Her Broken Wings by D.K. Hood
Thirty-Five
Deep in her own thoughts, Jenna allowed the light conversation drifting around her to go by and let Kane answer the agents’ questions. The truck pulled up outside her front door and the passengers climbed out to retrieve their bags from the chopper. She heard Kane clear his throat and looked at him. “Did you say something?”
“Nope.” Kane scanned her face. “Don’t you think it would be a good idea to have them stay with us? We usually work into the night and it would be more convenient.”
Unsettled by his suggestion, Jenna stared at him. “If you want Jo to stay with you, that’s your call, but as sure as hell, I’m not sharing my house with Carter.” She shook her head. “I’ve offered him my cruiser but I don’t make a habit of inviting strange men to share my house.”
“You did me.” Kane smiled at her. “It must have been my irresistible charm.”
Jenna glared at him. “I did not! Giving you the cottage was a kindness. I didn’t ask you to move in with me.”
“Uh-huh, I guess. Anyway, I was thinking of offering Carter my spare room and wondered if you might do the same for Jo. It’s a temporary solution and would save time.” Kane shrugged. “But if sharing with Jo is a problem, we’ll find them rooms in town.”
Seeing the sense in his idea, she nodded. “Sure, why not? But I’m surprised you’d risk having an FBI agent snooping around your house, and what about his dog? Duke will go crazy.”
“Don’t worry about Duke, I’ll tell him to be nice.” Kane cleared his throat. “Security isn’t an issue either—he won’t find anything, and since Rowley’s stay, I’ve installed another safe in my bedroom. Trust me, it’s like Fort Knox.”
Jenna smiled at him. “Good to know.” She slid out the door and went to greet Jo. “To save time hunting down a place to stay, would you like to bunk with me? I have all the equipment we’ll need, and you’re welcome to use my cruiser.”
“That would be great.” Jo smiled at her.
Jenna turned to Carter. “What about you?”
“Yeah, thanks.” Carter nodded. “We’ll dump our bags and then head into town for a meal. We’ll meet you at the sheriff’s office in an hour and review the cases. I’ll think on how we can split the caseload, so make sure all your deputies are at the meeting.”
His attitude took Jenna by surprise. She walked closer and eyeballed him. “Agent Carter, I’m the lead officer on this case. When I’m ready to hand it over to the FBI, I’ll let you know.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Carter didn’t disguise an eye roll. “I’m used to working alone but that’s no excuse. I apologize, ma’am.”
Unconvinced, Jenna nodded. “Okay.”
“You’ll be staying with me.” Kane’s stony expression hadn’t changed as he looked at Carter. “I’ll show you your room.” He led the way to his cottage.
Jenna turned to Jo. “I’ll have to make up your bed tonight. I don’t have many visitors.” She smiled at her. “Do you have a pair of jeans and some more substantial boots to wear? Most of the crime scenes are out of town and the forecast is for snow any day now.”
“No, I don’t.” Jo pulled her suitcase wheels over the uneven ground. “I had no idea what to expect. The FBI moved me to Snakeskin Gully without notice.” She smiled at Jenna. “The local sheriff there informed me I can buy everything I need at the produce store in town.”
Jenna opened the front door, shut down the alarm, and waved her inside. “There are two places here in town that sell basic winter wear, but the jeans will need washing before you wear them. I have a pair that will fit you in the meantime, but a pair of hiking boots is a priority around here.” She looked at Jo’s suit jacket. “Do you have a winter coat with you?”
“Yeah, my FBI jacket is thick and I have my Kevlar vest with me.” Jo stood in the family room and looked around. “You have a lovely home.”
Jenna showed her to her room. “Thanks. I’ll grab those jeans.”
She hurried to her closet. Jo was smaller than her but she’d been thinner when she’d arrived in Black Rock falls and had three pairs of good jeans she no longer used. She took them into the spare bedroom and noticed Jo’s drawn expression. “Is there something wrong?”
“I’m worried about my daughter, Jaime.” She stared down at her phone.
Jenna’s stomach gave a twist. “How so?”
“She took my divorce and moving away from her friends really hard. It was a messy divorce and it’s been difficult explaining to her why her daddy prefers mommy’s boss.” Jo gave her a direct look. “That’s why I’m working in the backwoods of Montana with a team of misfits.”
Astonished, Jenna shook her head. “Hmm, I see. She wanted you out of the way.”
“Exactly. We haven’t unpacked yet and I’m off on a case.” Jo shook her head. “Jaime has her nanny but I feel as if I’m letting her down.”
Jenna sat on the bed beside her, surprised a virtual stranger had decided to confide in her. Perhaps she had no one else to talk to. “Divorce is hard on kids, but she is seven, isn’t she? Halloween is coming up and she’ll be involved in all sorts of fun things at school. Does she mix easily with other kids?”
“Yeah, and she’s used to me going away for days on end on cases. I’m lucky, she’s pretty easygoing.” Jo indicated with her chin toward the door. “Like Deputy Kane. You’re lucky to have him, he’s a real gentleman. He’s been calling me ‘ma’am’ all day.” She chuckled. “I’m stuck with Mr. Grumpy. I’m told Ty is one of the best in his field, but it’s going to be like working with a robot. He’s old-school and this assignment must be his worst nightmare.”
Jenna laughed. “Oh, Kane was pretty macho when he arrived too. It took him some time to understand that I could look after myself, but I’d trust him with my life. He’s a good man.” She stood. “I’ll leave you to get changed. We haven’t eaten yet either, so if you’d like to follow us to Aunt Betty’s Café in town, we can discuss the cases over lunch and then I’ll take you to the stores. It will be faster. Kane can take Carter back to the office. He’ll have all the info you need by the time we get back.”
Later, in Kane’s truck, Jenna glanced at him. “What do you think about Carter?”
“Arrogant but being off the grid for a year, you tend to lose your people skills.” Kane’s mouth quirked at the corners. “You sure shut him down.”
Jenna cringed. “Too much?”
“Nah, saved me the trouble of taking him out back of the woodshed and teaching him some manners.” Kane flashed a wide smile. “And to think I used to worry over you.”
Jenna shrugged. “I’m a big girl and there’s no way he was going to walk over me. He did try, but I must admit, after I took control of the scene, he came over as knowledgeable and allowed me to see the action through his eyes. You may be right. He’s been alone too long.” She turned in her seat to look at him. “And Jo. First impressions?”
“Smart, and she analyzes on the fly with incredible accuracy.” Kane frowned and glanced at her. “I picked up a vulnerability but she’s toughing it out. It’s hard to hide insecurity from me. It makes me wonder why she was sent to a small town in the middle of nowhere with an arrogant SOB like Ty Carter.” His gaze remained fixed on the road. “Wolfe gave me the impression she was super confident and used to running the show.”
Remembering the devastation on Jo’s face, Jenna wondered if telling Kane was breaking a confidence, but they had no secrets between them. “From what I gather, she’s concerned about leaving her daughter. Jo is recently divorced.”
“Oh, I see.” Kane pulled up in front of Aunt Betty’s Café. “That makes a lot of sense.” He nodded toward the café. “Will you inform Susie Hartwig about Ruby’s murder?”
“Not until I’ve notified her next of kin but I will ask her for Ruby’s details.” She frowned. “I’m surprised nobody has reported her missing.”
“Maybe they have.” Kane reached for his phone. “Do you want me to call Maggie and ask?”
Jenna slid from the truck. “We’ll ask her when we get into the office. I’m famished.” She waited on the sidewalk for Carter to pull up behind them in her cruiser.
They ordered their meals and sat at the sheriff’s table. It was quiet, with only a few customers lingering after the lunchtime rush. Jenna looked at Carter. “We’ll need to exchange case files; it will make life easier. What are your cell numbers?”
She took them down and the message ringtones chimed as the files flashed through cyberspace. After scanning the Baltimore case files, she glanced up at Kane. “What’s your take on this?”
“From the crime scene images and the autopsy reports, plus Jo’s profile, I figure we’re dealing with the same man.” Kane nodded to Jo. “Have you come to the same conclusion?”
“Yeah, unless it’s a copycat, but the link we considered between the Baltimore murders wasn’t released to the press. Although, nothing indicated our killer was left-handed.” Jo refilled her cup from a pot on the table. “Did you get a read from any of your suspects?”
“We interviewed Kyler Hall and Cliff Young but they lawyered up. We don’t know if either of them are left-handed.” Kane spread cream over the top of his cherry pie. “To save time, I’ll give you a rundown of the case against them. They were involved in a fight with the Stanton Forest victims, Louis and Addams. Young broke up with his girlfriend, Ann, over her affair with Lucas Robinson, our first victim. Robinson apparently swindled Hall out of his inheritance, so they all tie in. They have no alibis for TOD in the Robinson case and were in the vicinity of the Stanton Forest murders at the TOD as well.” He glanced at Jo. “Are they capable of murder is the question. Volatile and angry can escalate into this type of behavior, as you know.”
“Yeah, any of those scenarios could trigger a psychotic episode, but this anger seems more pronounced. It’s ongoing, a deep hatred.” Jo sipped her coffee. “Likely from a traumatic event in childhood.”
Jenna looked from one to the other. “Okay, say they’re the killers. What is the significance of the black feather? Why would it be significant to both men? They come from different family situations and it’s unlikely they’d have both suffered the same trauma as kids.”
“They could be a leader and a follower.” Jo smiled at her. “A psychopath has charm in spades, and this is attractive to a weaker man; he may look up to him. In this case they usually go along with them and get dragged into their world without really understanding the reason.” She placed her cup on the saucer and patted her mouth on a paper napkin. “Seems to me Hall and Young have common enemies.”
“That’s all very neat.” Carter let out a long sigh and scrolled through the images of the crime scenes. “So how do they tie in with the mass murder? I’m no medical examiner but I know enough forensics to see that the first three killings are clean. The killer or killers didn’t linger to enjoy their kills like the last one. Trust me, that amount of damage takes time.” He shot a direct glance at Jenna. “Can you make out any possible link between the cases because I sure as hell can’t.”
Jenna dropped some bills on the table and pushed to her feet. “At least we have suspects. Looking at the FBI’s past efforts, they’ve struck out on every murder.”