Page 27

TWENTY-SIX

Wearing Kane’s liquid Kevlar vest because it fit over her baby bulge and surrounded by Carter, Jo, and Beth, Jenna made it into the hospital by the back door without any problems. They took the staff elevator to the security ward and met Maggie, sitting outside one of the rooms. Jenna smiled at her. “Thank you so much for coming to the hospital. Did you happen to see Dave before you left?”

“I did see him climb into the medical examiner’s truck, but I left Agent Styles and Deputy Raven in charge of the office.” Maggie stood and gathered her things. “I couldn’t ask either of them to accompany her to the hospital. She doesn’t need the company of men at this time.” She shook her head, and her eyes filled with compassion. “Amy is in a bad way. I doubt she will ever return to the prison service.” She lifted her chin. “Agent Styles did have a message for you. He said that Dr. Wolfe had instructed him to have any victims taken to the morgue and put on ice until he returns. The Department of Corrections personnel will take photographs of any crime scenes they encounter in the forest. If he is delayed, Norrell is quite capable of conducting autopsies with Emily to assist.”

Stomach flip-flopping at the thought of Kane being away for a long time, Jenna stared at her. It hadn’t entered her mind until that moment. Hunting down Eduardo Souza might take weeks. How could she possibly explain the reason he and Wolf were missing for so long? I guess I’ll have to worry about that when the time comes. She nodded. “Thanks, Maggie, I really appreciate it. You must be starving. Why don’t you head off now and get something to eat before you go back to the office? Put it on our tab.”

“Thanks, I’d like that.” Maggie squeezed her arm. “Amy Clark’s parents are outside in the waiting room. I told them that I would be staying with her until you arrived and then they would be able to see her. I didn’t give them any details. I just told them that she would be okay.”

Walking her to the door, Jenna wondered how she could ever make it as sheriff in Black Rock Falls without Maggie running the office. She was the constant who kept everything moving along. In rain or shine, Maggie was always behind the counter as solid as a rock. “I’ll go and see them the moment I’ve spoken to Amy.”

When she turned around, two female doctors stepped out of the room. Jenna walked up to them and introduced herself, along with agents Carter, Wells, and Katz. “We’re all involved with this case. Is there a room where we can speak to you in private?”

The doctors led them a short way along the passageway and into an examination room. Jenna looked at them expectantly, waiting for them to give her information about Amy Clark.

“In normal circumstances”—a doctor who introduced herself as Dr. Ann Bradley clutched a file in front of her chest and looked from one to the other—“I wouldn’t be able to give you any information on my patient. Amy, however, has instructed me to give you all the necessary details to bring the men who assaulted her to justice.”

“Did she suffer any injuries in the wreck?” Carter had his notebook in one hand and pen raised.

“Yes. Superficial injuries from broken glass, we assume from the windshield. We removed quite a few shards from her face and head. We found bruising as well, but it is difficult to determine if that came from the bus wreck or when she was beaten by her assailants.”

Jenna shot Carter a look to silence him. “I assume you did a rape kit? Was there any sign of sexual assault?”

“I’m sorry to say, there was.” Dr. Bradley’s eyes flashed with anger. “She was subjected to multiple rapes over the time she was with them. They didn’t use protection and we’ve taken swabs to test for DNA and multiple diseases, but she will need to be tested regularly over a long period of time before we know she is clear.” She sighed. “Then there’s also the chance of pregnancy. We’ve offered her a number of options and she has yet to make a decision.” She cleared her throat. “She’s not in shock, but you’ll need to tread very carefully when you interview her. I haven’t administered medication, but I will be placing her under sedation for a few days at least. I hope you will allow her to remain here under our care.”

“Sheriff Alton really doesn’t have any choice in the matter.” Beth stared at the doctor, eyebrows raised. “Amy Clark is a victim and it’s her choice if she remains in the hospital or not. We can only advise her to remain here at least until we have apprehended the men who did this to her.”

Beside Jenna, Beth was like a coiled snake and had been getting worse with every step closer to the victim. She had some understanding of Beth’s upbringing from the fact that she was the daughter of a serial killer named Cutthroat Jack, who was still alive and living in the state pen. She found it difficult to believe that Beth, with her unstable background, had passed all the tests the FBI had thrown at her. According to Styles, apart from being slightly eccentric in her way of doing things, she’d proved her worth as a very capable crime solver.

During her stint as an undercover DEA agent and having to endure physical abuse from her faux husband, Jenna understood firsthand how facing similar cases could evoke flashbacks. She wondered if Beth was reliving bad memories, as before they’d even spoken to the victim, she was standing up for Amy’s rights. This was very noble but it didn’t help the situation. They couldn’t go in and rush Amy like bulls at the gate. They needed to treat her with kid gloves.

Taking a step closer to the doctor, Jenna needed to exert her authority. She looked at Beth. “I’ll be interviewing Amy, along with Jo. We’ll need to treat her very gently. Have you had experience in cases of this nature before?”

“I’ve lived through cases like this before.” Beth’s gaze hardened and changed to predatory. “It’s in my file that I was abused as a child in foster care. I don’t suffer from PTSD, but I do have some idea of what she’s been through, and yes, I can be considerate. My anger is for the perpetrators and the need to catch them before they do this again.”

Jenna nodded. “Okay.” She waved Beth toward the door and caught Jo’s inquisitive gaze on her.

In that moment she wished she had time to sit down and talk to Jo about her concerns. Although Beth must have passed all the necessary tests to be working in the FBI, she hadn’t convinced Jenna. Taking in the entire picture, it surprised her that Jo hadn’t come to the same conclusion. Beth Katz fit the profile of a serial killer. She had a psychopathic parent and she’d been living in the house when her father was on his killing spree. Likely, she’d witnessed her mother’s death by his hand and then suffered long periods of abuse in foster care. She completely understood that not every child inherited the psychopath gene from their parent, but the look Beth had just given her had chilled her to the bone. She had seen that same cold evil expression in many serial killers she’d arrested.