Page 23

Twenty-Two

As they made their way back to town, Jenna made all the calls necessary to get the chopper into the air as soon as possible.

She listened with interest as Wolfe brought her up to date with what Jo had told him about the killer.

It made a lot of sense. “These monsters have been trying to outwit us for years and we still get them in the end. I wouldn’t worry too much about it.

You don’t make mistakes. We’ve all discussed the previous cases and none of the killers who we’ve sent to prison have ever mentioned that one of the kills wasn’t theirs.

As their egos are so big, you would imagine they would kick up a stink if we tried to convict them of a murder they didn’t commit.

” She pushed hair from her face. “Once we have Raven and Emily safe, I’ll go back through my files and check on any recent releases from prisons throughout Montana.

I’ll also see if I can discover any similar cases to ones that we’ve been involved in in Black Rock Falls.

” She chewed on her bottom lip. “Rio is working on a list of possible suspects, and we’ll talk again to the parents of the kids in the limo.

Someone must have seen a second person in the vehicle or noticed something wasn’t right with the driver.

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll get to the bottom of it.” Wolfe’s chair creaked as he moved. “Carter is doing the final preflight check. We’ll be ready to head out the moment Kane arrives.”

“We’re five minutes away.” Kane accelerated along Stanton. “You should be able to hear us by now.”

“Copy that.” Wolfe disconnected.

Wanting time to move faster and see the chopper in the air, Jenna flipped a glance at Kane. “I’ll call Rowley to give me a ride to Glacial Heights Ski Resort. I should be able to watch the rescue mission from there.”

“I’ve no reason to believe the shooter has left the area, Jenna.” Kane frowned at her. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”

Determined to be there for Emily, Jenna waved away his concern. “We’ve no reason to believe the shooter is involved with the murder. They could easily have been stray shots from the other side of the resort.”

“With a scope rifle?” Kane frowned. “No way, and hunting season is over until fall. I doubt the killer is hanging around shooting at people, but this means we might have another crazy in the mountains.” He drove around back of the morgue and stared at her. “Do you really want to take the risk?”

Unease crept over Jenna. She had more concern a sniper would shoot at him and the others during the rescue, but she bit her tongue.

His job would be hard enough without worrying about a shooter taking potshots at him.

She shook her head. “I doubt a shooter would be up there during the tremors and rockslides. No one would be that stupid. In any case, Raven said that after the initial shooting, they haven’t experienced any problems. I figure we can safely say that the shooter has left the area.

” She returned the glare Kane gave her. “I’ll wear a Kevlar vest and my riot helmet.

I’ll watch from the vehicle, so you won’t need to worry about me.

Rowley’s truck has tinted windows. If there is a shooter, they won’t even know I’m inside. ”

“Tell him to take the Beast.” Kane shrugged. “I trust him to drive it and I know the Beast will keep you safe—if you remain inside.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “It doesn’t have a force field—yet.”

Jenna took in his expression. He’d tried to appear amused but hadn’t hidden the worry in his eyes.

She didn’t want him going on a dangerous mission worrying about her safety.

“I’m sorry I’m causing you so much concern, Dave.

” She squeezed his arm. “It wasn’t my intention to be so stubborn.

I promise to take due care and I can assure you Rowley is used to pregnant women.

Sandy is six months along now. He’ll make sure I’m okay. ”

“Yeah, but his wife takes things easy.” Kane hunched his shoulders. “I’m married to a superhero.”

They met Wolfe and Carter gearing up in the hallway outside Wolfe’s office.

Jenna nodded to them and then pulled out her phone to call Rowley.

He picked up right away. “Hey, Jake, can you come to Wolfe’s office?

I need you to give me a ride to the ski resort.

Well, actually, I need you to drive the Beast to the ski resort.

I want to observe the rescue mission and Dave is concerned about a possible shooter in the area. ”

“I’ve never driven the new one.” Rowley sounded apprehensive. “Kane actually nominated me to drive it?”

Jenna laughed. “Yeah, he said he trusted you. Just hang on a minute.” She walked to Kane. “Any instructions for Jake?”

“Hey, Jake, it drives like a dream. Don’t stress, you’ll be fine. It’s bombproof, so as long as you don’t drive off the side of the mountain, you should be fine. Just try and keep Jenna inside the vehicle.”

“There’s one piece of advice I can give you.” Rowley sucked in a deep breath. “It’s best not to argue with your wife when she’s close to delivery. Trust me, it never ends well.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Kane raised both eyebrows at Jenna. “I don’t believe Jenna has any intention of arguing. We’re good. I’ll see you back at the morgue when we’re through here.”

“Okay. I’m on my way.” Rowley disconnected.

Keeping it casual, Jenna smiled at Kane. “I’ll go and grab a Thermos of coffee, then wait for Rowley. I’ll see you when you get back.” She went on tiptoes to kiss him. “Have fun.”

“I will.” Kane shot her a brilliant smile.

“We’ll get the gear stowed in the chopper.” Carter looked at Jenna. “I’m leaving Zorro in Wolfe’s office. Would you mind leaving Duke with him? Zorro stresses when I leave him behind.”

Jenna nodded. “Sure, he likes the treats Wolfe leaves for them.” She patted her thigh. “Come on, Duke.” She headed for the office.

By the time she’d filled the Thermos with coffee, Rowley had arrived.

She handed him her set of keys and then followed him out to the Beast. “They’ll probably beat us to the ski resort, although they won’t be leaving for another ten minutes or so.

” She noticed Rowley’s white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel.

“Just pretend it’s your truck. I know you see Dave as overprotective with his belongings, but when anything happened to the old Beast, he fixed it in a couple of days.

It’s fully insured, so just drive and forget all about who owns it. ”

“That’s easy for you to say, Jenna.” Rowley hunched his shoulders. “I figure if I do something wrong, this truck will yell at me. It’s got so many gizmos and gadgets it’s like driving an aircraft.”

Biting back a grin, Jenna nodded, understanding his concerns. “Trust me, if I could fit behind the wheel, I would drive myself. I’ll honestly be glad when this is all over. These last few weeks have been a nightmare.”

“Yeah, but the moment you see the baby you’ll want to start another one right away.

” Rowley grinned at her. “I figured when Sandy had the twins she wouldn’t want any more kids, but by the time they started walking, she was already talking about having more.

I’ve always wanted a big family and getting the substantial raise you gave me last year made it possible.

Kids are expensive and we don’t want them to go without anything they need. ”

As Jenna glanced at the multitude of rocks piled up along the guardrails to the highway, she nodded.

“Well, last year I made an agreement with the mayor that everyone in my department will receive a cost of living raise each year. The motion was passed at a council meeting, so even if I’m not voted in as sheriff next term, it is set in concrete.

Plus, the overtime rate has increased, so always put in for overtime and expenses.

I have a very generous budget to cover everything. ”

“That’s good to know.” Rowley smiled at her. “Are you concerned about the rescue mission?”

Shrugging, Jenna looked at him. “I don’t want to be, but the idea of seeing my husband hanging over the side of a mountain in high winds trying to rescue Emily makes me want to puke.

” She shot a glance at him. “But Dave must never know that. I don’t want to be his Achilles heel and he loves doing anything risky, believe it or not. ”

“I wouldn’t worry too much. He sure knows what he’s doing.” Rowley accelerated along the mountain road. “I’ll never forget when he rescued me. It was like, ‘Hi there, Jake, wanna ride in a chopper?’ Man, I was terrified, but he kept me safe and talked to me all the way. He’s so cool.”

Relaxing a little, Jenna leaned back in her seat as the wind buffeted the Beast. Alongside the highway, trees bent and turned as the wind changed direction. Her stomach twisted. No matter how confident Kane was acting, this rescue mission was going to be life-threatening.

As they climbed the mountain, Jenna scanned the horizon for the chopper.

Moments later, Rowley drove into the parking lot at the ski resort and turned the Beast to face the rugged, unforgiving mountain terrain.

Fierce winds battered the surrounding forest, lifting dust in the parking lot and swirling it into will-o’-the-wisps that danced in front of the truck.

She made out the chopper circling in the distance, swaying precariously in the howling wind as it moved closer to the jagged mountain peaks.

Heart pounding, Jenna gripped the edge of the seat, her gaze fixed on the small figure dangling from the chopper and descending fast.

She had seen Kane rappel from a chopper before and it never ceased to amaze her the speed at which he seemingly slid down the rope.

She pulled field glasses from the glove box to get a better view.

Her stomach dropped as the chopper lurched and shuddered as it fought against the relentless gusts of wind.

Her breath caught with every dip and sway as her gaze fixed on Kane.

His muscles bulged as he let out the rope and yet his face appeared almost serene.

A human pendulum, he twisted and turned as he fought against fierce gusts threatening to smash him into the jagged rocks.

The descent had only taken seconds and Jenna sighed with relief when he dropped below the tree line and she lost sight of him. “He’s down.”

“He’ll bring Emily up first.” Rowley was peering through his own field glasses. “I’d say then they’ll send down the ropes for Raven and Ben. Raven would have done this a hundred times, same with the dog.”

The chopper swayed and turned, buffeted by the relentless gusts.

She could see Wolfe standing by the open door, his hair whipping around in the wind.

His expression was grim. Seeing Wolfe worried when Kane was involved in anything concerned Jenna.

She gripped the field glasses tightly and then noticed the dark clouds rolling across the sky toward them.

She figured Wolfe had seen them too. Now they had minutes to get everyone to safety.

“The weather is changing. Carter won’t be able to hold the chopper in that position for much longer.

He’s drifting closer to the rock face with every gust of wind. ”