Cross My Heart: A completely gripping and unputdownable serial killer thriller (Detectives Kane and Alton Book 12)

by D. K. Hood

  “Yeah. Are you reading my mind, Sheriff?” Long met her gaze, steady and unwavering. “I didn’t have much to do, so I agreed to take them up on Tuesday. We met at the Bear Peak parking lot at eleven-thirty and I took them down the mountain to a campsite I recalled. I left them there about an hour or so later and planned to go back up and bring them down this afternoon at four.” He gave Jenna a sweet smile. “When I heard the news, I figured no one knows where they are and I’d come by and tell you.”

  Jenna exchanged a puzzled look with Kane and he returned it with the subtle lift of one eyebrow. She ground her teeth. It was as if he’d heard Adams’ story and decided to repeat it. Some people would do anything for attention, but Long had put her on her guard. Could this man be Adams’ accomplice, or was he here to throw reasonable doubt on Adams’ arrest? “Did anyone see you with them in the store?”

  “I’m not sure, the store is always busy—maybe.” Long shrugged. “I guess the store has a CCTV camera. You could check the footage but I don’t see the point.” A flash of annoyance caught in his eyes for a split second. “Don’t you believe me? I took them into the forest and showed them a secluded campsite.”

  “So, you’d be willing to take us to this campsite?” Kane pushed off the wall and dropped his combat expression on the man.

  “Sure.” Long leaned back in his chair and shrugged. “I’ve nothing better to do this afternoon.”

  Needing an excuse to speak to Kane alone, Jenna pulled her phone out of her pocket, looked at the blank screen and then at Mr. Long. “Can you give me a minute? Something’s come up.”

  Not waiting for a reply, she stood and looked at Kane. “We need to talk.”

  “Sure.” Kane opened the door and they walked into the hallway.

  Jenna pulled him into the locker room. “What the hell is going on here? Is this guy playing us for fools? We have three homicides and one missing woman and they all just happened to meet strangers and ask them to take them into the forest? Am I missing something here or have people suddenly started to lose their minds? I mean, can people be gullible enough to go up to a stranger here in serial killer capital and ask them to lead them into danger, or what?” She paced the small area. “Once, I might believe, but twice?” Wanting to tear her hair out in frustration, she stared at him. “This guy gives me the creeps. He is so nice and yet I’m getting a really bad vibe off him.”

  “One thing for damn sure, this isn’t a coincidence. I can’t figure out his angle, but to be singing the same song as Adams makes me wonder if they’ve planned this little charade.” Kane leaned against the wall. “This might be two different cases but having the exact same scenarios, same MO and both men admitting to everything apart from the actual killing is bizarre.”

  Jenna pushed two hands through her hair. “What if this is a ploy to get them both off a murder charge? Think about it, Dave. Long’s testimony throws reasonable doubt on any case we might have against Adams, especially if Wolfe decides the TOD isn’t in Adams’ timeline. The second murder with the same MO, is reason enough for Adams to walk.”

  “The problem is without evidence both men could be telling the truth, and most people would ignore the subtle differences in the actual killings and believe the murderer is still in the forest, waiting for his next victims.” Kane shrugged. “The autopsies will confirm, but from Wolfe’s preliminary examination of the last victims, both MOs were slightly different. There is a possibility we’re looking at two killers.”

  Incredulous, Jenna stared at him. “You think?”

  “I’ll go with the conspiracy theory but we’ll need proof they’re both involved.” Kane rubbed the back of his neck. “You’ll need to push Long a little harder and see if he cracks. Although I doubt it. Like Adams, he is so sure of himself he must have an ace up his sleeve or a get out of jail free card.”

  “It sure looks that way.” Jenna pinched the bridge of her nose. “It’s as if they know we haven’t gotten a shred of evidence against them.” She moved to the door. “I’ll figure out a way to keep Long here to give us time to dig into his background. I’ll call Kalo.”

  “Send Long to an interview room with Rowley to take his statement?” Kane followed her into the hallway.

  “Yeah.” Jenna nodded. “That will give us time to check out this guy.” She pushed open the door to her office and smiled at Mr. Long. “Sorry about that—ah, where were we? Kane, do you have any questions?”

  “Yeah.” Kane narrowed his gaze. “Do you work here in town? Are you a shift worker?”

  “Nope. I’ve been fixing up my ranch.” Long rubbed his chin as if deciding to tell them and then sighed. “I’ve been away for a time. My pa passed and I inherited the ranch. I don’t have any livestock so there’s not too much to do, but I have plans to run some cattle. I’m waiting until spring to buy me some calves to raise.”

  Jenna frowned. “Why take the Howards to Bear Peak? It’s not very romantic, with its history of murder.” She pulled a face. “Darn right creepy if you ask me.”

  “What murders?” Long met her gaze with a wide-eyed, astonished expression. “I’ve been away for five years and I don’t know about any murders.”

  “Really?” Kane pressed both palms on the desk and eyeballed him. “They made the news. Have you been off the grid? Living on the moon?”

  “Yeah, something like that.” Long shrugged. “That’s beside the point. I came here to give you information on Patti and Emmett, not to be interrogated like a criminal. I want to leave now.” He went to push to his feet but Kane laid a hand on his shoulder. Long laughed at him. “Are you trying to intimidate me, Deputy? I’m just trying to help the sheriff.” He looked at Jenna. “Is he always so intense?” He turned back to Kane, obviously amused. “Chill out, man. The Howards will be right where I left them.”

  “We’re asking questions is all.” Kane’s jaw tightened. “When people go missing in our town, we take it seriously. Right now, you’re the last person to have seen them.”

  “That’s not unusual, is it?” Long stifled a yawn. “I’m sure that happens all the time.” He stared at Jenna as if challenging her. “You know they’re in the forest, don’t you? It’s gotta be over a million square acres and only I know where I left them. Come with me and I’ll be glad to show you.”

  And murder us as well? Keeping her expression neutral, Jenna stood. “Okay, we’ll go with you to where you left them. I’m sure they’re waiting there for you as planned.”

  She understood how many psychopaths enjoyed revisiting a crime scene and seeing the reactions to their work. Many would try to insert themselves into an investigation to relive the moment of their victim’s death over and over each time the crime was discussed. Long fitted into this category and had fast gone from witness to possible suspect in a wink of an eye. The need to find out more about Long tugged at her, and she sat back down in her seat. “Do you like to hunt, Mr. Long?”

  “Yeah.” Long scratched his cheek. “It’s all about the hunt for me. Stalking and then bringing down the kill.”

  Jenna leaned back in her chair. “What is your weapon of choice?” She asked the question but it was as if she already knew the answer.

  “I like a crossbow.” Long mimicked the motion of loading a bolt in a crossbow and aiming it directly at her. “Silent but deadly. They never see it coming. I can see the surprise in their eyes when I take them down.” His gaze fixed on her unblinking.

  She’d seen that stare before, many times. Many psychopaths she’d interviewed had the same cold, dead eyes. Empathy didn’t exist in their world, for people or animals. Life meant nothing to them but a fast thrill as they extinguished it. Hairs raised on the back of her neck in a tingle of a warning. She nodded. “You hunt alone? How do you manage to field-dress your kills?”

  “Same as everyone else, I guess.” Long stared at the wall and his breathing increased as if he was reliving a memory. “It has a smell when you gut a kill.” He looked directly at her. “The blood gets everywhere
, even under your fingernails.” He examined his hands and smiled at her. “It’s almost as good as the hunt.”

  “I’m sure it is.” Jenna looked at Kane. “Would you call Rowley for me, please?”

  As Kane left the room, Jenna forced a smile. Something inside her had told her not to trust this man from the minute he’d walked into her office. His relaxed attitude was different from the behavior of the usual witnesses who came forward. Most displayed nervousness or even excitement, but this guy was so laid back and had kept up the act until Kane had leaned on him. It was as if he’d rehearsed his story and expected her to be gullible enough to believe him.

  A few things had made her suspicious of Long. He claimed not to know about the Bear Peak murders, when stories about them had been on TV and in books. Some of the murders went back twenty years and it didn’t ring true for a guy who’d been raised in Black Rock Falls not to know about them. Even if he’d been away for five years, surely his family would have mentioned the murders to him at one time. She moved files around on the desk and then looked at him. “Do you know Payton and June Harris?”

  “I’ve heard of them.” Long inclined his head. “The name has been on every news story. Is June Harris still missing?”

  Jenna caught the flash in his eyes, the sudden change of expression. She couldn’t describe it, but it made her skin crawl. She stiffened. “Yeah, she is.” She couldn’t look away. Had he noticed her change of attitude? “So, you must have been in town Thursday through Monday?”

  “I was all over town.” Long opened his hands. “I can’t recall every second, but I went into the mountains and I was out by your ranch late last Sunday during that storm.”

  Jenna swallowed the bile creeping up her throat. “How do you know where I live?” She noticed the way he looked at her and how a smile played in the corner of his lips.

  “I went by your neighbor. The snowplow guy.” Long placed one booted foot on his opposite knee. “I heard tell he had a horse for sale. He mentioned you lived in the next ranch.”

  “I see.” Jenna sipped from a cold cup of coffee and pushed it to one side. “Where were you Thursday night through to, say, Friday morning?”

  “Thursday night, I went to Aunt Betty’s for supper. It was late, I stayed for some time. I went home and was back there for breakfast.” Long smiled. “I do recall seeing Tommy Jonas at the crossroads around eleven. I stopped and chatted to him about buying cattle but it was late and he had to get on home.” He looked at her. “I can give you his number to call him if you like?”

  Jenna nodded. “Yes, we’d like to check that out.” She took down the details he’d found on his phone and then looked at him. “Where did you go after returning to town yesterday?”

  “I hung around town.” Long broke eye contact and stared into space as if thinking. “I decided to take a look at all the changes around these parts and drove around some. It was dark by the time I got home. I don’t recall speaking to anyone in particular. The weather has been unpredictable. I didn’t walk anywhere.”

  “Yes, the dry storm on Sunday night was unexpected.” Jenna picked up her pens and dropped them back into the chipped mug on her desk. “Do you own a slicker?”

  “What kind of question is that, Sheriff?” Long snorted. “Do you know anyone around these parts that doesn’t have one to keep the rain off them? Or have I become a suspect in a crime? If I have then you need to tell me. I have a fine lawyer. Sam Cross is his name.”

  Same lawyer too, huh? Jenna looked away. “I was just making conversation.” To avoid his eyes, she collected the files on her desk and pushed them into a drawer. She could play mind games too. “Rowley won’t be long. I’ll get him to take your statement about the Howards and then we’ll head up to the campsite.”

  As she stared at Long, the image of the man she’d seen in the alleyway slid into Jenna’s mind. Long was the same height and build, he wore his black Stetson pulled low over his eyes, and Adams was in custody, so it couldn’t have been him. Long also matched the man she’d seen at her ranch and he’d admitted to being close by on Sunday night. She couldn’t allow Long to just walk out the door, not after listening to his story. He had too many strikes against him already. He was the last person to see Emmett and Patti Howard alive and he hunted with a crossbow. He couldn’t account for his whereabouts between Thursday and Monday, when Payton Harris was murdered and her home was invaded. The implications had a red flag as big as Texas waving madly at her. What if they’d made a mistake and the circumstantial evidence on Adams was just that, and Long was the killer of Payton Harris and the Howards?

  Relieved when Rowley arrived at her door with Kane close behind, she stood. “Take Mr. Long down to interview room one. Get him some refreshments and take his statement. It will be more comfortable for him to wait there while I make arrangements to go out.”

  “Okay.” Rowley’s dark eyebrows knitted into a frown. “Do you want me to wait with him?”

  Jenna shook her head. “That won’t be necessary.” She waited for them to leave and called the number Long had provided. Tommy Jonas verified seeing Long on Thursday night around the time Payton Harris was murdered. Unconvinced, she called Bobby Kalo, the FBI super-hacker. “Hi, Bobby, it’s Jenna. I need your help. I want everything you can find on Tyler Long out of Summit Heights, Black Rock Falls.”

  Thirty-Five

  Not comprehending what Bobby Kalo had said, Kane stared at Jenna’s phone in disbelief. “He what? You have to be joking.”

  “How come we didn’t hear about either of these cases?” Jenna drummed her fingers on the desk. “We’re usually informed when anyone from our county is released from jail. Most have to report here as part of their probation. This can’t have happened twice in—what? The last month?— and we’re kept in the dark. You have to be mistaken.”

  “Nope, it’s all here. Tyler Long had his conviction overturned, same as the last guy. He was doing ten years for murder in the second. He won an appeal and they set him free, no probation officer visits, nothing.” Kalo tapped away on his keyboard. “I’ve just sent you the details.”

  Dumbfounded, Kane stood and went to pour fresh cups of coffee. It had been a long day and they needed to be sharp. “Did they have the same lawyers?”

  “Yeah. They didn’t have much choice. There are only a few attorneys conducting criminal law in your county, and they both selected the top guy, one Samuel J Cross. Do you know him?”

  “Yeah, I’m afraid I do.” Jenna sighed and rubbed her eyes. “He’s good.”

  “Ah, is Dave with you? Jo wants to speak to both of you.”

  Kane handed Jenna a cup and sat at the desk opposite her. “Hi, Jo. If it’s not urgent, do you mind if I bend your ear as we’re discussing the current homicide cases? We’ve had a strange twist in the investigation.”

  “Bend away. My news can wait and Carter is here too.”

  Kane smiled at Jenna. “Great! This case has got us baffled.” He brought them up to speed. “So, now we have this dilemma. What do we do with Long? From the evidence, he is just as guilty as Adams. It seems a stretch of the imagination to believe they’re both not involved.”

  “I’d write up what you have and discuss it with the DA.” Carter’s voice came through the speaker. “You have to inform him, as it reflects on the Adams case. With this much reasonable doubt both ways I can’t see him proceeding unless you come up with solid evidence to prove either case. Right now, you have zip.”

  Kane nodded and looked at Jenna and shrugged. “Jo, do you figure both these men are manipulating us by covering each other’s asses to force reasonable doubt?”

  “If you can prove they know each other, it’s very possible. Are they showing any psychopathic or sociopathic tendencies?”

  “Yeah, they both tick a lot of boxes, especially Long; he is classic.” Kane leaned his elbows on the desk. “I could write a book about him. Adams is much the same. When we charged him, he was laid back and sure of himself. It’s as if he kne
w Long would come forward with the same story.”

  “Is this the main reason you’re suspicious of both of them? Did you ever consider the possibility one or both of them are telling the truth? People do help others, not everyone has murder on their minds.” Jo sighed.

  “Not at any time.” Jenna’s mouth turned down. “I’ve interviewed many serial killers and both these men slide right into the same category. Why Long just walked in to my office as if he wanted to be caught puzzles me.”

  “From what you’ve told me, it sounds like a collaboration or they’re following instructions.” Jo sounded animated. “It would be an interesting case to pursue. Two men with almost identical stories and murders with the same MO is more than a coincidence. I know you’ve wondered if Stone was somehow involved in Payton Harris’ murder. I can see why you’d consider this because as a one-time defense lawyer, Stone would be aware a good attorney would use the circumstantial evidence you have against both men to form a reasonable doubt in court. No one will be convinced two practically identical murders are a coincidence. Most people would believe both men are telling the truth and there’s a lunatic running lose in the forest.” Jo cleared her throat. “To be honest, if I was a juror in either case, given only circumstantial evidence and two possible suspects, I would be very reluctant to convict.”

  Kane pushed a hand through his hair. “Yeah, we’ve come up with the same conclusion. We’re between a rock and a hard place.”

  “You’ll have to hope Wolfe finds something in the autopsy you can use.” Carter paused a beat. “You could hold Long until the autopsy results. Although unless you find something other than a hunch, Sam Cross is going to eat you alive.”

  “Maybe.” Kane sipped his coffee. “There has to be a connection between James Stone and these murders. What if they consider Stone a role model or cult figure and they’re imitating him? The murders are staged like the actual crime scene images we took of Stone’s victims, and as no one outside our team and now you guys have seen them, it’s freaky. More so when two men just up and start talking like there’s no tomorrow.”