As the rain pelted down, Jenna dashed to the front porch and
Mrs. Braxton ushered them all into the mudroom and handed them towels. “We believe Amanda went into the woods to meet someone. My deputy has already put out a BOLO on her and I’ll speak to the media as soon as I get back to town.” She steeled herself for the next part of the conversation. “We found signs of a struggle in the woods and, at this stage, we believe Amanda was kidnapped.”
“Oh, sweet Jesus no.” Mrs. Braxton collapsed against the wall. “Who would kidnap her?”
Jenna frowned. “We aim to find out. Have you completed the list? Once we trace her movements and speak to her friends, we might find a clue to who took her. In the meantime, we’ll have every available person out searching for her.”
“I have the list.” Luke emerged from the hallway and thrust the notebook at Jenna. “I included everyone else I could think of as well. Lucy is her best friend and she hangs with her, then there’s a boy at school, Peter English, who was pestering her for a date. He’d gotten out of hand, like a stalker, so I talked to him a couple of weeks ago to warn him off and he hasn’t bothered her since.”
Mind reeling at the idea of a younger suspect, Jenna glanced over the list. “Okay, we’ll hunt down these people and see what they have to say. In the meantime, I’ll have a deputy with you around the clock to monitor the phone in case anyone calls with demands. I’ll be arranging for plain-clothed deputies from Blackwater to come here, as my team will be involved in the search for your daughter. I’ll make sure Deputy Walters keeps you up to date.”
She gave Mrs. Braxton’s arm a squeeze. “Rest assured I’ll do everything in my power to find Amanda.”
“Thanks.” Mrs. Braxton leaned into her son’s embrace. “I need to lie down.”
“Good idea. We’ll be in touch as soon as we know anything.” Jenna watched her climb the stairs then turned as Wolfe came down the hallway with Webber close behind. “Find anything?”
“No.” Wolfe held up a few evidence bags. “I’ve collected fibers, and have her laptop and cellphone. I’ll need time to do some tests and scan her media files.”
“We found a partial footprint and hairs and fibers.” Jenna waved a hand toward the front door. “Atohi put them in your van.”
“Okay.” Wolfe indicated with his chin to Webber. “I have Emily to assist me if you need Webber. With Rowley running the command post, it only leaves you and Kane to chase down clues.”
Jenna nodded. “Yeah, thanks, Webber would be a great help.”
“There’re signs of a struggle.” Kane moved closer and lowered his voice. “We’ve taken photos of the scene.”
“Good, get them to me ASAP.” Wolfe rubbed his chin and his fingers rasped against the blond stubble. “I’ve collected DNA samples from the family and I figure I’ve solved the mystery of the reset alarm.” He headed for the front door. “See here.” He pointed to the control panel beside the front door. “The CCTV and lights are on a different circuit and are turned off manually. Normally the lights would come on when someone approaches the house but the alarm doesn’t activate until two minutes after someone opens the doors or windows. It gives the owners time to come inside and put in the correct code. The same applies to when they leave but the delay is five minutes. Amanda had her own key and it’s not in the house, so we have to assume she deactivated the floodlights and CCTV cameras because she didn’t want anyone to know she’d sneaked out, then reset the alarm when she left because she planned to return to the house.”
Jenna nodded. “So it looks like she knew her kidnapper?”
“Yeah.” Wolfe’s mouth formed a thin line. “It sure does.”
“I hope this is the end of this stupid game now.” Jenna balled her hands on her hips and grimaced. “I’m over getting sick to my stomach every time a message sounds on my cellphone.”
Twenty-Six
It never ceased to amaze Kane how fast the local media got wind of a story. As he turned his truck into Main Street, he couldn’t miss the live news TV satellite truck parked opposite the sheriff’s office or the crowd of people milling around on the sidewalk like vultures hungry for a tidbit of information. He pulled in at the curb outside Aunt Betty’s Café and turned to Jenna. “Do you want a few minutes before you face the media?”
“What did you say?” Jenna looked at him, as if oblivious to the crowd and the commotion. She’d spent the entire trip on her cellphone, organizing the team for the next stage of the investigation.
Kane indicated with his chin to the other end of town. “It’s a media frenzy down there. I suggest we slip into Aunt Betty’s to write a statement – unless you want to do one on the fly?”
“No, I’ll need to be careful what I say or they’ll twist my words. I’ll need to freshen up a bit as well. I wonder if Susie has a comb I could use?” She glanced out the window. “No one around, let’s go.” She slipped from the vehicle and jogged into the café.
Kane followed behind. Duke snored on the back seat. He would be fine inside the truck until they returned. He made his way to the counter, glad to see Susie Hartwig serving a customer. “The sheriff’s usual and I’ll have turkey on rye.” He smiled at her. “The sheriff needs to speak to the press and we’ve been searching the woods for a missing girl. Do you have a comb she could borrow?”
“Don’t you worry now. I’ll have her fixed up in no time.” Susie turned and called out the order, then came around the counter. “I’ll go speak to her. The food will be along directly.” She bustled off in Jenna’s direction.
Before he reached the table, Jenna and Susie had disappeared into the ladies’ restroom. The food arrived and Kane stared at the passageway. He’d finished his sandwich and was halfway through his second cup of coffee by the time Jenna returned to the table. He cast an appreciative gaze over her. She had beautiful skin and rarely wore more than a hint of makeup; when he took her to dinner, she usually added a fine line around her eyes and a dab of perfume. Susie had covered the bruises on her face and although the scrapes were still evident, he doubted anyone would notice them. Her hair shone like a raven’s wing and her eyes had transformed into hypnotic pools of dark blue – She. Looked. Spectacular. His jaw dropped and he forced himself to look away and act natural.
“Dang, do I look that bad?” Jenna’s cheeks colored. “I told her to go easy on the makeup. The light in the bathroom is so dim, I couldn’t see properly, I hoped I’d look okay.”
Kane pushed the bagel and cream cheese toward her. “You look amazing. I can’t see any of the bruises. Eat and we’ll work on a statement.” He pulled out his notebook and pen.
She didn’t reply but when he lifted his gaze away from his notes, she gave him a warm smile. After their distressing morning and previous horrendous days, it took him by surprise. “Okay, what do you want to say to the press?”
“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.” Jenna’s attention never left his face. “So you do have a soft side, hidden under all that macho.”