Page 36 of Special Agent Raven
He checked both pockets and came up with a set of truck keys. On the off chance that Dwayne might have parked on the road outside, he clicked the fob, only to see headlights blinking in a small lot about twenty feet from the building.
Making his way there, he unlocked the cab, checked the glove compartment, and found that he’d been right in his thinking… the truck belonged to Dwayne. A few minutes later when Henry pulled up in his fire department vehicle, he stopped to give him the update on who they had locked up inside, then waved as he drove off, following the same route he’d gone earlier with Raven.
The sound of her voice in the background of Noah’s call had steadied him after the shock of hearing about the murder. Jesus, his poor woman had been through the mill over the last few days. Stomach dropping, he put a brake on his thoughts right there. A tide of remorse flooded him. Acknowledging the truth – she wasn’t his woman – and the fact he had no right to think of her in that way – brought quick tears. Ones that he feverishlyblinked away and then rubbing his eyes, he wiped the evidence off his face.
Good God he was tired. What the hell had he been thinking? Hadn’t he already killed one wife and kid? A man with that on his conscience had no right to a future. Fuck that. He’d had his chance and sure as hell didn’t deserve another.
***
Raven had never been happier to see another person in her life. It was all she could do not to run into Cane’s arms and cling tight, showing her gratitude for his presence. The earlier walk up the stairs, smelling death and not knowing if it waited to claim her in its vile clutches too, had been some of the most harrowing moments of her career.
Then seeing poor Palmer, feeling the sad loss of a friend who might be cranky but would never intentionally hurt anyone, her shoulders bowed under the weight. These last few days were up there as being some of the worst in her life. As she’d watched her friends in town, fear etched into their faces for their homes, hell their very futures, the fragility of life struck her with aching clarity.
But when Cane walked in the door, and his eyes sought hers, his glassy stare conveyed a message of sheer gladness that had her melting in her boots. Instantly, the bad vibes disappeared, and the world straightened… becoming sane again. She moved to stand close and felt his hand touch hers lightly before he pulled his away. Just a gentle nudge, and all settled back in place.
“Who’s that screaming at the paramedics outside?” His thumb pointed behind him at the loud fuss going on.
“That’s Alice Garcia, wife of the guy on the ground. He’s been gut shot, lost a lot of blood but has come around long enough totell his wife to…” she raised her voice and used a man’s tone… “shut the fuck up.”
With a glint of humor in his gaze, Cane asked, “Excuse me. He what?”
Raven chuckled, “From the minute Alice arrived, she’s been howling blue murder about the ‘suma bitch’ who shot her man. Then she started railing on Carlos for why he let the durn prick get away with it, to which Carlos pretended to be out cold. Guess now that the others are here, he’s decided enough is enough and came around to take back control.”
“He’s one hell of a big man. They gonna be able to roll him onto the gurney to get him into the ambulance?”
Before she could answer, Noah came back into the room and walked over to Cane. “Goddamn I’m glad to see you. Looks like they need a hand outside to get Carlos to the hospital. You up to lifting three hundred and fifty pounds of almost dead weight?”
Cane laughed at the grumpy expression Noah shared and went to help. A few minutes later they returned, both looking extremely disgruntled.
“What happened?” Raven had to ask after she heard the ruckus going on outside but choose the coward’s way and hung back.
Noah answered for both of them, his sigh of disgust telling. “Alice took offense to the way we handled her poor, injured husband. He’s suddenly Jesus, and we’re all nothing but ham-fisted meatheads who shouldn’t be allowed near his highness. I swear that fat prick had a proud sneer on his face by the time we got the back door closed. Between you and me, when I go in later to get his statement, it’ll be without anyone else in the room. Believe me, that woman is as loco as the day is long.”
“Man, I’ll second that.” Cane crossed his arms over his sore ribs, while nodding his head in agreement.
Laughing at their frustration, Raven felt the earlier strain dissipate somewhat. But just until Cane asked the question, “Where’s Palmer?”
By the time they had the crime scene secure and locked down, and the forensic team and the coroner had arrived, both Raven and Cane were sagging with exhaustion. Their stamina had faded with each hour… Noah’s too. As they filled out reports in the kitchen, he approached them, rubbing both hands over his face and pushing toward the back of his head where he linked his fingers… a familiar habit that Raven often used herself. In fact, many of her co-workers resorted to the same gestures when their loads got too heavy.
“You’re done, Noah.”
“City girl, we all are. Things can be locked down here for now. I’ll take Palmer’s vehicle and head back to the jail, let Henry off the hook. There’s a cot in one of the back rooms where I’ll catch some shut eye. In the morning, I’ll look into Henry’s complaint about the stolen vehicle, and we’ll come up with a plan to find Dale, hopefully before any more bodies turn up. In the meantime, I think you two should head to Winona’s and get some decent sleep. I can’t thank you both enough for all your help yesterday and today.”
Raven smiled. “We’re here for you, you know that. I think you’re right about us getting some rest, but we’ll be back in the morning to give you a break so you can see the kids for a while. Deal?”
“Yep. I’ll take you up on that. And… Cane? You serious about sticking around? If so, I’ll put you on the payroll.”
“Serious as a heart attack. I’ve got leave for short while before they expect me back. Happy to give you a hand cleaning up around town. According to the report that came in earlier, doesn’t look like they’ll be opening that highway anytime soon. Turns out they had another huge mud slide after all the rainfallwe’ve had in the last twenty-four hours and can’t get the equipment in close enough to get started.”
“Of course they can’t. Jesus, yes, I need you both. What with a murdering prick running wild, I could use all the help I can get.”
Raven waved her agreement and started toward her jeep, only stopping when she noticed Cane hadn’t followed her. Instead, he headed in the opposite direction. “I forgot to ask, how did you get here?”
“Used Dwayne’s truck. He had it parked near the station.”
“Okay. I’ll follow you back to town so you can drop it off there, and we can ride back to Winona’s together.”
In no time, they were both in the jeep heading to her nana’s house… both having a hard time keeping their eyes open. Neither of them spied Brody’s truck pulled into a side road that resembled a weeded-up trail.