by D. K. Hood
“Great.” Kane headed for the door. “Let’s have at it.”
Jenna made idle conversation as Wolfe zapped Kane’s implant and seemed to take ages to remove it. The darn thing had settled in the muscle on Kane’s shoulder and took some digging to locate it. Once it was out, she destroyed it by smashing it with the hammer, Wolfe provided. A few stitches later and Kane held up a finger to his lips. He handed the scanner to Wolfe and indicated he should check him all over.
“You’re good to go.” Wolfe smiled at him. “Ten days for the stitches and try not to bust them open. You can shower with that dressing but I want to see it tomorrow. The device was damaged during removal and may cause a problem.”
“Roger that.” Kane turned to Jenna. “I’ll go and collect my things and give you some privacy.” He headed for the door.
Jenna pulled her T-shirt over her head and turned her back to Wolfe. “He didn’t as much as flinch. Ouch!” She caught her breath as the local anesthetic needle slid into her flesh followed by a cold burst. “Thanks for the warning.”
“Sorry, I’m used to working on people who don’t complain.” Wolfe chuckled. “But then they don’t have the advantage of a local.”
Not amused, Jenna glared at him over one shoulder. “That’s because they’re dead.”
“Thanks for letting me know.” Wolfe grinned. “Stand still, this won’t take long.”
The door slid open and Emily stood at the entrance, eyes wide. Jenna looked at her and smiled. “Hi, Em.”
“What’s going on?” Emily looked back down the passage. “Dave just walked past me without his shirt and now you’re the same?”
“It’s a cover up operation.” Wolfe winked at his daughter. “Our esteemed sheriff and her deputy tangled with some thorns this morning and lost. It’s all good. Go and prepare the body, I’ll be starting the autopsy as soon as I’m finished here.”
“Thorns, huh?” Emily wrinkled her nose and turned away. “Anything you say, Dad.”
Jenna sighed. “It’s hard telling lies to protect someone, isn’t it?”
“Not really.” Wolfe slapped a dressing on her shoulder. “It’s a way of life in our business.” He handed her a dish containing the small tracker. “Do you want to do the honors?” He followed her to the bench and waited for her to pulverize the device. “I’ll microwave all the pieces just to be sure.”
Jenna pulled on her shirt and waited for him. She led the way to join Kane in the alcove in the hallway and pulled on scrubs, masks, and gloves. She looked at Kane’s bleak expression. “You good?”
“I will be when I get over the fact someone has been recording everything I say and do for the last few years.” Kane’s eyes flashed with anger. “I had a right to know. After years of putting my life on the line for them, it’s a sobering thought to know they don’t trust me.”
Thirty-Nine
The tension seemed to shimmer around Kane in the examination room. He needed a break, and Jenna knew just the man to do it. As Wolfe prepared the files on his preliminary examination of Becky Powell, Jenna sent a message to Ty Carter.
We’re at the autopsy of latest victim. I figure Kane needs a couple of hours downtime. Can you organize something for later?
A few seconds went by before her phone signalled a message. Jenna stared at the screen.
Just us guys?
Yes, I’ll stay in town and catch up with Jo.
Jo is staying over at Louan tonight. If we’re having a guys’ night out, Dave can bunk with me. I’ll call him later. Leave it to me.
“Was that anything important?” Kane moved to her side.
Jenna didn’t meet his eyes. He could read a lie in an instant. “No, Jo is heading over to Louan and staying over is all.”
“Are you ready?” Wolfe peered over his mask at them. “Good. We have Becky Powell, sixteen years, Caucasian, brown eyes, and hair. She is average height and weight for her age and in good physical shape, exact details will be listed in my report. Her body was formally identified by her parents at ten this morning. Preliminary X-rays, scans, and samples are ready for examination.” He pointed to an evidence bag on a bench. “I removed the black gaffer tape covering her mouth and found a pair of men’s briefs stuffed inside. I also removed the tape binding her wrists behind her back. Both have been examined. From the tape all the trace I found was from Becky, so whoever was handling the tape used gloves. The DNA from the briefs isn’t a match for Wyatt Cooper and Bobby Kalo is running it through the databases as we speak.”
“Did you confirm the time of death as suggested last night?” Kane stepped forward to stare at the X-rays.
“Yes, from the body temperature, state of rigor, and degree of congealing in the blood from the headwound, or lack of it, I stand by my observations that this girl died within fifteen minutes of her discovery.”
“The head injuries on the right appear to be less than those on the left.” Kane pointed to the screen. “Yet I can only see one side of her head with any sign of injury. Would this indicate a punch?”
“This X-ray belongs to Sandy.” Emily pointed to the one on the right. “We needed copies to compare as we believe two people are involved.” She raised both eyebrows. “Remember the discussion on the blood spatter arc at the house?”
“I do indeed.” Kane’s eyes crinkled at the corners.
Jenna stared at the images. “This would indicate injury from the same type of blunt instrument used with variable force.”
“Yes, and resulting in a different outcome.” Wolfe pointed to spiderweb marks on Becky Powell’s X-ray of her skull. “That represents massive head trauma. A skull fracture causing death. It would have taken considerable force to inflict that amount of damage. Blood has accumulated inside the cranium, so she didn’t die instantly. I would estimate the killer used two blows, so not the same type of uncontrolled frenzied attack we saw in Laurie Turner’s case.” Wolfe moved to Sandy’s X-ray. “Here we see a concussion, caused by a significant blow to the head but not resulting in a fracture. Many people consider that a concussion is nothing to worry about but it’s a traumatic brain injury that affects brain function and can be delayed. This is why the doctors are keeping Sandy under observation.”
Slightly confused, Jenna stared at the body of Becky Powell and the massive bruising in her neck area. “She didn’t die from strangulation?”
“No.” Wolfe lifted the girl’s eyelids. “She has no burst capillaries in her eyes and her hyoid bone is intact. From the bruises on her body, the hip, knees, elbows, I’d say she was fighting back. The strangulation wasn’t working so they hit her.” He shrugged. “I’ll open her up and confirm but the damage to her neck is superficial and wasn’t sustained. She does have a bruise mid-spine. I would say her killer was trying unsuccessfully to gain leverage using their knee perhaps and failed.”
“Any sexual contact?” Kane was scanning the body. “I can’t see the usual signs of rape.”
“No.” Wolfe looked at Jenna. “There doesn’t seem to be a motive for this murder. Apart from the fact that both victims are cheerleaders, the MO is different in each case. The only link we have is strangulation, well attempted in this case, and the men’s underwear in the mouth. Without that, I’d find it difficult to believe they were connected.”
Jenna thought for a beat. “They have another connection; they both got a ride with their killer. Becky’s SUV was left at the library, it only has her prints on it and we found it locked, so it wasn’t an abduction.” She glanced at Kane. “The girls knew their killer and went willingly to their deaths. No one heard a girl screaming for help outside Rowley’s old house and it’s a close-knit community. She walked in the house under her own steam. What would tempt a girl to enter someone’s house at night?”
“Oh, that’s pretty easy.” Emily snorted with laughter. “A secret date with a hunk, maybe someone on the track team… an athlete of some kind. Most girls of that age would walk on hot coals to be seen out with a handsome jock.”
“That wou
ld make sense.” Kane looked at Wolfe. “The force used to kill is different from what I’d expect from say, two men. There’d be considerable bruising from restraints and it’s more likely rape would be involved.”
“My conclusion would be one male, one female, for that reason.” Wolfe pointed to the victim’s head. “From the angle of the blunt force trauma and the fact it is in two areas. I would say Becky was on her knees and the female was strangling her from behind. Becky was fighting, so the female killer was unable to restrain her, she likely ordered the male to kill her.”
“Just don’t forget Stan Williams.” Kane peered at Jenna over his mask. “He seems to be able to lure cheerleaders into his apartment to take photographs. The FBI are watching him but don’t rule him out.”
“I can’t see him being the killer.” Wolfe narrowed his gaze. “Think about it. If he lured the girl into Rowley’s house and tried to strangle her but she fought back, what would usually happen?” He looked at Kane. “A man is more likely to punch, knock her senseless, and then strangle her.” He shrugged. “In my opinion, this is close to a panic kill. The first one went like clockwork, look at the comparison.” He went to the computer and images filled the screen. He pointed to Laurie Turner’s neck. “She was secured, likely by a seatbelt and attacked from behind in an upward fast motion. The pressure on the carotid artery would have been enough to make her black out in ten seconds. Then the killer kept the pressure going without the victim fighting. The second is a mess. I figure it’s teenagers, most likely in the same age bracket as the victims.”
“That would tie in with our list of suspects.” Jenna turned as the doors whooshed open and Colt Webber came into the room carrying an iPad.
“I have some results.” Webber handed the iPad to Wolfe. “The trace evidence we found on the bedhead is a match for the spittle we found at the Laurie Turner murder scene and the blue fabric found on the steps matches the pompoms of the high school cheerleading squad.”
“Did both samples identify as spittle?” Wolfe studied the results.
“Nope.” Webber pointed to a result on the screen. “The second one was sweat.”
Jenna leaned against the counter, running the scenario through her mind. “They spread bleach all over the plastic cover on the mattress and slipped up again. Do you figure they tried to strangle her on the bed?”
“Just how long has it been since you were all in high school?” Emily shook her head. “We know two people are involved by the extent of the head injuries and the blood spatter. It’s likely a thrill kill or perhaps a payback kill.” She took a breath. “These kids have just killed again and they liked it. We know from the blood spatter they killed Becky in the middle of the room, dragged her body to the wall, and sat her up. They’re young with hormones raging. They wanted her to watch them making out.”
“Like a victory dance.” Kane stared at Emily and shook his head. “Are kids really that irresponsible?”
“Some are but most times it’s peer pressure pushing them into doing things they know isn’t right.” Emily sighed. “It’s all about the cliques in school these days.”
Jenna folded her arms and sighed. “So, this poor girl thought she was meeting her dream date and it was a trap.” She allowed the faces of the kids they’d interviewed to run through her mind. Which one of them was capable of murder?
Forty
Mentally drained after a hard day, Jenna dropped into her chair at the office and waited for a report from Rio. She wrapped her hands around a cup of coffee and took in all the additions to the whiteboard. She had updated Wolfe’s autopsy results. As she waved Rio into a chair, Kane walked in behind him and sat down. “Okay, Zac, what have you got for me?”
“Everyone on your list of persons of interest were in town when Becky Powell was murdered.” Rio waved a hand at the whiteboard. “I’ve listed each one and anyone who recalls seeing them at the festival. I had to break it down as before the first set of fireworks and after the last set. Mainly because with everything going on nobody could give me a specific time. I considered this logical as everyone was out enjoying the festival.”
Jenna nodded. “I gathered as much. What about the library?”
“I viewed the CCTV feed from last night outside the library.” Rio offered Jenna his iPad. “You can see Becky arriving, she parks, locks up, and goes inside, using the front entrance. If you fast forward, you’ll notice movement at the fire door out back about five or so minutes after. An indistinguishable light-colored truck drives out, no lights and although I’ve magnified the frames, I see a blurred driver and no passengers.”
“How long did you observe the footage?” Jenna scrolled through the feed. “Did you see Becky leave?”
“Nope and they close at ten on Tuesdays.” Rio removed his hat and stroked the rim. “She didn’t leave the building unless she snuck out the fire door and kept to the shadows. The truck was parked in the shadows, so if you go back, it’s impossible to tell and the light is out in the stairwell, the truck’s interior light was out as well.”
“How convenient.” Kane sorted through the pile of statements that Rio had compiled. “If this is kids, they thought of everything. Problem is we can’t tie it in with a silver GMC truck or a Chrysler sedan. Both were seen at the time of the murders.” He held out his hand for the iPad and scanned the screen. “I figure that is a GMC truck.” He rewound and watched the feed a few times. “Send it to Bobby Kalo at the FBI. His number is on file. Ask him to enhance it. The problem is, we have two murders and two different vehicles. Maybe we can get a list of everyone who went into the library.”
“I already thought of asking about that and only three people were loaned books that night.” Rio smoothed his curly hair and pushed on his Stetson. “The librarian was coy about giving out personal details, so I asked if she could tell me the sex of the people. All female and then I asked if one was Becky Powell.” He smiled. “Becky was there, because I saw her arrive but she didn’t loan a book and if she met a guy in there, neither did he.”
Jenna nodded. “Okay and what about Mr. Law? Does he have an alibi for last night?”
“Nope.” Rio took the iPad from Kane and scanned through the files. “He drove from county to Black Rock Falls and was in town at the time of the murder. I have him leaving Aunt Betty’s Café at eight-forty-five. He says he went home to Blackwater, has no witnesses and was arrested by you on his return.”
“Again, here is a man who attacks women’s faces. That’s a bully, a coward. Strangulation is up close and personal. His wife was asked specifically if he’d ever tried to strangle her and she denied it. A leopard doesn’t usually change his spots.” Kane stood and went to the counter to pour a cup of coffee. “I can’t see what motive he’d have to kill a cheerleader and I really can’t see either girl getting willingly into his vehicle.” His phone pinged a message and he stared at the screen. The next moment his ringtone filled the room. He glanced at the caller ID and looked at Jenna. “It’s personal, I’ll take it outside.” He stood and went into the hallway.
Jenna turned her attention back to Rio. “Are you sure you want to move into the house? Have you had second thoughts?”
“Nope. I’ve spoken to the twins and they think it’s cool. They’re hoping for a ghost. I’m not so sure about Mrs. Jacobs, the housekeeper I’ve engaged.” Rio met her eyes with a steady gaze. “I did wonder what security was needed and the cost of updating it. I’ve spoken to Jake. I’ve been checking in with him to make sure he doesn’t need anything. He said they often left the front door key on the stoop above the door. So, I figure that’s how the killers have gotten inside. This makes them locals and people who move along that road frequently to have noticed one of them taking the key from its hiding place.”
Jenna sighed. “Not often, we left it there for the delivery man and for some repairmen to get inside after Jake had left. Kids walk past there on the way to school. There’s a bus stop across the road, anyone might have seen them access the ke
y.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “But we will beef up security. It doesn’t have an alarm system and I can arrange to have it installed. Wolfe will likely clear the house as a crime scene shortly. I’ll have professional cleaners go through and make sure everything is good before you move in.” She stared into the distance. “Run it past Mrs. Jacobs, the housekeeper, but she’s very down to earth and no one died in her part of the building.”
“Okay.” Rio smiled at her. “Is there anything else I need to do, Sheriff?”
Impressed by his thoroughness, Jenna shook her head. “No. You’ve covered everything I’ve asked for.” She glanced at her watch. “It was a late night for all of us, so why don’t you head on home? I have the Blackwater deputies patrolling during the festival and there’s not much going on now until Saturday.”
“Before I leave…” Rio stood. “Jake said he’ll be back tomorrow. Sandy is staying another day at least and is doing just fine.”
Jenna smiled. “That’s good to know. I’ll see you in the morning.”
As Jenna was refilling her cup, her phone chimed. It was Wolfe. “Have you found anything?”
“Not specifically, no, but I do have something of interest regarding the unknown DNA trace we found at the crime scenes.” Wolfe sounded pleased with himself. “I’ve known for some time of a company which developed a very involved program in conjunction with funding from the Department of Defense. From what I’ve read, the Snapshot Forensic DNA Phenotyping System accurately predicts what a person looks like including eye color, hair color, and skin color.”
Fascinated, Jenna sat down at her desk. “How involved is this process?”
“It takes time and is complicated but it’s worth a try. I’ve submitted the sample to a public genealogy database and the results will be forwarded for Snapshot’s Genetic Genealogy analysis. With luck, we’ll get an image of the face of the killer.”
