by Hood, D. K.
“Maybe not, he’s coming fast. Step on the gas.” Tim hung onto the back of the seat. “Shit! He’s not gonna stop.”
A jolt from behind and the grinding of metal shot Parker forward. His seatbelt pulled him up and came close to strangling him as his truck slid across the blacktop. “What the hell?”
He jammed his foot down on the gas pedal and his truck jumped forward with a roar but fishtailed on a patch of ice. He wrestled with the steering wheel and tried to accelerate out of the slide. The old truck slammed into them again and like a battering ram pushed them off the road. As his vehicle bounced over the dead undergrowth, Parker aimed his truck between two tall pines. He let out a breath in a puff of steam as his prized possession came to a jarring halt in the dim light. He glanced in the mirror and gaped in terror.
The truck’s headlights lit up the highway with its twin beams. As the driver stepped from his truck, an eerie mist rose up and drifted across the blacktop, swirling like dancing ghosts. Dressed all in black, the stranger walked into the light, but his cowboy hat pulled low concealed his face. He carried a powerful hunting rifle in one hand and headed purposely toward them. Parker cursed under his breath. “Dammit, I left my rifle at home.”
They were defenseless. Parker stared in horror as the man slowly raised the rifle to his shoulder. Panic shuddered through him. “He’s not mad, he’s batshit crazy, and I’m not taking a bullet.” He pushed Tim hard on one shoulder. “Get out. He’ll never find us in the forest.”
He switched off the interior light then dropped out the door and, keeping low to the ground, headed between the tall pines, jumping blindly over the dry winter undergrowth. Behind him, Tim was breathing heavily. It was so dark, he collided with a tree and Tim crashed into him. Pain shot through his knee as he collided with a log and sprawled, tangled with Tim, on the ground. Under him, pine needles covering the forest floor dug into his jeans like shards of glass. He reached up for a low bough and dragged up his aching body to stand on one leg. Biting down in agony, he pushed on into the darkness. Low branches slashed at his bare cheeks, flinging icy water down his neck, but he kept moving.
“Slow down, you’re making too much noise.” Tim pulled on the back of his jacket. “Hide behind a tree and wait; he may have had his fun and be on his way.”
Trembling with fear, Parker stood with his back against the rough trunk of a pine and bent over, hands on knees, trying to suck the freezing air into his lungs. He could just make out Tim beside him, staring back the way they’d come. He lowered his voice to a whisper. “See anything?”
“No. Listen.” Tim’s pale face turned to him. “He’s coming after us.”
Parker shivered and every hair on his body stood to attention. The steady footsteps of the stranger crunched through the forest, and then a shape with green glowing eyes loomed out of the darkness. “Shit, he’s wearing night-vision goggles. Run!”
As he turned, a shot, earsplittingly loud in the quiet, connected with his left shoulder, red-hot pain searing in a thunderbolt of agony. He fell to his knees just as a second shot exploded in his head, and his sight blinked out like a candle in the wind.
Nine
The wind had kept up all night and by morning had brought with it a rush of sleet to wet Kane’s cheeks as he dashed to his truck. He’d fallen into bed a couple of hours ago but hadn’t slept, his mind wouldn’t allow him to let go of the murder scene. He’d gotten up and went about his chores making sure the horses were comfortable. They’d be remaining in the barn today and would be fine inside. Working with the horses helped him clear his head. As a military sniper in his last life, the scene last night at the Robinsons’ house was much the same as he’d left behind after hitting a target. It brought back memories of people he’d seen through his scope more times than he’d care to remember. He had little doubt in his mind Lucas Robinson had been the victim of a hit. Although Jenna was convinced, the victim’s wife, Carol was responsible he had his doubts. The shooting did point to her. The wife was the only other person in the house the night of the murder. They’d found no other fingerprints, and the footprints in the dust under the cellar window could’ve been from the victim as he’d worked down there before his death. He hoisted Duke, his bloodhound, into the back seat, secured his harness, and then climbed behind the wheel. He pulled out his cellphone and called Wolfe. “Hey, morning, Shane. Did you do a gunshot residue test on Mrs. Robinson last night?”
“Yeah, it came up negative. She didn’t kill her husband. At the hospital, I checked through her hair too—she had fragments of his skull in her hair. She was beside him, as she said, when the shooting occurred.”
Kane cleared his throat. “Okay, thanks, I’ll let Jenna know.”
“I’m doing the autopsy on Lucas Robinson this morning around eleven if you’re planning on dropping by. Although cause of death seems apparent, I need to be sure.” Wolfe yawned. “I need some sleep. Can you keep the crime rate down for the rest of the week, do you think?”
Kane chuckled. “I’ll do my best. We’re heading for the office now, catch you later.” He disconnected, backed out of the garage, and headed down the driveway to Jenna’s front porch.
As usual, the moment he drove up, she came out the door and hurried to get inside. “Morning.”
“I noticed you left out the ‘good,’ and from the dark circles under your eyes, you didn’t sleep either.” She handed him two to-go cups of coffee in a holder. “I think I’ll need this in a drip if I’m going to make it through today.”
Kane placed the coffee in the console and waited for her to buckle up before heading for the highway. “Yeah, seeing a crime scene like that triggers a flight or fight response and it takes a while for our bodies to come down from the adrenalin boost.”
“Yeah and then we feel like this.” She pulled an exhausted expression and then laughed. “Hey, you figure Duke feels like this all the time?”
“Maybe, everything seems an effort for him of late.” Kane turned onto the highway, the wiper blades swishing back and forth pushing the ice particles across the windshield. “It might be the cold weather.”
“You’ve had him checked out by the vet, what did he say?” Jenna turned in her seat to peer at the dog. “He’s okay, isn’t he?”
Behind them, Duke let out a mournful howl and buried his nose in the blanket.
“What was that for, Duke?” Jenna leaned over the seat to rub the dog’s ears.
Kane glanced at her. “You’ll have to spell the word ‘v-e-t’. It gets the same panic reaction as ‘b-a-t-h’.” He snorted. “I can’t believe I have to spell words in front of him. I didn’t know dogs understood language and it was more of a hand gesture type of communication. Anyway, he’s fine. A little overweight but nothing to worry about and its usual for this breed to conserve energy so they can keep going when we need them.” He grinned at her. “You should have seen him at the ‘v-e-t-s’. I couldn’t get him to walk through the door. He sat down and refused to move and I ended up carrying him inside. Soon as he saw the poor guy load the vaccination, he let out this blood-curdling howl and tried to escape.”
“He was okay when we took him the first time. What’s happened since?” Jenna gave him a concerned look. “The v-e-t didn’t hurt him, did he?”
Kane chuckled. “Nope. The first time he was so ill, he’d just about given up apart from being skin and bones. He had an ear infection and the animal practitioner clipped his claws. He had a ton of needles that day and remembers the v-e-t hurting him, I guess.” He glanced at her. “He has a very good memory.” He turned onto the highway and stared into the bleak morning. “I spoke to Wolfe before. The gunshot residue test on Mrs. Robinson came back negative.”
“So, we’re back to square one.” Jenna sighed. “My gut tells me she’s involved.” She shivered. “Mind if I turn up the heat?”
Kane smiled at her. “Go right ahead, it’s going to be a long, cold day.”
“It sure is.” Jenna remained quiet for the rest of
the trip to the sheriff’s office, sipping her coffee and staring out the window.
Kane pulled into his parking space next to Rowley’s cruiser and slid out the door. He opened the back door and lifted the very reluctant Duke onto the sidewalk. Without a backward glance, the bloodhound scampered up the steps and nosed his way inside the glass doors. Kane collected his coffee and waited for Jenna. “You’re quiet this morning. Something on your mind?”
“Yeah.” She headed up the steps and inside the warm building. “We’ll go back to the Robinsons’ house this morning and hunt down points of entry.” Handing him her coffee, she pulled off her gloves and then turned to greet the receptionist. “Hey, Maggie, anything urgent this morning?”
“Not so far.” Maggie gave her a bright smile. “Maybe we’ll have an early day and be able to get home in front of the fire.”
“That sounds good to me.” Jenna turned to Kane, took back her coffee, and then headed for her office. “Grab Rowley and we’ll go over the Robinson case.”
Kane cleared his throat. “Yes, ma’am.”
“What?” Jenna paused in the doorway to stare at him. “I miss eating breakfast with you for one morning and we’re back to you calling me ‘ma’am’?” She narrowed her gaze. “Or do you have something on your mind?”
“Me?” Kane shrugged. “Nope. Only the case, it’s a strange one for sure.”
“Okay.” Jenna shook her head and disappeared into her office.
Kane placed his coffee on the desk, removed his coat, and looked at Rowley. “Morning.” He indicated with his chin toward the office door. “She wants us for a meeting.”
“I guessed as much.” Rowley smiled and slapped him on the back. “Another day in paradise.”
Kane picked up his to-go cup, led the way into Jenna’s office, and sat down. “Is there something we missed last night?”
“No, we did a thorough crime scene investigation, and from Wolfe’s preliminary verbal report on scene and the gunshot residue test coming up negative, it seems clear now this murder was a home invasion or a planned hit.” She glanced at Rowley. “I’ve read your report and I’m surprised Mrs. Robinson was uncooperative when you arrived on scene. When I spoke to her, she appeared to be quite lucid. Are you sure she didn’t say anything?”
“I figured she was in shock or had just murdered her husband.” Rowley frowned. “When she called, maybe the realization of what had happened hadn’t hit her yet. I’m not a doctor but I guess shock can creep up on a person.”
“Did you hear or see anything at all around the house, another vehicle, anything?” Jenna folded her hands on the table. “You didn’t pass anyone on the highway?”
“Nope, I didn’t see anyone, but if someone was thumping around the house, I wouldn’t have been able to hear them with the wind blowing and all.” Rowley swallowed hard, making his Adam’s apple bob up and down. “I couldn’t see more than a few yards in the dark, leaves blowing up all around, tree branches scraping the windows. I was expecting someone to jump me at any moment.”
Kane chuckled. “Oh boy, as soon as we get close to Halloween, everyone gets the jitters.”
“Yeah, well, when I caught sight of the victim, I wished I’d called for backup at the get-go.” Rowley looked at Jenna. “But I searched the house and found Mrs. Robinson.”
“Okay. From our initial walk-through, I couldn’t find anything disturbed, so I’m going to rule out robbery as a motive.” Jenna glanced down at her notes and then looked at Kane. “I agree it was a hit.”
Kane nodded. “Yeah, it’s too neat.” He sipped his coffee and peered at her over the rim.
“So, we have a professional hitman in town?” Jenna pushed both hands through her hair. “Life just gets better by the second.”
Ten
A blast of wind splattered icy rain against the window like buckshot and Jenna shivered at the thought of venturing out into the cold again. She looked at her deputies. How easy it would be to delegate and stay inside in the warm, but that was not her way. She bit back a smile at the idea and turned her mind back to the case. “Okay, so if it was a hit, the question burning on my lips is why anyone would want to murder a financial advisor?”
“Maybe he cheated someone?” Rowley shrugged. “Or gave them bad advice and they lost their money.”
“Not likely.” Kane shifted in his chair. “A professional hitman is not only hard to find but getting one to travel here would be expensive.”
Jenna drummed her fingers on the desk, thinking. “Then we dig into the couple’s lives. If Lucas Robinson mixes with the rich and famous, maybe he upset the wrong man. Rowley, I want you to look for any dirt on the man, where he went, what he was doing and with whom. If he was having an affair with a rich man’s wife for instance.” She made notes listing what she needed to do and then lifted her gaze. “Search the society pages for events and question his co-workers. People in offices often gossip, so speak to everyone he knew.”
“Okay.” Rowley scribbled in his notebook. “And the wife, same with her?”
Jenna nodded. “Yeah, find out what you can on them. There must be something dirty in their backgrounds. I mean, why live in practical isolation if you have nothing to hide?”
“Sure.” Rowley glanced at her. “I guess you’re heading out in the cold.”
Jenna frowned at him. “Yeah, we’ll be checking out the crime scene again and visiting Mrs. Robinson at the hospital. If we get time, we’ll drop by the morgue to attend the autopsy on Mr. Robinson.” She narrowed her gaze. “Would you rather swap duties?”
“No, ma’am.” Rowley stood abruptly. “I’ll get on this right away.” He headed out the door.
Jenna turned her attention to Kane, folded her notepad, and stood. “Ready to go? We have a crime to solve.”
“Sure.” Kane gave her a slow smile and then pushed to his feet. “I’ll grab my gear.” He turned and strolled out the door.
* * *
In the daylight, the Robinsons’ house didn’t appear any less intimidating than the previous night. As they drove up the twisting driveway and the house came into view, Jenna scanned the area and shook her head. “Robinson must have been crazy building the home so close to the trees. If a fire broke out, they’d have no chance of escape.”
“It would’ve been a nightmare trying to sleep.” Kane pulled up outside the front steps and turned to look at her. “The trees have grown so close to the walls, the noise inside is disturbing. Last night I was waiting for a branch to come through one of the windows.”
“Maybe that’s why Robinson didn’t hear the intruder?” Jenna zipped up her jacket. “He was probably used to all the creaks and whines. Anyone could’ve broken in and he’d have slept through it.” She pulled her hood over her woolen hat and braced herself for the cold.
“Well, he slept through getting his brains spread all over the wall.” Kane shook his head. “I wonder if his wife heard anything unusual before the shooting.”
Jenna reached for the door handle. “She heard the floorboards creak is all. We’ll ask her if she remembers anything else later.”
The moment Jenna slid from her seat a blast of sleet smacked her in the face. “Ugh! I wish it would just snow already.” She bent her head and dashed up the steps. Pulling off one glove, she removed the crime scene tape across the door and reached inside her coat. She fumbled in a pocket, surprised when the keys felt warm to the touch, and lifted them to the door.
As the door opened, the waft of death coming from inside the house greeted them. Jenna shook her head. “We’ll stick together. The killer could be lurking around, and if he’s a professional, he’d pick us off in seconds.” She pushed the door wide open. “Maybe let some fresh air inside, to clear the stink.” She glanced at Kane. “Remind me to ask Mrs. Robinson about a clean-up crew. She’ll need one before she returns.” She headed back down the front steps. “That’s if she returns. I’m not sure I’d want to live here alone after what’s happened.”
“I
t would sure be a pretty place.” Kane scanned the area. “This is prime real estate but after this no one will want to buy it.”
Jenna noticed the look on his face. “You’d buy it, wouldn’t you?”
“Once, maybe.” He gave her a crooked smile. “The fact someone was murdered here doesn’t worry me. The right security is the key, but I’m not planning on moving out of my cottage until my landlord decides to kick me to the curb.”
The sad expression Kane gave her made her chuckle. “That’s not going to happen. Come on we have a job to do.” With the wind blasting ice into her face, she headed down the side of the house, weaving through the trees in search of the open cellar window and stopped dead and stared. “That can’t be good.”
The closed shutters over the cellar window made her turn and scan the dense trees. A prickle of apprehension crawled up her spine. Beside her, Kane tensed and they both instinctively moved behind the protection of a dripping wet trunk. Could someone be in the forest watching and waiting for their return to murder them as well? Jenna lowered her voice to just above a whisper. “See anyone?”
“No, but that doesn’t mean a thing. With the wind and the low visibility, we can’t hear or see anyone hiding in the forest.” Kane turned and peered at the ground. “Someone has been here since it started sleeting. Those tracks are fresh.” He moved off, following the footprints, and then turned back to her. “Meter reader. Likely, he knew nobody was home, noticed the rain getting inside, and closed the shutters. It would be a neighborly thing to do around here.”
Jenna huffed out a frustrated cloud of steam. “Yeah, and he obliterated any signs of a break-in while he was at it.” She bent over to peer at the shutters. “No sign of forced entry.” She tried to open the shutters. “These appear to be locked. Maybe someone else broke in again and shut them from the inside?”