by D. K. Hood
“She was excited at breakfast. I remember her asking us if she could go to the dance at the fairgrounds on Friday night with her friends.” Mr. Parker sighed. “I said I would discuss it with her mother but if she went, we would drop her there then pick her up at ten.”
“She is a good girl, Deputy.” Mrs. Parker rubbed her eyes. “She did all her chores and stopped playing games at the dinner table. She deserved to go to the dance this year. Now she’s dead—Oh God, this has to be a mistake.” She sunk back into her husband’s arms.
As their devastation washed over him, Kane ground his teeth, trying to keep a professional persona and get through the interview. “Does she have a computer? I’ll need to take it back to the sheriff’s office.”
“Yes, a laptop. She uses it for schoolwork. I’ll get it for you.” Mr. Parker turned away and climbed unsteadily up the stairs.
Kane waited for him to return, unfolded a large evidence bag, and pushed the laptop inside then asked Mr. Parker to sign the seal. He hated distressing Felicity’s parents any further but had to keep going while details remained fresh in their minds. “Do you remember what she was wearing when she left home and did she have a cellphone with her?”
“Wearing?” Mrs. Parker lifted her tear-stained blotchy face and glared at him. “Don’t you know?” She let out a wail, broke away from her husband and fell against the wall. “Oh my God, what did he do to her?” She threw herself at Kane grasping the front of his shirt. “You have to tell me. I must know what happened to her.”
The woman’s long fingernails pierced his skin but he kept his voice, calm and professional. How the hell can I tell her what happened? He gently pushed her away and sucked in a deep breath. “I am asking routine questions, ma’am. I don’t have a list of her personal effects.” Kane swallowed the lump in his throat at seeing her distress. “I want to make sure nothing is missing, no article of clothing overlooked or any personal possessions.”
“He is only doing his job.” Mr. Parker, close to collapse, took a shuddering breath in an obvious attempt to remain strong and gripped his wife’s shoulder. “She had on a pale blue top with a butterfly on the front and a denim skirt.” He rubbed his chin. “Pink cowboy boots. She wears a gold cross around her neck.” Mr. Parker raised both dark eyebrows. “She received it as a birthday present when she turned thirteen and never takes it off.” He gave his wife a little shake. “Is there anything I’ve missed?”
“Yes, she has a c-cellphone with her all the time, she never takes her eyes off the screen.” Tears cascaded down Mrs. Parker’s cheeks. “It is a smartphone and has a p-pink cover.”
“May I have the number and would you mind giving my department permission to check her calls and social media, in case she spoke to anyone prior to her death?” Kane wrote down the details.
“I’ll sign anything you like.” Mr. Parker seemed to crumple into himself. “Just find the person who did this.”
“We’ll find him.” Kane swallowed the lump in his throat. “We would like to give you time to inform your relatives before this is leaked to the press. Keeping it out of the media for twenty-four hours will give us time to investigate. I know you want this person caught but a media frenzy isn’t the best course of action.” He sighed. “The sheriff has advised everyone concerned not to tell anyone. If the killer doesn’t think we have found Felicity, they’ll be careless.”
“I don’t want to give this animal the satisfaction of becoming famous on the damn news.” Mr. Parker shook with anger. “We won’t say a word.”
“I want to see her.” Mrs. Parker gripped Kane’s arm. “Where is my baby?”
Kane looked into the woman’s distressed face. “I can take you to see her now but I only need one of you to positively identify her. Perhaps you might prefer to remain at home?”
“I want to see her.” Mrs. Parker swayed to her feet. “It has to be a mistake.”
Kane bit back a sigh of regret and nodded. “Yes, of course. Felicity is at the local funeral home. Do you want me to lead the way?”
“Yes, please.” Mr. Parker placed one arm around his wife.
Straightening, Kane turned on his heel and left the house.
* * *
Drained after the emotional viewing and signing of the necessary documents, Kane headed back to the office. He had been relieved to see the mortician had made Felicity appear asleep. The sheet covered her completely and came up to her chin to hide the horrendous injuries.
Not having the energy to tangle with Sheriff Alton again, he bypassed her door and went straight to his desk. After scanning the paperwork into the system, he added his notes from the parents’ interview then pushed to his feet and headed for the coffee machine. The pot of freshly brewed coffee filled his nostrils. He should have been famished but had no appetite with the haunting memory of his wife’s shocked eyes fixed in his mind, so much like the expression on Felicity’s young face. He leaned one shoulder against the wall and rubbed the throbbing scar covering the plate in his head.
“You okay?” Jenna moved to his side and placed her small hand on his arm.
He forced his mouth into a small smile, surprised by her change of attitude toward him. “I’ll do. I have entered all the information including my interview notes with the parents into the file. I’ve informed the parents not to talk about the murder to give us some time to chase up the leads we have, and they agreed.”
“Any suspects?”
“Yeah, we will need to follow up on the victim’s boyfriend, apparently they argued recently.” He sighed. “His name is Derick Smith and I have his details. I called his workplace, Miller’s Garage, and spoke to George.”
“Did you ask him if Smith was acting any differently?”
“Yeah and George said he was acting normal.” He scratched his cheek, aware of the stubble. “I’ll need to speak to him but from what George said he is a pretty solid young man. If he argued with Felicity, he would more likely storm off and sulk than kill her.”
“Okay, that’s good enough for me. It’s late and we can interview him in the morning.” Jenna met his gaze. “Anything else?”
Exhausted and with a headache from hell, he nodded then immediately regretted moving his head. “Yeah, I obtained a formal ID on the victim and all the permissions we need to check her calls, et cetera, but telling the parents was brutal.”
“It’s the worst job. It was nice of you to send Wolfe home. I guess he is a little raw after losing his wife?”
“He is not alone.” He met her concerned gaze. “I lost someone close to me as well. You never forget seeing someone you care for dying and you can do jack shit about it. Life sucks sometimes.” He sighed. “Can we change the subject?”
“Do you like Chinese?” Jenna raised one dark eyebrow in question.
“Yeah, but I haven’t tried that new place in town.” He rubbed his stomach. “I’m not really hungry.”
“You will be once you smell the sweet and sour chicken.” Jenna filled two takeout cups with coffee and handed him one. “I’ll leave my cruiser here, if you’ll drive me home. My order should be arriving soon and we can eat at my place. Rowley will lock up and Walters is on the 911 line until six in the morning.”
Suspicious of her sudden change of attitude toward him, he rubbed his chin. Perhaps the idea of having two men confronting her in the morning was a problem, but she was as tough as nails. He relented and smiled. “Okay, I’d like your thoughts on the case.”
“Deal.” She turned as the front door opened with a delivery guy carrying two carry-out bags. “How’s that for timing?”
He pulled out his wallet and offered her some bills, but she ignored him.
“I paid by card over the phone.” She headed toward the front desk. “Your treat next time, okay?”
Thirteen
Contented and tingling from his kills, he sat near the window of Aunt Betty’s Café and sipped his coffee. From here, he could watch the world go by and sense the mood of the town. Outside, t
he carnival atmosphere of the upcoming rodeo shrouded the truth, and people went about their everyday business ignorant of the knowledge he had snatched two young girls from under their noses. He smiled a secret smile, an all-knowing smile. Soon they will all learn about my work and every man in town will be under suspicion.
The six o’clock news had come and gone without a mention of the young boys’ discovery of one of his girls. He had wanted to see their horrified expressions on his TV screen, but never mind, the boys would carry the vision of his work in their minds forever.
It would be a constant reminder to avoid girls like her.
Images flashed through his head as if he hit the fast-forward button in his mind then paused for him to savor each unforgettable moment. He wet his lips and sighed, remembering the feel of warm flesh against his palm, such a contrast to the cold, white skin when he laid them on the rock. The welling of blood as he moved the knife. The way Felicity’s mouth moved as if pleading him to stop.
He would never stop.
The sheriff and Deputy Kane drove by in a black SUV. He could see by the way she smiled at Kane that being in law enforcement had not prevented her from using sex to get her own way. Although he preferred to kill girls, the world would fit back into place without Jenna Alton. A man would make a far better sheriff, and no matter what her occupation, no woman deserved his respect. Perhaps he would show her what happens to women like her.
He stared after the black SUV. Taking her would be difficult. He had no way to make her come to him. It will take some planning, but if I have time, she will be mine too.
Fourteen
After finishing their meal at the kitchen table, Jenna encouraged Kane to join her on the sofa in front of the TV. Leaning back, she considered the man beside her. In the months since he had arrived in Black Rock Falls, she had come to rely on his unfailing loyalty and support. She enjoyed his company and tried to keep their relationship between work and home separate, yet since Shane Wolfe had walked into the office, Kane had changed. He usually had a relaxed, laid-back nature around her off-duty, as if he really wanted them to be close friends, but now something had wound him up so tight that any second he might bust a spring.
She turned down the TV and glanced at him. “Head aching again? Do you need to keep a check on the plate in your head, have the occasional brain scan or whatever?”
“My head is aching and no the plate doesn’t shift around, it’s bolted in place.” His dark blue gaze settled on her face. “My mind was on the case. That girl was so young and seeing her like that is playing on my mind. The man who did this is one sick son of a bitch.” He cleared his throat. “Sorry, ma’am, it just makes me feel useless.”
“It’s fine and I happen to agree.” She reached for her coffee and eyed him over the rim of the mug. “This is where your expertise comes into play. I can see the killer is trying to make a point by the way he displayed the body but why the flowers? Wolfe mentioned it was as if the killer is apologizing. What do you think?”
“He wants to shock and is proud of what he has done but there is regret there as well. As if he is a child being naughty then bringing his mother flowers to say sorry.” His full lips thinned into a line. “This is not why you asked me to dinner. What’s on your mind?”
She had to admit, asking him to dinner had confused him but she wanted to make up for her hostility toward him at the fairgrounds. After all, he did spend every morning working with her to hone her defense skills and knew her weaknesses, but his anger at finding her in a potentially dangerous position surprised her. He should have known she would use her weapon if threatened. She allowed her gaze to linger on his handsome features and wet her lips, not that her feminine wiles ever worked on him. Although, she noticed the way he looked at her sometimes and knew he would protect her with his life. You are a strange man and I like the strong, silent, mysterious type. Ah well, I can dream, I guess.
“Jenna? If you have something to say to me, spit it out.” Kane leaned back in his chair and stretched his long, muscular legs. “I know when you’re worried about something. We’re friends and you can confide in me, even after you tore me a new one.”
“So, what is so important we need a secret meeting tomorrow?” She grinned. “Do I need to erect a cone of silence or something?”
“Have you taken a paranoia drug or something?” Kane gave her a long, considering stare and rubbed the dark stubble on his chin. “It’s just a meeting so we can discuss how we can best use Wolfe’s talents.”
“God, you talk a crock of shit sometimes. Do you think I was born yesterday? You two are up to something.” She glared at him. “Spill the beans.”
“Nope. I’m not saying a word. It’s best if Wolfe is here to explain.” Kane reached for his beer. “Talking about suspicions, I’ve often wondered how you discovered this is my favorite brand of beer.”
Oh, you’re good. “I didn’t know. I used my superior intelligence.” She giggled at his eye-roll. “I got the most popular brand from your home state. Why ask me now? You’ve been living in my cottage for over six months. Before you ask, I also worked out the size of your uniform from the details on your driver’s license. It’s not too difficult when you know the height and weight of a man. It’s not as if I needed your bra size, is it?” She sipped her wine. “Stop avoiding the question. You know him, don’t you?”
“Not exactly.” Kane narrowed his eyes, making his forehead crinkle. “I spoke to him on the phone after you interviewed him for the position.” He sighed. “We have similar backgrounds, we both served in the marines, but anything else, he’ll have to tell you.”
Happy to have gained ground, she pushed a little more. “Do you have anything else you need to tell me about?”
“Not really, but as sure as hell, I think you are carrying a trunk-load of secrets. For a sheriff who carries two weapons at all times, you are the jumpiest person I know.” He turned in his seat and his eyes bore into her. “Why are you in Black Rock Falls? And don’t tell me it’s because you absolutely love being sheriff or appreciate the incredibly low salary because you could be earning a hell of a lot more working for the government.”
“Maybe I think working for the government is too dangerous.” She shrugged. “In any case, then I wouldn’t have you to watch my back, would I?”
“Trust me, you’ll be a whole lot safer with Wolfe and me watching your back.” Kane pushed to his feet. “We’ll sort this out in the morning if you don’t mind, ma’am. Thanks for dinner and don’t forget to set the house alarm.” He headed for the door without a backward glance.
She gaped after him, stymied for a few moments, then stood to follow him and bolted the front door. After entering the code to activate the alarm, her attention went to the window. The bright automatic floodlighting around her property illuminated Kane’s strong figure striding along the pathway to his cottage. Her mind went into freefall trying to digest his words. She had interviewed a few candidates for the deputy position, but after reading the other applications, Shane Wolfe shone out like a bright light.
At the time, Kane obviously had not recognized his name or face but admitted they had spoken by phone. If he had cause for alarm, or Wolfe had confided information to him earlier in the day, it would mean only one thing: Kane was working off the grid for the government and Wolfe was his new contact. Kane fit the profile and he had to be way above her old pay grade.
Collecting a glass of wine and the bottle, she headed into her office. If word had leaked about her new identity and whereabouts, she doubted the Department of Homeland Security would send him to protect her. After working undercover on one case, she hardly rated the expense. More likely, the DHS would swoop in and relocate her again, but so far, hiding in plain sight had worked. She dropped into the chair in front of her computer and refilled her glass then stared at the wall of flat screens. Why is he here?
Her mind turned to the murder. She needed to organize her deputies and use the assets of her team. She grabbed
her notepad and made some notes. After listening to the brief report from Wolfe at the scene and Kane’s conclusions, she had a few of her own. Although Lucky Briggs and Storm Crawley made her skin crawl, the crime scene had told her one man was involved. Yeah, after the antics in the tack room, she believed either of them was capable, but would they work alone?
The staging of the victim and the fact her face was not touched led her to believe the killer was unlikely to be her boyfriend. She had seen enough victims of domestic abuse to know men angry with their wives or lovers went for the face. The murder was gruesomely artistic, which meant the killer had murdered before. One thing Wolfe mentioned had been significant. Killers who mutilate their victims start slow. They start with their pets and move up to murder as the need grows. From the carnage she witnessed in Stanton Forest, whoever had brutally murdered Felicity had plenty of practice. If her murder followed his usual modus operandi, his kills would be easy to trace—and people make mistakes. Without the ability to search the local databases for similar crimes, she drafted a letter then sent it out to all the police and sheriffs’ departments in the state.
She leaned back in her seat and made plans for the next day. In the morning, she would ask Rowley to trace Felicity’s cellphone and collect a list of calls or texts she had made from the server. Having her parents’ written permission gave the sheriff’s department instant access to her accounts. Rowley could also check her social media for clues. She needed some idea of Felicity’s movements from the time she left home until approximately nine thirty. A list of her friends would be helpful. She would send Kane to interview the boyfriend, Derick Smith, and see if he had an alibi for the time of death. Whoever Felicity had met during the short time between leaving home and reaching the forest had murdered her. The face of Felicity Parker filled her mind. Why did you go into the forest, Felicity?