by D. K. Hood
“Leave it to me. I’ll be in touch as soon as possible.”
When Alton gave Weems a curt nod and without a word headed toward the SUV, Kane trudged after her. He could not quite make his new boss out. No damsel in distress but he had an inkling she needed someone to trust, and he would try to be that person without stepping on her authority, which would be difficult.
Throwing his gloves into the landfill hole, Kane lifted his gaze to see Alton leaning against the passenger door, eyeing him with a troubled expression. “How many people use molasses barrels in Black Rock Falls?”
“Hundreds. Why?”
Kane dragged gloves from his pocket and pulled them on his freezing hands. “There was one tied on the back of the pickup that hit you on Friday night.” He shrugged. “What’s the chance this one is the same barrel?”
“Do you really believe someone would be stupid enough to risk running me off the road with a body in a barrel tied to the back of their pickup?” Alton snorted and gave him an amused look. “And in front of a witness? What if they’d slid off the road as well?”
“Most people who commit murder aren’t exactly sane.” Kane removed the surgical mask and shuddered at the wave of stench accosting his senses. “The time frame is right. Weems doesn’t know when the barrel was dumped at the landfill.” He tugged the hood of his jacket over his woolen cap. “I did notice the landfill area isn’t secure. One side is accessible via a gate. We should take a look and see if anyone has tampered with the padlock.”
“I agree but it will take some time to get there and I’m not driving through the forest smelling like a rotting corpse.” Alton’s gaze moved over the area then rested on him. “I need to get a shower and some breakfast first.”
Kane’s stomach lurched and he wondered if he would ever feel like eating again. “Do you think the victim could be either of our missing persons?”
“What motive would anyone have for murdering them? From what I understand, Mrs. Woodward was a nice old woman and John Helms would have hardly made an enemy in the few days before he went missing.” She peeled off her gloves with practiced efficiency and dropped them inside an evidence bag. “I think we’ll need to look further afield.”
“I agree.”
“Good. I think we’re done here.” Alton waved a hand toward the dwindling traffic jam. “Daniels is handling the traffic problem without help.” She reached for the door handle then turned to look at him. “And right now, I need coffee—a gallon of it at least.”
Twenty-Two
Although Jenna had made light of Kane’s assumptions, the idea of the barrel being on the back of the pickup involved in her accident scared her. She pushed down the wave of panic and leaned back in the seat. The big question was why someone in Black Rock Falls wanted her dead or silenced. She could have overlooked a crime during her time as sheriff, and the idea disturbed her. Taking one day at a time, she recalled her movements before the accident and came up blank. Nothing significant had happened apart from the Josh Rockford and friends’ arrests.
The image of the body in the barrel flashed across her mind and she mulled over the information in the missing persons’ cases. Neither report had listed a torque or wedding ring as personal items. The bangle was significant and surely family members would have mentioned such a valuable item. She unwrapped the scarf from her face and glanced at Kane. She regretted putting him in his place; she valued his expertise at the crime scene. His observational skills matched her own and she could see his mind working the case by his intent stare on the road ahead. “After seeing that carnage do you still fancy pancakes at Aunt Betty’s Café?”
“I thought you needed a gallon of coffee?” Kane grinned at her and his eyes sparkled.
“Coffee first.” Jenna lifted the cups from between the seats.
“That sounds like a plan.” He pulled the car to a halt outside her front door. “I’ll call Rowley and bring him up to speed. How long do you need?”
“Half an hour max.” She pushed open the car door. “Download the images too and email them to him. He can start a file while we’re out.”
“Okay.”
As she reached the foot of the stoop, a wave of apprehension hit her. Pushing it away, she jogged up the steps and unlocked the door. As she pressed the buttons to deactivate the alarm, she noticed Kane waiting for her to enter the house. He is making sure I’m safe. She gave him a wave and closed the door. It had been a very long time since someone had watched her back. The image of the body in the barrel flashed across her mind and her attacker’s words rammed into her subconscious. She trembled at the thought of ending up tortured and stuffed in a can. I have to catch this asshole before I’m his next victim.
* * *
Kane had spent time reading the files on Sarah’s grandmother and the basic information on John Helms. Mrs. Woodward had thick white hair, so he discounted her as the person in the barrel. John Helms, from the description on his driver’s license, was five eight, one hundred and forty pounds, with dark hair and eyes. Kane would need to contact Helms’s wife or, better still, speak to the man who had reported him missing, Father Maguire.
Why had the priest and not Helms’s wife put in the missing persons’ report? If Helms turned out to be the victim, it would open up a can of worms. His wife would not be the first one in history to take out a hit on her husband.
His thoughts went to Jenna and her need to have him under surveillance. The hit-and-run then the attack on her at the Cattleman’s Hotel could have been warnings for her to keep her mouth shut. If she was in too deep and now in danger, he would have to coax the truth from her, which he knew would be difficult.
He glanced at the photographs of the two missing persons and read the backgrounds on each of them. To his trained investigator’s eye, they had nothing in common at all. Kane dashed a hand through his hair and stared at the screen. He could find no motive for murder, zip, nada. From what he had seen of the victim, he had suffered prolonged torture. How long the victim had suffered and what exactly had happened to him would provide vital information. He hoped the local ME had the experience to deal with crimes of this nature.
He checked an email from Walters then glanced at the time displayed at the bottom of the screen and logged out. Sheriff Alton would be hammering on his door at any moment. Before the thought had left his mind, he heard her voice.
“Hey, Kane.”
He pushed to his feet and strode to the front door. “Yeah, I’m on my way. I’ll just grab my jacket.”
He pulled open the door, and the moment he turned away to get his coat, Alton moved inside then stamped her feet on the mat.
“I expected you five minutes ago.” Alton gave him a once over and the corners of her mouth curled into a pretty smile. “I have coffee.” She held up two takeout cups. “Will this hold you for another half hour or so? I’d rather check on the gate at the back of the landfill before it starts snowing again.”
“Yeah, thanks. Walters contacted me. Mrs. Woodward’s bank check has not been cashed.” Kane pulled the door shut and followed her to the SUV. “I have uploaded everything onto my cellphone so we can see the overall picture.” He opened the door and slid behind the wheel then noticed her regarding him with suspicion. “Don’t look at me like that. Right now, I have two victims: the man in the barrel, and you. I’m not discounting our two missing persons either.”
“There is no evidence to connect any of them, Kane.” Alton gave a grunt of contempt then placed the coffee cup in the holder and fastened her seat belt.
He fired up the engine and let it idle. “I’m not so sure. If you are convinced there is no major crime in Black Rock Falls and no one is threatening you for whatever reason, then we have two options: either we have a psychopath on the loose, or by the look of our victim, someone found it necessary to extract information by torture. For what reason, I have yet to determine, but the latter will be easier to catch.”
“You’ve made a rash conclusion without one shred
of evidence. We have one victim and no autopsy report.” Alton turned in her seat and glared at him, her face flushed. “Why do you keep involving me? I’m not a victim. I agree the accident and the idiot who threatened me shook me up but honestly, I can’t think of one reason why anyone in Black Rock Falls would want to kill me. I’m not that much of a threat to the other candidates on the ballot for the upcoming elections and anyone else in my past who may have a reason I left behind years ago.”
That was a slip. So you do have someone chasing you.
Twenty-Three
Kane headed for town, waiting in vain for Alton to strike up a conversation. After giving directions via a back road to the backside of the landfill through a forest, she reached for her coffee, and they fell back into an awkward silence.
He cleared his throat. “I’ll need to interview the priest. The file we have on John Helms doesn’t have contact information for any members of his family. Which deputy wrote the report? The name is missing on the file. He needs a lesson on gathering information. For all we know, our missing person is at home, nice and snug in front of a fire with his wife.”
“I put Daniels on the Helms case.” Alton flicked him a cool glance over the rim of her cup. “I’m sure he filed the correct information. Perhaps the file is corrupted. I’ll take a look when we get back to the office. I back up everything on hard copy.”
“Do you know if Daniels contacted the wife for more information? I would have thought if the priest alerted her about her husband’s disappearance, she’d have called the office by now.” Kane turned the SUV onto a narrow road protected from the weather by trees, some little more than bare sticks blackened by winter. He followed a line of fir trees with limbs bent under the weight of the snow. “I didn’t see any mention of her in the notes.”
“I’m not sure.” Alton’s brow wrinkled into a frown. “I’ll call a meeting when we get back to the office to bring everyone up to speed. It’s pointless going over everything twice and the others will need to be kept in the loop.”
The fence surrounding the landfill came into view and Kane headed the SUV toward the gate at a slow speed, keeping a lookout for signs of a vehicle’s tire marks. “The snow would have covered any tracks. I don’t think we’ll find many clues here.” He pulled the car to a stop.
Leaving the engine running, they jumped down from the cab and waded through the snow then stopped to survey the area. Each post had snow piled up at least six inches high but the gate only had a dusting. Kane surveyed the drift on each side of the gate. On one side, the piled snow indicated the gate’s recent opening. Oh yeah, someone had been here in the last few days. He moved closer and found a chain in the snow. After conducting a search of the immediate area using his boot, he located a broken lock. He turned and waved to Alton. “Someone has used this entrance.”
“It looks like they backed a vehicle into that tree as well.” Alton’s blue gaze rested on him then she pointed to a raw patch on the trunk of a tall oak. “Take photographs of everything and bag that padlock.” She huffed out a cloud of steam. “Now we know how they got into the landfill without being noticed.”
Kane took the images then dropped the padlock into an evidence bag. “I doubt there will be any fingerprints. Only a fool would remove their gloves in this temperature.”
Kane caught a flash of sunlight on metal and, taking Alton with him, dove to the ground. Coming down hard on her back, he heard the whoosh of air escaping her lungs and a muttered wheeze of a curse. He rolled over her, covering her with his chest and arms. “Stay down.”
A crack rang out and a bullet shot over his head and smashed into the tree behind them, followed by a second. Wood exploded and a shower of splinters peppered the back of his jacket. He waited for some time but no more shots rang out. His attention shifted to the hillside and he scanned the area for any signs of movement. Where are you, asshole? He lifted his head and gazed down at her pale face. “You okay?”
“I will be as soon as you get off me.” Alton wriggled and pushed both small hands against his chest. “Move.”
“You’re acting mighty calm. I guess people use you for target practice on a daily basis, same as the hit-and-run, right?” Kane rolled off her, keeping low to the ground. “Who knew you planned to come here this morning?”
“I called Maggie and told her to inform Rowley we’d be checking out the back entrance to the landfill.” Alton rolled onto her stomach and picked leaves out of her black hair. “She does tend to yell out messages. Anyone in earshot would have heard her.”
Kane rubbed a hand down his face. “I’m starting to believe I’ve joined the Keystone Cops.”
Alton glared at him, her eyes flashing with anger. “I managed fine before you arrived. You must attract trouble.”
He narrowed his gaze. “Me? You are joking. This is the third time I’ve pulled you out of the shit in less than a week.”
“Right place, right time, is all.” She lifted her grazed chin in the direction of the shooter. “Looks like he’s gone. Are you going to let me up, or are you going to get all macho on me again? What’s it going to be this time? Are you planning to throw me over one shoulder and make a run for the car?”
“No.” Kane winced. “This time, you’re quite capable of walking but I’d advise you to belly crawl to cover before you stand up.”
“Did you see the shooter?” Alton wiped a mixture of ice and leaf mold from her cheek and rolled onto her belly.
“Yeah, top of the hill at two o’clock. I caught a glint. It could have been from a rifle or maybe sunglasses.” So, not a professional hit. “Stay here. I think he’s gone but if he is still up there, I’ll draw him out.”
He wiggled on his elbows to a snowdrift on the perimeter of the forest and made a pile of snowballs then pegged them at the bushes in the opposite direction to give the impression someone had run that way. Lying on the freezing ground, he waited; two minutes then five passed. No other shots rang out and birds returned to the trees en masse in squawks of displeasure at being disturbed.
“I think he’s gone.” Alton crawled expertly to his side. “It could have been a stray bullet. People do hunt in this area.”
Perplexed, he narrowed his gaze on her. He could not understand her disregard for personal safety. Her attitude must be an attempt to cover up an underlying concern because it sure as hell did not reflect the overkill of surveillance and alarms installed on her ranch. He crawled into the cover of the bushes with her close behind then rolled to a sitting position. Unable to believe his ears, he glared at her. “No way was the shooter a hunter. We have been here for some time and it’s been very quiet. I haven’t heard gunshots since we arrived and if someone was hunting they would be continuing now.”
She paled, and by the flash of panic in her eyes, she had come to the same conclusion. “This—” he waved a hand toward the tree shattered by the bullet “—was as sloppy as the hit-and-run. Professional hitmen don’t miss or drive away without finishing the job. Cleanup guys do not carry rifles which reflect the light, and we wouldn’t have heard the shot. A professional would have taken us out the moment we stepped out the car.”
“I am fully aware of their capabilities and that is why none of the so-called attempts on my life make any sense.” She knuckled her forehead. “If it is a local idiot out for revenge, what do you suggest we do? We can’t stay here forever.”
Oh my God, she is on somebody’s hit list. He wet his lips and swallowed the need to ask her for details. He could protect her but getting her to break her code of silence would be impossible. “We’ll need to get deeper into the forest.” He grabbed her arm and belly crawled to the trees. “This way and keep your head down.”
Twenty-Four
Once under cover, Kane continued to scan the top of the hill, pushed to his feet, and offered Alton his hand. He pulled her behind a tree. “Why don’t you tell me what’s really going on with you?”
“What do you mean?” She tried to pull away but he gripped
her arm tighter.
“It’s obvious you’re in Black Rock Falls for a reason and it’s not the overpowering desire to be sheriff. My guess is you are hiding from someone and it’s not an ex-lover. Maybe since you arrived you’ve taken the odd bribe or looked the other way?” He noticed her expression turn wary and she yanked her arm away from him. He shrugged. “I don’t care about your past but when things happen out of the blue, I need to know the person or organization I’m expected to deal with. If you’re into something dangerous and you want out, I have friends who can help.”
“How many times do I have to tell you?” Alton fisted her hands on her waist and stuck out her chin. The look she gave him could strip paint. “There are no drug lords or illegal syndicates of any kind in Black Rock Falls. I don’t take bribes or damn well look the other way. If I had stumbled onto anything dangerous, I would have told you. You’re way off base.”
He had not missed the look of apprehension in her eyes. He knew she had a secret and she wanted to keep it buried. Fine, have it your way. He held up both hands in mock surrender. “Then I apologize for overstepping, ma’am.” He offered her a small smile. “I just want a quiet life but I’m here if you need me, no questions asked, okay?”
“Okay.” Alton’s cheeks pinked as she bent to brush the debris from her clothes. “Thanks. I’ll call Rowley at the landfill. He’ll be too late to catch the shooter but he might pick up a trail in the snow.”
“No, don’t. We’ll swing by if you like but from what I observed earlier, the road along that fence line is clear and used frequently. We could try searching for a cartridge casing along the tree line but I can retrieve a bullet from the tree. It’s snowing and by the time we get there I doubt we’ll find any trace of the shooter.” Kane touched her shoulder. “Wait here and I’ll get the car. I’ll park in the woods and wait ten minutes or so then go back and dig out the bullet.” He smiled at her. “Stay alert.”