputy Kane, we’re investigating an incident next door. Did you hear anything unusual or see any unfamiliar vehicles parked close by this evening?”
“Well it happens I did.” A woman in her late sixties pointed at a tree opposite. “There was a silver GMC truck parked under that tree. It was there for about three hours and left just after Deputy Rowley arrived home.” She looked at Jenna and lifted one shoulder. “Not that I’m a busybody, but I went outside to walk the dog and noticed the vehicle. Now I know the people across the road all went to the festival this evening, so the truck wasn’t a visitor. I was suspicious and kept my eye on it to see if anyone was loading it up with stolen property.”
Jenna exchanged a look with Kane and nodded. “That was very thoughtful of you. Did you see anyone or hear anything?”
