by D. K. Hood
“Maybe that’s why they waited overnight.” Kane pointed to the images of the scene at the mine. “They left very little trace evidence. They must know about forensics to some degree.”
“You’re missing my point.” Jo leaned one hip against the desk. “Why sit her up in the first place?”
A chill ran down Jenna’s back as she contemplated the gruesome scene. “Oh Lord, they wanted her to watch them.”
“That’s my take on it and the men’s briefs pushed in her mouth is telling the world she’s easy.” Jo looked at Jenna. “Okay, so fast forward to the morning they dumped her at the mine, what would trigger an attack to the face and eyes?”
Jenna rubbed her temples. She felt like she was back at Quantico again. “It’s jealousy, she wanted to destroy her looks, and make her ugly.”
“Not just that.” Kane turned away from the board. “The dominant killer believed Laurie was still looking at them or looking at her subordinate. It was the trigger.”
“That’s what I believe too.” Jo sat down and reached for her coffee. “Classic dominant with psychopathic tendencies, subordinate follower with a White Knight complex.”
“I’d profile him with a dominating mother, or grandmother in his life, who runs him down all the time and he sees the killer as a hero, someone who cares enough to kill for him.” Kane dropped into his seat. “Now all we have to do is find them.”
“Remember the technique we discussed during interviews, Dave.” Jo frowned. “These types of criminals don’t respect the people they hurt. You have to get down to their level, no matter how dirty it makes you feel.” She sighed. “It’s sometimes the only way to get them to talk about what they’ve done. If they think you’re of the same opinion they’ll often open up and boast about what they’ve done.”
“It makes me feel like a pervert speaking that way.” Kane flicked her a glance. “But it’s a tried and true technique.”
Jenna squeezed his arm. “After listening to psychopaths boasting about their kills nothing you say in an interview will worry me, Dave. We use what works and like Jo said, it’s a recognized interviewing technique, and not indicative of your thoughts.”
The phone buzzed and Jenna reached for it. “Hi, Shane, what have you got for me?” She put the phone on speaker.
“We have a DNA match. The briefs belong to Wyatt Cooper. No match on the saliva as yet.” Wolfe cleared his throat. “This seems very suspicious to me, too darn obvious when every care was taken to leave the body clean.”
Jenna nodded. “Yeah, it does. Jo is here on vacation. We’re getting her take on the case now. Do you want to listen in?”
“Hi, Jo. I’ll call you later. I’m snowed under here at the moment.” Wolfe sighed. “Jenna, I’m finishing up my report and checking results. I’ll have them to you soon.”
“Okay, thanks, chat soon.” Jenna disconnected. She looked at Kane. “What do you think?”
“It seems too much of a coincidence the DNA is a match to Cooper.” Kane rubbed the back of his neck. “If he’d been involved, why would he make sure there’s no trace evidence and then leave a calling card behind? No one is that stupid.”
“I have to agree.” Jo nodded. “It’s as if they’re trying to shift the blame to someone else.”
Jenna tapped her bottom lip, thinking. “Cooper was jealous of Hughes, he admitted it but nothing else fits.”
“All this—” Jo waved a hand toward the whiteboard “—was triggered by jealousy. So, you have a few options. I believe this is a female dominant and a male subordinate but there is always a chance it could be one killer but from what I’m seeing here, it’s not likely for these reasons: If Cooper was pushed to a jealous rage when Laurie went to Hughes instead of him for help, in my experience, a killer of this type would use rape as a punishment, rather than stuffing his briefs down her throat.”
“And the killers have been so careful not to leave evidence.” Jenna shrugged. “It doesn’t fit.” She looked at Jo. “What do you suggest?”
“You’ll need to hunt down any guys Laurie was attracted to because one of them might be the subordinate and his girlfriend the killer. Alternatively, you need to discover if there was anything else to trigger an attack. Maybe something going on at school between the girls. Laurie was on the cheerleading squad, did she take another girl’s place for instance, was there a rivalry there?” She shook her head. “Failing all of the above, we could have an opportunistic thrill killer who likes to keep corpses overnight and then mutilate them. In this case, the murderer would be male for sure, but as there was no sexual contact, it would be unusual—but then unusual is usual in Black Rock Falls.”
Twenty
By the time, Jo and Carter had taken Jaime back to The Cattleman’s Hotel, it was getting late. Jenna and Kane went over the case files making notes until Rowley and Rio emerged from the communications room. Both looked tired after reviewing the CCTV footage. Jenna looked up at them. “How did you go?”
“We found a similar vehicle traveling through town at nine on Saturday night. The feed is too distorted to make out a plate number or who was driving.” Rowley sighed. “The camera lens is dirty or we have a wasp’s nest in there. It was that bad. Nothing visible from the bank cameras, Miller’s Garage, or the gun store.”
Jenna nodded. “Well, that’s a shame.” She glanced at her notes. “Did you get all the paperwork for the Law case over to the DA?”
“Yeah.” Rio nodded. “The escort arrived at three to collect Law. He’s safely locked away in the county jail until his bail hearing. I followed up on Mrs. Law and her baby. She has collected her things from the family home and has settled into one of the safe apartments run by the Her Broken Wings Foundation. She will remain there for as long as necessary but won’t be returning to Blackwater.”
Relieved, Jenna smiled. “That’s good to know.”
“How is your face?” Rowley frowned at her. “You’re going to have a shiner.”
Jenna touched her cheek. “I’m fine, thank you.” She cleared her throat and brought them up to date with their interviews and Wolfe’s results. “As you go past the Hughes’ house on the way home, I was wondering if you could try and persuade Mrs. Hughes to allow you to take a DNA sample from Verna?”
“I can try.” Rowley looked a little uncomfortable. “I’m convinced Mrs. Hughes is a conspiracy theorist. Sandy has had a few run-ins with her, she isn’t a pleasant woman and hates law enforcement. She may not allow me through the gate. Her place is posted but I can try.”
Concerned over Rowley’s safety, she shook her head. “Don’t worry. If she’s posted ‘no trespassing’ signs, she’s within her rights to defend her property. Going there at night without backup is out of the question. I doubt Verna is going anywhere, I’ll drop by with Kane in the morning.” She smiled at her deputies. “There’s overtime on offer, for the festival. I’m calling in some help from Blackwater but I’d like one of us to be on duty here until ten, ten-thirty tomorrow and Wednesday. Walters has volunteered to take the rest of the week. He’ll be taking over at six.”
“I’ll do tomorrow.” Rowley shrugged. “I’ll be in town anyway. Sandy wants to finish up at the house in town and make it nice for when Zac moves in.” He chuckled. “I can’t stop her. Her mom says she’s nesting—whatever that means. She’s not happy at the moment unless she’s cleaning or setting up rooms and she ran out of things to do at the ranch last weekend.”
Jenna looked at Rio’s puzzled expression. “Sandy is Rowley’s wife and they’re expecting. She gave up work last week and has been keeping herself busy is all.”
“Ah, I see.” Rio smiled.
Jenna waved him away. “Okay, head off home. Maggie has already left for the day. We’ll lock up. See you in the morning.” She smiled at Rowley. “Give my best to Sandy.”
“I will.” Rowley touched his hat and headed for the door.
Jenna shook her head. “I hope Sandy doesn’t overdo things, with the baby and all.”
Although taken aback by his question, Jenna didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, and I’m aware the clock is ticking. Why?”
“Just asking.” Kane seemed consumed by a fleck of cotton on his black Stetson. “It’s been great sharing everyone’s kids but it’s not the same as having your own.”
Jenna tidied her desk. “I couldn’t agree with you more.”
“That’s good to know.” Kane pushed the hat on his head and then bent to rub Duke’s ears.
A low rumble filled the room and Jenna’s attention moved back to Kane. “Do you mind if we drop by Aunt Betty’s for dinner? It’s been a long day and I’m famished. We still have to feed the horses and I don’t feel like cooking tonight.”
“Sure.” Kane collected his things and closed his laptop. “I’ll finish up filing my reports at home. Let’s go.”
Jenna inhaled the instant she stepped into Aunt Betty’s Café. Its sinfully delightful aromas of dishes that were guaranteed to go straight to her hips made her glance at Kane, suddenly understanding his need to buy takeout to keep in his freezer. Living the long hours during cases, it was good to have something to pop into the microwave when they arrived home. The problem was, apart from a freezer filled with steak, Jenna didn’t really have anything she didn’t have to make from scratch.
Aunt Betty’s was busier than usual with the tourists in town. As she edged around tables filled with people and made her way to their seats, she heard a bark. She turned to see Duke sitting in front of the counter. She looked at Kane. “Won’t you look at that, he’s ordering his dinner.”
“He jumped the line as well.” Kane grinned and sat down at their reserved table and picked up the menu. “I could eat just about everything on here tonight. Pulled pork, honey glazed potatoes, and peach pie for me tonight.”
Jenna removed her jacket and hung it over the back of the chair. “I think I’ll have the same but I’ll take the small portion.” She laughed at his expression. “I do get hungry too, you know.”
After Suzie arrived to take their order and placed a filled bowl for Duke on the floor, she smiled at them. “What will you have tonight?”
After giving Suzie their order, Jenna sipped a glass of water and leaned back in her chair. “Mind if we talk about the case?”
“Nope.” Kane stood, removed his jacket and hat, and then sat down closer to her. “We’d better keep it generic. We don’t know who might be listening.”
With their backs to the wall and in the corner, the hum of conversation would cover any discussion. Jenna lowered her voice. “I’m not sure about Wyatt Cooper, I know you figure he’s not involved but I still reckon we should talk to him about where he might have lost his underwear. I mean, could anyone have been in the vicinity of his laundry basket?”
“That’s a good point.” Kane was leaning close listening intently. “There wouldn’t be many places he’d be changing his shorts.” He stared into space for a few seconds. “A swimming hole maybe, but he wouldn’t take spares, most would jump in the water and head home wet.”
Nothing came to Jenna. She’d had no experience with teenage boys. She thought back to the first time they’d spoken to Wyatt. “He asked if you’d played football. He is on the team.” Her face grew hot and she looked away. “Never mind.”
“Out with it.” Kane bumped her shoulder. “That’s the first time I’ve seen you blush. Come on, ask me, I know you want to.”
Jenna huffed out a breath. “It’s not something I really need to know but it’s a theory.” She could feel her cheeks burning. “When you practiced or whatever, I guess you sweated a lot, is it usual to shower and change clothes after training?”
“It depends, on how much gear you’re wearing and the temperature, but yeah I used to sweat right through. We practiced before classes, so we showered and changed. Before you ask yeah, I changed my shorts. I figure most guys would.” Kane smiled at her. “I know the high school team practices before classes. Do you figure someone took his dirty laundry from his locker?” He pushed a hand through his hair. “Thinking back, most guys just stripped off and left their clothes in a pile on the bench. So, if your assumption is correct, we could be looking at someone who is either on the team or works with the team.”
Jenna nodded. “I think we should ask him.” She glanced at him. “Although, it’s pretty embarrassing asking a sixteen-year-old about his underwear.”
“Not if they were found stuffed in the mouth of his murdered ex-girlfriend.” Kane shook his head. “He has motive. He was jealous. He’s admitted it and didn’t like her talking to Hughes. The problem is it’s just too darn obvious that he’s the killer unless I’ve read him all wrong.”
“Well, Jo agrees with you.” Jenna rubbed her temples. “Personally, I figure divulging where we found his briefs will be giving away vital evidence. Something only the killer would know and I don’t believe Cooper is stupid enough to leave a calling card.”
“We need to inform him we found his shorts at the crime scene and watch his reaction.” Kane shrugged. “Although, Jo did offer a variety of scenarios, I agree with you, and I’m leaning more toward Hughes and his sister. I have a gut instinct about a dominant woman being involved, and if Verna is as tough as they say, she fits the profile.”
“Yeah, we’ll need to see for ourselves. Sometimes people’s reputations are unfounded. We’ll head out first thing in the morning and catch her before she leaves for the parade.” Jenna pulled out her phone and searched her files. “Taking the possible football link into consideration there’s another name, well two names that Vicky Perez mentioned, we should follow up. The quarterback, Dale Collins, runs the refreshments kiosk for his aunt on training days, and both he and a cheerleader by the name of Marlene Moore were seen chatting to Laurie before she disappeared. They might have some information. I’d like to know what they talked about that night.”
“We don’t have a link between them.” Kane peered at her notes. “Vicky just said Marlene is always hanging around Collins. That would be normal for a quarterback, they usually have a fan club.”
“I’m thinking out of the box, Dave. We’ll hunt them down after we’ve spoken to Verna.” Jenna smiled as the food arrived. “Oh, this looks good.”
“Thank you.” Susie beamed. “Enjoy, I’ll send someone back with a pot of coffee.”
“Do you figure she’ll give you her recipes?” Kane grinned at her. “Nah, don’t ask.”
Jenna frowned. “Why? Is it because I’m hopeless at cooking?”
“Nope. I think they’d be locked away in a vault.” Kane chuckled. “And by the way, I happen to like your little idiosyncrasies. They make you special.”
Twenty-One
Tuesday
The internal clock inside Kane’s head woke him at five. He pulled on his workout gear, a sweater, and sweat pants and then headed out into the misty morning to do his chores. As usual Duke tagged along and Pumpkin, Jenna’s black cat, was sitting on a haybale waiting for them to arrive. He took the horses out to the corral and stood for a second to admire the view and enjoy the horses. He placed one boot on the new gate he’d purchased from the Crazy Iron Forge out of Blackwater and relaxed, allowing the murder case filling his mind to seep into oblivion for a few minutes. The need to complete his chores and head into work tugged at him and with a sigh, he turned to walk back to the barn. He paused mid-stride at a sound coming from inside. Both the dog and cat were around his feet and the ranch was like Fort Knox, no one crossed the boundaries without setting off an alarm. He heard the scrape, whine, plop again and edged alongside the wall before turkey peeking around the door. He barked out a laugh at the sight of Jenna, mucking out one of the stalls. “Morning.”
“Hey.” Jenna leaned on a pitchfork and smiled at him. “It’s cold this morning and I figured I needed to loosen up before we
worked out.” She glanced at her watch. “I want to be leaving here by six-thirty to be sure we catch the Hughes family at home.”
Kane picked up a shovel and scooped and tossed manure into the wheel barrow. “Have you decided anything about the saliva sample found at the crime scene?”
“Yeah.” Jenna had moved onto the third stall. “I sent it to Bobby Kalo to run through the DNA databases last night but unless our suspect has been in trouble with the law, or served in the military, we won’t find a match.”
Kane kept up a steady pace and didn’t stop to look at her. “They have access to all the DNA databases, including the ones people use to discover their family tree. We might not get a direct hit but we might get a close relative.”
“I hope so.” Jenna broke open a bale of straw and shook it out inside the stall before repeating the process in the next one along. “We need something to go on and it seems to me, whoever stabbed Laurie with the screwdriver left the saliva. They were in a rage and could have been shouting obscenities for all we know. Spittle can fly out all over when someone is angry.”
Kane rolled the wheelbarrow out to the compost pile behind the barn to empty it and then followed Jenna to her ranch house. It was their normal routine, they washed up and then completed a brutal workout before showering and eating breakfast. Their uniform had changed a little since their stint as FBI consultants. The need for unencumbered movement had become clearer with each arrest they made. They both now preferred regular jeans, a T-shirt, and a sheriff’s department jacket. Jenna would wear blue jeans, an open neck blouse, and had swapped her duty belt for a less cumbersome holster and a jacket with more pockets. He preferred black, and wore his Glock in a hip holster, with his badge displayed on his belt. The change hadn’t as much as raised an eyebrow with the townsfolk and although Rowley had asked the question, Jenna had informed him as sheriff and deputy sheriff, they could wear what they pleased.