by D. K. Hood
“I’m going to cut you so bad no one will recognize you as human.” Stone lifted the rifle. “I’m not lying, Jenna. It was easy for someone with my intelligence to influence people of like mind. I selected cases of men I knew would be capable of working with me. I gave them freedom as an incentive. I have money and enough power to change magistrates’ minds, if I presented a sound case and backed it up with a hotshot lawyer.”
Jenna forced a laugh. “Rave on, that’s the story in your head. I know you couldn’t communicate with anyone. You didn’t have a chance to enlist anyone as a disciple, as you call them, or do anything. It’s all in your mind, James. You’re sick.”
“Really? I used the custodian in the library. I placed a note in a book and he took it to one of my selections. I was allowed visits from my lawyer. Private visits, Jenna.” Stone chuckled. “He hired a specific lawyer for my chosen ones and it was he, a dedicated disciple of my work, who explained the situation to them. It was all planned before I was convicted. I knew they’d try and cut me off from the world, so I made a contingency plan. You see, I have many people in my employ, Jenna. People who don’t exist in your reality but thrive in the world of the dark web. People who look after my finances, my businesses, my escape from jail.” He stared at her. “Does that sound like a sickness or genius? Now come out. I’m tired of waiting—or do I have to get someone to coax you out of your hiding place?”
Jenna swallowed hard. She couldn’t believe what he was saying. “I find it hard to believe you have Sam Cross in your employ.” She stared at him. “He’s Adams’ and Long’s lawyer. He might be a pain in the ass, but he’s not corrupt. He plays it straight down the line and to the letter of the law.” She snorted. “More lies, James. You’re losing your edge.”
“That’s why I chose him.” Stone glared at her. “Incorruptible Sam Cross. He’s the best, isn’t he? A lawyer who is wasting his life in Black Rock Falls but perfect for my needs. He was handed a file, Jenna, from another out-of-state lawyer. He knew the deal that I’d worked on the case and out of his civic duty he took the offered fee to represent Adams and Long. No money came from me, Jenna. I’m not that stupid. Adams and Long have more than enough in their bank accounts to pay for him and then some.”
Jenna took aim but moved slightly out of cover. “Put down your weapon. I have you surrounded. Do it nice and slow and we’ll take you back to your nice cozy jail cell.”
“I hear the hesitation in your voice and I know you’re not a very good shot.” Stone raised his rifle. “I remember our first date. You said after becoming sheriff you’d have to get down to the practice range more often. I offered to take you because I’m really good. I’ll take you down before you pull the trigger and then I’ll show you a real good time.”
Heart pounding so loud she could hear it in her ears, Jenna gritted her teeth. “Put down the weapon. If your finger moves to the trigger I will fire.”
“No, you won’t. You’re weak without backup but now it’s just you and me. I always win, Jenna. I’m so going to enjoy hearing you beg me for mercy… but I’m not a forgiving guy. I’ll make you scream until you die in agony.” He laughed in an excited giggle. “I knew it would end like this.” His finger went to the trigger.
The bang deafened Jenna and when Stone fell back in a red mist, to sprawl on the trail, she wanted to spew. She dropped her rifle down to her side and flopped against the tree. Hand trembling, she pressed her com. “Stone is down.”
The duty of care instilled in her bellowed in her mind. She should go and check Stone’s vital signs, but her legs refused to move. His legs twitched, and the idea he might be alive terrified her. What would she do if he’d survived? She took out her phone with trembling hands and stopped it recording. Moments later, Kane’s voice came in her ear.
“That was a righteous kill. You okay?”
Jenna couldn’t drag her eyes away from the body. “Not really. Is he dead?”
“Very. Great shooting.”
Jenna sighed with relief, but it wasn’t over yet. “There’s another bogey in the forest and we need to get out of here. If the wind changes, we won’t be able to outrun the fire. What’s your position?”
“I’m across from you, alongside the ravine. I can’t see anyone. Maybe he’s hightailed it out of the forest but I’ll cover you just in case. Go and get Seagull. Warrior is waiting on the trail.”
Heaving a sigh of relief, Jenna straightened. Hearing Kane’s voice had calmed her nerves, but she’d killed a man and that would stay with her forever. “Copy. Did you find Duke?”
“Yeah, he’s fine. SOB had tied him to a log.”
Jenna sighed with relief. “Soon as I grab Seagull, I’ll call it in. The phones should work now the storm has passed.” She hurried to her mare and slid her rifle back in the scabbard attached to her saddle.
The wind was blowing the smoke down the mountain, fanning the roaring wildfire closer to town. Fear clenched her belly. So many people lived off the grid in Stanton Forest. Hundreds of houses lined Stanton Road, and schools and the hospital would be in danger if the fire wasn’t contained. Trembling from shock and looking all around, she called Rowley and tried to keep the hysterics from her voice but, in truth, her flight response was in overdrive. Right now, she wanted to be anywhere but here and not ten yards from James Stone’s dead body. “I’m on the ravine trail near Bear Peak. James Stone was in the forest along with three of his disciples. I took him down and Kane took out the second, the other one burned up in the wildfire. We have three bodies and one man still at large. What’s the situation with the fire?”
“We heard shots, and knew something was going down. We’ve been trying to contact you since you left town. We know about Stone’s escape. I’m with Rio on the opposite side of the river from you at Bear Peak, not far from the firebreak. You won’t believe who I have in custody—John Foster and he hasn’t stopped talking. Stone recruited him to kill you and Dave, which makes the other two dead guys Adams and Long. They were all involved just as you figured… including Stone. He sure didn’t fool you, though, did he?” Rowley cleared his throat. “Latest news is that the fire is being contained, there are crews from all over surrounding it now. It hasn’t crossed the firebreak below your position, and the fire chief is convinced it won’t get past the falls. Crews are on their way to your position now in case the wind changes.”
Jenna turned to look at the massive orange glow in the sky and shook her head. “It sure doesn’t look contained. We’ll need to retrieve the bodies, but it’s too high risk at the moment. Call Wolfe and let him know the situation and we’ll do the retrieval once we get the all-clear from the fire department. Stay where you are. We’ll come to you.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Rowley disconnected.
Jenna pressed her com. “Rowley has John Forest in custody on the other side of the river. He’s admitted to being involved and is singing like a canary. We’re good to go.”
“Copy.”
Footsteps pounded on the trail and she swung around, reaching for her weapon. She dropped her hand at the sight of Kane bending over Stone, checking his vital signs. When he straightened and turned toward her, she waved. Once Kane had wrapped crime scene tape around the trees surrounding Stone’s body, she led the reluctant Seagull onto the trail. The mare bucked and danced sideways, snorting. The fire and smoke had terrified her. Jenna heaved a sigh of relief as Kane hurried toward her. She stared at him, so glad to have him in her life. He’d taught her so much, protected her with his life, and all the while living with a secret misery. How he’d remained steadfastly by her side when she’d given him such a hard time she’d never understand, but that was the essence of Dave Kane. She fell against him when he walked to her side. “I can’t believe they were all involved.” She held up her hand and closed her index finger an inch away from her thumb. “They came this close to killing us, Dave.” She shivered. “I’ve never been so scared in my life.”
“It didn’t show.” Kane hugged her. �
�The way you handled Stone was by the book, Jenna. He’ll never hurt anyone again.”
Jenna tapped her phone. “I recorded everything. I’m sure the FBI will want to know what went down here, but right now we need to get more distance between us and the fire. We can’t do anything about the bodies. Shane will want to see them in situ, and right now we need to concentrate on getting out of the forest.”
“I’m sure Duke is getting anxious too.” Kane picked up the mare’s reins and took Jenna’s hand. “I’ll lead Seagull as she’s in such a foul mood.”
They ran up the trail and Jenna kept her eyes straight ahead as they passed the body of Stone. Kane had kept the mare on the outside and shielded her from the gruesome sight. By the time they’d rounded the corner and Warrior came into view, shock hit Jenna in a tidal wave of tremors. “Wait up.” Her voice was shaky to her ears.
“Just a bit further and then we can ride the rest of the way.” Kane pushed on. “Seagull will settle down once she’s with Warrior.”
Breathless, she pulled on Kane’s hand. “Slow down, I need a drink of water. The wind is blowing the fire down the mountain. We should reach the river by horseback in no time.”
“Okay.” Kane stopped and pulled a bottle of water from her backpack and handed it to her. His concerned expression moved over her face. “Take a minute and catch your breath. You’re sheet white.”
The horror of the last hour slammed into Jenna. Tears welled in her eyes and she brushed them away, angry at herself for being so girly. She’d looked away, but eagle-eyed Kane had noticed.
“It’s over.” Kane pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair. “If you hadn’t taken the shot, I would the moment his finger went to the trigger.” He held her away and looked into her eyes. “The world is a better place without him.”
Jenna burrowed into his chest and held on tight. “Today I watched a man burn to death and shot another. The forest is on fire. Everything is going to hell. So many killers come to Black Rock Falls, all out to prove they can take us down. Are we doing the right thing staying here? How many more people are going to die, Dave?”
“Don’t you believe we’ve been sent here for a reason?” Kane rested his chin on the top of her head. “Not by POTUS, I mean by fate or whoever pulls the strings. We both know that murders were committed way before we arrived here and those killers escaped justice. The bones found in the forest would be the tip of the iceberg. The killers don’t come here to challenge us, Jenna, they come here because our county is vast with millions of places to hide, commit murder, and dispose of bodies.” He sighed. “Over six hundred thousand people go missing in the United States every year, and there are currently way over two hundred thousand unsolved murders, so how many were the victims of serial killers? It may seem like we have way over our quota of cases in Black Rock Falls, but in truth, we don’t touch the surface—and so far, we’ve caught every darn one of them. I’d say we’re doing a fine job.”
Still shaken, Jenna leaned back to look up at him. “I’m not sure what I’d do without you, Dave. You always say just the right thing to make me feel better.” She held her breath as Kane hugged her, rubbing her back. When he released her, she stared into his eyes. “You make me feel safe.”
“I like that.” Kane tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
Reluctantly, Jenna stepped away and looked behind him at the flames waving high above the distant pines. “Come on, we need to keep moving away from the fire.”
“Sure.” Kane pulled down his facemask and whistled for Duke. “Even Duke knows to be careful when shots have been fired.” He waved a hand toward his dog as he made his way through the trees, keeping low. “See? Duke is careful.”
Jenna didn’t have time to reply. Duke launched himself at them, backside wiggling and making snuffling sounds. Laughing, she rubbed his ears. “It’s good to see you too. Maybe Dave will teach you how to bite the next person who tries to steal you.”
“Somehow, I think he’s learned that all by himself.” Kane rubbed Duke from head to tail. “Haven’t you, boy?” He straightened and looked at Jenna. “He warned me someone was close by. He went ballistic.” He offered Jenna his linked hands to hoist her into the saddle. “I’ll tell you all about it when we get home.”
Epilogue
Sunday, Week Two
Halloween
The first rain had arrived to help extinguish the wildfire before Jenna and her team had left the mountain on Friday. It lashed the forest right through Saturday, sending torrents of ash-filled rivulets of water down the mountain to muddy the pristine rivers, but the discoloration wouldn’t last for long. Black Rock Falls would replenish the lakes and rivers with clean water in no time. The fire had left a blackened scar, but after winter the forest would renew and it would become a distant memory. Although the horror of Friday would stay with Jenna for a long time.
After the bodies had been retrieved—the man shot by Kane identified as Long, and the burned corpse as Adams—Jenna had spent the rest of Friday interviewing the suspect Rowley and Rio had apprehended in the forest. John Foster, dressed in cowboy hat and slicker, the uniform, it seemed, for James Stone’s disciples, had told an interesting story.
The scheme for Stone’s escape had been set into action following his arrest. His contact with the outside world hadn’t been restricted until after his conviction. As a lawyer himself, he’d known he’d be sent to jail for life and set a plan for escape in motion. It had taken time to organize. He’d selected suitable likeminded candidates for his disciples, working on a sure-fire defense to have them released from jail and by having guards ready to look the other way for the right price. Late Thursday night, Stone had complained of severe stomach cramps and convinced the medic at the prison that he was suffering an acute appendicitis. An ambulance had been called and the guards paid off to not resist the ambush by his disciples on the highway.
Foster insisted he hadn’t killed anyone but laid the blame for June and Payton Harris’ murders on Adams. He’d taken Jenna and the team to the cave where Adams had displayed June Harris. The poor woman had been retrieved and her body would be laid to rest beside her husband. It had also been Adams who’d broken into Jenna’s ranch by stealing the gate fob from Wolfe’s van. It had taken only a short time observing her ranch to discover who carried the controls to the gate. He’d tried to break into the Beast, but the bulletproof glass had proved too great a problem. Adams used a wireless blocker to disable Jenna’s phone and, after switching off the generator, had cut the power to the house.
Continuing to deny any involvement, Foster gave a detailed account of the brutal murders of Emmett and Patti Howard, saying he’d been in the forest as a lookout when Tyson Long arrived with the couple. Late at night, he’d distracted Emmett by crashing through the trees and grunting like a bear. Long had instructed Emmett to sit behind the tree and then used his crossbow to kill him. Patti’s murder had been brutal, and the gruesome details were verified by Wolfe’s autopsy findings.
Foster explained how, unrestricted in the jail, the disciples had been able to pass messages and plan where to meet in Black Rock Falls. On their release from jail, they’d placed a message in the personal column that read: I am a disciple. At the following meetings, held in the cave out of Stanton Forest, they’d planned every move and kept Stone in the loop by posting cryptic messages in the newspaper.
To cause chaos, Stone had chosen Adams and Long to commit copycat killings and made sure the men had alibis for each other’s crimes in order to shed reasonable doubt on any convictions. Knowing Sam Cross would see an injustice if one of them was arrested, he used the man’s integrity for his own twisted needs. He wanted Jenna to be confused and chasing her tail. When Stone’s plans fell into place, the disciples organized his escape, and as Stone’s only concession in jail and link to the outside world was a local newspaper, they posted a message in the Thursday edition of the Black Rock Falls News: Meeting of the disciples, 1:00 am Friday, Stanton Road.
Foster had been stationed on the bank of the river just in case Jenna slipped through Stone’s net, and had been waiting for Stone to return when questioned by Rowley.
Jenna had interviewed Foster in the presence of Sam Cross, whose outrage at being a pawn in a deadly conspiracy was palpable. It was obvious that Cross was as honest as the day was long, but when he excused himself and refused to represent Foster, it was the first time Jenna had seen him vulnerable. After waiting for another lawyer to arrive, Jenna, with the DA present, had charged Foster with felony murder and a list of other charges. There was no deal offered, as he was a repeat offender. It would be very unlikely he’d ever walk free again.
Exhausted but with a huge weight lifted from her shoulders, Jenna had returned to Kane’s cottage and showered, scrubbing the stink of fire and death from her body before sleeping like the dead right through until lunchtime Saturday morning. She’d spent the rest of the day in the office with her team, tying up loose ends. Sunday would be a day to kick back and relax at home with Kane.
It was late when she woke on Sunday morning, but for once she didn’t care. She staggered out of bed, still drowsy, and headed toward the smell of coffee. She loved living with Dave, and having him close by was like living a dream. The thought of going back to her ranch house left a pit of loneliness in her stomach. She went into the kitchen, poured a cup of coffee, added the fixings, and took the cup to the window to stare at her beautiful home. Would she be happy there after what had happened? Would she ever feel safe again?