Her Broken Wings by D.K. Hood
Forty-Four
It was going to be one of those awful days when they took one step forward and three back in an investigation, Jenna just knew it. The information from Jo and Kane had stymied her usual way of thinking through a case. Any of her suspects could be suffering from dissociative identity disorder and hiding a psychopath. Right now, she considered at least two of the suspects had a motive for murder. The faces of Kyler Hall and Cliff Young dropped into her mind. She pulled out her phone as she followed Kane back to his truck and contacted the site manager at the ski resort. “Hi there, it’s Sheriff Alton, can you tell me if Kyler Hall and Cliff Young are working today?”
“They were here this morning, but when they dropped by the office, they mentioned heading out to the Triple Z Bar.”
“Okay, thanks.” She disconnected and then stopped walking when Jo called her name.
“Can I come with you?” Jo hurried to her side. “Wolfe has finished the preliminary reports, and from what I can see, the cause of death of each man is obvious. I’d like to observe the behavior of the suspects if that’s okay?”
Jenna nodded. “Observing is all we’ll be doing. I’m looking to see if they have any visible scratches; if so, it’s reasonable cause to get a court order to have them DNA-tested against the sample taken from under Ruby’s nails.”
“Do you want to visit the Stanton Forest crime scene? We’ll be driving by it in a few minutes.” Kane looked at Jo and then started the engine and they headed to Stanton Road.
“No thanks, the images were fine and your description of the crime scene summed it up well.” Jo turned to look out the window. “This part of the world is incredibly beautiful; the scents and fresh air really surprised me. I’d forgotten places like this still existed. Snakeskin Gully sounded like the end of the earth, but it’s much the same. It will be a good place to raise Jaime.”
Jenna nodded in agreement. “There’s something special about small-town life. The camaraderie is second to none and you’ll both do fine. Black Rock Falls is a special place too and it’s a shame we’ve become Psychopath Central of late.”
“Hmm, I think the killers all believe they can outsmart you.” Jo smiled at her. “I have an awful feeling they’ll keep coming until you let one get away. One unsolved crime and they have nothing to prove.”
Flashes of the recent crime scenes flooded Jenna’s head in a rush so fast she gripped the seat to steady herself. “Let’s hope it’s not this one. With the four of us hunting down this maniac, we should get a result soon.” She glanced at her watch. “Step on the gas, Dave. We have to be back at the office by five.”
She leaned back in her seat watching the forest fly by in a flash of color. The sound of the engine seemed to add a sense of danger as Kane accelerated and the Beast roared in response. They sped by other vehicles, lights flashing, and she heard Jo’s nervous cough from the back seat. She turned and looked at her. “Places are so far apart out here, you’ll have to get used to traveling at speed.”
“That’s why we have a chopper.” Jo gave a nervous laugh.
“ETA five minutes.” Kane flashed Jenna a grin. “It’s good to blow away the cobwebs from time to time.”
As the truck slowed before Kane made the turn into the Triple Z’s parking lot, Jenna faced Jo again. “We’ll play it low-key and hope we can get close enough to them to pick up any recent injuries.”
“They won’t suspect me.” Jo unbuckled her seatbelt as the truck came to a stop. “I know what they look like, I’ll go in first.”
Jenna shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Like Kane said, it’s not safe.”
“I’ll take my chances.” Jo slid out the door then peered in at them. “Give me a head start.” She turned and jogged across the parking lot.
“Ready?” Kane climbed out and looked at Jenna over the hood. “Is she going to be okay?”
Not overly concerned about Jo, Jenna nodded. “Yeah don’t worry, she would’ve been trained the same as we were. I figure she can handle herself.”
“If she kept up her training.” Kane strode toward the bar. “It’s been some years since Quantico.”
As they walked into the bar, the smell of beer and sweat hit Jenna in a wall of nasty. She blinked to allow her eyes to adjust to the dim interior and spotted Jo sitting at the bar, nursing a beer. “Well, how’s that?” Jenna chuckled. “She’s taken a seat right next to them.” She headed to the opposite end of the bar and waited for the barkeeper to walk to them. “Is that fresh coffee I smell?”
“Yeah.” The barkeeper gave her a curious look. “You drove all the way out here to buy a cup of my coffee?”
Jenna met his gaze. “Nope. We’ve been in the mountains and I’m desperate. Give me two with cream and sugar.” She sat at the bar.
“Snow’s coming.” Kane sat beside her and smiled at the barkeeper as he filled two cups. “There’s already snow up near the new ski resort.”
“Same every year.” The barkeeper shrugged. “Although last year it was the coldest I remember.”
As Kane made small talk with the man, Jenna’s gaze slid to Jo. She’d struck up a conversation with Kyler Hall and Cliff Young. The coffee was reasonable and everything was going well, until Cliff Young placed a hand on Jo’s knee.
“Hey, let go of me, lady, or I’ll punch you in the face.” Young’s face was sheet-white.
“I wouldn’t if I were you.” Jo had bent his fingers back and her eyes flashed with anger.
Jenna dropped off the barstool and headed toward the argument. “Okay, what’s happening here?”
“Nothing, Sheriff.” Jo dropped Young’s hand. “This man grabbed my thigh is all. I don’t like men touching me.” She placed some bills on the bar and, without a second glance, headed out the door.
Jenna stared after her and then looked at the barkeeper. “We’re good here.”
“I’ll take care of the coffee.” Kane pulled out his wallet and flicked his eyes to the door.
“Sure.” Jenna walked slowly toward the door and, once outside, noticed Jo leaning against the wall. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. Hall was drinking with his left hand.” Jo grinned at her. “Both men have scratches and you don’t need permission for Cliff Young’s DNA.” She held up a finger. “I accidently caught him with my fingernail.”
“Sweet.” Kane had walked up beside her without a sound. “I’ll grab a test kit.”
Jenna hadn’t taken two paces toward Kane’s truck when Hall and Young walked out the door. The pair ignored them and turned toward their pickup. As they walked, Hall took a cigarette from his mouth and flicked it onto the ground. They all stood motionless as the two men drove away. “This is my lucky day.” Jenna ran to the smoking cigarette and pulled a pair of gloves from her pocket. “A saliva sample and two witnesses to prove who it came from. Take that, Sam Cross.”
After making sure the samples were safe, Jenna climbed back into Kane’s truck. “Okay, we’ll drop the samples to Wolfe and then head back to the office.” She grinned at him. “Strike three.”