Be Mine Forever
Page 30
“Not the murder, no.” Jenna sighed. “I have a confession on video. Collins admitted to being patient 124 and assisting Dr. Turner with his wife’s body. The doctor is going down for his wife’s murder and this evidence will seal his fate.”
Rowley headed down Main. “What about Laurie, Becky, and the assault on my wife?”
“No, he claims innocence.” Jenna shrugged. “Kane believed Collins was a subordinate to a dominant killer, he went along to appease a girl he loved. I’ll ask Jo to interview him, he’s waived his rights. She’ll know the right questions to ask. I don’t believe he’s a psychopath. He seemed genuinely remorseful about Kane getting hurt. Marlene was the opposite.” She glanced at him. “She won’t break, I figure our only way to find out the truth is to hope Jo can persuade Collins to roll over on Marlene. If the DA offers a deal, he might comply but he’s not going to walk. He kidnapped three girls, that’s enough on its own for jail time.”
Rowley pulled up outside the sheriff’s department. “You’ll need a statement from Vicky Perez. Do you want me to go to the hospital and see if I can speak to her?”
“Not tonight.” Jenna jumped down from the truck and collected Duke. “She’s traumatized. If the doctor says it’s okay, we’ll talk to her in the morning.” She held her hands out for the keys to the truck. “Start the paperwork on the prisoners, notify the DA and the kids’ parents. Maybe just call Collins’ father, he doesn’t want his mom involved. The prisoners can stay in the cells overnight. We’ll deal with them in the morning. Call in a couple of the Blackwater deputies to stay here in shifts. I’m going to take a shower and change. I can’t sit here waiting for news.”
“I’ll drive you to the hospital.” Rio jumped out of his cruiser. “We can manage here.”
“Thanks, but I’ll drive the Beast.” Jenna nodded. “I need to be there whatever the outcome.” She looked at Rowley. “See if you can contact Atohi, he needs to know about Kane.”
“I’m on it.” Rowley watched her walk through the doors, head held high, Duke on her heels, and then he walked to Rio’s cruiser to assist with the prisoners.
“She’s one tough lady.” Rio stared after her.
Rowley shook his head. “On the outside maybe but on the inside, she has a heart of gold.”
Epilogue
Sunday
Kane woke in a world of pain and from under his lashes made out Wolfe leaning over him. He tried to speak but nothing came out of his mouth. Another face he didn’t recognize peered down at him and then the pain subsided and he floated away into oblivion. It was like twilight the next time he opened his eyes. He had to be hallucinating and blinked twice before trying to focus on a blue balloon floating at the end of his bed. He moved one arm, and pain shot through him like a thousand hot blades. He gasped and scanned the room from beneath his eyelashes. The light inside the room was dim but he could make out the usual paraphernalia of a hospital room. Something was in his hand and his fingers curled around warm flesh. He turned his head to find Jenna resting in a recliner, curled up in a blanket and fast asleep. He squeezed her fingers and her eyes popped open. “Hey.”
“You scared the hell out of me.” Jenna reached for the call button. “The doctor will want to know you’re awake.”
He shook his head. “Not yet. How long have I been out?”
“It’s five-thirty, Sunday morning.” Jenna yawned and stretched like a cat. “Carter brought you here in the chopper and I figure Wolfe saved your life. He was pumping blood into you all the way here. You’re still in town, they didn’t have time to take you to Walter Reed. The doc will explain what happened but they had to work on you for hours and then they kept you sedated. The girl nicked an artery so it was a big operation and the hunting knife was embedded in your sternum, so you’re going to be sore for a while.” She squeezed his hand. “Do you know, Wolfe refused to leave your side? He only went home last night. He’s been living in this room and we’ve been taking shifts.”
“Thank you. I’m sure pleased to see you.” Kane smiled at her. “Wolfe cares but he’s also following protocol. I might have said something in a drug-induced state and he carries out orders to the letter.”
“He was worried sick.” Jenna pushed a hand through her hair. “He knew you were in terrible pain but you were so weak, he kept arguing with the doctor that too much morphine would kill you.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “Do you remember anything at all?”
Kane took in her tousled hair and sleep filled eyes. “Yeah, Marlene Moore dropped out of the hayloft, I made the mistake of catching her, and she stabbed me. I didn’t feel a thing.” He sucked in a painful breath. “I figured the vest had caught the hunting knife. They’re designed to solidify around a sharp blade so I wasn’t too worried. The puncture wound I didn’t notice until I saw the blood.” He sighed. “I guess she got me under the arm. Did you find the knife?”
“Yeah, Webber and Emily went over the barn for evidence. There wasn’t too much there at all.” She smiled. “But they found two perfect fingerprints and they were a match for Laurie Turner. We know they murdered her there and then transported her to the mines. They used different vehicles Collins borrowed from his father’s car yard and that’s why we couldn’t get a lead.”
Astonished, Kane nodded. “So, are they in custody?”
“Yeah, they’re in a youth detention facility.” Jenna rested her elbows on the edge of his bed. “Collins waived his rights and Jo interviewed him, she explained his options and what would happen under the law. He decided to roll over on Marlene and Dr. Turner. He admitted to hitting Becky twice as Marlene was strangling her and felt guilty but insisted Marlene killed Laurie. It was all Marlene’s idea. He denied even knowing Sandy was in the house at the time of Becky’s murder and we believe him. Sandy only heard one person. We figure Marlene attacked her before Collins arrived with Becky.”
Kane swallowed but his mouth was dry. As if reading his mind, Jenna held a cup and straw to his lips. He drank and thanked her. “What conclusion did Jo come up with on the kids?”
“Collins has a dominating mother, he is useless to her and like his father, in her eyes.” Jenna refilled the water and placed the cup within reach. “When his father left, he had no one to control her and it did something to him. Jo said he craved affection, so would do whatever Marlene wanted to get her approval. Like you said, typical subordinate to a dominant killer. He didn’t like killing but it pleased his girlfriend so he went along with it.”
“Yeah, that sums it up.” Kane ran a hand over his face and winced at the stubble. “And Marlene?”
“Abused as a kid by men she trusted.” Jenna’s eyes narrowed. “She was probably born a psychopath and just needed a trigger. She didn’t trust men, so made Collins prove he loved her by making him her partner in crime. She took trophies, we found the murdered girls’ missing pompoms in the barn.”
“Classic case.” Kane bit back his next words as a person entered the room carrying the usual hospital breakfast and left without a word. He scanned the plate and pushed it away in disgust.
“You okay?” Jenna looked concerned. “At least drink the orange juice. You haven’t eaten in days.”
Kane squeezed her hand. “I’ll be fine. It hurts some but I hate hospital food. I could sure go a pile of pancakes, strips of bacon and maple syrup from Aunt Betty’s.”
“Me too.” She pulled out her phone and placed an order. “They’ll have it here in no time but I should check with the doctor first.”
He grinned. “There’s nothing wrong with my stomach and I’d like these tubes removed but first, tell me about Dr. Turner.”
“Oh, we have his case sewn up too.” She smiled. “He’s such an arrogant ass. You should have seen his face when we told him patient 124 had told us everything. Even Sam Cross couldn’t get him out on bail this time. Turner is in county awaiting trial.”
Kane yawned. “That’s good and Vicky Perez?”
“She’s fine. She needed plastic surgery
for the cut on her face but she went home. She’ll testify in court against Bonnie and Clyde.” Jenna smiled at him. “Just to tie up any loose ends, Mr. Law is remaining in county to await his trial and his wife and child are safe and well. She’ll remain under the protection of Her Broken Wings Foundation, until they find her work and a place to stay. You can rest easy; all the cases are closed.”
Kane sighed with relief. Now he could relax. “That’s great. Have Carter and Jo returned to Snakeskin Gully?”
“No, they’re still in town. They didn’t want to leave until they knew you were okay.” Jenna smiled. “So, expect visitors soon.” She leaned closer. “Do you recall, the night you were stabbed, you were trying to tell me something before you passed out. Can you remember what it was, it’s been driving me nuts?”
The image of her terrified face was imprinted on his brain. He nodded. “Yeah, I remember. You looked so worried, I wanted to tell you I was okay and we’d make it through, we always do.”
“And you were right. You’re too darn stubborn to die.” She smiled.
Kane rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “Darn, we missed the Fall Festival dance again.”
“But I did bring flowers for my date.” Jenna giggled.
Early morning sunlight streamed through the blinds and he took in the vase of flowers with the bright blue balloon at the end of his bed. There was a message on the balloon and it read: It’s a boy! He chuckled. “Uh-huh.”
“They’d run out of, ‘Get Well Soon’ balloons and it’s the thought that counts, right?” Jenna laughed, and her eyes sparkled with mischief.
Kane squeezed her hand. “I’ll treasure it forever.”
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Books by D.K. Hood
Detectives Kane and Alton Series
Don’t Tell A Soul
Bring Me Flowers
Follow Me Home
The Crying Season
Where Angels Fear
Whisper in the Night
Break the Silence
Her Broken Wings
Her Shallow Grave
Promises in the Dark
Be Mine Forever
AVAILABLE IN AUDIO
Don’t Tell A Soul (Available in the UK and the US)
Bring Me Flowers (Available in the UK and the US)
Follow Me Home (Available in the UK and the US)
The Crying Season (Available in the UK and the US)
Where Angels Fear (Available in the UK and the US)
Whisper in the Night (Available in the UK and the US)
Break the Silence (Available in the UK and the US)
Her Broken Wings (Available in the UK and the US)
Her Shallow Grave (Available in the UK and the US)
Promises in the Dark (Available in the UK and the US)
A Letter from D.K. Hood
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for choosing my novel and coming with me on another thrilling adventure with Kane and Alton in Be Mine Forever.
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Writing this story about teenage killers opened a new dimension in my research into the criminal mind. It would seem killers come in all shapes and sizes.
If you enjoyed my story, I would be very grateful if you could leave a review and recommend my book to your friends and family. I really love hearing from readers so feel free to ask me questions at any time. You can get in touch on my Facebook page or Twitter.
Thank you so much for your support.
D.K. Hood
www.dkhood.com
www.dkhood-author.blogspot.com.au
Don’t Tell a Soul
Detectives Kane and Alton Book 1
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The floor was stone cold on her bare skin. Her heart pounded in her chest. “Not a soul knows where I am,” she thought as she took in the darkness around her. And then she heard his footsteps…
When a body is found stuffed into a barrel at the local dump, covered in long red cuts, Detective Jenna Alton and her new deputy, David Kane, rush to the scene.
Nothing ever happens in the small town of Black Rock Falls, so Jenna believes the victim must be one of two recent missing persons, and she fears for the life of the other.
Both were strangers to the town, but there’s nothing else to link them. Jenna knows someone must have seen something, but no one’s talking; how well does she really know the people around her?
Then a disturbing clue makes Jenna suspect a connection with other disappearances in the town’s history. Just when she begins asking the right questions, she realises she’s being followed. Is she next on the killer’s list?
In a race against time, Jenna and David must unlock the dark secret at the heart of the town, before it’s too late…
A completely addictive detective thriller that will have you guessing right to the end. If you love Robert Dugoni, Karin Slaughter and Rachel Abbott, you’ll love Don’t Tell A Soul.
Available now!
Bring Me Flowers
Detectives Kane and Alton Book 2
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She didn’t know he was watching. Until it was too late.
She’d walked this way hundreds of times before. She knew every twist and turn. She didn’t know this was the last time she’d ever walk this path.
Hidden deep in the forest, schoolgirl Felicity Parker is found carefully laid out on a rock with nothing but a freshly picked bunch of flowers next to her. The body lies just off a popular hiking route, and Detective Jenna Alton thinks the killer might be a visitor to the town, until another girl’s body is found at the local swimming pool, once again posed with a bunch of flowers.
Jenna recognizes the signs of a serial killer, and thinks it could be a local. As the town is gripped with fear, Jenna must examine each person the girls knew, and trust between neighbors starts to crumble.
Both girls went out on their own, and were found where they shouldn’t be. Were they taken by chance, or did they know their killer? How were they lured so far from safety? And can Jenna and her team find the killer before another life is lost?
An absolutely nail-biting thriller that will keep you up all night. If you enjoy Robert Dugoni, Karin Slaughter and Rachel Abbott, you’ll love this!
Available now!
Follow Me Home
Detectives Kane and Alton Book 3
Get it here!
“Don’t you agree Detective? That some people deserve to die? I’ve killed the first. I’ve killed the second. Now will you catch the others, or do I have to kill them too?”
The body of Amos Price lies in a pool of blood on the polished floor of an otherwise empty house. With no signs of a break in, and no clues left at the scene, Detective Jenna Alton is at a loss.
But as the team begins to unpick the life of the reclusive victim, they discover a disturbing link between Amos and the disappearance of several young girls in the county going back years.
Days later, another brutally murdered body is found, in a remote motel on the outskirts of town. Ely Dorsey was killed in a frenzied attack and Jenna fears not only that the murders are connected to the missing girls, but that the killer hasn’t finished yet.
As Jenna tries to work out who will be next, the killer suddenly starts sending her deputy, David Kane, messages. Is she being taunted? Or does the murderer want to be caught? And will Jenna discover who’s behind these killings before more people die?
An abso
lutely nail-biting thriller with plenty of twists, Follow Me Home is perfect for fans of Robert Dugoni, Karin Slaughter and Rachel Abbott.
Available now!
The Crying Season
Detectives Kane and Alton Book 4
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The light fades as she runs for her life, the forest now becoming quieter around her. The only noise she hears is the sound of footsteps following her…
It’s hiking season in Black Rock Falls and the small town in Montana is flooded with visitors. But when a hiker finds a human skull on a deserted trail in the woods that surround the town, Detective Jenna Alton is called in to investigate.
With no missing persons reported, Jenna has no leads. Then her team makes a shocking discovery—the body of another hiker, a young man, tied to a tree and riddled with bullets. Could the two murders be linked?