by D. K. Hood
“It sure does.” Kane finished his coffee and leaned back in the chair, observing her with a frown. “It’s almost as if he’s being framed for the murder. When things look too good to be true, they usually are.”
Twenty-Three
Kane wrinkled his nose at the less-than-fresh smell oozing from the Sunset Valley nursing home, leaned on the counter, and stared at the receptionist. He’d asked to speak to Riley Adams and received a hostile reply, for what reason he had no idea. He’d been pleasant enough and Jenna had smiled at the pinched-faced, thin-lipped woman with the severe haircut. It seemed she had opted out of visiting the beauty parlor and slapped a bowl on her head and cut around it. “Ma’am, you are obliged to inform Mr. Adams we’re here. This is a matter for the sheriff’s department. Now please get on the phone and ask him to come out and speak to us, or we’ll go and look for him ourselves.”
“I’m not required to chase down employees.” The woman, with the name tag Yvonne, glared at him with beady eyes.
“Well, unless you find someone who can find Mr. Adams for us without delay”—Jenna removed the cuffs from her belt and dropped them on the counter—“I’ll arrest you for interfering with an investigation.” She gave her a look to freeze Black Rock Falls Lake and tapped the cuffs on the counter.
“Oh, very well.” Yvonne’s mouth puckered into a tight pout, showing deep lines where the lipstick had bled into the wrinkles. She gave a grunt of displeasure and picked up the phone. After a few moments, she turned her attention to Jenna. “He’ll be right out.” She waved toward a door. “You can wait in there.”
“When did he start work today?” Jenna stood her ground.
“His shift started at eleven.” Yvonne wrinkled her nose as if she’d smelled something bad. “Is that all?”
“For now.” Jenna walked away in the direction of the waiting room.
Kane followed Jenna into the clinical, white, tile-lined room with a few plastic chairs against one wall. “Don’t put me in here when I’m old. Just pack me for bear, take me out to the forest, and dump me. I’ll take my chances.”
“Me either.” Jenna’s gaze narrowed. “How come this place hasn’t come under Mayor Petersham’s latest round of inspections? He’s been clamping down on any nursing homes not up to standard with their care.” She peered through the glass door at one end of the room. “Look at that poor soul.”
Kane moved to her side. An orderly had one hand on the back of the shirt of an elderly man, pulling it tight under his arms. The old man’s joints moved as if he had the uncoordinated limbs of a wooden puppet, and the man leading him was using his shirt like strings to guide him. The old man had a tuft of red hair in the middle of a bald head and Kane had a flashback of an image of the Howdy Doody marionette his father kept in a display case in his office. He snorted in disgust. “The elderly deserve dignity. That’s inhuman treatment.” He pushed through the glass door and in three strides had reached the orderly. “Where are you taking him?”
“Back to his room.” The orderly smirked at him. “He needs his exercise.”
Kane nodded and looked at the old man. “Do you know the way to your room, sir?”
“Yeah, down the hall, first on the left.” He looked up at Kane. “You planning on arresting someone, Deputy?”
Kane brushed the orderly’s hand away and slid his arm around the man to support his weight. “Maybe. Can you walk okay?”
“Sure can, unless that jerk is pulling me off my feet.” He headed down the hallway.
Kane looked at the orderly. “Come with us.”
After he’d settled the man in his chair, he gave him his card. “I’m Dave Kane. You call me if they rough you up again and I’ll come by and have a little talk to them.”
“Seymore Huggins.” The old man offered a pale, thin hand and smiled at him. “Thank you, Deputy Kane.”
Kane took the old man’s hand and shook it gently. “Tell your friends in here as well.” He fished a few more cards from his pocket and handed them to him. “Any time, day or night.”
“I won’t forget.” Mr. Huggins ran his fingers over the cards. “Take care of yourself, son.”
Anger simmering just below the surface, Kane walked into the hallway. The orderly was waiting obediently and still had the stupid grin on his face. He walked up to him, grabbed the back of his T-shirt, lifted him onto the tips of his toes, and marched him along the hallway.
“Hey, man. You’re hurting me.” The orderly flapped his arms, trying to free himself. “Put me down.”
Kane dropped him at the end of the hallway. “What’s your name?”
“Wayne Dimple.” Dimple rubbed under his arms. The smile had vanished.
Kane straightened to his full six-five and looked down his nose at the jerk. “Well, Dimple, now you know how it feels, I’ll expect you to treat the residents with respect. I’ll be making spot checks from now on and if you mistreat anyone again, I’ll throw you in jail and toss away the key. We have laws in this county to deal with clowns like you.” He poked a finger into the man’s shoulder. “Have I made myself clear or do you require further instruction?”
“I understand.” Dimple’s face had turned beet red.
“Good.” Kane turned on his heel and walked back to where Jenna was speaking to a tall man he recognized as Riley Adams. The man was standing far too close to her and, by the look on Jenna’s face, something about this guy had spooked her big time.
In Jenna’s hand he could make out the images of Payton Harris and his wife displayed on the iPad. He moved in closer and listened to the conversation.
“Did you know June and Payton Harris from before, or did you first meet them at Aunt Betty’s Café?” Jenna’s eyes darted to him and returned to Adams’ face. “From the CCTV feed you seem pretty friendly.”
“No, not from before.” Adams leaned one shoulder against the wall and took a nonchalant pose. “They were sitting at the table next to me and I overheard their conversation. June had her heart set on hiking up to the top of Bear Peak and visiting the falls, but she was concerned about them going alone into the mountains. They didn’t have a satellite phone and as I was planning on heading that way to do some hunting, I offered to go along, seeing as I know that trail, and I offered to show them the way.”
“Can you give me a timeline?” Jenna pushed her tablet under one arm and took out her notepad.
“Look.” Adams straightened. “I heard the news about June going missing. I’d have called the hotline if I’d had any information. She was a nice person.”
“‘Was’ a nice person?” Jenna narrowed her gaze on him. “Is there something you’re not telling me, Mr. Adams?”
“Hey, lower your hackles.” Adams flicked a glance over Kane and rolled his shoulders. “I met them in Aunt Betty’s on Thursday morning. I grabbed my gear and they followed me to the forest. We left our vehicles there and hiked up to a spot close to the falls. We rested there for a spell and then I showed them the trail to a campsite about a half mile away. If you know the area, there’s a clearing with a firepit about twenty yards from the river, the one fed by the runoff from the mountain? It’s low at this time of year. I left them there and hiked to a hunting area about a mile west. I came back down that night and went home.”
Unconvinced, Kane took in Adams’ confident pose and the way he stood inside Jenna’s personal space. It was unusual behavior to act that way during an interview with a law enforcement officer. Most people would be a little nervous, even the innocent ones. He took a step closer to Jenna, and the action made Adams take a step back. Good, I’m intimidating him. “What time did you last see June and Payton Harris?”
“Maybe around two.” Adams shrugged. “I’m not sure. They insisted they could find their way back to their pickup. They wanted a romantic night in the mountains, so I let them be.” He looked directly at Jenna. “Women like that, don’t they? The isolation and fear of being eaten by bears must be an aphrodisiac or something.” He chuckled.
“You really need to loosen up, Sheriff.” Adams pushed a hand through his hair. “Being so uptight isn’t healthy.”
When Jenna snorted in disgust, Kane spotted the triumphant glint in Adams’ eyes. He had enjoyed making her angry and no doubt was trying to push her buttons. He was so smooth, so confident, and almost too good to be true. Firing a barrage of questions at him might cause a chink in his armor. “Where exactly did you park?”
“A short way past the forest warden’s check station on Stanton Road.” Adams pushed his hands into his pockets; slight irritation showed but he had it under control and soon slid back into a confident pose.
It was at times like these that Kane appreciated his height and body bulk. Adams was a strong guy, athletic in build, and had the pleasant features and confidence of a serial killer. He kept eye contact and leaned a little closer. He wanted to see just how far he could push him. Most people would be either annoyed or shaking in their boots by now. “What is your favorite weapon of choice?”
“I can’t decide between a rifle and crossbow. They both have their appeal.” Adams held his gaze and his lips twitched into a smirk. “I was hunting elk to fill my freezer. I only hunt game for food, Deputy.”
“And what weapon were you carrying on Thursday?” Jenna was making copious notes and looked up at him.
“Weapons, Sheriff.” Adams gave her a slow, confident smile. “I never go into the forest without my sidearm, but I was carrying a crossbow that day.”
“I noticed you were wearing a slicker in Aunt Betty’s. Do you usually wear a slicker in the mountains when hunting? I don’t recall seeing any hunter orange on it.”
“I wasn’t big-game hunting, ma’am.” Adams rolled his eyes. “It gets wet and cold up there, and yes, I wear my slicker most times when rain or storms are forecast.”
“So, did you bag an elk?” Jenna’s eyes narrowed.
“Nope, can’t say that I did.” Adams crossed his arms over his chest. “I didn’t run into anyone, nor did I visit the check station. I should have, but I wanted to get the Harrises on the trail.”
“Okay, ah… do you work here full time?” Jenna held his gaze.
“I work my shifts.” Adams sighed. “If I do a double, I usually have the next day free. I didn’t work on Thursday.”
Kane cleared his throat. “Did you work on Sunday night?”
“Nope.” Adams looked at him. “I was at home during the storm. It’s too dangerous to be out in a dry storm with the lightning and all.”
“Can anyone verify your whereabouts on Sunday night through Monday morning?” Jenna lifted her chin with a determined expression.
“I dropped by Aunt Betty’s for breakfast and collected some supplies from the general store on Monday.” He shrugged. “I’m sure they’ll remember me and you’ll have the CCTV footage to verify I was in the diner. Won’t you, Sheriff?”
“Yeah. I’ll be checking out your story.” Jenna looked down at his shoes. “What size shoes do you wear?”
“You want my shoe size?” Adams grinned. “Now you’re getting personal but hey, I’m easy to get along with, Sheriff. Size twelve.”
“Size twelve, huh?” Jenna exchanged a knowing look with Kane and then turned back to Adams. “Well, seeing as you are the last person to see the couple, I’m taking you in for questioning over the death of Payton Harris.” Jenna straightened and read him his rights.
“Really?” Adams laughed at her. “I’m a nurse. I help people, no one in their right mind will believe I’m involved in a murder.”
They always make a mistake. No one had mentioned murder and most people who’d befriended the couple would be shocked to hear of Payton Harris’ death. Unless they already knew. Kane took Adams’ arm and led him from the building, but something gnawed at his gut. The confident swagger hadn’t receded. He ground his back teeth. There had to be another side to Riley Adams, and he figured it was as dark as the entrance to hell.
Twenty-Four
It was a little after three by the time Jenna had secured Riley Adams into an interview room. She wanted to go over his story again but he’d lawyered up and, of course, he’d insisted on her arch nemesis, Samuel J Cross, to represent him. The man made Carter look sophisticated. With his straight off the ranch style dress and long hair tied in a ponytail, battered hat, and scuffed cowboy boots, Sam Cross was the opposite of any lawyer she’d ever met but oh boy, was he smart. After Jenna had waited the obligatory time his secretary seemed to have made mandatory, she winced as Cross picked up the call and addressed her with an overly familiar tone. She certainly did not regard him as a friend.
“Hi, Jenna. I was wondering when I’d have the pleasure of sparring with you again. Who do we have this time?” Cross tapped away at his keyboard as if he wasn’t really interested in what she had to say.
Drawing on her mask of professionalism, Jenna referred to her notes. “We’ve brought in Riley Adams out of Snowberry Way for questioning over the murder of Payton Harris. We found Harris’ body close to Bear Peak. TOD is estimated on Thursday night or Friday morning. Adams was the last person to see him and his wife, June, alive. June is still missing. I also saw a man in my yard on Sunday night matching Adams’ description. My house was shot up with a crossbow and I suffered a home invasion over a period of some hours. Deputy Kane is handling that case to avoid a conflict of interest. Mr. Adams has stated that he is a client of yours.”
“He is indeed, Jenna.” The tapping at the keyboard stopped abruptly. “Have you questioned him?”
Jenna smiled to herself. “Yes, we did ask him a few questions at his workplace about the Harris case, not the home invasion, and he didn’t object or ask for a lawyer. From his replies and footage of him with the couple in Aunt Betty’s Café, I decided to bring him in for questioning.”
“Did you read him his rights before transporting him?” Cross sounded serious.
The hairs on the back of Jenna’s neck rose. “I do things by the book, Mr. Cross. Of course, I did, and when we arrived here, he asked for you. There’s been no delay in contacting you. When can you speak to your client?”
“I’ll be there a little after five.” Cross disconnected.
Jenna stared at her phone. “Why is calling you like having a root canal?”
“Problem?” Kane dropped into the chair in front of her desk.
“Sam Cross.” Jenna pulled a face. “He covers his rudeness in such a polite way it really gets under my skin.” She rubbed her temples. “The circumstantial evidence we have on Adams is enough to convict him and yet Cross will find a way to get him off the charge.”
“He’s a very good defense attorney.” Kane held up both hands. “Don’t look at me like that, Jenna. To get the best of you, he must be good at what he does.”
Jenna peered at him from beneath her bangs. “Give me some good news.”
“Rio and Rowley found Payton Harris’ truck just where Adams said it would be. We’re waiting for a tow truck to take it to Wolfe for forensic examination but unless something happened to them inside the pickup, there won’t be anything we can use.” Kane stood and went to the coffee machine, poured two cups, added the fixings, and gave her one. “I’ve been writing up an application for search warrants for Adams’ truck and residence. As you say, the circumstantial evidence is good. I also presented one for the home invasion and used the evidence we’ve collected. That might be successful, as we have a man who fits the description and a match on the boot size.”
Jenna thought for a beat. “How are we going at locating June and Payton Harris’ next of kin? If we find them, they’ll be able to give us a close relative for June. We need to know if the ear left on my porch post belongs to our missing woman.”
“Rowley and Rio are working on it now.” Kane sat back in the chair and
stared at his iPad. “I’ll print up the search warrant applications and head over to the courthouse.” He looked across the desk at her. “If we discover the ear belongs to June Harris and you’re convinced Adams is the possible killer and the guy who trashed your house, you’ll need to take a step back from the investigation. You know Cross, and he’ll play any advantage he can find, and this screams conflict of interest.”
As the printer hummed into action, Jenna leaned back in her seat, mind spinning. She needed to be involved and not sitting on the sideline, but she’d already decided her course of action. She nodded slowly. “Yeah, I am aware of the situation but all this”—she waved a hand toward the few notes Rio had added to the whiteboard in her new office—“isn’t sitting right with me. There are too many coincidences with the James Stone murders. Adams is so darn sure of himself he must have a trick up his sleeve. It’s as if the murder was planned to keep me out of the investigation. James Stone was my case but Adams knows by invading my home, I can’t be involved in the murder investigation. Problem is, Adams doesn’t seem smart enough to have orchestrated this alone, I’m convinced Stone is behind it. Somehow, some way, he’s influenced Adams to kill for him.” She blew out a long breath and stared at Kane. “I bet he’s just waiting for the reports to hit the news so he can drool over them, as if he’d murdered the victim himself. We must keep the home invasion from the press, because as sure as hell, I don’t want Stone gloating over the notion that he’s gotten away with scaring me.”
“I’m concerned you’ve connected this murder with Stone.” Kane sipped his coffee and eyed her intently over the rim. “Wolfe has already explained that the cases are different. Yes, maybe a copycat, but if Adams is copying Stone, he missed several pertinent clues. The paralyzing of the male victim, the mutilation of the woman, are all very important parts of the scene that are missing.” He blew over the cup, making steam curl around him. “If Stone had communicated with Adams, why would he leave out what he’d consider the best parts of the kill? The stabbing or shot to the spine was his signature, not just the bolt to the head of the man or soaking him with gas. Those two things could have been leaked by the people who found the victims. The spinal injury only came to light during the autopsy. It was a crucial part of the evidence.”