“Good. I think we’re done here.” Alton waved a hand toward the dwindling traffic jam. “Daniels is handling the traffic problem without help.” She reached for the door handle then turned to look at him. “And right now, I need coffee—a gallon of it at least.”
Twenty-Two
Although Jenna had made light of Kane’s assumptions, the idea of the barrel being on the back of the pickup involved in her accident scared her. She pushed down the wave of panic and leaned back in the seat. The big question was why someone in Black Rock Falls wanted her dead or silenced. She could have overlooked a crime during her time as sheriff, and the idea disturbed her. Taking one day at a time, she recalled her movements before the accident and came up blank. Nothing significant had happened apart from the Josh Rockford and friends’ arrests.
The image of the body in the barrel flashed across her mind and she mulled over the information in the missing persons’ cases. Neither report had listed a torque or wedding ring as personal items. The bangle was significant and surely family members would have mentioned such a valuable item. She unwrapped the scarf from her face and glanced at Kane. She regretted putting him in his place; she valued his expertise at the crime scene. His observational skills matched her own and she could see his mind working the case by his intent stare on the road ahead. “After seeing that carnage do you still fancy pancakes at Aunt Betty’s Café?”
“I thought you needed a gallon of coffee?” Kane grinned at her and his eyes sparkled.
“Coffee first.” Jenna lifted the cups from between the seats.
“That sounds like a plan.” He pulled the car to a halt outside her front door. “I’ll call Rowley and bring him up to speed. How long do you need?”
“Half an hour max.” She pushed open the car door. “Download the images too and email them to him. He can start a file while we’re out.”
“Okay.”
As she reached the foot of the stoop, a wave of apprehension hit her. Pushing it away, she jogged up the steps and unlocked the door. As she pressed the buttons to deactivate the alarm, she noticed Kane waiting for her to enter the house. He is making sure I’m safe. She gave him a wave and closed the door. It had been a very long time since someone had watched her back. The image of the body in the barrel flashed across her mind and her attacker’s words rammed into her subconscious. She trembled at the thought of ending up tortured and stuffed in a can. I have to catch this asshole before I’m his next victim.
* * *
Kane had spent time reading the files on Sarah’s grandmother and the basic information on John Helms. Mrs. Woodward had thick white hair, so he discounted her as the person in the barrel. John Helms, from the description on his driver’s license, was five eight, one hundred and forty pounds, with dark hair and eyes. Kane would need to contact Helms’s wife or, better still, speak to the man who had reported him missing, Father Maguire.
Why had the priest and not Helms’s wife put in the missing persons’ report? If Helms turned out to be the victim, it would open up a can of worms. His wife would not be the first one in history to take out a hit on her husband.
His thoughts went to Jenna and her need to have him under surveillance. The hit-and-run then the attack on her at the Cattleman’s Hotel could have been warnings for her to keep her mouth shut. If she was in too deep and now in danger, he would have to coax the truth from her, which he knew would be difficult.
He glanced at the photographs of the two missing persons and read the backgrounds on each of them. To his trained investigator’s eye, they had nothing in common at all. Kane dashed a hand through his hair and stared at the screen. He could find no motive for murder, zip, nada. From what he had seen of the victim, he had suffered prolonged torture. How long the victim had suffered and what exactly had happened to him would provide vital information. He hoped the local ME had the experience to deal with crimes of this nature.
He checked an email from Walters then glanced at the time displayed at the bottom of the screen and logged out. Sheriff Alton would be hammering on his door at any moment. Before the thought had left his mind, he heard her voice.
“Hey, Kane.”
He pushed to his feet and strode to the front door. “Yeah, I’m on my way. I’ll just grab my jacket.”
He pulled open the door, and the moment he turned away to get his coat, Alton moved inside then stamped her feet on the mat.
“I expected you five minutes ago.” Alton gave him a once over and the corners of her mouth curled into a pretty smile. “I have coffee.” She held up two takeout cups. “Will this hold you for another half hour or so? I’d rather check on the gate at the back of the landfill before it starts snowing again.”
“Yeah, thanks. Walters contacted me. Mrs. Woodward’s bank check has not been cashed.” Kane pulled the door shut and followed her to the SUV. “I have uploaded everything onto my cellphone so we can see the overall picture.” He opened the door and slid behind the wheel then noticed her regarding him with suspicion. “Don’t look at me like that. Right now, I have two victims: the man in the barrel, and you. I’m not discounting our two missing persons either.”
“There is no evidence to connect any of them, Kane.” Alton gave a grunt of contempt then placed the coffee cup in the holder and fastened her seat belt.
He fired up the engine and let it idle. “I’m not so sure. If you are convinced there is no major crime in Black Rock Falls and no one is threatening you for whatever reason, then we have two options: either we have a psychopath on the loose, or by the look of our victim, someone found it necessary to extract information by torture. For what reason, I have yet to determine, but the latter will be easier to catch.”
“You’ve made a rash conclusion without one shred
of evidence. We have one victim and no autopsy report.” Alton turned in her seat and glared at him, her face flushed. “Why do you keep involving me? I’m not a victim. I agree the accident and the idiot who threatened me shook me up but honestly, I can’t think of one reason why anyone in Black Rock Falls would want to kill me. I’m not that much of a threat to the other candidates on the ballot for the upcoming elections and anyone else in my past who may have a reason I left behind years ago.”
That was a slip. So you do have someone chasing you.
Twenty-Three
Kane headed for town, waiting in vain for Alton to strike up a conversation. After giving directions via a back road to the backside of the landfill through a forest, she reached for her coffee, and they fell back into an awkward silence.
He cleared his throat. “I’ll need to interview the priest. The file we have on John Helms doesn’t have contact information for any members of his family. Which deputy wrote the report? The name is missing on the file. He needs a lesson on gathering information. For all we know, our missing person is at home, nice and snug in front of a fire with his wife.”
“I put Daniels on the Helms case.” Alton flicked him a cool glance over the rim of her cup. “I’m sure he filed the correct information. Perhaps the file is corrupted. I’ll take a look when we get back to the office. I back up everything on hard copy.”