“We’ll need to speak to the janitor. For now, he is on the suspect list as well.” Jenna raised one eyebrow. “Go on.”
“Maybe as she was meeting Chad, she went to change. I found her clothes in the women’s dressing room, folded neatly on the bench. Where I’ve marked over there close to the gate is where I believe a struggle took place. There is a towel by the gate as well, and as it is still there I would say the killer hasn’t touched it—he is far too clever to risk leaving any traces of DNA.” Kane pointed one gloved finger toward the gate. “I think she came out of the dressing room, saw the killer, and bolted for the gate. The killer ran her down and disabled her there—” he pointed to a yellow circle on the ground “—and then he dragged her by her hair to the recovery spa. I found a few hairs on the ground, and from the color they could be Kate’s, but Wolfe will make a positive ID later. Once he has finished his preliminary examination, he’ll go over the area with luminol to look for blood or tissue. The victim, I mean Kate, has marks on her back and legs consistent to being dragged across the cement.”
Jenna pushed down the need to puke and swallowed a few times to gain some modicum of control. Her hands trembled and she thrust them deep into the pockets of her jacket. She had an investigation to run, and falling to pieces would not find the animal who killed the girls. Moving closer to Kane—because having him there, solid as a brick wall, kept her mind firmly on the job—she lifted her chin. “Do you need to question Chad? I think I covered everything and I would really like to get him home with his family.”
“Maybe, but if the killer sounded like Kate’s father, it would be prudent to call him and put him on speaker so Chad can hear his voice then we would know if the killer is local by his accent.”
“I’m not informing him by phone that some lunatic sliced up his daughter.” She snorted in disgust. “I’m not that damn heartless.”
Kane stared up at the sky as if seeking divine intervention then dropped his blue gaze back to her. “You don’t have a heartless bone in your body. A tongue like a viper, maybe but—” he tapped one long finger gently on her chest “—in there is a kind, considerate, and loving woman. Don’t you think I know how these murders affect you? I’m not blind.” He sighed. “I spent five years killing people for Uncle Sam. I can turn off my emotions when I have to, and Wolfe, well he would have a body farm if it would further his knowledge of forensic science.”
Embarrassed by his gentle words, she looked away. “So why call Kate’s father?”
“Ask him if he’ll be home this evening as we need to speak to him and will explain when we arrive.” He shrugged. “Then if Chad recognizes his voice, you’ll know if her father was involved.”
Straightening, she nodded. As usual, he made sense. “Okay. I’ll do that now and wait with the paramedics to speak to Chad’s father when he arrives.”
“Could you ask the paramedics to transfer the body to the funeral home? Wolfe should be finished in about ten minutes. I called ahead and they’ll be waiting. Wolfe will follow and get the autopsy underway tonight.”
“Sure.” More than happy to leave her deputies to the unpleasant task of moving the victim into a body bag, she headed toward the ambulance.
After speaking to Chad, she made the call, making sure the young man could hear Kate’s father. “I’m sorry to bother you, Mr. Bright, this is Sheriff Alton. Would it be possible to drop by in about twenty minutes? I need to speak with you.”
“Katie hasn’t got herself into any trouble, has she?”
Jenna hedged, not wanting to discuss anything over the telephone. “I’ll explain when I get there. I would like to speak to you and your wife if possible.”
“Yes, of course. Come right over.”
Disconnecting, she took in Chad’s haggard appearance. He was close to breaking point. “Was that the voice you heard?”
“It was similar but the man I spoke to referred to her as Kate.” Chad wiped a sleeve across his red-rimmed eyes. “I didn’t think it was strange because we all call her Kate, but now hearing his voice I remember her dad always calls her Katie.” He sniffed. “The man who answered her cellphone said I would find Kate by the pool, not Katie. I am 100 percent sure.”
She heard a car engine and glanced toward the sweeping driveway. “That is probably your dad. I’ll speak to him and then you can go home and rest.” Thinking ahead to the dreadful task she had of informing Kate’s parents and the support they would need, she squeezed Chad’s shoulder. “I’ll catch whoever did this and get justice for Kate.”
Her calm exterior covered the rage she had festering inside for the demented lunatic murdering at will on her watch. She could feel his presence and almost taste the evil lurking in the air. She turned to see Kane walking grim-faced from the pool area beside the paramedics pushing a gurney carrying the body bag. Had a military-trained super-soldier arrived to help her by divine intervention or was it just dumb luck? The “do things by the book” sheriff part of her wanted to arrest the killer and take him to trial to pay for his brutality, but deep down inside, the woman in her wanted Kane to put him down like a rabid dog.
Thirty
Kane watched Jenna walk with Chad toward a car parked at the front of the complex and let out a long sigh. The sleepy town of Black Rock Falls had become a playground for crazies of late, and he wondered how much more stress she could take. Six months earlier, Jenna had suffered near death at the hands of two psychopathic murdering brothers who had befriended then stalked her. The brutality of the murders those lunatics had committed turned his stomach, and now six months later, Jenna was dealing with another potential serial killer.
He waited for Wolfe to join him and cleared his throat. “I’m worried about Jenna. I know she is strong but it wasn’t long ago she was held captive by a couple of killers herself.”
“She won’t let her guard down in front of us or anyone else. Maybe you need to get closer to her. I’m not saying sleep with her but she needs a shoulder to lean on. We all have our breaking point—even you.”
“She respects I have feelings for my wife and the job makes it difficult.” He grimaced. “You wait until you feel the lash of her tongue the moment you step on her toes at the office.”
“I’ll make a point of keeping well clear of her toes.”
Kane rubbed his chin. “I admire how feisty she is. She can fight with the best of them.”
“Well, Jenna is never going to be the quiet type, is she?” Wolfe placed his bag at his feet and huffed a weary sigh. “Forget Jenna for a moment. I’ll need to give my girls a call then I’m heading to the funeral home. I’d like to get the autopsy out of the way ASAP. The time of death could be out by some time, depending on how long the killer kept her in the hot spa before laying her out on the diving board.” He waved a hand toward Jenna. “If you’re worried about her, offer to go with her to see the parents. If they ask, I’m afraid they won’t be able to view Kate until I’ve finished. Probably in the morning. Once I release her body, I’ll let you know.”
“How do you cope when you have to do autopsies on kids?”
“It doesn’t matter who I have on my table; they all need my help. I’m the voice who tells their story and brings their killer to justice.” Wolfe’s gaze was cold and steady. “They deserve dignity and a name. To me they are never ‘the victim.’ If they are a Jane Doe then that’s their identity in my mind until proven otherwise.” He shrugged. “Does it make me angry or sad? More than you’ll ever know. I’ve seen what man is capable of doing in war to protect his country but when someone tortures for enjoyment, it churns my guts the same as the next man.” He nodded toward Jenna. “Do as I say and keep her company tonight; she is walking a tightrope right now and needs a friend.”