by D. K. Hood
“Help me, please.” The woman’s long blonde hair was a mess, tears had tracked mascara down her cheeks. In her arms a baby screamed. The woman hammered on Kane’s door. “Don’t let him hit me again.”
“I won’t let him near you.” Kane turned to Jenna. “Orders?”
Jenna assessed the situation. “Take care of her. I’ll go see what this bunch of cowards are doing, standing by and watching a woman being assaulted. Call for backup.”
“Jenna—” Kane stared at her.
“Don’t say a word. The townsfolk need to know I can deal with trouble alone. I know you care about my safety.” Jenna glared at him. “My town, my problem. Let me do my job, Dave.”
“Okay.” He held up both hands in surrender. “Go do your job but just remember, people like to see a strong leader, not one who is trying to prove they can knock a guy off his feet.” He smiled at her. “Even if you can.” He waved a hand toward the group of men cheering the offender on. “Then you have the crowd. If they step in, I’m there and nothing you say will stop me. That’s what I’m paid to do, Jenna.”
“Your first priority is the woman and her baby.” Jenna climbed out the truck and pushed her way through the group of men spilling from Antlers, the new tavern in town. She didn’t recognize any of them as locals and as they all had the same club jackets—clearly, they belonged to a group of men on a hunting trip or similar. She raised her voice. “What’s going on here?”
“Nothin’ for you to be lookin’ at, Sheriff.” A man with a smug expression stepped away from his friends. “It’s a private matter.” He wiped blood from his knuckles onto his jeans. “Ain’t it, boys?”
After murmuring their agreement, all eyes turned to her. Many of the men had grins from ear to ear. Indignant, Jenna straightened. “Assaulting people in my town is an offense.”
“She hit me first.” The man rubbed his cheek. “I was just showing the boys here how I deal with a wife who just won’t listen. I told her I’d be away this week and she goes and follows me here. Then she takes offense to me chatting with the girl behind the bar. I mean—” he opened his hands out wide and flashed her a lop-sided smile “—what woman wouldn’t want a piece of this?” He looked around as his friends laughed. “I gave her a baby to keep her quiet but she don’t stay quiet. Followin’ me here, checking up on me. That makes me look weak.”
Jenna shook her head. “I’m taking you downtown for a little chat. The townsfolk hereabouts don’t like men who beat on their wives. I’ll get my deputies to speak to the witnesses.”
“She ain’t gonna press charges against me.” He glared at Jenna. “And do you figure you’re strong enough to cuff me?” He pointed to her sidearm. “Oh, that’s right, you’ll hold a gun to my head.” He looked around at his friends and grinned. “Get out your phones, boys, police brutality coming my way.” His gaze shifted back to Jenna. “I’ll have your badge, lady. You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”
People had collected on the sidewalk. To one side, she made out Kane getting the woman and her baby inside his truck. He looked over the top of the Beast and raised both eyebrows. Jenna gave him a slight shake of her head, unbelted her duty belt, and handed it to the local gun store owner. “Okay, now it’s just you and me.” She shrugged. “What’s your name?”
“John Law and I ain’t going nowhere.” He stood his ground, hands on hips, grinning at her. “It’s easy for you hiding behind a badge. If I make the wrong move, you’ll have me for resisting arrest.”
Noticing Rowley pushing through the crowd, she smiled at him. “Here, hold these for me please.” She peeled off her jacket and handed Rowley her badge. “There, that makes us even.”
“Even?” Law laughed at her. “The badge and coat don’t make you a sheriff, the town makes you the sheriff. Whatever. Stay out of my business.” He turned to walk toward a pickup.
Jenna charged after him and grabbed one arm. “I’m arresting you for assaulting your wife.” She pulled his arm up behind him and reached for the other, cuffs in hand.
In an instant, he’d twisted around. The slap caught her across the cheek like a whip and she tasted blood. She ducked his second blow and caught the rage on his face. He planned to strike her again and that was not going to happen. The years of training she’d done with Kane in the early hours of the morning had prepared her for men like Law. They liked to dominate and control. Rather than get mad, everything around her went into slow motion. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Kane restraining Rowley. She ducked the next slap and Law, red in the face, came at her like a raging bull, his fists clenched.
Perfect. Kane had taught her how to disable by aiming in just the right place. She spun and kicked hitting Law’s kneecap with the heel of her boot. One strike and he fell into a pile of pain. She turned and looked at Rowley and Kane. “Cuff him.” She read him his rights. “When you get him in a cell call Doc Brown but I want him charged with assaulting a law officer, resisting arrest, and spousal abuse.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Rowley cuffed Law and dragged him limping to his cruiser.
“You broke my leg. I’m going to sue you. This is police brutality.” Law’s face contorted. “You’re dead, lady. My friends have everything on film.”
Jenna collected her things and buckled on her duty belt. “That’s good and so do many of the local townsfolk. The judge will see you resisting arrest and striking me.” She touched her cheek and ran her tongue over the split inside her mouth. “You came at me first, Law, a defenseless woman. I just defended myself.” She turned to Rowley. “Get him out of my sight.”
“Do you want me to collect the phone footage?” Rio was at her side.
Jenna shook her head and scanned the crowd. “No, I’ll do that. I know many of the people who filmed it. Take Mrs. Law and her baby to Her Broken Wings. It’s a refuge for battered women. Two streets up on the left. Get her statement. Explain, we’ll need her to testify in court or he’ll walk.” She turned to the crowd and raised her voice. “I’ll need the footage.”
As people came forward, her heart sank at the sight of Deni Crawford, the impossibly rude Blackwater News reporter heading her way with a satisfied smile. Talk about being in the right place at the right time, the busybody reporter had caught the entire episode on film. She turned to face her. “No comment.”
“Oh, come on, Sheriff.” Crawford held out the microphone. “You must have something to say to the people of Black Rock Falls?” She smiled at the camera. “It’s not every day we see a sheriff in action, while her deputies stand by and do nothing.”
Refusing to rise to the bait, Jenna looked straight into the camera. “In Black Rock Falls we don’t tolerate spousal abuse or bullying so please donate to Her Broken Wings Foundation and help those in need. Thank you.” She turned her back on Crawford and addressed the crowd. “Okay who filmed the incident?” She took out her cards. “Email a copy to me please.”
As she moved between the people, she noticed Kane coming out of Antlers carrying something. He stopped at his truck and leaned against the door watching her. With all the footage emailed to her and names taken of witnesses, she made her way back to the Beast. She looked at Kane’s stern expression but he said nothing and just handed her a towel filled with ice. She took it from him and pressed it against her throbbing cheek. Now the adrenalin had worn off, her face ached. She looked at him. “How is Mrs. Law?”
“Frightened and hurting.” Kane frowned. “Her husband has been beating on her for some time. I wanted to tend her injuries but she wanted to feed the baby and told me to leave her alone.”
Jenna watched as Rio escorted the woman to his cruiser. “Let’s go before that news reporter films anything else, I’m doing.” She climbed into the Beast and waited for Kane to get behind the wheel and start the engine. “I saw you holding Rowley back. Thanks for letting me deal with the situation but I wasn’t expecting it to be all over the news tonight.”
“You made it perfectly clear you had a point to
prove.” Kane was staring straight ahead. “The big loud mouth bully who beat up on his wife needed taking down a peg. Being knocked off his feet by a woman your size in front of his friends will take a long time to live down, especially when it makes the news. It’s just as well his wife is leaving him. He’d take it out on her for sure.” He pulled into his space outside the sheriff’s department and turned to look at her. “It’s difficult, Jenna.” He pointed to his chest. “In here, seeing Law put his hands on you made me want to tear him apart, but in here—” he pointed to his head “—I knew you could take care of yourself but when you gave up your weapon—Jesus, Jenna.” He shook his head. “I had palpitations.”
Jenna smiled at him. “You re-trained me well, and I’m at my peak but I have to admit, knowing you were there watching my back made it a whole lot easier.”
Fifteen
Head throbbing, Jenna walked into the sheriff’s department to find Atohi Blackhawk waiting for her. Maggie had supplied him with coffee and sandwiches. Her friend looked weary and she smiled at him. “Thank you so much for searching all night. We found a body out at the old mines and Wolfe has just confirmed it’s Laurie Turner.”
“That’s some way from where I found her backpack. It belongs to Laurie. It has a tag with her name on it.” Blackhawk lifted a large evidence bag from beside his chair and handed it to her. “I decided to ride my trailbike through the forest and it was on the trail we searched yesterday about half a mile from Stanton. I marked the place with tape and have the coordinates.” He held up his phone. “I took shots of the trail and all around but whoever dropped it there didn’t leave a trace. I’ll forward them to everyone now.”
Jenna stared at the backpack. She’d take it to Wolfe when they went to the autopsy. “We’re looking for a primary crime scene and it may be close to where you found this, we’ll go and check it out. Did you touch it or go through it?”
“Nah.” Blackhawk shook his head. “I had a pocket full of gloves and evidence bags with me, in case we found anything during the search.” He sipped his coffee and regarded her with interest. “What happened to your face?”
Jenna closed the door and sat in her office chair. “Some crazy wife beater. He’s in the cells and will be on his way to the county jail as soon as he’s charged.”
“How did your deputies allow this to happen?” His brown eyes flashed with anger. “Men who beat on women are contemptible.”
Surprised by his concern, she smiled. “I’m fine. I wanted to handle him myself but it was a little difficult. I ordered Kane and Rowley to stand down.” She stood and filled a coffee cup and then searched the drawer for Tylenol. “Rio is taking her to Her Broken Wings, they’ll make sure she gets the best of care and assistance.” She took her coffee back to the desk. “Have you met Zac Rio yet?”
“I have.” Blackhawk nodded slowly. “He seems efficient but I’d say you have another overqualified deputy in your team. He’s ambitious. Have you considered he might go against you in the next election? I know that’s years away but by that time he’ll be well established in town.”
Jenna tossed the towel and ice into the sink and looked at him. “That’s way too far into the future for me to worry about and my head is filled with this case.” She indicated to the whiteboard. “We’ve gone from missing girl to murder victim in the last few hours. As soon as Rio gets back, he can handle the press because as soon as they get wind that I called off the search they’ll know we’ve found a body.”
“Do you know how she died?” Blackhawk turned his hat around in his hands and looked at her. “I didn’t see any blood spatter, nothing at all around her backpack. I did a good recon of the area.”
Having been with Blackhawk on a search in the forest many a time, she had seen his skills firsthand. A superb tracker, he was an asset and gave his time freely, refusing payment as if it was an insult. She valued his friendship on all levels, she’d trust him with her life. Jenna nodded. “We won’t know until the autopsy. This one is difficult, maybe strangulation with post-mortem wounds. The autopsy is at two, I’ll know more then.”
A brief knock came on her door and Kane walked inside with Duke at his heels and nodded at Blackhawk. “I’ve checked out Laurie’s laptop, it wasn’t password-protected. There’s nothing there at all unusual. The friends we’ve spoken to already make up the social media contacts. Her emails are very general. Even her search history is based on her assignments. No clues there at all. Not even a nasty comment.”
Jenna stood and added information to the whiteboard and then turned to Kane. “Atohi found her backpack. We’ll take it to Wolfe to examine.”
“Yeah, I read the file.” Kane went to the counter and poured himself a cup of coffee. “You sure you weren’t a cop in a past life?”
“Me?” Blackhawk chuckled. “Who really knows which way their spirit guide has led them? Although, I don’t like putting men in cages, so perhaps not.” He shrugged. “But if I saw a rabid dog, I’d take it down without a second thought.” He grinned at Kane. “Don’t look so concerned, Eagle Eye, I have no plans to start murdering people. It is not in my nature and I find digging holes too much of a chore.”
Jenna looked up as Rowley and Rio arrived at her office door. She waved them in. “What do you have for me?”
“Mrs. Law is in safe hands at Her Broken Wings. She lives out at Louan and they’ve arranged for her to go and collect her belongings while her husband is in custody.” Rio handed her a document. “She gave me a statement and will press charges for assault. The social workers at the shelter have everything under control, they’ve even arranged a pro bono lawyer to represent her if necessary.”
“Yeah, we took the charge sheet and evidence to date to the DA along with Mrs. Law’s statement and ours; we had enough to obtain an arrest warrant.” Rowley looked pleased with himself. “The DA wants statements from you and Kane and any witnesses willing to come forward to support his case. Law will be held in county waiting for a bail hearing. They are on their way to collect him.”
Glad she had such efficient deputies, Jenna smiled. “Good to know. We’ll get the statements before we leave for the autopsy and you can drop them into the DA’s office. I’m happy Mrs. Law and her baby are being cared for in Black Rock Falls. She’ll have a fresh start here.” She clasped her hands around her coffee cup. “We’re due to attend an autopsy at two. Rowley, I need you to start chasing down the witnesses in the Law case. The contact details are in the files. It would be easier if you could call them and ask them to come in to make a statement and then you’ll be here for the transfer of our prisoner.” She glanced at Rio. “Rio is attending the autopsy but he’ll be back to relieve you as soon as possible.”
“Rather him than me.” Rowley ran a hand through his unruly hair. “The smell of that place makes me sick to my stomach.” He swiped at the end of his nose. “I’ll get at it.” He headed for the door.
“I’ll need you to sign off on the media release please, Sheriff.” Rio placed a sheet of paper on her desk.
Jenna read through it and was impressed by the presentation, which gave the barest details, and none of the evidence found at the scene. “I can see you’ve written a few of these in your time. Great job. Ask Maggie for our media contact details and call it in.” She signed the bottom of the page and handed it back to him.
Taking a few seconds to put her thoughts in order, Jenna waited for Blackhawk to finish his coffee and then smiled at him. “I really appreciate your help. The backpack might give up valuable evidence.”
“Any time.” Blackhawk looked at Jenna and stood. “I’m only a call away if you need me.” He yawned. “I’m heading home to get some rest. I don’t envy your next job, Jenna. I hope Shane can give you a clue to finding this killer.” He pushed his hat on his head and followed Rio out the door.
Jenna stared after them. “That’s one drawback about being sheriff.” She grimaced. “I don’t have an excuse to avoid an autopsy.” She met Kane’s combat face. He was
already zoning out his emotions. “Although, this case is intriguing.” She sighed. “In its own horrific way.”
Sixteen
Steeling herself for the gruesome task ahead, Jenna tried to ignore the smell of the morgue and the cold that seeped through her clothes. She heard Kane clear his throat and Rio’s boots click on the tile as they walked in a procession, her in the lead, to the examination room with the glowing red light outside. Her deputies’ faces were grim as they shed their jackets and suited up for the autopsy. The air filled with mentholated salve and gloves snapped into place. Once everyone was ready, she scanned her card at the door and they all stepped inside. As usual, Wolfe had completed the preliminary examination before they arrived. Screens held X-ray images and an assortment of results from various tests he’d already conducted in their absence.
They walked to stand a little to the side of Wolfe, Emily, and Colt Webber, to peer at the victim’s body on a gurney under the bright light. As they turned to look at them, she held up the evidence bag. “Atohi found Laurie’s backpack, where do you want it?”
“Emily and Colt will go through it in another room.” Wolfe waved them away. “I want this room as clean as possible.”
Jenna handed Webber the plastic bag and smiled at Emily behind her mask. “Last semester, you must be excited. What’s next?”
“Tons. I’m planning on completing an accelerated medical degree, then I’ll have at least two years of residency before I can apply to be certified. There’s a ton more studying to do if I want to specialize in forensic pathology. Right now, I’m more concerned about the postgrad finals.” Emily shrugged. “I’m usually confident going into examinations but this means so much to me, I’m a little nervous.”