Page 23 of Their Haunted Hearts (Detectives Kane and Alton #27)

Twenty-Two

Jenna walked into the office, glad to see that Rio and Rowley were already on the job. She went to her office to scan the files Rio had uploaded to the server. She glanced over at Kane. “I’m always impressed how much information Rio can obtain in such a short time.”

“Yeah, I gather they’re heading out to speak to two of the potential suspects, Cash and Withers are on the same side of town.

If the autopsy doesn’t take too long, we should be able to interview at least one of the others.

” He gave her a long look. “Do you want me to write a media release? We need information. There might be someone out there who has seen something and at the time they didn’t notice something was wrong. ”

Glancing up from her computer screen, Jenna shook her head.

“No need to. I wrote one on the drive into town and I’ve already sent it.

” She glanced at her watch. “I received a reply right away and it would have been on the eight o’clock news.

I’d say if anyone has seen anything, the phones should start ringing before long. ”

“I hope Rio and Rowley will be back soon because there’s no way Maggie will be able to cope with answering the phone all day and running the front counter.

” Kane leaned back in his chair. “If you want to get things organized here before we leave for the autopsy, I’ll go down and lend her a hand now. ”

Jenna smiled at him. “Thanks, I would appreciate that. I’ll give Rio a call and see how far along he is with the investigation.” When Kane left the room, she made the call.

She listened with interest at Rio’s rundown of the interview with Dale Cash. “So, he had a trophy?”

“The thing is we don’t know if he’d gotten that from her before she left the Triple Z Bar or around the time she died.

” Engine sounds came from the earpiece and Rio cleared his throat.

“One thing I noticed was the man keeps his belongings tidy. His bed was made and his belongings stowed in neat piles inside a trunk at the end of his bed. Everyone who sleeps in the bunkhouse had the same setup—cot, bedside table, and trunk—but I noticed most of them were messy. He is also an impressive size, not as big as Dave but more like Carter. He wouldn’t have any problems carrying a body. ”

Considering everything he had said, Jenna pulled at her bottom lip. “Did you think to ask him if he was in the roadhouse on Sunday night?”

“No, I didn’t. I’m sorry, Sheriff. I was kinda concentrating on the Bunny Watkins case. I have his cell phone number. I’ll call him right away and get back to you.” He sighed. “We’re heading out to talk to Bryce Withers, the horse breeder.”

Jenna frowned. It wasn’t like Rio to forget anything.

“Yeah, follow up on Cash and when you’ve spoken to Withers head back to the office.

We’ll need you both at the front counter answering phone calls.

I’ve given a media release about the latest victim and it’s already been on the news.

Dave is downstairs helping Maggie answer the calls and there’s no one to run the front counter.

” She sighed. “We’re due at the autopsy at ten. ”

“Yes, ma’am.” Rio disconnected.

She made a list of things to do and then grabbed her and Kane’s coats.

She looked at Duke, snug and warm and sound asleep in his basket under her desk.

She bent to rub his silken head and he lifted his eyelids to peer at her.

“Stay here, we’ll be back soon.” The dog had food and water and he’d been walked just before. He’d do for a couple of hours.

Jenna headed downstairs just as Pastor John Dimock came through the glass doors, bringing with him a strong breeze filled with the threat of snow.

She glanced at her watch. She didn’t have time for long discussions and forced her lips into a smile.

“Pastor Dimock, what brings you here on a cold day like today?”

“I heard the callout for people for the hotline. I’m here to help.” Pastor Dimock met her gaze. “Have you discovered that poor woman’s name yet? How did her family take the terrible news?” He rubbed his hands together. “I’m always available to pray with the bereaved.”

Zipping up her coat and pulling on gloves, Jenna shook her head.

“I’ve put everything we know into the media release.

We haven’t contacted her next of kin, so we won’t be releasing her name.

The media release was more of a call for information.

We need to discover if anyone was in the area when the body was dumped or saw anyone acting strangely. ”

The four phones in the office were ringing off the hook. Jenna looked at Kane who was making notes with the phone tucked under his ear. “My deputies will be along soon and be able to assist you. I’m sorry, but I really need to go now.”

“That’s fine.” Pastor Dimock gave her a compassionate smile and turned to Kane. “I’m here to answer the hotline phones.”

“Thank you. Maggie is organizing everyone, so if you need any help, talk to her or Deputy Rowley.” Kane came out from behind the counter.

“When you answer the phone it’s very important that you take down the details of the caller first. Then write a small description of the reason for their call.

Thank them and tell them we will be in contact if the information is relevant to the case.

That’s all you really need to know.” He held the countertop flap open for the pastor and waved him inside.

“The pens and the caller notebooks are on each desk. We need to go. We’re late. ”

Jenna nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate your help.”

“My pleasure.” Pastor Dimock walked to a desk and made himself comfortable and then picked up a ringing phone.

Jenna hurried back through the office and out the back door to where Kane had parked the Beast. “I’m grateful for any assistance but I don’t want him talking to the next of kin.

That’s Father Derry’s job. Pastor Dimock seems to be a gossip, so we’ll need to be careful what we say around him.

We don’t want a conviction jeopardized by sensitive information getting to the press. ”

“My thoughts exactly but pastors do try and help. It’s what they do, so don’t worry too much.

” Kane started the engine and they headed for the morgue.

“Run it past the others as well. He might be well-meaning but we don’t know him as well as the other volunteers.

They know not to run their mouths.” He snorted.

“I guess Father Derry has run a background check on him. He usually does for anyone he has working alongside vulnerable people, so he’s probably just overzealous. ”

Jenna stared at the doors to her office as they drove out of the parking lot. “Yeah, he would. Nothing slips past Father Derry.”

When they arrived at the morgue and suited up, Jenna could hear Raven’s voice clearly coming from the examination room.

He was discussing various autopsy techniques with Emily and they both turned to look at Jenna when she walked through the door.

They stood to one side and Wolfe was bending over the body on the gurney. “Are we late?”

“No, but as this case is identical to the previous one, we moved along with the autopsy rather than making you go through the same examination again.” Wolfe peered at her over the top of his face mask.

“The complete exsanguination is the same. The sharp force trauma on the neck is identical. I can’t imagine why he’s draining their blood unless he’s drinking it, but the stake through the heart on both victims is the classic way in fiction to dispose of a vampire.

I don’t understand the workings of a very sick mind but I figure whoever is doing this believes he is destroying vampires.

” He looked at Jenna. “Have you discovered any information on her at all?”

Jenna nodded. “Yes, her name is Bunny Watkins. I have more on her than I’d hoped for, but unless you can get into her laptop, we can’t get any further at this stage.”

“I had absolutely no luck at all getting into her laptop. I even tried her fingerprint, but as you know, most times a dead person’s finger won’t work.

” Wolfe indicated to Raven. “Raven was good enough to fly the laptop to Kalo. It took him an hour to break the password, which makes us believe she had something to hide. It’s back in my office now.

The password protection has been removed, so you can scroll to your heart’s content. ”

Glancing at Raven, Jenna smiled. “Thank you. I didn’t know you were flying full-time again?”

“I’ve kept my license up to date and Wolfe took me out to get all the other requirements I needed. It’s all good now. I’ve been flying alone for over a year now.” He indicated to Emily. “Emily came with me this morning. We left at first light.”

Jenna nodded, realizing how much she’d missed being at home with her boys. Life had gone on without them and they hadn’t missed her at work at all. The team had performed like clockwork but it was different now—they had a murder to solve.

“That’s why none of us has had time to look at the laptop.” Wolfe had opened the chest of the victim. “See, everything is the same. The killer has this down to a fine art. Have you discovered any similar crimes elsewhere?”

“Not yet.” Kane leaned closer and peered into the cavity.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before.

We’re trying to get a timeline of the victim, well both of them.

It’s sketchy. We discovered a bus ticket and a key.

It’s likely from a locker. Maybe an airport or bus station.

If we can narrow it down, we might discover why this poor woman ended up in Black Rock Falls. ”

“Kalo is your man for that job.” Wolfe removed organs and weighed them. “He has access to so many databases. Does the key have any markings, numbers, or similar?”

“Yeah, it does, a number four.” Kane rubbed his chin. “Nothing else I recognized, no name. I’ll take photos and send them to him.”

“Women run because they’re in trouble.” Emily moved closer to the body.

“Her prints aren’t on file, so she isn’t running from the law.

Maybe a violent relationship?” She went to the screen array and flicked it on to display X-rays.

“This woman looks fine on the outside but she suffered numerous injuries in the past. Broken wrists, fingers, her cheekbone, more than once. Look at her face. Her nose isn’t straight.

It was broken at one time and she has a small scar on her eyebrow.

I’ve seen examples of domestic abuse that look the same. It’s something you should consider.”

Jenna had thought much the same. “I agree. It’s unusual for women to just take off and run to a place like this with no set place to go. It’s like they took a bus ride to anywhere just to get away.”

“They might have heard of Her Broken Wings Foundation.” Raven moved to lean on the counter beside her. “Maybe that’s where they were heading.”

Shaking her head, Jenna looked at the pale face of the victim. “I never want these women to become faceless victims. I need to know who they were and what happened in their lives to send them here.”

“Find out what you can about them, Jenna, and I’ll speak for them in court.” Wolfe turned to look at her. “We all do this to bring victims of crime the justice they deserve. What have you got so far?”

Determined to know exactly what happened, Jenna nodded.

“Although Bunny Watkins somehow found a job and a place to stay, she became a victim. Why? I figure she must have had a little spare cash. She has worn-down nails and her dry skin and hair tells me she didn’t spend anything on herself.

” She glanced at Kane. “Bunny is the opposite of the first victim, Darlene Travis. She lived a privileged life and left after an argument. It must have been a shock to be stranded without money.” She sighed.

“I figure she took a ride with the killer because she had no other option as she was being hassled by cowboys at the roadhouse.”

“So, the killer must look okay.” Emily looked from one to the other. “I mean he must have been a nice guy on the outside. No one is that desperate to get into a vehicle with someone who looks or acts rough.”

Swallowing hard, Jenna stared at her. “Do you really believe a young woman would get into a truck with a total stranger because he’s handsome or talks nice?”

“I do.” Kane shrugged. “Look at Ted Bundy. He could charm the skin off a snake. He had women carrying his books and helping him. He charmed the jury until they saw what he’d done.

” He looked at Emily. “This is the problem with serial killers: they could be standing next to you and you’d never know until it’s too late. ”