Her Broken Wings by D.K. Hood
Twenty-Four
Kane accelerated along the highway, lights flashing and sirens blaring. It was good to be able to drive his truck fast on the open road, and the way his engine roared made him smile. The drive alongside Stanton Forest and high into the mountains was one of his favorites. It was almost like flying as they gained altitude at speed. All good things must come to an end, and he slowed, turned off the lights and sirens, and then took the new off-ramp leading to the ski resort.
The mayor’s vision for a winter tourist boom was working well. Wide roads snaked their way to the top of Black Rock Mountain and gave spectacular panoramic views of the forest as far as the eye could see. The snow-covered mountain offered a natural array of ski runs without destroying the beauty of the area. So well concealed, even the ski lifts didn’t spoil the views. Surprised by the interest and investments coming in by the dozen, the mayor had commissioned another ten cabins. He’d set them in a little picturesque village within walking distance of the main lodge. It seemed since the popularity of the White Water Rapids Park, everyone wanted a share in the prosperity of the town.
Trucks littered the road alongside dumpsters filled with discarded building materials, and radios blared from the small cabins like a badly tuned orchestra. He turned into the village and parked out front of the site manager’s trailer. “I guess we should start here.”
“Okay.” Jenna pulled out her notebook and gave him a stern look. “It’s freezing out there. Are you wearing the thick cap I got for you?”
Kane smiled at her. “I never leave home without it.” He pulled the cap down over his ears and climbed out.
The cold blast of wind made his eyes water as he hurried into the trailer with Jenna hot on his heels. They stepped inside a temporary construction, desks with computers and papers everywhere. From the array of equipment on-site, the building work employed many different trades. He’d met the large man sitting at the main desk behind a sign saying “manager” on his last visit. Wearing a hunting cap lined with sheepskin and glasses resting on the end of his nose, he looked up curiously as they entered. Kane nodded to him. “Sid Glover, this is Sheriff Alton. We’re looking for Kyler Hall and Cliff Young. Are they working today?”
“Just a moment.” Glover hammered on his keyboard and ran his finger down the screen. “Yeah, they’re working on number six.” He narrowed his gaze. “Not in any trouble, are they? I don’t want any criminals on my site.”
“Not that we’re aware.” Jenna stepped forward. “Have they been working here long?”
The man used the keyboard and nodded. “Yeah, according to the payroll, since the project started, over a year now.”
“And yet you acted as if you didn’t know them when my deputy asked you.” Jenna pressed one hand flat on his desk and glared at him with an intimidating stare. “Why is that?”
“Oh, I know them.” The manager waved a hand as if to include all around him. “I just don’t know where each individual man is at a given time. We have two hundred men working here in a variety of crews. I can’t keep track of all of them in my head.”
“Okay, what are their usual hours?” Jenna made notes.
“Ah, any time between daylight and dusk.” The manager smiled. “It’s contract work here for the most part, and crews work longer hours. The faster they work, the more they get paid.”
“Is that usual for this type of work?” Jenna straightened.
“It’s usual practice for most building work these days. We have a project manager who arranges for trades to come and do the work; it’s not like a plant where people are employed by the firm.”
“Point us in the direction of number six.” Jenna headed for the door.
“First right, halfway down on the left. The numbers are outside.” The manager leaned back in his seat. “You can’t miss it.”
Kane followed her out. “Thanks.”
“We’ll drive, the wind is cruel up here.” Jenna climbed into the truck. “I had the weirdest feeling the manager was hiding something; he seemed distracted somehow. Did you notice the way his eyes kept flicking to the door?”
Kane nodded and drove the short way to number six. “I didn’t see anyone hanging around. He gave you the information you asked for, I figured he was cooperating.” He pulled up beside a truck loaded with a variety of waste. “Whoever owns the truck doesn’t take too much pride in keeping it nice.”
“Maybe they don’t have time, working all hours.” Jenna slid from the seat and headed to the door, swinging her small forensics kit over one shoulder before Kane had time to unclip Duke and let him down.
Kane started after her, and Duke bounded off, tail wagging and ears pushed back flat against his head by the wind. The dog wasn’t letting Jenna out of his sight. Kane scratched his chin. What’s wrong with him? Is there someone here we should know about?
He made it to the front door of the cabin in long strides, scanning the area in all directions, but nothing seemed suspicious. Men moved in and out of unfinished cabins, and the cacophony of different tunes surrounded him. Inside the cabin, Jenna waited for a man using a nail gun to stop what he was doing. Kane moved to her side, and the man raised his head and started at the sight of them. The nail gun rose in his hand and Kane instinctively drew his weapon. A gas-driven nail gun could be lethal. As Jenna stepped closer, Duke’s hackles rose and he gave an uncharacteristic growl and showed his teeth.
“Aim that someplace else.” Jenna’s voice sounded loud in the empty room. “In fact, lay it down on the counter over there. What’s your name?”
“Cliff Young, ma’am.” He turned away and placed the tool on the counter. “Is there a problem, Sheriff?”
“Where’s your friend?” Kane holstered his weapon, noticing the concern in Young’s eyes.
“I’m here.” A man in his late twenties, tall and muscular, walked out from another room. “I’m Kyler Hall. What do you want with me?”
“I hear you were in a fight with Parker Louis and Tim Addams at the Triple Z Bar on Saturday night.” Jenna lifted her chin and stood her ground. It was obvious this man’s show of hostility hadn’t fazed her. “We have reason to believe you were all involved in a racket to steal appliances from the site.” She narrowed her gaze at his arrogant bark of laughter.
“Nah, it wasn’t about anything of the sort.” Hall gave her an insolent grin. “It was over a woman. We’d all had too much to drink.” He looked at Kane and winked. “You know how it is? Things got nasty. I had to put those boys down to teach them a lesson.”
Kane met his gaze. “Are you admitting to shooting Louis and Addams?”
“What?” Hall gave Young an astonished look and swallowed hard. “No! I don’t know nothing about no murders.”
“Can you account for your movements on Wednesday morning between daybreak and eleven?” Jenna opened her notepad.
“Just a minute.” Young’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “Do we need a lawyer?”
“I’m not arresting you.” Jenna passed a meaningful look at Kane. “I’m here to hunt down suspects in a shooting incident, and if you pulled the trigger, I’d say ‘yes.’ As you have some concerns, we’ll make it official.” She glanced at Kane. “Read them their rights.”
“We didn’t kill anyone.” Hall straightened as if regaining control. “We share a house. We had breakfast together on Wednesday morning and then headed here before seven. We left here around four.”
Kane frowned at their responses. They’d not informed them either man had died and yet Hall and Young had mentioned murder and killing. He read them their rights, and when they refused legal representation, he moved on with the questioning. “Do you live in town?”
“Yeah, on Lake.” Hall leaned against the counter, his tool belt scraping against the granite top.
There was only one way out of town to the highway, and that put both men in the area at the time of death. “Then what time did you hit Stanton Road, and do you recall any other vehicles passing by?”
“Lake runs into Stanton so around seven, I guess.” Hall glanced at Jenna. “I had trouble seeing a few feet in front of me. A thick mist was coming in from the forest. Some vehicles passed us but I don’t remember anything about them at all.”
“Okay.” Jenna nodded. “What do you carry in your truck for protection? I mean, working up here, you can’t be too careful, can you?”
“There’s a shotgun on a rack in the cab.” Hall shrugged. “Most guys carry one up here.”
“And when was the last time either of you fired a weapon?” Jenna slipped her small forensics kit from one shoulder.
“Not for about three months—we went to the practice range.” Young moved around restlessly. “We didn’t shoot no one.”
“Then you’ll agree to a gunshot residue swab?” Jenna opened the kit and looked at them expectantly.
“No way.” Hall gripped his friend by the shoulder. “They’re looking to blame someone. We need to have this done legal. We’re not answering any more questions, we want a lawyer. You have to provide one free of charge, we don’t have any money.”
Dammit.Kane sighed. They needed information about their involvement with Robinson. Both men had an ax to grind, and now they’d have to pull them in in for questioning. He rolled his eyes at Jenna and she sprang into action.
“Fine, then get your gear together. I want you back at the sheriff’s department for questioning.” Jenna looked from one to the other. “I’m giving you a break by allowing you to drive back to town, but if you take off or do anything stupid, trust me you won’t like the consequences.” She glared at them. “I’ll call you a lawyer and have him meet us. We’ll wait for you outside.” She headed through the door and leaned against Kane’s truck. A huge puff of steam came from her mouth as she sighed. “I sure misjudged them. I thought they’d welcome a gunshot residue test to clear their names.”
Kane whistled Duke to his side and lifted him inside the truck. Once he had the dog secured in his harness, he looked at her. “They’ve tipped their hand. We never mentioned anyone was dead; it’s a pretty big assumption. Duke didn’t like them either. I’ve never seen him become aggressive before today.”
“Maybe we should give him the scent of the victims and see how he reacts to Hall and Young then?” Jenna threw her arms up in the air. “That’s not conclusive either; we know they were in a fight.”
Kane watched the men pack their truck and climb inside. “This is going to be interesting. Why didn’t you just cuff them and take them in?”
“Well, they’ll have Cross for their lawyer, and at this stage of the investigation I don’t want to give him any excuse to undermine me.” She climbed into the truck. “This way, it appears they agreed to come in for an interview.” She turned to look at him. “Between you and me, I think they’re as guilty as hell.”