by D. K. Hood
The noise of someone banging on her front door and the sound of the two girls calling her name, Jenna closed the files and headed for the door. The girls, with rosy cheeks and excited chatter, met her as she opened the door. “Come inside in the warm.” She helped them with their coats and hung them on the pegs beside the front door. “I have cookies in the kitchen and Dave says I make the best hot chocolate in town.”
“He’s taking care of the horses.” Anna beamed up at her as they made their way to the kitchen. “He said we should be helping him because that’s how you say thanks to a horse for riding it but he said he would thank them for us because we were shivering.”
Jenna glanced at the clock and frowned. The time had flown. “No wonder you’re cold, you’ve been out there for an hour.”
She had them settled in front of the fire watching TV by the time Kane walked in the front door, removed his coat and kicked off his snow-covered boots. She took him into the kitchen and brought him up to date. “I’ve emailed the file to Judge Eaton. Now I guess we wait until after lunch to call him.”
“Yeah, I figure we give him plenty of time to read the file.” Kane nibbled at a cookie. “Wolfe should be calling soon. We could drop the girls home and do a drive-by of Chuck Burns’ junkyard. I doubt it will be open today but if it is, we could make some excuse to have a look around and see if he has a yellow car in there.”
Jenna reached for a cookie. “A slow drive-by, maybe. I don’t want to spook him. If he thinks we’re on to him, he’ll destroy any evidence.” She sighed. “I’d rather wait until we have a search warrant.”
“That sounds like a plan. We could drop by Aunt Betty’s for lunch. It will give me time to read over the info you have on Knox.”
Jenna grinned at him. “Your tank is always empty. Are you ever not hungry?”
“It’s the long hours.” Kane reached for another cookie. “I need a lot of fuel to keep up with you.”
Jenna laughed. “Okay, we’ll wait it out at Aunt Betty’s. It will be warmer than opening the office and I do need to eat. I’m exhausted and the cold weather isn’t helping.” She sighed. “The thought of driving to Blackwater this afternoon to execute a search warrant on a potential kidnapper isn’t my idea of a perfect Sunday.”
“I had a ball riding with Julie and Anna.” Kane turned his cup around on the table and sighed. “I wanted to have kids. They’re exhausting but I’m kind of jealous of Wolfe. I know he lost his wife too but she left him with three beautiful daughters.”
“I figure we’re lucky.” Jenna pushed words out over the lump in her throat. “He has adopted us as family and we get to enjoy his kids for a couple of hours at a time, then hand them back.” She shrugged. “The hours you put in on the job, you wouldn’t have time for kids.”
“I guess not.” Kane sighed.
Jenna’s cellphone chimed. It was Wolfe.
“Autopsy showed Mrs. Palmer died in the wreck, nothing suspicious, and the blood test for Ella Tate came back positive. So it seems she was telling you the truth. The amount she still had in her system would have knocked her out and messed with her mind.”
A wave of relief lifted a weight from Jenna’s shoulders. “That’s good news. Are you finished for the day?”
“Yeah. I’m home now.” He cleared his throat. “Another thing. Doctor Weaver’s computer confirms she was making her own HLA typing database. I figure we need to question her about her motive. My gut tells me she is up to something.”
Jenna frowned. “I have the same feeling but the kidnapping takes priority right now.”
“Sure. Have my girls behaved themselves?”
“Perfect as always and they’ll sleep well tonight.” Jenna smiled at Kane. “They rode for about an hour.”
“Great. Will you be able to drop them home now? Emily is making lunch.” Wolfe’s voice lowered to a whisper. “I’d ask you to stay but I wouldn’t advise it.”
Jenna chuckled. “Sure, we’ll be there in half an hour.” She disconnected and looked at Kane. “We’re good to go. Mrs. Palmer’s death was accidental and Ella’s blood test came back positive for the date rape drug I suspected.”
“That’s one less murder to investigate.” Kane pushed to his feet. “I’ll go and get changed into uniform; if the search warrant comes through I guess we’ll be heading out to Blackwater.” He glanced down at Duke curled on the rug. “Do you mind if I leave him here? He’s tuckered out.”
“Of course not.” Jenna reached for her cellphone. “I’ll give the Blackwater sheriff the heads-up we might need one of his deputies this afternoon. If there is any evidence at Knox’s motel room, we’ll need him there for any jurisdiction issues.”
Forty-Nine
Much to Jenna’s surprise, she received a call from Judge Eaton as she finished lunch at Aunt Betty’s, to inform her he had signed the warrant and a deputy from Blackwater would meet her at the Blackwater Motel within the hour. She had spoken at length with Wolfe and he’d advised them to seal the room if they found anything significant and leave the forensics to him. Jenna agreed; it would be easy enough to have the Blackwater deputy take Knox into custody and hold him for questioning.
The drive-by of Chuck Burns’ junkyard yielded zip. He had the place locked up tight and the rusty pull-down door to the garage looked as if it hadn’t opened in years. The windows out front had a thick coating of grime and Jenna had no other option than to wait until the following morning to pay him a visit with a search warrant in hand.
The sun was dropping low in the sky by the time they turned onto the highway to Blackwater, with Kane behind the wheel as they headed down the straightaway. Her dislike of driving in the snow picked up pace as they headed down the first hill. Snow thrown from the snowplow created huge banks on each side of the highway and the blacktop wound away ahead, resembling a luge track etched out of the countryside. She turned her attention away from the steep decline and peered through the side window. Ice sparkled in patches and the last rays of the winter sun colored the wide expanse of snow across the grasslands in orange.
As they traveled through the miles of open plains, leaving the vast forests behind, they passed a few ranches, roofs piled high with snow and surrounded by fences buried to the top wire. In the distance, an elk pawed at a cleared driveway, searching for a meal, then bounded through deep snowdrifts toward a small wooded area. “I’m surprised animals survive in this weather.”
“They are more adaptable than you think.” Kane glanced in the direction of the elk. “It’s unusual to see them away from their herd in this weather. I figure they stay together to keep warm. You seem very tense.” He turned on the radio. “Am I driving too fast?”
Jenna laughed but it sounded false. “No, it’s fine, I know I’m safe with you. It’s a weird feeling of dread I get since I spun out and landed on the roof of my cruiser last year. Driving long distances in these conditions isn’t something I enjoy, especially with sundown so close.” She waved a hand at the spectacular views. “Although, I have to admit the snow-covered plains look beautiful. Lethal but very pretty.”
“I usually figure the snow looks picturesque for the first day, then I wish it was spring.” Kane glanced at her. “Tell me more about Jeff Knox. What do you make of him?”
Understanding he was attempting to take her mind off the journey, Jenna pulled out her notes and flicked through the pages. “Apart from his priors, we only have what Aitken has alleged to have seen. Knox’s past and the sighting of him carrying a woman into his room make him a person of interest. The description on his driver’s license puts him in the size range of the Axman.”
“We could speak to Levi Holt again and offer him six images of men around the same size and see if he picks him out as a possible suspect?” Kane slowed to take the off-ramp into Blackwater. “Did we confirm what vehicle he drives?”
Jenna took a deep breath of relief as the town came into view. “Yeah, a white pickup and a van.” She shuddered. “I can’t imagine why people
drive white vehicles in the snow. They become invisible in seconds.”
“That may be the point.” Kane slowed to drive through town. “At night he switches off his headlights and he becomes invisible but he’d be able to see the blacktop quite well; even in the dark it sticks out against the snow.”
They drove into the parking lot at the Blackwater Motel and pulled up beside a deputy’s cruiser. Jenna scanned the area. Only a few vehicles had parked outside the rooms. The motel was tired-looking and needed renovation. The old paint had started to peel off the walls and potholes littered the cleared driveway. She glanced at him. “I guess not many people stay here in winter.”
“I’m not sure I’d stay here at all.” Kane slid from behind the wheel, pulled his cap down over his pink ears and turned to her, puffing out a great cloud of condensation. “The walls look paper-thin and that roof is a few more snowfalls away from collapsing. I figure it will be freezing inside.”
A blast of cheap perfume accosted Jenna’s nostrils as she led the way into the motel reception area and nodded to the Blackwater deputy leaning against the counter chatting to the receptionist. She recognized Deputy Blake. “Thanks for coming out on a Sunday.”
“The sheriff called me after he’d gotten a call from Judge Eaton and I dropped by his house for the warrant. I’ll serve it and then you can do your thing.” Blake frowned. “Do you figure Jeff Knox is involved with the kidnappings along the highway?”
“He’s a person of interest.” Jenna turned to the receptionist. “When did you last clean the room?”
“Two weeks ago, I guess.” The receptionist wrinkled her nose. “He’s a resident. I clean the place when he asks me to, which isn’t often.”
That’s good. Jenna nodded. “Is Mr. Knox in his room?”
“As far as I know.” The receptionist patted her blonde hair and smiled at Kane. “Would you like me to show you the way?”
Jenna rolled her eyes and headed for the door. “We’ll be fine, thank you, ma’am.” She glanced over her shoulder at Kane. “Room twenty-six.”
Fifty
Chuck Burns paced up and down, unsure what to do. The sheriff’s department had paid him another visit, the second in less than a week. His heart had pounded so fast he thought he might suffer a heart attack, seeing the deputy’s big black truck stop outside his yard again. He’d frozen inside the old garage and turned off the light. To anyone passing by the place looked deserted. He pulled out his cellphone and turned off the ringer just in case the sheriff had a mind to call him. What the hell did they want now? He pulled the door to the storeroom shut to conceal the filled shelves of car parts he’d salvaged from the cars his benefactor had given him then moved to the door and listened to them chatter about visiting someone in Blackwater.
He enjoyed the “no questions” agreement he had with his anonymous partner. All he had to do was to pick up a vehicle, strip it then crush it. The man wanted nothing in return but his silence and the deal had become lucrative but since the deputies started sniffing around his yard, he smelled a rat. He heaved a sigh of relief as the black truck drove away, and found the man’s number on his phone. The only time he called was to confirm a pick up and the man had made the rules quite clear. He hit the call button and waited.
“Yeah.” The voice at the other end was as calm as usual.
“I’ve had the sheriff here checkin’ out my yard twice this week. I figure they’re lookin’ for that yellow car.”
“You should have crushed it by now.” The man’s annoyance came down the line. “Our deal was to strip the vehicles and crush them as soon as possible.”
Burns cleared his throat. “Yeah well, I would if the deputies hadn’t arrived and searched my yard. I stripped it down but I haven’t been able to crush it in case someone sees me. It’s all over the news, don’t you know?”
“When did the sheriff drop by?”
Burns rubbed the back of his neck. “’Bout five minutes ago. I overheard them talkin’ about Blackwater and they took the highway south.”
“Get rid of that damn car and leave the sheriff to me.” The line went dead.
Fifty-One
A cloud of condensation formed around Jenna, Kane and Blake as they crunched through the salt-laden parking lot of the Blackwater Motel to reach room twenty-six. She stood to one side with one hand on her weapon as Kane knocked on the door. The sound of a man cursing came through the thin walls and the door opened. A wave of unwashed male and stale food wafted out around him in a miasma of nasty. The man who stood before them had mussed-up brown hair, and dark blue circles hung under puffy eyes. He straightened to about six feet tall and glared at them. A noisy truck went by on the main street and Jenna raised her voice. “Mr. Knox?”
“You know darn well who I am. Leastways he does.” Knox pointed a finger at Blake. “What you doin’ wakin’ a man at this hour? I work nights and you’re disturbin’ my rest. Sunday is my only day off.” He attempted to close the door and gaped as Kane’s large hand pushed the door wide open. “What do you think you’re doin’?”
“We have a warrant to search your room.” Blake pressed the warrant into Knox’s chest and pushed his way into the room. “Stand over against the wall. Do you have any weapons you want to tell us about?”
“Yeah, my rifle and a Ruger LCP.” Knox paled. “I ain’t done nothin’. It ain’t illegal to own a gun in these parts.”
As Kane placed the forensics kit on the table inside the door, Jenna exchanged her thick leather gloves for latex and moved inside the room. She covered her face with a surgical mask, not willing to breathe in the toxic air. “Any knives?”
“Yeah.” Knox gave a bark of laughter. “You kiddin’ me, Sheriff? This is Blackwater. Maybe you’ve mistaken the motel for an apartment on Fifth Avenue.”
She made her way into the middle of the room and Kane moved to her side. She lowered her voice. “You start in here, I’ll see if I can sweet-talk him into giving up a DNA sample and ask him a few questions.”
“Roger that.” Kane snapped on gloves and went to work.
After pulling out her notebook and pen, she approached Knox. He gave her a long salacious look that made her skin crawl. Although she was aware Knox owned a white van and a pickup, she wanted confirmation. “Mr. Knox, I’m Sheriff Alton from Black Rock Falls. I would like to ask you a few questions, so Deputy Blake will read you your rights.” Jenna waited a moment, then lifted her chin. “Do you wish to have a lawyer present for questioning?”
“Nope.” Knox grinned at her. “Unless bein’ a stud is a crime.”
“Mr. Knox, this involves you being implicated in a kidnapping.” Jenna raised her eyebrows. “It is a serious crime.”
“I have no idea what you’re talkin’ about.” Knox chuckled. “I don’t have to kidnap women to get them in my bed.”
Jenna glanced at the grubby sheets and suppressed a shudder. She couldn’t imagine any woman walking into his room willingly. “You mentioned working nights. Do you have an employer?”
“Yeah, I work for Brightways as a delivery driver. They’re a wholesale distributors. Groceries mostly. I deliver them late at night.” Knox shrugged. “My run is from here to Deep Valley and back through Black Rock Falls.”
Jenna made notes, surprised he’d offered so much information. “What do you drive?”
“The vehicles outside.” Knox indicated with his thumb toward the parking lot. “I drive the van unless the roads are bad or it’s a small delivery, then I take my truck.”
Jenna lifted her gaze. “Why at night and can you give me an idea of the times you’re on the highway?”
“Ah, because that’s when the stores want to restock their shelves with fresh produce for the mornin’.” Knox gave her a long stare as if she was an idiot. “I leave Brightways around ten-thirty ’n’ get back here sometimes as late as six. It depends on how many stops I have to make. If it’s just a few deliveries into Black Rock Falls I can do the trip in an hour or so in good weather.”
“I gather you would have been traveling on the highway around midnight the Friday before last?” Jenna attempted to gauge his reaction but he just looked at her with the same contemptuous expression.
“Yeah, that would be right.” Knox rubbed his chin, then frowned. “It was an early run. I’d gotten back here around two, maybe three, I don’t rightly recall.”
Jenna wanted him to admit he’d taken a woman to his room. If he wasn’t involved in Sky’s kidnapping, the woman Aitken saw him carry into his motel room would give him an alibi. “Is there anyone who can verify that you arrived here between two and three on Saturday morning?”
“Nope. I didn’t see anyone. It was late and most folks around here are tucked up in bed.” Knox didn’t move his intense stare from her face. “Anything else?”
“Yeah.” Jenna ignored his hostility and glanced back at her notes. “I’d like to see your right forearm.”
“How did you know abou—” Knox shook his head. “Never mind.” He rolled up his sleeve, displaying a dressing. “Yeah, I injured it opening a crate last Tuesday packing my truck.”
The same day someone attacked Levi Holt. Interesting. “So if you hurt yourself on Tuesday did you complete your run that night as usual?”
“Yeah.”
I have him. “So the highway closure wasn’t a problem for you at all?” Jenna cleared her throat. “I believe a truck overturned and spilled its load, closing the highway for eight hours or more. How did you get through and back, Mr. Knox?”
“I took a backroad.” Knox gave her a triumphant grin. “It goes through the Strong Ranch. It bypassed the closure. It’s a dirt road and they keep the snow well cleared. I’m not the only driver aware of it.”