by D. K. Hood
“Yeah, I remember.” Kane pulled a face. “I wonder how Sandy is doing?”
Jenna tucked her hair behind one ear and adjusted her hat. “Jake would have called if it had been bad news. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”
As they pulled up outside the house, Jenna spotted a Blackwater Sheriff’s Department vehicle outside with a deputy on duty. She gave him a wave as Kane pulled up behind Rio’s cruiser. It was Carter who greeted them at the door and Jenna nodded to him. “Anything happening I need to know about?”
“Tons.” Carter indicated to Wolfe’s van. “Wolfe has the victim in his van but he’s waited for you before he leaves. There’s something he needs to show you upstairs. The scene’s been processed, you won’t need booties just gloves.”
“I’ll take the coffee into the family room and be right behind you.” Kane headed down the hallway.
“Sure.” Jenna gloved up as she followed Carter upstairs. She entered the first bedroom and scanned the weary faces. “We’ve set up coffee in the family room if anyone needs a break.” She looked at Wolfe. “What have you got for me, Shane?”
“Ah, I’m glad you’re back.” Wolfe turned to Emily. “Go and grab me a cup, I’m dead on my feet.” He turned back to Jenna. “We’ve found a distinct difference to the blood spatter involved in both crimes.” Wolfe turned as Kane bounded into the room. “If you look here…” He pointed to droplets of blood on the floor and above on the ceiling. “Look at the arc and the pattern of blood spatter. This is the transfer pattern from a blunt instrument after it hits the victim, and we’re assuming from Sandy’s statement it was a flashlight. The killer brought it up in an arc after striking the victim. The second blow picks up the victim’s blood and centrifugal force flings it out in an arc.”
Jenna stared at the blood spatter and nodded. “Yeah, this indicates the killer raised the weapon above their heads more than once.”
“But there’s more.” Carter moved the toothpick across his lips and smiled at her. “Now look at where Sandy was attacked.” He led the way down the hallway and into the front bedroom. “What do you see?”
Why did Carter make her feel like a rookie? Jenna sighed. “Yeah, it’s the same thing here. Sandy told us how this occurred, what are you getting at, Carter?”
“It’s the size of the arc made by the blood.” Kane stepped beside her. “This proves we have two killers.” He shrugged. “An arc is part of a circle, so by determining the size of the arc, we can obtain the killer’s height. The killer’s height with arm outstretched plus weapon—” he demonstrated with his arm “—is the diameter of the arc.”
“That’s interesting.” Jenna stared at the blood spatter. “So, who do we need to make these calculations? Geometry was never a strong subject of mine.”
“I already made the calculations.” Rio shrugged. “Sandy’s attacker was five-five and the victim’s close to six feet.” He handed Jenna his notebook with precise diagrams. “From the violence of the first victim and the many attempts to kill Becky, I would be looking at a man and a woman teaming up to murder.”
“There is something else.” Carter inclined his head. “The victim’s backpack hadn’t been touched by anyone but her, but it was open. I checked inside. Her clothes are missing like in the Laurie Turner case, and Webber found a part of a pompom on the stairs. We’ll need to confirm it from her parents but I think she had her pompoms with her. I figure whoever did this took her clothes and her pompoms. Trophies perhaps?”
The last thing Jenna needed was another serial killer or killers in town. She pressed her lips together and thought for a beat. “Yeah, I’m of the same opinion and her parents mentioned she had taken her pompoms with her.”
“Another thing.” Wolfe narrowed his gaze. “When we do the autopsy on Becky, I’ll have Sandy release her X-rays and scans to me for comparison. We’ll be able to calculate the force used in each case.” He looked at Jenna. “From this evidence, and the spatter we found at Laurie Turner’s crime scene, we can assume the same person inflicted wounds on both Laurie and Sandy. They both came back as a person around five-five.” He looked at Jenna. “This is all I need here. I’ll wait for Webber to finish checking the trash bins and then get the body on ice. I’ll bring the team over after the parents’ viewing and we’ll do a walk through in daylight and then, you can get the cleaners in.”
Jenna nodded. “Okay great.” She glanced at Rio. “Thanks for staying back.”
“My pleasure but if the coffee is in a to-go cup, I’ll grab one for the ride home.” Rio stood to one side as Jenna headed downstairs.
“We’ll be doing the same.” Jenna looked over her shoulder at him. “We’re heading for the hospital next to check on Sandy. I figure Rowley will need a decent cup of coffee as well.”
After Webber returned with the news that he’d found nothing of interest in the garbage, Jenna returned the unused coffee and food to the box. She smiled to herself as Kane grabbed sandwiches from a bag and filled two, to-go cups of coffee from the Thermos. She took the coffee from him and followed Kane out to his truck. “Nothing spoils your appetite, does it?” She set the two to-go cups of coffee in the console and stared at him.
“Some things do.” Kane pulled the plastic wrap off a pastrami on rye and bit into it with a sigh. “But when the job gets in the way of staying healthy it’s time to quit. Eating when under stress is calming.” He indicated toward the sandwich. “Eat, it’s going to be a long night.”
Jenna’s phone chimed and she stared at the caller ID. It was Rowley. Her heart picked up a beat and she put the call on speaker. “Is Sandy okay?”
“Yeah, she’ll be okay.” Rowley sounded exhausted. “The babies too. She has a concussion and needed six stitches in the wound on her head and three above her eye.” He let out a long sigh. “I’m staying with her tonight. My folks brought me a change of clothes but I’ve sent them home now. Sandy can’t have visitors. They want her to rest here for a couple of days.”
Jenna nodded. “Take all the time you need, Jake.” She stared at the sandwich on her knee. “We’ll drop by anyway. I have a Thermos of hot coffee and sandwiches from Aunt Betty’s if you want them?”
“Oh, boy. I’m famished. Thank you. I’ll come down and meet you out front. I’m sure you want to get on home.”
Jenna glanced at Kane. “We’re leaving now, head on down.” She disconnected. “Thank God she’s okay.”
“Yeah.” Kane licked his fingers and then started the truck. “It’s just as well or we’d have had a vigilante deputy on our hands. I figure you’ll need to keep Jake on a short leash. Us guys don’t take too kindly to people hurting our womenfolk.”
Thirty-Six
Wednesday
Sleeping in just happened to be the one thing that never happened to Jenna. She sat bolt upright when a scrape came on her bedroom door, followed by a thump on the bed and a good face washing by Duke. “Yuk, how did you get out?” She pushed him away but couldn’t resist rubbing his ears before reaching for a packet of wipes on her bedside table and washing her face.
“You’ll hurt his feelings.” Kane’s voice sounded muffled.
“Dave?” She blinked into the dim light. “Is something wrong?”
“Nope, I’m just checking on you is all?” Kane poked his head around the door. “When you didn’t show for work by eight, I started to worry and let myself in. When I saw you were sound asleep, I put on a pot of coffee.”
Bewildered, Jenna stared at the bedside clock. Her usual morning workout started at six with Kane after they’d tended the horses. By eight-ten, she should be heading for the office. “Oh, darn. I’m sorry, I never oversleep.”
“It’s all good, Rio is at the office with Maggie. They both figured we had something to do this morning and anyway, I needed some spare time to update the files. We’re all squared away now.” Kane carried two cups of coffee into the room and placed them on the bedside table. “I called Rowley. Sandy is doing okay. She’s a bit battered and will b
e staying for a day or so. The doctor wants her to rest. Rowley’s father has offered to tend the animals and will stay on the ranch until Sandy is home.” He sighed. “I told Rowley to take all the time he needs. He can’t be involved in the investigation and might as well be with Sandy when she needs him.”
Relieved, Jenna nodded in agreement but her head hurt. “That’s good news about Sandy.” She patted the edge of the bed. “Sit down.” She leaned back in the pillows. “Why did you let me sleep so long?”
“You fell asleep on the drive home, Jenna. You haven’t recovered from the head injury. You’ve likely been walking around with concussion. Mr. Law belted you pretty hard.” Kane sat beside her and gently touched the bruise under her eye. “The bruise on your face is purple and I know it hurts. An extra hour or so isn’t going to make any difference to the investigation.” He handed her a cup. “We’re waiting on a formal ID on the last victim. Rio has already issued a media report—it’s generic and I approved it—so it will make the news. He did mention we are looking for a silver GMC truck and has asked the owner to come forward.”
Jenna sipped her coffee. “Good luck with that.” She took his hand and squeezed. “Thanks for covering for me. I guess I did need the rest. My face does hurt and my head aches some but I don’t feel concussed just exhausted. It’s been a grueling week so far.”
“With two murders to solve…” Kane smiled ruefully. “It’s only going to get worse before it gets better.”
“It seems Rio arrived just in time.” Jenna finished her coffee. “I’ll have him hunting down our suspects to discover where they were last night.”
“Hmm, well most of them would have been at the festival.” Kane sipped his coffee and stared at the wall thinking. “Wyatt Cooper seemed to vanish after the parade and I don’t recall seeing him with any of the groups of people hanging around town. I figure we should pick up where we left off and see how he reacts to knowing his DNA was at Laurie’s murder scene.”
Reluctantly Jenna released his hand and sighed. “We can’t tell him about the briefs, it’s a part of the evidence I want suppressed. It’s a signature. I don’t want any potential copycat killers getting in on the act.”
“So, we just tell him about his DNA and watch his reaction.” Kane stood and looked down at her. “I’ll cook, while you shower.” He lingered at the door. “I’m leaving Duke home today as we have the autopsy this afternoon and some follow-up interviews. I figure he’d appreciate time with Pumpkin and the horses rather than being stuck in the office all day.” He rubbed his shoulder and moved his arm around in circles as if it hurt. “Carter called earlier. He said Jo is taking Jaime out for the day and he’s going fishing. I figure it was his way of reminding us they’re on vacation.”
Jenna frowned. “Is there something wrong with your arm?”
“Maybe.” Kane thought for a beat as if deciding to tell her something. “I’ll ask Wolfe to check it when we go for the autopsy.” He stared at the ceiling as if contemplating what to say. “I’ll go make breakfast.”
Instead of leaving the room, he grabbed the notepad beside her bed and scribbled a note. A flash of annoyance moved over his face.
I’m sure I’ve been chipped and I figure it’s moved. I cut one out when I returned after my last assignment. I figure when I was shot, they replaced it somewhere I couldn’t reach it. The chips are not only used for location they can pick up every word. If it’s there, I want it out. If they can’t trust me by now, they never will.
Annoyed and astounded, Jenna swallowed hard and took the pen from his hands and wrote back.
If you have one, they don’t trust me either. I’ll ask Wolfe to check me too. How will he know?
Jenna passed the notepad back to Kane and rubbed her shoulder feeling all around for a lump.
Kane wrote fast.
He’ll run a scanner over you. They’d have chipped you for sure when you went undercover. They’d need to know where you were in case you missed a contact.
Infuriated, Jenna nodded and mouthed “Okay” before heading silently to the bathroom.
After breakfast, Jenna stood for a few moments, inhaling the fresh air and allowing the perfumes of fall to center her. As a fragrant breeze lifted her hair, she stared across the lowlands and turned to enjoy the view of the mountains, the peace and serenity away from the craziness of her job. Her home had the best of both worlds and was the one reason she’d purchased the ranch. It had changed so much since Kane arrived. Apart from his skills as a crime fighter, he seemed to be able to turn his hand to just about anything. The ranch had been painted, the vast rooms and the cellar changed into a gym with hot tub. Changes had been made all around, the stables, the corrals. She’d have never been able to do everything on her own—it had been good to have a man around. She smiled at him and climbed into the truck. “You know, the day you walked into my life, I thought you’d been sent to kill me. Oh boy, my instincts were off that day. Things have been a rollercoaster between us over the years but I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“Well, I could have done without the injuries.” Kane flashed her a white smile. “I’m glad I came here too, putting aside all the murders and danger, meeting you and the team has been like finding my family. This is my home. I’m not going anywhere, Jenna. I belong here.”
Jenna leaned back and sighed. “I know, I do.”
Fall leaves blew across the blacktop as they headed along the quiet roads toward town. Jenna was enjoying the view as Kane accelerated up the on-ramp to the highway. Without warning he slammed on the brakes, sending Jenna surging forward against her seatbelt. A speeding silver GMC truck fishtailed past them barely missing the front of the Beast. It hit the dirt alongside of the highway sending a shower of rocks and clouds of dust in its wake. She stared after the vehicle as it disappeared into the distance. “Jerk! He’s an accident waiting to happen. If he goes through town at that speed, he’s going to kill someone. Isn’t that truck a match to the vehicle seen outside Rowley’s house during the murder? Go get him, Dave.”
“My pleasure.” Kane flicked on lights and sirens and the truck lifted with a roar and shot off along the highway.
The blacktop turned into a black snake winding away through a sea of green, and other vehicles became flashes of color as they sped by. Torn between exhilaration and fear, Jenna gripped the seat. She tried to relax and enjoy the rush of speed but she preferred to be in control. Trusting Kane’s driving had taken some time to get used to. Fearless came close but foolhardy he wasn’t. They slowed to take a sweeping bend and then the powerful engine threw her back in her seat. The Beast had become an unstoppable missile.
It had been named the Beast for a reason. Tricked out didn’t describe Kane’s custom-built truck but the name, however went close to describing the power and protection it provided. Before Kane arrived in Black Rock Falls the specially designed truck had been made to protect him. Reinforced like a tank with bulletproof windows, its specially designed motor was updated yearly to keep the Beast running at premium performance. It was in fact a rocket on wheels and Kane could take it apart and reassemble it blindfold. He drove it as if it was an extension of himself, which taking into consideration the weight and power of the vehicle took skill. She’d driven it once or twice and it had been like wrestling a black panther. Terrified of damaging it, she’d driven like a teenager on their first driving lesson only to find out much later it was capable of withstanding a bomb.
As they flew passed eighteen-wheelers, Jenna gripped tighter but when they passed other vehicles with a zip, zip, zip, she chanced a glance at the speedo. They were hitting 150mph on the straight and ahead the silver truck was hammering for all it was worth. “Can we catch it?”
“Oh, yeah.” Kane grinned. “We’re running on nitro, if we went any faster, we’d be airborne.” He chuckled. “Trust me, the upgrades I work on with Wolfe during the downtime make the vehicles in spy movies look like toys.”
As they came level with the silver GMC, a man
looked wildly out the window. Jenna gaped in disbelief. “That’s Law. He must be out on bail. Why is he driving like a madman?”
“How is he driving?” Kane stared at the vehicle. “I figured you’d put him in the hospital, you sure kicked him hard.”
“Clearly not hard enough.” Jenna picked up the microphone. “Pull over now or we’ll ram you. Do it now Mr. Law. You can’t get away.”
The trucked pulled up and bounced and skidded on the dirt alongside the blacktop. They stopped behind him and Jenna climbed down from the cab, drawing her weapon. People got one chance with her to be nice and as her face still hurt from the slap she’d received from this man she wasn’t giving him a second chance. “Hands where I can see them.” She moved closer to the door. “Are you carrying a weapon?”
The truck door flew open and Law came out like a tornado with his fists flying. She ducked away as his knuckles brushed over the top of her head. She turned and caught a flash in the sunlight as he drew a knife. She took aim but Kane had moved into her line of fire, placing himself between her and the blade. The next moment, Law was on him, waving the knife from side to side as if completely oblivious to the fact both of them were armed.
“You want some of this?” Law’s eyes blazed with fury. “I’m gonna gut you from navel to neck.”
In the next instant Kane had knocked the knife from Law’s hand. A grunt and a scuffle was followed by the sound of a slap like a gunshot. Jenna kept her weapon trained on Law. The suddenly subdued man was bug-eyed and pressed against his truck holding his cheek.
“Hands behind your back, Law.” Kane pulled Law’s hands behind him and cuffed him.
Jenna stared at the hunting knife glinting on the blacktop and then back up at Law. He’d decided in a split second of madness to gut her and Kane, for a speeding fine.
