“Yes, ma’am.” Rowley pulled out his notepad and pen. “Right away.”
Gripped by the horror of finding another mutilated girl, Jenna pulled hard on the years of training she relied on to keep her sane and kept her tone calm and professional. She looked at Kane. “How long do you estimate we have to catch him before he kills again?”
“It depends how much control he has over the beast.” Kane took one of the takeout cups Rowley handed him and reached for the coffee pot. “Maybe a week, maybe a couple of days, or maybe he has killed again already.” He gave her a long, steady look. “This animal enjoys killing and wants to show his skill to the world, and from Joanne Blunt’s murder, we can tell that although he prefers to plan his kills, if a suitable girl comes along, he’ll take advantage. He likes to shock and his next thrill ride could be hours away.”
Her stomach cramped with concern for the safety of the local girls. “Then we need to move faster if we plan to catch this guy. I want you out there interviewing our suspects immediately.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Wolfe nodded in agreement.
“Kane, when you talk to Rogers, I want to know why he was in the forest. He is married. Speak to his wife as well. Find out what you can about him, as in does he often sneak off during the day?” She picked up her car keys and coffee. “Okay, move out.”
Twenty-Three
He watched the girls as they chatted. The girl in the forest had been a gift but he’d wanted more time to play with her and now the ache inside was intolerable. He ran his fingers through the pile of carefully tied skeins of hair, enjoying the silky-smooth remembrance of his girls.
His head filled with a colorful screensaver capturing their confused expressions as he gave them what they craved. Their pleas rang in his ears and he gazed down at his hands, imagining hot sticky blood dripping from his fingers. The moment Felicity’s flesh whitened, clean in the water, he felt empowered. Vivid images slashed across his brain, exciting him. I must choose another tonight.
Aimee and Kate stared at their friends, unaware of his presence. They were so close he could almost reach out and touch them. He wanted to caress their cheeks and trace their lips with his fingers. “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, which one of you is next to go?”
His finger pointed to Kate.
A rush of euphoria hit him, and in his mind, he traced his thumb across her delicate white throat, seeing the knife in his hand. He would taunt her with the glint of the sharp blade and enjoy her gasp of surprise as he cut deep. The spurt of crimson blood gurgling over his flesh would excite him, but he craved the delightful shudder they all made as life slipped away.
Blissfully unaware of his presence, the girls chatted to their boyfriends as usual on Skype. Kate made plans to sneak out to meet Chad the following evening at the high-school football ground under the bleachers.
“Someone will see us.” Chad ruffled his dark brown curls and grinned at her. “We could go into the gym for a time and maybe after go skinny-dippin’ in the pool. I have the combination to the locks.”
Kate’s cheeks pinked. “I think we all have the combination. The cleaners are so dumb the janitor has to use the numbers one, two, three, and four on every lock.”
“So, I’ll see you tomorrow at six thirty? I’ll meet you outside the gym.”
Kate smiled. “Sure but I’ll call you later.”
“My dad confiscated my cellphone and laptop for twenty-four hours. I’m grounded tonight but I convinced Mom to allow Lucas to come over. He snuck in his laptop so we could talk to our girls.” His white grin flashed in a tanned face. “I’ll see you when I get out of jail.”
The boys left and Kate turned to Aimee. “I can’t wait to see him.” Kate curled her long blonde hair around her finger. “His kisses make me tingle all over.”
“All you ever talk about is boys. They are just boys, and Lucas looks good but he is a terrible kisser, all tongue. Now Lucky Briggs, he’s a man. All muscles and tight jeans. He is sooo hot.” Aimee chuckled.
“He’ll never put his boots under your bed.” Kate ducked a slap from her friend. “I’m his type. My boobs are way bigger than yours and he prefers blondes. I heard him tell my brother last year.”
“Oh, pleeeze, like I’d believe he’d turn me down. Lucas is always trying to get into my pants.”
“I am so over watching you drool over Lucky Briggs.” Kate pulled a face. “I think I’ll head home, my mom is expecting me for lunch and if I’m five seconds late I’ll get a lecture. Since your mom told her about Felicity she won’t let me out of her sight. I want to do extra chores so she doesn’t bug me when I’m supposedly in my room playing games tomorrow night.” She bounced to her feet and tucked a strand of long blonde hair behind one ear. “Why don’t you call Felicity again, you might find out what happened to her.”
“I’ve tried and I called the house, no one is answering the phone.” Aimee scowled as she watched Kate head for the door. “No one is saying anything.”
A tingle of excitement skittered up his spine. Confidence flowed over him; he had chosen well and everything he needed would be at hand. He stared at Kate for a few moments longer. Her name lingered in his mind for a millisecond then faded. Once he had made his choice, their names vanished from his thoughts.
They meant nothing to him.
Twenty-Four
Kane drove down the main street and noticed Jenna’s cruiser parked at the curb. She and Wolfe would be interviewing Lionel Provine. He checked the time then headed to Stanton Road. His next stop would be to interview Mr. Rogers—the teacher Aimee and Kate spoke to on the morning of Felicity’s death. The trip would give him an accurate travel time for Derick Smith’s car delivery on Monday morning. As the two people lived relatively close to each other, he would drop by to speak to Mrs. Bolton and check the timeline.
Heading downtown, traffic slowed in a procession toward the fairgrounds. The influx of visitors and the number of people crowding the streets surprised him. The line outside Aunt Betty’s Café went halfway round the block. He smiled. Being a local deputy had benefits. Earlier, he’d walked past the waiting customers, and Susie Hartwig had filled his order at once, all smiles and blushes. The tempting smell of fresh coffee wafted through the window and the sign advertising apple pie à la mode called to him, but he ground his back teeth together, promising the ever persistent rumbling stomach he’d drop by later.
He arrived at Mrs. Bolton’s address and an elderly woman was outside weeding her garden. “Mrs. Bolton?”
“That’s me. What can I do for you deputy?”
Kane took out his notepad and smiled at her. “I gather you had your car repaired at George’s Garage? Do you recall what time Derick Smith dropped it by and how long he was here?”
“Yes, I do. I was eating breakfast so it was around eight.” She wiped her hands on her apron. “He was only here a few minutes. I had a check ready—they had given me a quote—and I gave him the keys to the loaner. He left straight away.”
Kane made a few notes. “So, less or more than ten minutes?”
“More like five.” She screwed up her eyes at him. “Is there a problem?”
Kane closed his notepad. “No not at all. Thank you for your help.” He touched his hat and strolled back to his car. Next stop Rogers.
The house at number 206 Stanton Road was an impressive log home with a wide veranda out front, similar in style to most of the homes in this end of town. He pulled his vehicle into the driveway, made a note of the time of arrival, and headed up the steps. A dog barked from inside and he could hear a man’s voice and footsteps. Before he had time to knock, the door opened and a man in his thirties stepped onto the porch.
Dressed in uniform, Kane’s arrival would usually cause a modicum of concern, but Mr. Rogers’ expression gave no clue to his inner thoughts. “Mr. Rogers?”