Break the Silence: A totally addictive crime thriller (Detectives Kane and Alton Book 7)

by D. K. Hood

  Jenna took Wolfe’s phone and zoomed in all over the board. She found the sign-up sheet, and peeking from behind it was the edge of the newspaper. “Livi said she found it under a sign-up sheet and here it is.”

  She dropped into her seat, suddenly aware of every bruise on her battered body. “Right now, we have no other alternative but to hunt down the mystery man on the mountain. I want to know why he picked a fight with Lyons and why Lyons was so afraid of him.” She sighed. “Get me a name, Rowley.”

  Her phone rang again. She answered. “Okay, Maggie, send in the DA.”

  The door opened and the DA walked in and looked around the crowded room. Jenna smiled at him. “We’re going over the evidence.”

  “I’ve spoken to the lawyer representing Seth Lyons and he is aware of the evidence we have against his client.” The DA looked pleased with himself. “With the account from Josh Stevens and the witnesses piling up against him, the lawyer’s going to encourage Lyons to plead guilty.”

  Jenna smiled. “That is good news.”

  “Do you have anything to tie him in with the deaths?” The DA looked hopeful.

  “So far all we have is circumstantial evidence on all our possible suspects.” Jenna sighed. “Everything points to Lyons being involved but we have no proof.”

  “I asked his lawyer if Lyons would disclose the name of the mystery man and he refused, saying the fight was personal and had nothing to do with anything else.” The DA smiled. “If Lyons is responsible for the deaths in some way, proving it will be impossible. He had the motive and the smarts to kill without leaving evidence. He also would’ve been able to get close to his victims without causing suspicion.” He shrugged. “We may never prove he killed them, but with twenty-five rape charges against him, and blackmail, during sentencing I’ll be stating a precedent in a recent case in Billings of twenty consecutive life sentences given to a serial rapist. I doubt either of them will ever be released from jail.”

  Jenna stood and shook his hand. “That’s great news! Kane and I will go and speak to Chrissie’s parents this afternoon. I’m sure it will give them a small amount of closure. Thanks for coming by.”

  “My pleasure. Have a good day, Sheriff, Deputies.” The DA headed for the door.

  Jenna glanced around at the faces staring back at her. “I wish we had more proof.”

  “I know you want to find the answers, Jenna, but sometimes there’s not enough evidence to support homicide.” Wolfe looked at her and shrugged.

  “Yes, I know.” Jenna sighed. “We’ve solved the rape of Chrissie Lowe and charged two suspects with serial rape and blackmail. We’ve caught the man responsible for the armed hold-up at the showgrounds and returned the money. It’s a good week’s work but we still have four unsolved deaths.”

  “Make that one death by unknown causes, one accident, and two suicides.” Wolfe narrowed his gaze. “As I mentioned before, I’ve made a determination on each case based on the evidence.” He looked at his notes. “As I mentioned before, Chrissie Lowe committed suicide. I wasn’t convinced until I examined the cuts to her wrists under a microscope, and the angle suggests she cut herself.”

  Jenna heaved a sigh. “That was expected. Go on.”

  “I have reason to believe that Devon could have sustained the marks on his ankles from other means; they’d had group sex previously, and after looking at the tapes, I can’t rule out the possibility he received the marks at that time. Also, by speaking to witnesses, his head injury could have been caused during football practice. He could have sustained a concussion before entering the pool, slipped, and fallen.” He looked at his notes. “The only death I’m leaving with an open verdict is Jacobs’. I can’t prove he dropped a barbell on his neck or that his spotter accidentally dropped it on him, but as I don’t have a shred of evidence either way, I have to leave his finding open.”

  Jenna could not believe her ears. “And Court?”

  “I have no proof Court didn’t sustain the facial injuries during the fight on the mountain or on the football field. I do have evidence to support his state of mind the night he died. Two of his friends had just died and he’d been seeking professional help. He was alone with a needle still in his arm and the evidence points to suicide. The man he took to the cellar could’ve been a dealer. I have no hard evidence anything else happened.”

  Suddenly lost for words, Jenna stared at him. “What? You mean after all this time you’ve changed your mind on all the cases?”

  “No, before this, I’ve only made assumptions—we all did. It’s my job to prove cause of death, and I’d never make a determination until I’d considered all the evidence. I require absolute proof of homicide before I stand up in court and testify to convict a man for murder.” Wolfe lifted his grim expression to her. “It’s only been a week and I came today to give you my final determination. If you find new evidence, I’ll reopen the cases.” Wolfe collected his documents and lifted one eyebrow. “Sometimes the dead don’t talk.”

  Fifty-Five

  Wolfe’s conclusions percolated through Jenna’s mind on the drive to the Lowes’. She glanced at Kane. “He’s right.”

  “Huh?” Kane flicked her a bemused look then returned his attention back to the road. “About what?”

  Jenna sighed. “What Wolfe said about not convicting a man without proof. I was just so sure we were looking at homicides.”

  “Me too, but in the end there just wasn’t enough evidence to charge any of our suspects.” A nerve in Kane’s cheek twitched. “I’m sure we didn’t miss anything.”

  Jenna chewed on her bottom lip. “Shane looked worn out today. I know he’s been working late to search for any shred of evidence to bring about a conviction.”

  “He’s been pulling triple shifts in the ME’s office and assisting us on stakeouts; I’m not surprised he’s exhausted.” He pulled into a parking space outside the Lowes’ house and turned to look at her. “He’s on the edge of leaving town too, Jenna. We can’t involve his girls in cases again.”

  Jenna turned to look at him. “I know.” She adjusted the sling holding her injured arm. “I guess as we’ve all gotten so close, Emily became a natural part of the team.”

  “Put that to one side while we speak to the Lowes.” Kane examined her face. “You look annoyed, and right now they need compassion. Losing one child is bad enough but not knowing what their son could be going through right now, or if he’s alive or dead, must be horrendous.”

  Jenna nodded. Kane would be aware of the horrors of a military chopper going down behind enemy lines. “Have you been in similar situations?”

  “Yeah.” Kane’s eyes had a faraway look. “If they’ve been captured, they’ll be tortured. Wolfe told me in confidence, the government is hoping for a negotiation but the chances are slim. There’s not much communication between the radical groups, so if they capture one of our guys, for them it means the end of a very nasty road.”

  Jenna fumbled with the seatbelt and groaned. “Okay, let’s go and speak to the Lowes. I hope knowing the men who hurt their daughter are dead or heading for jail will give them closure.”

  “I don’t think anyone ever gets closure, Jenna. The anger takes a long time to go away.” Kane leaned across her and pushed open the door. “Will you be okay? You’re sheet-white.”

  “I’ll be fine.” She forced her mouth into a smile. “I’ll take some pain meds when we’re through talking to them.”

  The walk to the Lowes’ front door gave Jenna a minute to collect her thoughts. There could be nothing worse than facing a family who’d lost a child. She’d have to break the sad news of Chrissie’s death being ruled a suicide. She would give them a concise and clear statement offering them a brief outline of what they assumed happened. Wolfe had sent all the information to the state coroner’s office and they would decide if an inquest was necessary. If so, the coroner would reveal the horrific details of their daughter’s suffering. Right now, she hoped to soften the blow. She’d noticed two vehi
cles parked in the driveway and hoped she’d find both of Chrissie’s parents at home. Not notifying them beforehand wasn’t an oversight. She preferred to deliver this kind of information in person, and phone calls usually led to disclosure of information.

  She glanced up at Kane as he pressed the doorbell to an older-style red-brick home. From inside she could hear the chimes. The door opened and a tall, gaunt man in casual jeans and sweater opened the door. “Mr. Lowe?”

  “I am.” Mr. Lowe gave her then Kane a look of deep concern. “Is there news of my son?”

  “No, sir.” Kane shook his head. “A member of his team would come by to speak with you if there was any news.”

  Jenna cleared her throat. “Is your wife here? We have some information to share with you both.”

  “Yes, come in.” Mr. Lowe held the door open and stepped to one side. When a teenage girl walked into the hallway wide-eyed, he turned to her. “Go get your mom and then go to your room. We have something to discuss with the sheriff.”

  The girl turned and hurried away, and Jenna followed Mr. Lowe into the family room with Kane close behind. She stood waiting for Mrs. Lowe, and when a rake-thin woman with a pale complexion arrived, they all sat on sofas facing each other. Jenna wanted to be as compassionate as possible. “We’ve come to inform you that we’ve made an arrest in Chrissie’s case.”

  “Only one? The medical examiner informed me she was raped by more than one man.” Mr. Lowe’s face filled with anger. “What’s his name?”

  “We’ve reason to believe four men were responsible; one will be pleading guilty and the other three are dead.” Jenna kept her voice low in an attempt to calm the man before her. “Another man we have in custody admitted to taking photographs. The images he took implicated the other men. He is currently in the county jail awaiting a hearing. He’ll plead guilty and spend a long time behind bars.”

  “Dear Lord. My sweet innocent girl.” Mrs. Lowe lifted her sorrow-filled eyes. “Was Seth Lyons involved? Chrissie’s roommate Livi came by and told us she went on a date with him the night she died.”

  Jenna nodded. “Yes, he was. He slipped through our net for a while.” She sighed. “But Seth Lyons will spend the rest of his life in jail. The other men involved died in various accidents and one from a suspected overdose.”

  “I’d have spoken to the son of a bitch myself but I don’t venture out much these days.” Mr. Lowe wheezed, coughed, then touched his chest. “Emphysema.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Suddenly lost for words, Jenna swallowed hard. “I’m sorry to inform you, the ME has ruled Chrissie’s death a suicide.”

  “We gathered as much after we spoke to Livi.” Mrs. Lowe shook her head. “I wish she’d told us.”

  “Is that your son?” Kane stood and walked to the mantel. “A Navy Seal, you must be very proud, sir.”

  “Yes, that’s Jack.” Mr. Lowe pushed to his feet and sucked in a breath. “That photo was taken the week he left. He’d been home on leave for a few days and then the call came and he was off again.” He shook his head. “He loves the life and lives for his team. I hope he makes it home.” He turned to Jenna. “I’ll never give up hope.”

  “That’s a fine attitude.” Kane nodded. “When he comes home, we’ll come by and thank him for his service.”

  Glad of the respite, Jenna stood and peered at the photograph. She did a double take and then swallowed hard. The smiling face slammed into her memory and her mind whirled with the implications. Heart pounding, she fought for words, unable to drag her eyes away. “He’s… ah… a fine-looking young man.” She handed Mr. Lowe the photograph. The need to leave had become urgent. “We should be heading back to the office now. If there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to call.” She handed Mr. Lowe her card.

  “Thank you.” Mrs. Lowe gripped her arm. “For finding justice for Chrissie.”

  Unable to reply, Jenna nodded and headed out the door. She walked swiftly back to the road without saying a word. She climbed into Kane’s truck, anxious for him to get behind the wheel. “I recognize the man in the picture.”

  “Oh yeah?” Kane leaned back in his seat and his eyebrows knitted into a frown. “I didn’t know you knew any Navy Seals.”

  Heart thumping, she stared at him. “He’s the mystery man or I’ve seen a ghost.”

  “He’s MIA, Jenna.” Kane sighed. “You must be mistaken.”

  A rush of euphoria hit Jenna like a tidal wave. It all made perfect sense. “Think about it, Dave. What if Jack Lowe is alive? After suffering a horrendous rape, Chrissie sent him a text naming the men who hurt her and telling him her intentions. She destroyed her cellphone. She could have flushed it down the toilet for all we know, and if he had gotten the message, he couldn’t have contacted her. Last she’d heard, he was MIA, and after almost a week, she’d lost hope and reached out to him beyond the grave. Maybe she believed he’d be on the other side waiting for her. She couldn’t face Lyons blackmailing her and took her own life.” She stared into space for a beat. “I figure Jack came back and murdered most of the men involved. He delivered the evidence of their guilt right into our hands. How else could he have gotten hold of the flash drives if he wasn’t Court’s killer? I don’t believe for one minute Lyons would risk taking such damning evidence with him out running.” She stared at him. “Jack risked being recognized to give me the evidence against Lyons.”

  “You can’t prove Jack Lowe is alive, and if he is, you’ve no evidence he killed anyone, Jenna. I trust Wolfe’s findings. He didn’t find enough evidence to prove the men were murdered.” Kane gave her an incredulous look. “No one tried to kill Lyons either, or he’d have been telling anyone who’d listen. In any case, frightening a guy isn’t the same as killing him; and trust me, for a man with Jack Lowe’s abilities, killing Lyons would’ve been a walk in the park. If he’d seen the footage on those flash drives, he’d have a good reason.”

  Jenna kept her voice low and in control. “He found a way to avenge his sister. I can feel it in my gut.”

  “If you figure you saw Jack Lowe, I believe you, but we have no evidence, Jenna. Zip, nada, and the ME ruled out homicide. If he was on the mountain, there’s no case for him to answer.” Kane frowned. “If Wolfe says Jack Lowe’s on the other side of the world risking his life for our country, he wouldn’t lie. Right now, MIA means he’s either dead or being tortured in some godforsaken prison.” Kane started the engine. “Military guys all look much the same in uniform, but we’ll drop by to see Wolfe. He’ll find you a better photo of him from his files.”

  Fifty-Six

  After Kane and Jenna arrived at Wolfe’s house, and informed the girls they’d be holding a birthday party for Anna at Jenna’s ranch, Kane gave Wolfe a brief explanation for disturbing his evening with his family. He followed Jenna into Wolfe’s secure office. More like a safe room, the six-inch steel door protected the secrets inside. It was Kane’s first invitation into Wolfe’s inner sanctum and he took in the various computers and military phones and a wall lined with top-secret codebooks. He whistled. “Wow, no wonder you requested such a large house with separate accommodation for a housekeeper. When did you manage to get all this built?”

  “When Jenna put in the requisition, a team moved in and it was all done by the time I arrived. They even moved in my electronics and the books from my other house. They sure wanted to keep you guys safe, and they still do. I send in weekly reports.” Wolfe tapped a white telephone. “That’s a direct line to the Pentagon.” He sat in a chair behind the desk and looked at them with one raised eyebrow. “So, what’s so top-secret you need to use my cone of silence?”

  Kane explained, and moments later Wolfe went to work. He had an image of Jack Lowe on the screen in seconds.

  “That sure looks like him.” Jenna leaned forward and stared at the screen. “He could be the man on the mountain. He matches the description of the person Emily saw and the one Webber saw go into the cellar with Court. If I did see Jack Lowe, he has a cle
ar-cut motive.” She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms over her chest. “You wanted new evidence—well, here it is. This is reasonable doubt, surely?”

  “It’s hearsay at best. No one else identified him.” Wolfe looked at her. “Now you’ve seen a better photo of him, are you 100 percent sure?”

  “My focus was on Emily and I only had a brief glance of him, but from what I recall, he resembled Jack Lowe.” She stared at the image. “Isn’t that enough to reopen the case?”

  “No, I’d need more evidence, and so would the DA. I’ll stand by my findings, Jenna. Even if you did see him on the mountain, it proves nothing. You couldn’t stand up in court and testify he was a threat to anyone, and from Lyons’ statement, he’d testify the same. You told me the man you saw wasn’t carrying a weapon and showed no evidence of being in a fight. I’ve ruled the deaths as accidental or suicide, which means there’s no case to answer.” Wolfe tapped away at his laptop and then turned it for her to view the screen. “See for yourself: Jack Lowe is still reported as MIA, and I can’t find any trace of him being in the country since he left on his tour of duty. As far as I’m aware, none of his team have reported in since the chopper went down. By now, we have to assume they’re all dead.”

  “So you’re saying I saw a ghost?” Jenna lifted her chin and stared at Kane.

  Kane shrugged. “I don’t believe in ghosts but I do believe you met someone on the trail that resembled Jack Lowe.” He narrowed his gaze. “The press release you asked Rowley to issue mentioned a reward for the guy who gave you the flash drives. Maybe he’ll show and put your mind at rest.”

  “I hope so.” Jenna shook her head. “But if I’m right, he’ll never come forward.”

  Fifty-Seven

  Lightning cracked and thunder rolled around the chopper. Jack Lowe gazed into the black clouds. It was as if the sky cried out with anger against the cruelty his sister had endured. As the high winds tossed the chopper around, he ignored the elements and stared again at the message on his phone. It would haunt him for the rest of his life.