by D. K. Hood
Kane followed him to the table and lifted his meal from the cart. “What time are we leaving? I’d have like to have gotten back to the ranch last night to help Jenna with the chores this morning. The storms have been bad over Black Rock Falls. I hope the roof is still on my cottage.”
“She’d have called.” Carter poured coffee from a two-cup pot and took a sip. “Wouldn’t she?”
Kane swallowed a mouthful of eggs and shook his head. “Nope. She wouldn’t disturb me unless there was a homicide and then I guess she’d have enough backup with Rowley and Rio. She’s an independent woman, she knows who to call for help if disaster strikes.”
“We’ll be leaving at six-thirty. Jo is keen to be home before her daughter leaves for school.” Carter smiled. “When you’re done here, we can head down to the lobby to wait for her. If we’re not delayed, you should be home before Jenna leaves for the office.”
As Kane finished his meal, his phone pealed out Rowley’s ringtone. He frowned and took the call. “Yeah, Jake, what’s up?”
“Have you spoken to Jenna this morning?” Rowley sounded anxious.
Kane glanced across the table at Carter. “No, I haven’t spoken to her since yesterday. She told me she’d be busy hanging new drapes in the family room over the weekend. Maybe she turned off her phone and forgot to turn it back on. You were on the 911 callout, right?”
“Uh-huh.” Rowley cleared his throat. “Well, I called just before. I figured she might need some help with the horses but she didn’t pick up. The message said her phone was unavailable. I had the same response with the landline and she didn’t pick up her sat phone. We had a dry storm here last night, but it didn’t affect the power here but it could have out at the ranch. She’s on a different grid to us.”
“The backup generator would have kicked in, so something’s not right.” Kane stared at his watch. “It will be light soon. Grab Rio and head out to the ranch. We’ll be leaving here as soon as possible.”
“I’ll call Rio now.” Rowley disconnected.
“Trouble?” Carter loaded up the cart and stood.
A knot tightened in Kane’s gut. After trying Jenna’s number and getting the same message, he pushed his unfinished meal away. “I’m not sure. Jenna’s not picking up her phone. Rowley’s been trying to reach her for some time.” He stood, reached for his jacket, and shrugged it on. “We need to go. Can you hurry Jo along?”
“Sure. But I have a SatSleeve for my phone.” Carter glanced at Zorro. “Stay.” He headed for the door.
As Carter’s room was right next door, he returned in a few minutes with the phone pressed to his cheek.
“She has the satellite phone in her cruiser, right?” Carter’s eyebrows met in a frown. He waited for what seemed like ages and then left a message. “Jenna, it’s Ty. Call me on the satellite phone. It’s urgent.”
Uncertainty crawled over Kane like a rash from poison ivy. “She’d have parked right outside the front porch. Something’s wrong.”
“Meet us in the lobby.” Carter motioned Zorro to follow him and headed for the door.
Kane nodded. “I’ll be right behind you.”
Worry for Jenna clamped Kane’s gut. They’d made a lot of arrests in Black Rock Falls and put many murderers in jail. In the investigations many people had their noses out of joint when they came under scrutiny, especially if they’d faced lesser charges from crimes they’d uncovered during the investigation. Some people and their families held grudges for years and might figure Jenna was an easy target. She was far from it, but out at the ranch all alone, she’d be able to handle one or two assailants—but for how long? He knew Jenna, and she’d never kill anyone unless they threatened her life. Kane took his weapon from the bedside table and slid it into his shoulder holster. After doing a quick sweep of the room to make sure he had everything, he picked up his bag and headed out the door for the elevator. He checked out and turned as Carter and Jo came into the lobby.
“Has something happened to Jenna?” Jo had toast wrapped in a paper napkin and carried a bottle of water under one arm. She balanced her suitcase on wheels against one leg, and her eyebrows raised in question.
Kane waited for Carter to check out and they all headed for the door. “I’m not sure. We can’t reach her.”
“We’ll go straight to the ranch.” Carter headed for their rental car. “With the power out, she might be stuck inside. The gates would be locked, right?” He got behind the wheel and started the engine.
Kane dumped the bags inside the trunk. “Yeah, but I checked the generator before I left. It was working fine.” Worry for Jenna seeped through him in an ice-cold chill. “If they’d gotten inside when she was asleep, they could’ve had the jump on her. With the storm last night, Duke would have been hiding and maybe not given her a warning.”
“This is like déjà vu.” Jo slipped into the back seat. “It was a nightmare when that psychopath broke into the house. But this time she’s all alone.”
“Jenna’s tougher than you think.” Carter started the engine. “And if someone broke in, they wouldn’t be expecting a fight.”
Six
Exhausted and frozen to the bone, Jenna had remained with her back pressed up against the filing cabinet, weapon aimed at the door. The rifle had gotten heavier by the minute and she wondered if her ice-cold fingers could pull the trigger. Only adrenalin kept her alert, and bursts of it had flooded her bloodstream the moment the front door of her home crashed open. She tried to control the fear welling up inside her as boots thundered over the wooden floor and a person searched the rooms, invading her privacy. Anger rose as the intruder went through her home like a wrecking ball. Things hit the floor and she made out the tinkle of glass breaking.
The door handle rattled and a shoulder first and then a boot slammed into it, shaking the lock. A normal door would have flown open with a kick aimed beside the lock, but the steel door and frame held. Taking a steadying breath, Jenna aimed the AR-15. If anyone came through that door, their intent was clear. A muffled sound of cursing had Duke’s hackles rising all down his back. His skin had drawn back from his teeth, exposing his canines, and he barked a warning.
Recalling Kane’s orders to his dog, Jenna kept her voice low and calm. “Take cover, Duke.” She sighed with relief as he crawled under the desk but kept up a steady low growl. “Good boy.”
The assault on the door continued but no weapon was fired. Whoever was out there was only carrying a crossbow. The footsteps came again and scratching came at the door. Jenna held her breath as blows shattered the wall beside the door. God help her, the intruder had found the tools in her utility room and was attacking the wall with a hammer. She rested the rifle on her knees and stretched her fingers. Her weapon would shred the wall but leave her exposed. She had to find cover and scanned the room. As the noise became louder and wood cracked as loud as gunshots, she stood on legs numb from sitting, placed the rifle on the filing cabinet, and moved everything from the desk. She tipped it over and then dragged it into place. The cracking of wood shook the walls as she heaved the metal filing cabinets around the table. With Duke safely inside, she grabbed her weapons, clips, and a bottle of water and hunkered down.
Muscles aching from overexertion, Jenna took slow, even breaths. She doubted he would get through the steel mesh lining the walls that Kane and Rowley had discreetly covered with drywall. The knowledge the room was protected didn’t slow her racing heart, or ease the dread enveloping her. The barrage of blows stopped and footsteps clattered through the house. She listened intently, and then sighed with relief at what had disturbed the intruder. Sirens cut through the early-morning silence like the answer to a prayer. She glanced at her phone. It was almost six-thirty. Who was coming to her rescue? She didn’t care, but she hoped they’d be prepared for a lunatic with a crossbow. She pushed to her feet and shook out her stiff limbs. Her head ached and her hands trembled, but she’d made it through alive. She patted Duke, glad he’d been with her. Scanning the ro
om, she shook her head, recalling the argument she’d had with Kane about constructing the secure room. Kane, Rowley, and Wolfe had spent weeks working on it to keep it a secret, but they’d forgotten to add one thing: a trapdoor. If the intruder had set fire to the house, she’d have been trapped inside. She grimaced at the thought of being burned to death. “An escape route is the next thing on my list.”
The sirens had gotten louder, two vehicles by the sound of it. The wail stopped and she could imagine her deputies checking the perimeter, looking for a threat. Footsteps clattered down the hallway and she heard Rowley’s voice.
“Jenna.” He rapped on the door. “It’s okay, we’ve cleared the house, you can open the door.”
After laying the AR-15 on the filing cabinet, she picked up her Glock. Experience told her to act with caution. She unlocked the door and stood back, aiming her weapon. The door opened slowly, and Jake Rowley and Zac Rio peered at her.
“Are you okay?” Rio examined her face. “The house has been trashed.”
She slid her weapon into the back waistband of her jeans, pulled off her Kevlar vest, and heaved a sigh. “Yeah, I’m good. How bad is it?”
Peering into the hallway, she drew a breath at the damage. The front door was hanging off its hinges and broken glass sparkled in the early morning sun. She peered into the family room to find chairs had been tipped over, and books that had been ripped from the shelves had spilled into the hallway.
“I figure they were looking for something.” Rio grimaced. “It might be better if you leave Duke in the office—there’s glass everywhere.”
Jenna shook her head. “He’s been shut in here most of the night, he needs to run around.” She turned back inside the room.
“I’ll take him outside.” Rowley moved past her and heaved the dog into his arms. “He weighs a ton. Kane’s on the way.” He looked over his shoulder. “What the hell happened here?”
“I’ll explain when you get back.” Jenna looked at Rio. “We’ll do a walk-through. This is a crime scene. Use gloves.”
As Rowley came back into the house, she heard her phone buzz a message. She pulled it out and replied. “Thank God, my phone is working. It’s been out all night. It’s a message from Kane saying he’s on his way. I’ve seven missed calls. The storm must have knocked out a wireless tower and the power.”
“No, it didn’t.” Rowley looked concerned. “No one else lost power. Is the landline working?”
Jenna headed for the kitchen and lifted the receiver. “Nope, it’s out.” She stared at the kitchen, and it appeared to be intact apart from muddy boot prints all over the floor. “Rio, get shots of the prints and document the scene. Rowley, come with me. I need to see if the horses are okay and check the generator.” She headed outside, picking her way through the glass, and whistled to Duke.
As they headed to the barn, Jenna’s phone chimed Wolfe’s ringtone. “Hi, Shane.”
“I’m just checking to see if you’re okay.” Wolfe cleared his throat. “We have a problem. Someone smashed the side window of my van last night and took the remote control for your gate.”
A cold chill crawled up Jenna’s spine. “Yeah, they did more than that, they came here, disabled the power, the generator, and my phones, broke in, and tried to kill me using a crossbow. I locked myself in the safe room and waited him out, but he’s trashed my house.” She stared at the open door to the barn. “I’m at the barn and it’s wide open. Rowley is with me and we’re going inside to check the horses.”
“I’m on my way.” Wolfe disconnected.
Pulling her weapon, Jenna turkey-peeked around the barn door, glad to see the horses’ heads peering over their stalls. When Duke ran inside and Pumpkin jumped down from a bale of hay and rubbed around her legs, she heaved a sigh of relief. “It’s okay, these two are a great warning system. There’s no one inside.”
“I’ll clear the area, just in case.” Rowley slid through the door, keeping his back to the wall, and edged into the barn, moving from place to place. “All clear.” He holstered his weapon.
Jenna cast a quick eye over the horses. “I’ll check the generator and then turn out the horses into the corral, there’s plenty of fresh grass in there to eat. I’ll tend to them once we’ve secured the house.”
“Copy that.” Rowley walked to the generator and shook his head. “It’s been turned off is all.” He flicked the switch and it rumbled into life. “It’s working fine. Where is the power pole? You have a switch inside the power box, here, right?”
Jenna nodded. “Yeah, it’s the one out front of the house, on the left of the driveway. Do you figure he waited until I was asleep, used the remote to get inside without triggering the alarm, and then disabled the power?”
“Yeah, that seems feasible.” Rowley headed to the horses, and speaking quietly, had their halters on in a few minutes. He handed the lead rein on Anna’s pony to Jenna. “I’ll take the horses.”
As they headed for the corral, the sound of a chopper broke the still morning. “That will be Carter.” She quickened her step to get the horses into the enclosure before the chopper arrived. “The horses are getting used to the sound of the chopper now. They’ll be fine.” She shut the corral gate. “Let’s check the power.”
The power to the house had been cut by tripping the switch. Jenna shook her head slowly and turned to Rowley. “This guy knows too much about me. He had information about the power, where to find the backup generator, and that I was alone all weekend. He’s someone close. Who the hell is he?” She waved at the house. “I’m going to look over the exterior and see if he left us any clues.”
Jenna headed back to the house, moving slowly searching for footprints and looking for anything to point to the identity of the intruder. As she moved closer to the porch, her attention fixed on the number of bolts peppering her house. They seemed almost methodical in pattern, apart from one, fixed in the post on the porch. She stared at it long and hard. It appeared to be different from the others. Something was pinned to the wood. Had he attached a note? As she stepped closer, a shiver of horror stopped her in her tracks. The intruder had pinned a bloody ear to her house, complete with gold earring. She took a step back as her gaze fixed on the message below it, written in mud on the porch: You’re next, Jenna.
“Oh, that can’t be good.” Rowley removed his hat and bent to examine the muddy scrawl.
Numb with disbelief, Jenna looked at him. “That’s a direct threat from James Stone. Those were his last words to me.”
Seven
Relief was quickly replaced by concern when Kane stared at the message from Jenna. He pressed his mic to speak to Jo and Carter over the noise of the chopper. “Jenna’s okay but someone tried to kill her at the ranch. It was well planned. Someone broke into Wolfe’s van and took the remote control for the security system.”
“It sounds like they know her pretty well.” Jo shook her head. “Have you employed any strangers to work on the ranch lately or had anyone drop by?”
Kane thought for a beat. “Only the guy who broke in gunning for you, and he’s locked away with a never to be released order. It can’t possibly be him.” He looked at Carter. “How long?”
“We’ll be there in five.” Carter glanced at him. “Jenna knows how to handle herself. You worry too much about her.”
“This is Black Rock Falls, remember?” Kane narrowed his gaze at his friend. “Just when you think everything is back to normal, something weird happens and the nightmare starts all over again.”
“So, it seems.” Carter grimaced. “Cute little town you have here.”
The chopper headed over Main and far below Kane could see the Halloween decorations beginning to appear on front lawns. The early morning mist swirled from the river and spilled over the lowlands. Ahead, the usually blue endless sky looked troubled and a collection of gray clouds hovered over the horizon. The chopper dropped lower as Jenna’s ranch came into view. Kane scanned the area and made out the horses in the corral and t
hree sheriff’s vehicles in the driveway. He noticed Wolfe’s van heading through town, but no other vehicle traveled the road to the ranch or lurked along the side of the highway. When they landed, his attention went straight to Jenna. Her pale face peeked out from under her hoodie and she stood arms folded across her chest, waiting for him with Duke leaning protectively against her legs. Rowley was dusting what was left of the front door for prints. He gaped in disbelief at the damage. “Holy cow, it looks like someone took an ax to the place.”
“How did they get inside without power?” Jo unbuckled her harness.
Kane shrugged. “Once someone breaches the perimeter, glass breaks and doors can be kicked in. That’s why we converted the office into a secure area.” He pulled off his headset and headed for the ranch house, ducking to miss the still rotating blades.
Surprised when his dog didn’t dash to greet him, he headed straight for Jenna. He could see the damage to the renovated interior they’d worked on all summer. “Had a bad night, huh?” He put one arm around her and peered into her eyes. “Did you see who did this?”
“Nope, not exactly.” Jenna leaned into him, obviously exhausted. “I did get a glimpse of him in a flash of lightning. Maybe five-ten to six feet, long coat, cowboy hat, and glowing green eyes.” She gave him a determined look. “I know it’s close to Halloween, but he did have glowing green eyes.”
Kane gave her a squeeze. “I’d say he used night vision goggles. So, he came prepared. Anything else you remember?”
“He left a message.” Jenna pulled a disgusted face, walked to the end of the porch, and indicated to a piece of flesh hanging from a crossbow bolt embedded in a post. “I only just found this. It’s an ear, and that’s the same threat James Stone made to me when they hauled him off to jail.” She pointed to the muddy writing.