by D. K. Hood
Jenna read Law his rights. “I’ll be charging you for reckless driving, armed attack on a law enforcement officer, and resisting arrest.” She pulled out her phone and called Rio. “We’re out on the highway about five miles south of town. Come and pick up a prisoner.” She disconnected and looked at Kane. “Rio is on his way.” She leaned into Law’s truck and grabbed his keys. “Get in the back seat, Mr. Law. You can sit in there.” She waited for him to climb inside and locked the truck.
“We could’ve taken him into town.” Kane’s eyes narrowed.
Jenna shook her head. “He’d likely have spat at us or tried to headbutt me from behind.” She glanced at the man now subdued in the back of his vehicle. “He must be on something. No one is stupid enough to attack two armed officers.”
“I’m wondering why the hurry.” Kane stared at his boots. “He must have been given bail late yesterday and went home, why come back to Black Rock Falls? He’d have an order against him not to go near his wife.”
Jenna shook her head. “We’ll need to find out.” She waited for him to meet her eyes. “Why did you block my line of fire and step between me and the knife?”
“You were on the back foot, after ducking from the first blow.” Kane shrugged. “He’d have stabbed you before you had time to raise your weapon and aim. I was watching your back is all.” He gave her a long look. “I used necessary force to subdue him. I sure as hell didn’t want him dead. He deserves jail time in general population. I figure it will change his outlook on life and his attitude to women.”
Thirty-Seven
He’d tossed and turned all night, searched the internet for answers, and finally found what he needed on the school’s website. It was a bio for Dr. Robert Turner, the shrink hired by the school to fix kids’ heads and he just happened to be Laurie’s pa. The post was directed to both parents and students, stating complete confidentiality on any matter of concern. Becky Powell’s death had been all over the news, not her name but the fact a girl’s body had been found in town. He couldn’t eat his breakfast and went back to his room. He read and re-read the post about the doctor before heading to school and the moment he walked into the building, he went to the office. “I want to speak to Dr. Turner.”
“You’re not required to give a reason or your name… well, to me anyway.” The woman behind the counter looked him over. “If it’s an excuse to get out of failing your grades, he won’t help you.”
He rubbed the back of his neck and tried to come up with an excuse. “I’ve been having real bad dreams. I need to speak to someone about them is all.”
“Oh, sure.” She lifted the phone on her desk and spoke to someone in hushed tones and then looked up at him. “It must be your lucky day, he’s free now. You can go straight in. Third door on the left. When you’re done drop by and I’ll issue you a hall pass.”
He nodded and tried to squash the rolling in his stomach. Would speaking to the doctor about his fears betray his girl? Turner couldn’t say anything to anyone, so he should be safe. No one would know he’d been to see him. He knocked on the door and stepped inside. Rather than a couch the doctor sat behind a desk and looked at him over his spectacles.
“You’re having bad dreams?” Turner leaned forward and rested his clasped hands on the desk. “Sit down.”
“No, I said that to come and see you.” He sprawled in the chair. “Nothing I say here goes any further, right?”
“That’s correct, patient-doctor confidentiality, but to afford you that, I’ll need your name.” Turner frowned. “What’s on your mind?”
He gave his name and then chose his words carefully, making like he had these friends that he figured were a little crazy because they kept talking about killing girls. When the doctor asked questions, he told him what had been reported in the press but left out any other details. He said he was frightened for his life, that his friends might try and kill him if they knew he’d ratted on them.
“Well, unless you give me their names, you’re not ratting on anyone but as my daughter Laurie was murdered, any assistance you can offer the sheriff will be dealt with in the strictest confidence.” Turner looked nonplused as if discussing his murdered daughter happened every day. “She was a cheerleader like her mom. They’d practice together but I was glad when my wife left. I wanted Laurie to stop cheerleading. I refused to watch her flaunt herself in front of everyone like a common whore.”
Stymied, he stared at Turner. “You saying, you figure she deserved to be murdered?”
“No of course not.” Turner’s fists clenched on the desk. “Let’s say she attracted the wrong sort of attention. Football players are trouble and she knew the risks she was taking.”
He rubbed his chin. This wasn’t going as he’d expected and the doctor was no help at all. “The players are okay guys. She’d have been safer if she’d had a boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend?” Turner leaned back in his chair. “She was sixteen. That’s too young to be involved with anyone, she was asking for trouble going out with Wyatt Cooper and I told her so.”
“So, how can you help me?” He looked across the desk. “They’ve killed again. Last night. It was another cheerleader.”
“How would you know details about the murder unless you were involved?” Turner’s combover dropped over a brow beading with sweat and stuck like a fly in honey. “Did you kill my daughter? Or were you involved in some way?”
“No! I didn’t kill Laurie. This happened last night. Aren’t you listening to me?” Unease crawled over him. “You know, I came here for help, there’s no need to start interrogating me like the cops. I’m in fear for my life, man. They would kill me if they knew I’d been here.”
“I know you were there.” Turner glared at him. “You had to be to know the details. I can only help you if you tell me the truth.”
Panic swept over him. “I was there but I didn’t kill anyone.”
“If you are as innocent as you claim, even if you’re in fear for your life, the sheriff can’t help you. You’d be charged with murder by association… for just being there and not stopping it.” Turner took a folded handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed at his face. “Now, if you want my protection, you’ll have to come clean and tell me everything.”
“That’s all I can tell you.” He went to rise but Turner raised a hand to stop him. He glared at him. “Why do you want me to stay? You’ve been no help at all. Now you figure I’m involved in Laurie’s murder.” He stared at him. “Do you figure I’d come and confess to her father, if I had? I’m not that stupid. I shouldn’t have come here. I can’t give the others up to the sheriff. If one of them noticed me coming in here then I’m a dead man walking. I needed your help.”
“Okay. I guess if you’d been with those boys when they killed that girl last night but didn’t participate, I could help you.” Turner was clearly trying hard to compose himself and his mouth twitched into a grimace. “In fact, I would give you an alibi.” He cleared his throat. “And maybe even one for last night as well depending on how you cooperate. You see, the sheriff has me on her list of suspects as well. The parents are always their first suspects, and I don’t need her hassling me.”
“Okay.” He hung his head, not wanting to divulge his part in the murders, but the doctor had offered him a lifeline. “They told me last night they’d killed another girl, in a house just off Main.” He lifted his head. “What they told me made me sick to my stomach, so I had to talk to someone.”
“Is there anything else you remember? Everything you’ve said about Laurie has been in the papers. To confirm their involvement, you’d have to know something that only the killers would know. This includes the time of the murders. That information is crucial to providing an alibi.”
He pushed a hand through his hair. “I’ll give it some thought and get back to you.”
“Good.” Turner’s eyes brightened. “I’ll give you my number and if this happens again, you must give me the time and I’ll say you were with me
. I’ll call you, to confirm different times you had a session with me as well or it will appear that you only came to see me when a murder took place.” He looked at him. “Tell me everything you remember and I’ll protect you but you must back me up. If I say you’ve been having counseling sessions with me at the time of the murders or at any other time I give you, you must confirm it. Are we clear?”
“Yeah, anything you say, Doc.” He smiled at Turner. He had him hook, line, and sinker. He’d give him just a taste of what happened and leave out the gruesome stuff. “Yeah, they said they’d strangled them and then took one of their pompoms.”
Thirty-Eight
After waving away offers of help, Jenna delivered the paperwork to the judge for an arrest warrant for Law, and went from there to speak to the DA. She’d discovered during a brief interview with Mr. Law, that he’d been released yesterday and was out searching for his wife. He’d admitted to substance abuse. Doc Brown had dropped by and taken blood for testing. Law would be collected by the county jail and would likely remain there until his court hearing.
It was lunchtime by the time she returned to her office and she met Kane and Rio heading to the front door carrying takeout from Aunt Betty’s. She smiled at them and led the way inside. “Come into my office so we can bring everyone up to speed before we leave for the autopsy.”
She stared at the whiteboard, noticing Rio had updated everything since she’d left the previous day. He was an asset to have around but she missed Rowley and had checked in with him when she’d arrived earlier. It had taken little persuasion to insist he remain with his wife until she recovered. She sighed. At least all was well with Sandy but having her involved in a homicide had given the case a nasty twist. It would seem the killer or killers would stop at nothing to satisfy their cravings for murder.
“What’s on your mind?” Kane pushed a bag and a to-go cup of coffee across the desk to her.
Jenna peered into the bag. She hadn’t had a bagel and cream cheese for a while and gave Kane a small smile at the sight of it. He always came back from Aunt Betty’s with something she enjoyed. She pulled it out and took a bite, chewing slowly as she thought through what needed to be done but first, she needed an update from Rio. “Any calls come in about the silver GMC?”
“A few, and I hunted them down.” Rio leaned back in his chair. “They were owned by neighbors of people who have the same vehicle and live in Stanton but they were at home or out watching the fireworks. It’s a popular truck, so we’ll have tons of sightings.”
Unable to remove the incident with Mr. Law earlier in the day, she stared at the file on her computer screen. “Law was released last night and has a silver GMC. He’s a violent offender. How do we know he’s not involved in the murders as well?”
“He hasn’t come up on our radar.” Kane shrugged. “And he doesn’t fit the profile.”
“I’m thinking outside the box here, Dave.” Jenna looked at Rio. “Check him out while we’re at the autopsy and hunt down the persons of interest on our list and discover their location at the time of the murder. Most are high school kids but don’t forget Cory Hughes, he rates high on my list of possible suspects.”
“Sure, but I’m guessing most of the kids will have been in town at the festival.” He took a bite of his sandwich and washed it down with coffee. “I have traced medallions on cowboy boots. They’re popular as well but one thing did wave a red flag at me: they’re a feature of the cheerleading squad’s boots.” He put down his sandwich and accessed the files on his phone. “See in this group shot, they all have the medallions. I guess showing this to Sandy is out of the question?”
Jenna nodded. “Yeah, I don’t want to cause any more stress. We’ll speak to her as soon as her doctor says it’s okay. Right now, they’re keeping her quiet.” She scanned the whiteboard again. “Cheerleaders are part of our investigation. Concentrate on Verna Hughes, she fits the profile and could be involved. Maybe include Marlene Moore as well as both are cheerleaders and fit the profile.” She turned her attention to Kane. “Any info from Carter on what’s happening with Stan Williams?”
“From what I understand, Carter contacted Agent Josh Martin from the Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and forwarded the files and our reports.” Kane shrugged. “You know how they work. They won’t rush in and arrest him, they have a team of people who get involved and track down the entire pedophile ring. It takes time but they don’t want one rat they want the entire nest.”
Jenna and Kane arrived at the medical examiner’s office at a little after one-thirty. After greeting Wolfe in their usual manner, she was surprised to see Kane hand Wolfe a note which he read and raised both eyebrows. Jenna looked from one to the other and followed them into his office. Without saying a word, Wolfe took a device out of his drawer and stood. “I still have some things to do before we start the autopsy. You might as well wait here. Help yourself to coffee.” He handed Kane the device and left the room.
“It’s like waiting to see the dentist.” Kane motioned her to stand and ran the scanner over her and then held it out and showed her the reading.
Astounded to find she had a tracker implanted under her skin, Jenna pulled a sad face, took the scanner from Kane, and moved it over his shoulder. “I never minded the dentist.” She handed him the reading and caught the reaction on his face. He was fuming.
“Why don’t you make coffee? I could do with one right now.” He took out his notebook and scribbled a note.
From the reading, only mine has audio. Go and tell Wolfe, he’ll know what to do.
Jenna nodded. “You make the coffee. I need to visit the bathroom.” She headed out the door and Wolfe was outside leaning against the wall. She looked at him. “Only Dave’s has audio. You can’t be seen to remove them. They’ll know we know.”
“They should have told me at least.” Wolfe’s brow furrowed into a frown. “Don’t worry, There’s a way. We destroy them first and then remove them. They won’t know I’m involved.”
Jenna pushed her hair from her face and sighed. “He’s angry. What can you do, like today?”
“Simplest thing is a strong magnet.” Wolfe rubbed the back of his neck. “It depends how sophisticated it is and it may only scramble the circuits for a few seconds.” He thought for a beat. “Give me seven minutes to prepare, then come into examination room two. The autopsy will be in room three. Get him in number two without his shirt, I’ll say something about having to extract metal filings from a body by using a powerful magnet. They’ll expect some disturbance. It will give me time to remove his and we’ll do yours next.”
Jenna nodded and wrote a text to Kane explaining. She hit send. “Okay, how much is this going to hurt?”
“It depends how deep it’s embedded but you’ll need a couple of stitches.” Wolfe inclined his head. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you? You do know I can’t track you from the chip, that’s why I supplied everyone with a personal tracker. Your ring like the other disguised trackers are the only direct contact to the team members.”
“No, I want it removed.” Jenna pulled her hair back into a ponytail and secured it with a band from around her wrist. “It’s not that, it’s just knowing that every time I’ve been with Dave, someone has been listening. I know about Annie, his past life, and that makes me a liability.”
“The moment you recognized him as an agent, he asked for permission to give you some details because of your clearance.” Wolfe stared into the distance over her shoulder as if considering his words with care. “You’ll never know everything about his life, or his other identities. If anyone searches his birth name, they’d find an autopsy report, a death certificate, and a grave. He’d never risk you by divulging his missions or the people he worked with over that time. I’m not blind and I know you’re close now but if you’re planning a relationship, I’d suggest you keep it secret and avoid asking questions about his past. He won’t tell you because if he did, you’d be taken out in the intere
sts of national security.”
Dismayed, Jenna swallowed hard. “So, marriage is out of the question? It would be too much of a risk for national security?”
“Not necessarily. If you applied in a different county here in Montana for a license and snuck off to a JP or retired judge.” Wolfe regarded her closely. “Has he asked you to marry him?”
“No, we haven’t got that far yet.” Jenna’s face grew hot. “But we’ve talked about having kids and I know he’s got old school values.”
“Like me.” Wolfe smiled. “Well, if the time comes, I’ll do what I can to help.”
Jenna squeezed his arm. “That’s good to know but we never had this conversation, right?”
“What conversation?” Wolfe looked at her blankly and shrugged.
Jenna chuckled and waved behind her toward Wolfe’s office. “I’ll leave you to get ready.”
She headed back to Wolfe’s office. Kane was on his feet, his jacket and T-shirt folded on Wolfe’s desk. She stared at him, taking in all the scars on his body and then shook her head in dismay of what he had suffered in the line of duty. “Before he starts the autopsy, he wants to show us his new toy for extracting metal from flesh. It’s some type of super magnet.”
“Great.” Kane headed for the door. “Let’s have at it.”
Jenna made idle conversation as Wolfe zapped Kane’s implant and seemed to take ages to remove it. The darn thing had settled in the muscle on Kane’s shoulder and took some digging to locate it. Once it was out, she destroyed it by smashing it with the hammer, Wolfe provided. A few stitches later and Kane held up a finger to his lips. He handed the scanner to Wolfe and indicated he should check him all over.