by D. K. Hood
Out of interest, he went to Sky’s Facebook page and read the posts. At last, Ella Tate was online and trying to get a group together to search for her friend but had gotten no response. He went to her page to search through her images. He found she was staying with Sky’s parents in Black Rock Falls and responded at once when he friended her. He went on to search for other suitable people to kidnap and the computer buzzed a message. Ella wanted his help to find Sky. He read it and smiled at his good fortune. Oh yes, of course I will help you find your friend.
Eighteen
Frost crystals coated Kane’s truck by the time he led the way from the recycler’s yard in Black Rock Falls with Rowley close behind him. He inhaled, clearing his lungs of the smell of oil, grease and body odor. Winter had its own smell, crisp and clean. As he exhaled, a plume of steam surrounded him. He slid behind the wheel and started the engine. After a brief look around the yard, he’d examined both the crusher and shredder then had a chat to the proprietor, Chuck Burns. It had been a waste of time and their search had found no evidence. He glanced at Rowley, whose chapped lips and bright red cheeks mirrored most of the people in town. He idled the engine, and turned on the heater to defrost the windshield. At least the snow had stopped for a while but a voice of doom on the news had forecast another blizzard for later in the day.
Even with the bitter cold and with the constant threat of headaches, he hadn’t regretted returning to Black Rock Falls. He’d found a home in this strange town and the people accepted him. Nothing seemed to dampen the spirits of the townsfolk and he admired them for their strength. They rarely complained and bundled against the weather in brightly covered clothes, hats and scarves made a colorful display. As he drove back to town, he waved back at people clearing their driveways. To most, snow or sunshine, it was just another day. He turned the truck onto the main street and headed to the office.
The town had turned into a Christmas card overnight. Trees hung heavy with snow and every house had a white roof and a line of icicles hanging along the front like lacy bunting. Kids with red runny noses built snowmen in front yards, laughing and throwing snowballs as if they hadn’t noticed the freezing temperature.
Christmas trees with lights blinking adorned many front windows and decorations proclaiming the holiday season filled the town. He turned to Rowley. “I guess we should drive up to the industrial area and check out the other junkyard.”
“Not much point.” Rowley rubbed his hands together. They shut down for four weeks at least over winter.” He glanced at Kane. “The snowmobile team went up there looking for Sky Paul and said the gate was chained up.”
Kane frowned. “But they weren’t looking for signs of a crushed car.” He took the road out of town, glad the salt spreader had cleared the highway. “In cases like this, we have to play the ‘what if’ game. We have no clues, zip, and in truth, we don’t know if we have a victim. We have blood evidence and a sketchy report from a woman who could be involved in a murder.”
“So, what if she killed her, you mean? Well, she was the last person to see her alive and that kinda makes her an automatic suspect.” Rowley unzipped his jacket and removed his gloves as the heater kicked in. “Do you figure she drove the car to the recycler’s, had it crushed with the body inside then walked back to the road?”
“Nope because that ‘what if’ is missing a vital piece of information.” Kane flicked him a glance then kept his eyes on the frozen landscape. “The chance of Ella Tate knowing the guy or watchman or whoever is involved with the junkyard would be remote. Someone had to be there to crush Sky’s vehicle. It’s not something she could do alone.”
“So what is your ‘what if’?” Rowley looked at him interested.
“What if the incident played out as Tate said and the killer owns the junkyard?”
“Killed the girl, towed the car here and crushed the evidence?” Rowley smiled. “Makes sense.”
Kane took in the beauty of the brilliant white countryside, flattened by the snow. He remembered his first drive into Black Rock Falls along the same highway, in the snow at night. The isolation and eerie quiet, the blackened trees standing along the road like a battalion of soldiers’ guns held at attention. He could not imagine a young woman choosing to spend a night up a tree or walking miles in the snow. Her survival had been close to a miracle. “So now we have two possible scenarios.”
“I guess we could cross-check her phone records with the owner and see if she knows him.” Rowley pulled out his cellphone and scanned files on the case.
Kane nodded. “Yeah and if she does know him, she could have contacted him from the Blackwater Roadhouse to tell him they were on their way.”
“Why kill her best friend?” Rowley turned in his seat. “It seems a bit extreme just because she argued with her over Sky’s brother.”
“Yeah, the motive is a sticking point with me too.” Kane glanced at his GPS. “Are we close to the place Tate said they were attacked?”
“Yeah, see those trees over there? That’s where Tate said she spent the night.” Rowley pointed out the window. “Going on her statement the attack must have happened opposite.”
Kane slowed his truck to a crawl. No vehicles moved in either direction and the place was as silent as a tomb. He scanned the area, seeing the recent grooves from the snowmobiles along the partially cleared path. The group of pines where Tate had sheltered were heavy with snow, their branches bending under the weight. High in the tree beneath snow-covered branches would be the safest place to survive a night in these conditions. Out of the wind, the snow-laden branches would form an igloo of sorts around her.
He turned to Rowley. “How far is the junkyard?”
“Straight ahead, first turn on the right, there is a bright orange sign. The road was cleared so we should get through okay.” Rowley pulled on his gloves and peered out at the sky. “I’m not sure how long the blizzard will hold off, the sky looks fit to burst.”
Glad of the snow tires, Kane eased his truck along an ice-covered blacktop that wound its way past a field of rusty old cars dating back fifty years or more. Each had a liberal coating of white and crazed frost patterns across the windows. He pulled up in front of the huge iron gates and blasted his horn. The place looked deserted and he slipped from the car, dragging down his hat firmly over his ears then pulling up his hoodie. He opened the door and Duke jumped down beside him and sniffed the frozen ground then sneezed.
Kane did a visual scan of the area then turned to Rowley. “We need to find out when they shut down. The heavy machinery used to lift the vehicles into the crusher and the crusher itself doesn’t appear to have the same amount of snow piled up on them as the surrounding buildings.” He took out his cellphone and took a few photographs. “See here, where the gate opens the snow is only a few inches deep.”
“Yeah, but they use a lot of salt up here in the driveways.” Rowley kicked the snow from his boots on a tree stump. “And I would say someone would drop by from time to time to keep an eye on the place.”
Kane pushed the phone back inside his coat. “Maybe, but there’s not much to steal, is there? I’m not sure many would try to scale this fence in winter.” He sighed. “I’ll look up the snow gauge measurements for this area. Right now if the owner shut down before the first blizzard the amount of snow doesn’t tally. If he shut down after then he would have been open the day after the attack. If so, why wasn’t he here during the search?”
“The snowmobile group said the gates were locked when they came by and they’ve been by three or four times searching the area.” Rowley stared into space. “What next?”
Kane headed back to his truck and pulled open the back door for Duke to jump onto his blanket. “We find out when they shut down and ask them to allow us to look around. If they don’t allow us inside to search the place, I think we have enough for a search warrant.”
Nineteen
The issuing of a media statement was a double-edged sword. Unlike a BOLO, the “be on the lo
okout” order issued by law enforcement to find or apprehend lost people or suspects, the media release hotline opened up a Pandora’s box of useless information, all of which had to be sifted through just on the off-chance someone had actually seen something useful. After a couple of hours’ searching, Jenna had discovered one small lead but it could wait until she refilled her coffee cup. The persistent cough had eased but her head still ached and the illness had weakened her more than she would care to admit. She pushed to her feet and, hands on hips, leaned back stretching her back.
The snow brought with it an eerie silence and although the sky was heavy with cloud cover, a bright white light streamed through the windows. The condensation from the heating had frozen in a leafy design on the windowpanes and she rubbed a hole in the frost to peer outside. Across the driveway, Kane’s cottage appeared surreal, coated with snow and decorated with foot-long icicles hanging from the gutters and windowsills. The boughs of surrounding pines hung down under the burden of snow appearing strangely green amidst the barren black sticks of the maple trees and brown and gray brush. Cold seeped through the windows cooling her skin. The ranch house was over one hundred years old and every winter she promised to finish the double glazing to keep out the bitter wind but something always came up to stop her. Time it seemed was her enemy, she rarely had enough time to go to the beauty parlor for a haircut let alone make improvements on the place.
The silent alarm flashed on the wall panel and her cellphone vibrated. As if she had waited for this moment, a calm descended on her. She might be alone but she could defend her home. In three strides, she went to the gun safe and moments later had a rifle loaded and within easy reach. She strapped her backup weapon to her ankle. The ringtone on her cellphone informed her Kane had received the same alert. She scanned the array of screens and the vehicle heading toward the house then accepted his call. “I have a visitor driving an old Dodge Durango maybe a 2000 model, could be silver, it has a deal of snow on it.”
“Doctor Weaver was driving a silver truck, most likely it’s her.” She could hear the roar of Kane’s vehicle. “I’m out at the industrial area a mile or so past where Sky was abducted. Rowley is with me. Wolfe can be there in twenty. I’ll call him.”
Jenna chewed on her bottom lip, watching the vehicle make steady progress down her driveway. “No, don’t bother him just yet. If she came alone, I’ll be able to handle her. I’d pretend I’m not home, although the smoke coming from the chimney is a dead giveaway.” She sighed. “I’ll be fine. The alarm just spooked me after what Wolfe told me about the blood tests Doctor Weaver ordered. It makes her an unknown threat.”
“Roger that. I’m on my way back to the office. Don’t hang up. I’ll hand you over to Rowley in a minute and put you on speaker. Just don’t allow her to jab you with a needle.”
“No way. I’m not sure how we’ll explain this situation to him.” Jenna pressed her back to the wall and watched the bundled up figure climb from the vehicle and head for the front porch. “We can’t tell him the truth.” She grabbed her coat from the peg and shrugged it on. No way was she allowing the woman inside.
“I’ll figure something out.” Kane’s voice sounded serious. “Is she alone?”
Jenna peered inside the frosted windows of the doctor’s car. “Unless someone is lying down inside her truck, she seems to be. Radio silence now, I’m opening the door.” She slipped the cellphone into her pocket and turned the handle. “What brings you out in the cold, Doctor?”
“I was passing and thought I’d drop by to see how you’re recovering.” Dr. Weaver looked up at her from the bottom of the steps.
“I’m much better, thank you.” Jenna stepped out onto the porch but kept her distance.
A tingle of worry lifted the hairs on the back of her neck at the way the doctor kept her hands in her pockets. As the woman moved closer, Jenna caught an unnerving expression crossing the woman’s face. Apprehension, or was it indecision she caught in her small beady eyes? She couldn’t put her finger on it but when a nerve in the doctor’s cheek twitched, it alarmed her. She didn’t trust this woman and wanted her off her ranch.
“You still look very pale.” Dr. Weaver’s expression was determined now. “I’ll check you over, no charge.”
“No need. I’m fine.” Jenna allowed her coat to fall open just long enough for the doctor to notice the weapon, sitting snug in its shoulder holster.
“You should be inside out of the cold.” Dr. Weaver’s attention moved to the pistol. She frowned and the foot she’d raised as if to mount the steps fell back to the packed snow at the foot of the stairs. “Your blood tests came back and apart from a slightly elevated white cell count you are fine. The higher white blood count is most likely due to the infection. You should take another blood test in a few weeks just to be sure.”
Jenna forced a smile. “That’s great news. Wolfe will do one for me. You shouldn’t have come all the way out here to tell me. You could have called me. It’s dangerous on the roads at this time of year.” She glanced behind her and cleared her throat. “I have to go, I have a visitor.”
“Oh.” The doctor gave her a confused stare. “I thought you were alone. I drove past Deputies Kane and Rowley out on the back highway.”
“I’m not sure I remember how being alone feels anymore.” Jenna laughed and hoped she didn’t sound hysterical. “Since I’ve been ill, I’ve had streams of visitors daily. I’ll get more rest when I’ve gotten back to work.” Shivering dramatically, she pushed open the door. “It’s cold out here. I’d better let you get back to work.” She gave her a wave. “Thanks for dropping by.”
Jenna shut the door and turned the lock but Dr. Weaver just stood there staring at her with the same expression. The sight of her just standing there unnerved her. She pulled out her cellphone. “Rowley put Kane on.”
“She gone?”
A shiver went up Jenna’s spine. “Nope, she’s just standing there staring at the door.” She walked onto the family room and wiped a hole in the frosted window to look outside. “She has a strange expression on her face and said she thought I was alone.”
“That’s not good. I’m dropping Rowley at the office and coming home.” Kane cleared his throat. “What’s she doing now?”
Jenna had not taken her eyes off the doctor. “She’s leaning on her truck and talking on her cellphone. Do you know if Wolfe has gotten any information on her yet?”
“Nope. I’m sure he’ll let you know when the FBI have finished looking into her background.”
Heart pounding, Jenna gaped at the woman in disbelief. “Holy crap she is heading back to the house.” She swapped the cellphone into her left hand and pulled her weapon, surprised at the shake in her grip. “What does this woman want with me?”
“Old memories are hard to shift, Jenna. It’s normal to go on alert if you feel threatened.” As usual, Kane’s voice was calm. “Look, if she believes someone is in the house with you she would be stupid to try anything. If she comes to the door again, speak to her through the window.”
Jenna holstered her weapon with some reluctance, pushed open the family room window and looked at the doctor. “Is anything wrong?”
“I think I dropped my keys.” Dr. Weaver moved her boot through the snow at the foot of the steps and stared at the frozen ground.
Jenna kept the cellphone to her ear. “You had your hands in your pockets the entire time you spoke to me. I don’t think you dropped them here. Maybe try looking closer to your truck.” She sighed. “I would come out and help you but I have to take this call. Kane is only a few minutes away and will give you a hand when he arrives.”
“It’s okay, here they are.” The doctor held up the keys. “They were in my pocket. Silly me. Sorry to have troubled you.” She trudged back to her truck, started the motor and drove away.
“Has she gone?” The sound of Kane’s engine had stopped.
Surprised the woman had unnerved her to such an extent, Jenna heaved a long sigh of relie
f. “Yeah, where are you?”
“Outside the office. I’m heading home now.”
“Good.” Jenna peered out the window. “I’m not sure who she was calling, so I’ll be in the safe room just in case. Come get me.” The sound of a powerful motor filled Jenna’s ear as Kane headed his truck back out onto the highway. “I’ll stay on the line until you arrive. Drive safe.”
“Roger that.”
Twenty
Ella paced up and down before the roaring fire in Doug Paul’s man cave. She wished Sky’s family would listen to her and stop treating her as if she’d lost her mind. None of them seemed to be doing anything to find Sky. They all sat around waiting to hear news from the sheriff. The waiting was driving her nuts. She glared at Doug. Unlike his small sister, he was well built and athletic, but they had the same hair and eyes. “I figure I’ve waited long enough for search and rescue to find Sky. They have to be searching in the wrong place. I want to borrow your truck and look for her myself.”
“I’m not allowing you near my truck.” Doug glared at her. “Mom will have a fit if you go out there alone.”
Ella lifted her chin. “I won’t be alone. I met a guy online, a medical student, who says he will help me look for Sky. I’m meeting him later.”
“Do you honestly believe we could find her if search and rescue failed? Didn’t you watch the news? The sheriff had everyone available out looking and the news chopper was doing updates—they had fifty or more people on the ground. The deputies were on scene directing the search. Trust me, the sheriff is moving heaven and earth to find her.” Doug snorted. “You’re nuts if you figure you and some med student will find her in the middle of the night.”