by Unknown
Danger stepped up on the wrap-around porch and sat down in one of the oversized rockers. Neither of the men wasted words. They’d been friends enough years for Jace to read the message in the lawman’s steely-eyed gaze. Trouble was knocking on his door.
“You wanna a beer?”
“I’d love one, but I’m on duty. Thanks for the offer.”
Jace inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled. “I understand Lacey took your crime scene photos? Is she holding up all right?”
“She’s shaken. She’s frightened, afraid it’s the same perp who hid those bodies in the cave.”
“Those women were all pregnant. The same man impregnated each one of them then sat them around a table like they were dinner guests.”
“I know it, Jace. I was there. I don’t think it’s the same man. Those women were all strangled. Jillian’s head was nearly decapitated and her skin peeled away. Her murder is nothing like those done to the females in the cave, except for—”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You can’t tell me?”
“No. It isn’t something I want made public.”
“I see and you think you can no longer trust me?”
“It isn’t that, Jace. I’ll tell you when I think the time is right.”
Jace shrugged. “Okay. What can I do for you?”
“I wanna ask Dianna some more questions. I hate that I have to. You know I wouldn’t do it if there was any other way.”
“Dianna’s tough. She’ll get through it.”
“If it makes you feel any better, Jillian wasn’t murdered in your stables.” Danger thrust fingers through his hair. “I’d give a lot to know where the bastard killed her. The friggin’ DNA inside her isn’t enough to nail his ass. He can swear to consensual sex. Who could prove differently with Jillian’s rep? I’m waiting to find out if the DNA inside Jillian is a match to the DNA inside the women found in the cave.”
Jace looked off in the distance. “I didn’t keep up with her rep. I didn’t care enough about her to give a shit who she fucked.”
Danger swore softly. “There were three different samples of viable sperm in her. One has been identified as Rodney Blake’s. I have to find the other two donors. I need a saliva swab and blood sample from you. I’d appreciate it if you would go to Doc Snelling and let him collect this for me. I want to eliminate you from the running.”
Jace clenched his jaw tightly. “I didn’t kill her.”
“Did you fuck her?”
“Damn it, Danger, how can you ask me a question like that? I’m married.’
Danger hesitated. “So am I.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means we’re human and make mistakes.”
Jace stared at him. “Jesus, Danger. Does Lacey know you’re screwing around on her?”
“No. Not yet.”
“Are you crazy?”
“Crazy in love with another woman…I think.”
“You think? Don’t you think you ought to know?”
Danger rubbed the spot between his eyes. “Yes. God, I can’t think straight anymore with these damn headaches.”
“Who is she? More important, is she worth costing you Lacey and your son?”
“It no longer matters. Karen’s three months pregnant. It’s not something we can keep hidden much longer. Frankly, I don’t want to hide it any longer.”
“Shit. Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“No. I just know it’s too late to stop what has happened. I’ve asked Lacey for a divorce. It’s been over between us for at least a year, we just didn’t face it. Now, back to my original question, did you fuck Jillian?”
“I can’t answer your question.”
“You have to answer. It’s a question the D.A. will ask you. You need to be prepared for the possibility you’ll be questioned by Adam.”
“Shit.”
“Jillian’s blood was drained from her body. The report I received states it was drained slowly at intervals. There were several needle sites, as if the perp restarted the process of draining her over and over. An anticoagulant was added to the collected blood to keep it from clotting until he could dump it on your stable floors. It was very well planned. I guess that also explains all those bags of heparin that went missing from the clinic a month ago.”
“Fuck!”
Danger met Jace’s dark gaze. “She was pregnant.”
Jace choked on the swallow of beer he’d just taken. “How far along was she?”
“Not far, six, maybe seven weeks.”
Jace heard a surprised gasp from behind him and knew without looking Kaycee was behind him.
“It wasn’t mine,” he declared.
“Never said it was,” Danger replied.
Danger eyed Kaycee, noted her pallor and frowned. “I want to rule you out, Jace. The quicker I can eliminate a possible suspect, the faster I can solve the crimes.” He noted the wintry chill in Kaycee’s eyes. She edged closer to Jace, but he knew something was wrong here. Jace wasn’t telling everything.
“I’m not making accusations. As far as I’m concerned, this is a pretty informal get together. I’m making statements and asking a few questions. I figured you’d want to know the facts.”
Kaycee stood there, not touching Jace, her body rigid.
He narrowed his eyes. What was going on between these two? Whatever was happening wasn’t good. He had a feeling Jillian’s ghost stood smack in the middle between them. Did Kaycee believe Jillian’s baby belonged to Jace?
He smothered a curse and made a mental note to question her later, away from Jace’s hearing. But for now, he had other matters to clear up. He reached inside the plain brown paper sack he’d brought with him and pulled out a clear plastic bag labeled EVIDENCE in bold, black letters. “Either of you recognize this?” He held up the bag for their inspection.
“My knife!” Kaycee gasped. “But how did—where did you get it?” Her eyes flared with sudden comprehension. “Oh, my God!”
Jace jumped up from his chair. “How the hell did you get my wife’s knife?”
Danger remained calm. “I didn’t know it was your wife’s knife. I’d be interested in knowing why she thought it necessary to own such a knife. You two mind explaining?” He held up a hand. “If you want an attorney, I’ll understand, but if you do that, then I’m going to think the worst. I don’t want to have to read you your rights. Right now, everything’s off the record. I’m not filling out a report. I’m here as your friend. I’d rather bend the rules a little and keep this between us. I don’t believe for a single minute either of you murdered Jillian. So relax.”
“I didn’t kill Jillian,” Kaycee said quietly.
Danger released a deep breath. “Now, Mrs. Remington, I never said you did. But I’ve been asking questions. I have several witnesses from the Star who recall you held a knife against Jillian’s throat, maybe even cut her with it. Is this the knife?”
“Now wait just a minute,” Jace exploded. “Where did you get the knife?”
“It was sent to my office, bagged and tagged, as part of the evidence collected by the M.E. It was discovered lodged inside—” Danger hesitated, his face heating. He sent a quick glance toward Kaycee and gave a slight cough. “Uh, it was lodged in her vagina.”
Kaycee swayed. Jace reached for her. She quickly stepped back from him and squared her shoulders. “I noticed it missing from my room a few days ago.”
“And you didn’t tell anyone?” Danger turned to Jace. “Did you know her knife was missing?”
“No.” He shook his head. “Anyone could have taken it.”
“Why didn’t you tell Jace the knife was missing?” Danger turned back to Kaycee.
Kaycee frowned. “I forgot about it. It wasn’t urgent I locate it. Lady Di was in labor, and I was concerned about getting to the stables. I just forgot. I thought I’d misplaced it and it’d turn up in the house somewhere.”
“It turned up
all right,” Danger grunted. “And the only fingerprints on the knife belong to you, Mrs. Remington. I got a hit on your fingerprints from Reno. It seems a bit coincidental you were suspected of murder there, and then you show up here and another murder happens. But this time there are witnesses to say you threatened Jillian. Cut her.”
“I thought you said you didn’t know the knife belonged to Kaycee,” Jace said.
“I didn’t know. I only knew it was part of the crime scene evidence. It isn’t the murder weapon. A blow with a hammer to hear head is what killed Jillian. We didn’t find the hammer at the scene, but the knife, well…it places Kaycee at the scene. Do you have a hammer in your arsenal, Mrs. Remington?”
Kaycee hesitated. “No. I didn’t kill her,” she said firmly.
“No, ma’am, I don’t believe you did. What I do believe is someone might be trying to frame you. What the D.A. will believe is another matter. Right now, the evidence points to you.”
“Whoa, I don’t like the sound of this at all,” Jace burst out. “Kaycee would never have someone murdered for her, no matter what the provocation, nor would she kill.”
Danger held up a restraining hand. “Now, Jace, you gotta let me conduct this investigation my way. I didn’t mean to imply your lady had someone do it. I might even be way off base, but if I’m right, then I think it’s a symbolic gesture. Someone who knew there was bad blood between the two ladies and did it as a kind of—” he paused, drew a deep breath and shook his head, mystified. “Hell, I don’t know, like an offering as some type of revenge for your wife.” He scratched his jaw. “I’m not used to dealing with how a possible serial killer thinks.”
“Serial killer?” Jace flinched. “You don’t think—”
“I don’t know what’s going on, but there’s little doubt whoever killed Rodney Blake is the same perp who did Jillian. Both were knifed pretty badly, maybe not with the same knife, but in the same manner. I think the perp is very experienced. Everything was carefully thought out and executed. I’ve contacted the FBI, but it will take a while to get a man here and a profile built. I’ve also called Rafe McCord and asked him to come and help with the investigation. You remember the Special Agent? He spent the last two weeks of his vacation here in September with Lacey and me.”
Jace nodded. “I thought he left the agency and became sheriff somewhere in Texas.”
“He did, but he’s willing to help.” Danger swore softly. “I can tell you from the savageness of Jillian’s murder, the killer is escalating and it’s not a good thing. There’s no predicting what he might do next. I hate to go into such detail in front of your wife, but you need to be aware this psycho is out there. He might have targeted someone else here at the ranch, your wife…perhaps, Dianna, or possibly you.”
Jace shook his head. “I haven’t done anything to draw the attention of a psychotic killer with a grudge against the world.”
Danger sighed. “The thing is you never know what you might do to draw his attention. It could be a minor infraction, but it’d be enough to piss off the killer and set him onto you. I don’t want to scare anyone, but I don’t think any of the women are safe here, Jace. Hell, the men might not be safe, considering Rodney. But I think this lunatic hates women. I mean, who the hell screws a woman until she dies and bites off her nipples? Doesn’t it sound familiar? Remember the females in the cave back three years ago?”
Kaycee gave an odd little sound and her knees buckled. Jace caught his wife before she fell. “Goddamn it, Danger.” Jace released a sharp breath. “What’s wrong with you? Help me get her inside. I have something to tell you.”
Danger nodded. “Sorry. I needed a genuine reaction from your wife. Shit. Maybe I’ll have the beer after all.”
“Yeah.”
“Is she all right?”
The door slammed shut behind them. Jace carried Kaycee across the entryway to the large, airy living room and placed her on the sofa. Tenderly, he brushed the curls back from her pale face and stroked a fingertip down her smooth cheek. “Yeah, she’s fine. This has all been difficult for her.” He rose to his feet. “Beer? I’ll get you one. I think you’ll need it.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
~Cowboy Quotes
Dancing Star Ranch
Wednesday 1:30 p.m.
“Smitt Davis?” Danger spat out the name like bullets. “Good God, he hasn’t been in this part of Montana since, what, junior high? I remember how he and his creepy family were all shunned after the cat burning incident. They moved away shortly after that.”
“What,” Kaycee asked. “What did he do?”
Jace scowled at his wife. Her color looked better and she was sitting up on the sofa.
“He torched a kitten and dropped it into the old dry well on his grandfather’s property,” he said. “Only, the fucker did it in front of a bunch of other kids who reported it. The entire family was a little odd.”
“Insane, maybe,” Danger agreed. “I don’t know about odd. I know his grandpa gave me the creeps. The old man could stare a hole right through you. I saw him knock Smitt down one time, cracked the boy over the head with a hoe handle, laid him out cold on the ground because the kid didn’t say, ‘Yes, sir.’
“The grandma ran outta the house, threw a pan of boiling water on the old man then ordered him to bring Smitt in the house. She said she’d take care of any punishment Smitt had coming to him, then she shouted at all us kids to get the hell off the property and not come back. I never went back there again.”
“Hell, no wonder Smitt’s crazy as a crippled bug,” Jace said. “I don’t think he’s ever been very far away, at least not for long periods at a time or in the last few years. He made a place for himself in Reno, but he still owns all the land and the old farm that belonged to his grandparents. All the buildings are falling in, except the back part of the house. It’s been kept up, but it’s only one room.”
“I haven’t seen him in years,” Danger replied. “Reno? You saw him there?”
“Yes. Did you check out the old farm when you found all those bodies in the cave?”
“No. Why would I? I had no suspicions Smitt was involved in any way.”
“He might be your serial killer.”
“Smitt Davis.” Kaycee spit out the man’s name with venom. She jumped up, paced the length of the living room, and stopped to glare at Jace. “You lied to me,” she accused. “You told me Jillian wasn’t pregnant.”
“Will you calm down?” Jace tried to soothe his angry wife. “I didn’t know she was pregnant. How could I?”
“You tell me?” Kaycee snapped. “I wasn’t in the shower with her.”
Jace’s face heated. He clenched his hands into tight fists at his sides. “I told you nothing happened, Kaycee. Either you believe me or you don’t. I have no way of proving what did or didn’t happen. You’ve branded me both a liar and an adulterer. But ask yourself this question…Do you honestly believe I’d willingly touch the woman who molested me? Would I want to make love to the woman who threatened my family?” He raked a hand through his hair and turned stricken eyes on Dianna when he heard her shocked gasp. He turned his wounded gaze back on Kaycee. “I guess you’ll have to decide if you believe that’s the kind of man I am.”
He watched Kaycee storm back and forth across the living room floor with her expression closed. She’d rebuilt the wall between them. His shoulders slumped. With her, it was three steps forward and five steps back. He was losing her again and this time, he might not win her back. Even dead, Jillian was winning.
How was he going to convince her he wasn’t the father of Jillian’s baby? Even with DNA testing and he was eliminated, would she believe him? Trust him?
Danger stood up, stretching. “I have to get back to the office. I’m knee deep in crime scene evidence.”
Jace shook his hand. “Thanks for keeping everything here, Danger. I appreciate your discretion.”
“No p
roblem.”
Danger had been at the ranch for over five hours. Jace knew he was tired, wanted to go home to his wife and still had two murders to solve. And he was an hour into the next shift.
“As soon as I hear back from the FBI, I’ll call. In the meantime, be careful. Whoever the killer is, he has to be close. Don’t let the women go anywhere alone.”
Kaycee stopped pacing. “I will not let that man make me a prisoner.” She slid her hands protectively over her belly. “And I will not allow him to harm my child.”
Danger grinned. “Well ol’ man, I see you’ve been busy. A baby? Congrats.” He laughed. “About time some of you Remingtons settled down and produced some little Remingtons.”
“Well, ol’ man, I’m looking forward to hearing the patter of little Blackstone feet running through your teepee again.”
Danger snorted. “Yeah. I doubt Lacey and I will be having anymore kids.”
“Hmm, I seem to recall hearing something like that from Jace about two months ago and look at him now. Wedded, bedded, and a pregnant wife, and as Jace would say, it’s all my fault.” Duel strolled in, a wide grin plastered on his face.
“Hmm, better not let Jace hear you say it’s your fault his wife is pregnant,” Danger said laughing.
Duel snickered. “True. He does tend to swing first and ask questions later.” Duel shook Danger’s hand. “Good to see you. How’s Lacey?”
“She’s fine.”
“Duel!” Dianna leaped up from the sofa and flung herself into her brother’s arms, then promptly burst into tears. She buried her face against Duel’s chest and sobbed.
Duel patted her back in an awkward gesture and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry you’ve had such a rough time, kitten.”
She nodded, sniffing. “It was gruesome. Shit! I hate crying. It was so da–damn, I can’t believe I’m sobbing like a female wimp.”
Duel smoothed his fingers down her hair. “It’s all right. I don’t mind.”