by D. K. Hood
Jenna smothered a grin and strolled down the hallway into the kitchen. “You came at a good time. I have cookies fresh from the oven, and coffee.” She turned at the door and took in his bemused expression.
You are professional all the way. I’d bet you have been on the job for so long, you find any form of nicety suspicious. She had not had a real partner for years and craved the company of intelligent conversation. The kind where she could speak her mind, talk shop, and not feel like a Mother Superior. Backpedaling, she chuckled. “Don’t tell the other deputies. They don’t know I have a feminine side.”
“They wouldn’t believe me.” Kane’s wide mouth quirked up into a genuine smile. “You should show people this side of you more often.” He wiped his feet on the mat and reached for the zipper on his jacket. “This will take a while, and coffee and cookies sounds like heaven, thanks.” He turned and hung his coat on a peg beside the back door.
Twelve
Kane gave Jenna a rundown of the day’s developments then sat back in his chair and sipped a steaming mug of coffee, waiting for her response. The bruise on her forehead had a dark blue hue and the shadows under her eyes worried him. Even though he had known her for less than twenty-four hours, he respected her grit.
He glanced around the deliciously warm kitchen and inhaled the aroma of freshly baked cookies that filled the room. She acts like military. Everything in its place and spotless. He tasted a cookie and flavor exploded in his mouth. With a sigh, he closed his eyes in bliss and heard her chuckle.
“So, you are human.” Jenna pushed fingers through her tousled hair. “You work like a machine. Do you ever get tired?”
He opened his eyes and frowned. “I do what’s necessary to get the job done.”
“Okay, if you want to talk shop, we’ll talk.” Jenna’s dark gaze viewed him over the rim of her cup. “What makes you think the real estate agent has anything to do with Mrs. Woodward’s disappearance?”
“Nothing yet but I have a niggling feeling he’s not telling us everything he knows.”
The message chime sounded on his cellphone and he held up one finger. “This will be the files I’ve been waiting on from Deputy Walters.”
A few moments later, they scrolled through Mrs. Woodward’s debit card statements for the previous three months. She had made substantial withdrawals recently. He glanced at Jenna and shrugged. “From the debit card withdrawals, she’s moving around. The last time she used her card was a few days ago in Blackwater. It appears she’s left Black Rock Falls.”
“Yes, but she must have made a purchase in the last two weeks, and from the statement she hasn’t spent a cent. All the withdrawals are at ATMs, and going on the previous months, this isn’t her usual behavior.” Jenna’s forehead creased into a frown. “This looks suspicious. From what Sarah told me, before she arrived in Black Rock Falls, she’d mentioned all the towns she visited on the way. Why would she stop now? It doesn’t make sense.”
“She could have experienced a health issue.” Kane shrugged. “It happens. People suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s and wander off without a trace.”
“I would imagine people suffering from either of those illnesses would forget their PIN. It is a steady decline not a sudden onset, and the family would have noticed something was wrong with her.” Jenna’s eyebrows rose in question. “Sarah said she was very careful with money, so why the sudden change?”
“That’s a valid point, and this morning Sarah told me she’d received a batch of her grandmother’s letters via her mother, so perhaps she’ll find a reason for the change of behavior in one of them.” Kane leaned back in his chair. “If not, from the evidence, Mrs. Woodward has left our county, and we’ll need to hand this investigation to the Blackwater Sheriff’s Department.”
“I’ll contact them on Monday.” Jenna waved at the screen. “Anything else you need to look at? The other file looks like bank statements from a different account.”
“Might as well.” Kane scrolled down the page and blinked. “Hello, what do we have here? Woodward withdrew a cashier’s check for twenty thousand, and from the date, it’s not long after her visit to the real estate office. John Davis sent her out to do a drive-by viewing of properties in the area. He hasn’t mentioned receiving any offers from Woodward.” He rubbed his chin. “Although, Sarah did mention her grandmother planned to purchase a property; perhaps she found a place she liked and had the check to put down a deposit?”
“Then we’ll need to contact the bank and see if the check has been cashed—” Jenna drummed her manicured fingernails on the table “—or if someone local has deposited it into their account.”
Kane rubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes and bit back a yawn. “I’ll get Walters to follow that up on Monday.”
“I want you to call Mr. Davis again to remind him we need the list of properties he gave Mrs. Woodward.” Jenna worried her bottom lip, turning it red, and met his gaze. “Some of the abandoned ranches for sale are in remote areas; anything could have happened to her.”
Kane picked up another cookie from the plate and shrugged. “She can’t be in two places at once, can she? We know from her debit card statement she was miles away after her visit to Davis’s real estate office.”
“Yes, but maybe she visited real estate offices in other towns then returned to Black Rock Falls. This is the point, we don’t know her movements, and without a cellphone, it will be impossible to trace her.” Jenna rubbed her temples as if warding off a headache. “I think we need to lean on Davis.”
“I agree. We’ll talk to him again but if the check hasn’t been cashed by him, there is no evidence that points to him as a suspect.” He nibbled the crumbly delight and sighed. “I’ll contact the police station in Blackwater and ask them to put a be-on-the-look-out call out on her, and I’ll call the real estate offices just in case she dropped by. I guess Sarah will have to submit a missing persons’ report there as well.” Yawning, he shook off the dragging fatigue and peered at her. “I should go. We can pick this up later.”
“Before you leave,” Jenna placed one small hand on his arm, “did Walters get a list of the other Ford pickups in town? I have the ones Rowley checked out.”
“Not yet but I told him to send what he has before he goes home.” Kane turned in his chair to face her. “I need a list of suspects ASAP. I’m flying blind here. Can you give me the names of anyone you’ve had problems with no matter how trivial, and I’ll see if they match to any of the vehicles on the list?” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’d like to go over your movements for the last six weeks. When you did the house-to-house—or should I say ranch-to-ranch—looking for information on Woodward. Could you have stumbled into some illegal activity?”
“I don’t recall anything unusual unless there’s a statute for horse breeding. I seem to make a habit of showing up during mating season or foaling, much to the amusement of the locals.” Her cheeks pinked. “Neither is my cup of tea. I might live here but I’m not a country girl. I couldn’t kill a chicken to save my life.”
“I wondered why you had no livestock.” Kane wiggled his brows. “No dog either. Do you have a problem with animals?”
“I would probably forget to feed a dog.” Jenna lifted her chin and her expression turned serious. He had stepped on a nerve. “Getting back to business. I hope you sent someone out on patrol this afternoon. I like to give visitors the impression of a police presence during the home games.”
Kane nodded. “Sure did. I sent Rowley out to patrol the area in his cruiser before heading home. I’ll need to grab a meal and get some rest before my next shift.”
“I don’t expect you to pull another shift. Consider yourself off-duty.”
“Thanks, but I’m fine.” Kane emptied his cup, placed it on the table, and stood. “What time?”
“The game starts at seven and Rowley and Daniels get to the stadium at six thirty.” She smiled and her gaze moved over his face almost intimately. “Our shift starts a
round ten.”
“Okay, I’ll pick you up at nine thirty.” He strolled for the door, grabbing his coat along the way.
The freezing chill slapped his face and seeped into his clothes. The last fall of snow had frozen like the icing on a wedding cake and he crunched his way back to the cottage, huffing out great clouds of steam. He did not like loose ends, and so far the cases in Black Rock Falls had more frayed edges than his favorite pair of jeans.
Thirteen
Kane set the alarm for three hours. The training received during his varied career gave him the capability to sleep anywhere at any time. Although, since the surgeon installed the plate in his head, the pain he endured was unbearable at times, and the nightmares—long, drawn-out horror stories—were par for the course, but now for some reason, he could not get the image of Jenna pointing the gun in his face out of his mind.
Her kill-or-be-killed expression haunted his thoughts. She had been calm; too calm for a normal person following a near-death experience. The overkill of surveillance and security on the property could mean only one thing. Someone had threatened her or she had something to hide. He considered witness protection but the United States Marshals Service would not allow her to become a public figure. To get the treatment he received—a new face and a new life with an unquestionable background—did not come cheap. Who are you, Jenna?
* * *
At nine thirty on the dot, Kane pulled the SUV outside Jenna’s door and sounded the horn. The floodlight over the steps spilled across the driveway and illuminated the steam curling from the SUV’s engine. Although Jenna had tried to dismiss his worries, he refused to brush off the attempt on her life. If he could gain her confidence, she might open up to him but he doubted it. Her expression told him she wore a shield around her of pure titanium. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and stared at the front door. She doesn’t trust me yet but she will.
The door opened and Kane could see Alton turning to set the alarm. After pulling the hood over her dark hair, she closed the door behind her, gripped the handrail, and trod with care down the snow-covered steps. She rounded the car and climbed in beside him with agility, bringing with her a gust of freezing air.
He turned to her. “Where to?”
“The Cattleman’s Hotel.” Alton’s hood obscured her face as she buckled her seat belt and leaned back in the chair. “The hockey crowd drifts out around ten. Rowley and Daniels have parked the cruisers out front and will arrive soon.” She smiled. “At least it appears we’ve been there all evening.”
The accident remained fixed in his mind, and the moment he pulled the SUV into the parking lot, he turned to her. “Do you pin the week’s duty roster on a noticeboard or is it by word of mouth or email?”
“It’s on the noticeboard beside the kitchenette. Why?”
He rubbed his chin. “So it’s not accessible to the general public?”
She gave him one of her long stares, as if she was trying to read his mind.
“Where are you going with this?”
He shrugged, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. “I believe the driver of the Ford pickup planned your accident and knew you went out on your own on Friday night. Who apart from the deputies could have seen the duty roster?”
A flash of apprehension crossed her face but she smothered it with an obviously practiced smile.
“No one is trying to murder me.” She chuckled and waved a hand dismissively. “I wrote up the weekend roster for the home game on Thursday. Every man and his dog knows I only work on weekends during a home game.”
He examined her face, trying to read her, but she was a consummate professional at hiding her emotions. “So you don’t post a duty roster for after-hours call-outs during the week?”
“It’s not necessary; we alternate. This week it was Rowley and me, next week it’s Daniels and Walters.” She let out a long sigh. “This week, I removed Rowley from Friday night and posted it on the board. I guess anyone going to the cells or bathroom could see the list—if they could decipher my writing in a couple of seconds. I think one of us would notice if someone stopped to read the noticeboard.”
“The bathroom is used by the public, and anyone passing would be able to read a roster; it only takes seconds.” He shrugged. “Why did you remove Rowley from Friday night?”
“I gave him the night off for personal reasons.” Jenna wet her bottom lip and lowered her lashes. “His cousin is in town for the game and he wanted to meet up with him.”
Kane snorted. “How convenient.” I’ll add him to my list of suspects.
Alton rounded on him, her eyes flashing with anger.
“Don’t you dare say another word about him.” She turned in her seat and glared at him. “Jake Rowley is the most professional deputy I’ve had the pleasure of working with since arriving in Black Rock Falls.”
“Okay, so he’s untouchable.” He narrowed his gaze on her. “So where else have you worked? The last place must have been a nightmare.”
“That’s none of your business, but as a professional courtesy, I’ll tell you. I came to Black Rock Falls after a stint as a detective in Los Angeles.” Jenna flicked him a glance with zero emotion. “I wanted to get away from the city. I’m a small-town girl at heart and the city is like a pressure cooker: something is always getting ready to explode.”
“Crime is like water: it levels out no matter where you live.” He kept his gaze on the road. “Don’t tell me Black Rock Falls is any different. From the court records I skimmed through earlier, you’ve been busy.”
“Yeah, but petty crimes, nothing comes close to the amount of murders, drug busts and drive-by shootings I’ve dealt with in the past.” She sighed. “Here, DUIs plus the odd domestic disturbance take up most of our time. We have increased crime rates during the influx of visitors into Black Rock Falls, and trouble follows the rodeo circuit like flies on horseshit. The cowboys come through town like a cattle stampede and the young women flock to them.”
Kane chuckled. “Oh yeah, girls love rodeo cowboys. I’m guessing the guys on the circuit clash with the local boys?”
“Every time. Although we have a few locals on the circuit, most from the outlying ranches. There’s a lot of whooping and hollering when they arrive home.” Alton waved a small hand toward a parking lot adjacent to the Cattleman’s Hotel. “The place is already packed. Pull up out front.”
Kane pulled into the space beside two cruisers in the “Reserved for Black Rock Falls County Sheriff’s Department” parking area and, leaving the engine running, turned to face her. “Where are the other deputies?”
“Walters will be at the dance.” She took a pair of gloves from her pocket and pulled them onto slim fingers. “Rowley and Daniels are at the stadium. After they drop the cruisers here, Rowley’s father takes them to the game.” She pulled out her cell and glanced at the screen. “They’ll be dropped back here in a few minutes.”
Not wanting to take charge, Kane drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and waited for instructions. He would have to bite his tongue if he wanted to fit in, and after commanding special agents for most of his career, coping with Jenna Alton would be a challenge.
Fourteen
Going into the Cattleman’s Hotel and making his presence known would avoid trouble. Kane swallowed his frustration and cleared his throat. “Does the department have a drunk bus?”
“No.” Alton made a huff of irritation.
“Then what happens if twenty or so drunks get behind the wheel? There are only three cruisers available and my vehicle isn’t equipped for the transportation of prisoners.” He caught her annoyed expression and softened his voice. “Perhaps if we went inside before closing, they might think twice before attempting to drive. Does Black Rock Falls have a Designated Driver program?”
“No to the last question, and yes, but I usually go inside when the deputies arrive. I agree, seeing us is a good incentive to avoid driving under the influence.” Her lips thinned. He had annoye
d her. “The sheriff’s department presence does work. Many stay here overnight or at the motel, and they can walk from here.” She waved a hand toward a line of cabs. “They often share a cab, not that four cabs are enough, but some people are prepared to wait.”
“Okay.” He rubbed his chin. “If you want to go inside, you don’t need to wait for the others.” He smiled at her. “Brilliant! Let’s go.” He killed the engine and unclipped the seat belt. “Do you want me to contact Rowley for their ETA?”
“No. I’ll manage.” She gave him a cold stare, reached for the radio attached to her belt, and made the call.
The reply came through loud and clear to inform her the deputies had left the stadium. Kane could not imagine why she would risk using the radio after an attempt on her life. A police scanner could pick up the signal and pinpoint her position. She had made a potentially fatal mistake. He slid from the seat and shut the door behind him. Wondering how to broach the subject of her security, he leaned on the front of the SUV and waited for her to come around to meet him.
The cold air sent a bolt of pain into his temple as a constant reminder of the lunatic who had murdered his wife. He pulled the woolen cap over his ears and noticed Jenna regarding him with a compassionate stare. Straightening, he tapped the Black Rock Falls Sheriff’s Department logo he had sewn onto the front. “I know my hat isn’t the official uniform and the badge is borrowed from one of my shirts, but I need to keep my head warm and a cowboy hat just doesn’t work.”
“Not a problem. We’ll make it official. Many of the other counties supply them for their officers.” Alton gave him a curt nod. “I think we could all do with one of those hats in this weather. I have a drawer filled with official cloth badges in the office and the hats aren’t expensive.”