Don't Tell A Soul (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“I’ll have a report for you in the morning. I can tell you the photography from the scene shows footprints and not the ones from your deputy. I’ve sent them for analysis. The killer or killers of Miss Woodward didn’t destroy all the evidence after all.”

Killers? Jenna swallowed the lump rising in her throat. “Are you implying more than one person is involved?”

“I can’t give you a definite answer until we have completed our investigation. The moment we do, I will send you a full report.”

“Thank you.” Jenna disconnected and stared at the whiteboard in disbelief. What the hell is going on in this town?

Mind reeling, she pushed her chair away from the desk and stood. She glanced at the clock then peered out into the main office. The place was quiet for a change; a few locals waited to speak to Magnolia on the front desk and Deputy Rowley sat in Kane’s booth chatting, no doubt briefing him on his chat with Susie Hartwig. She could slip out for a few minutes to grab a snack then head over to interview the real estate broker. Unable to go without informing Kane of her whereabouts, she strolled to his booth. Both men stopped talking immediately and she frowned at them then dropped her voice to a whisper. “I’ve had a verbal preliminary report from the forensics team. They are doing tests on fauna, et cetera, on the body in the barrel and think they might have found one or two sets of footprints at Sarah’s murder scene.”

“Two?” Kane’s blue eyes filled with concern. “That throws a cog in the works but might gel with my theory about Rockford having followers

. I mean, think about the Manson cult—it happens.”

“We can’t move forward until they finish the report.” Jenna sighed. “I want to be well away from the office when you interview Rockford so I’m going for lunch. If I haven’t heard back from Pete about Stan Clough’s address, I’m heading over to the real estate office to see if I can catch Mr. Davis.”

“Okay.” Kane frowned. “Susie Hartwig says Rockford was with her until about ten. He doesn’t have an alibi for Friday night after all. I’m expecting him to come in for an interview at two with his lawyer. I have nothing on Clough’s residence yet either, Daniels came up with a blank and Davis hasn’t returned our calls. Do you think he believes he is respecting his client’s privacy by not informing us?” He pushed a hand through his dark hair. “As a parolee, Clough is obliged to inform his parole officer or local law enforcement officer of any change of residence. If you inform Davis you could charge him for withholding this information, I bet his memory becomes crystal clear.”

“Good idea.” Jenna straightened her spine. She could deal with Mr. Davis.

“If Josh Rockford’s lawyer is your stalker—” Kane’s lips formed a thin line “—do you want me to lean on Mr. Stone as well?”

Jenna sighed. She had kept her distance from James Stone as much as possible. She would rather be locked in her office than sit in on the interview. No doubt, if she appeared to be in charge of the case against Rockford and the incident involving her, Stone would cry foul. “Keep Rowley with you and determine Rockford’s movements on Saturday and Monday as well. If you can get Stone alone, ask him as well to eliminate him from our enquiries. If you can use your influence in an unobtrusive way to keep him from pestering me, I would be more than happy. I’ll expect a full report when I return.”

“Yes, ma’am. So tearing him a new asshole is out of the question?” Kane’s eyes twinkled with amusement.

Rowley’s eyes widened so big Jenna thought they might fall out and bounce around the floor. With great difficulty, she bit back a grin and cleared her throat. “If we discover he is the one who threatened me in the bushes, I might be tempted to do that myself.”

Forty-Four

Kane folded his fingers behind his head and leaned back in the chair, making it moan in protest. He stared at the ceiling, noting the cobwebs, then turned his attention back to Rowley. “I want to speak to Miss Hartwig. It would be an idea to have her here when Rockford arrives.” He dropped his hands and cleared his throat. “Can you pick her up on your way back from lunch?”

“Okay.” Rowley’s cellphone signaled a message and his young brow wrinkled as he stared at the screen for some moments. “The paint analysis from the accident came back as from a 1977 Ford pickup. I already cross-checked all the DMV listings for a blue Ford pickup with local owners. Out of the hundreds in the area, only five fit the model you witnessed. I checked if the owners had rap sheets and found two with misdemeanors listed. The other owners include two men in their eighties and a woman in her seventies. I discounted them, which leaves Davis and Mayor Rockford.” He shrugged. “I can’t say I’ve seen the mayor driving an old pickup so I gather it’s somewhere on his farm.”

Kane snorted. “So is it the mayor or Davis who has the rap sheet?”

“Davis.” Rowley paled. “He beat on his wife.”

“When did this happen?”

“Ten years ago.” Rowley narrowed his gaze. “She dropped the charges.”

Kane had seen too many cases where men had lost control and beaten their wives to death. “I see.” He recalled seeing a light-colored late-model SUV parked in the driveway of the real estate office. “He drives a Dodge SUV, doesn’t he? Does the Ford pickup have current registration?”

“Yeah, and I’ve seen him drive the old pickup but not for at least six months.” Rowley raised an eyebrow. “The sheriff is heading over to speak with Davis after lunch. If we can catch her before she leaves Aunt Betty’s, she can ask Davis about his pickup while she’s there.”

The hairs on Kane’s neck stood on end at the idea of Jenna walking into the real estate office without this vital information. The casual way Rowley had informed him gave him the impression he did not consider John Davis a threat. He glared at him and Rowley’s ears pinked at the tips. “Davis is a suspect. We believe he has a connection to the victims and he owns a blue pickup. We must consider him a person of interest with two strikes against him. I’ll give Alton a call and bring her up to speed.” He reached inside his jacket pocket for his cellphone and cleared his throat. “Is there anything else I should know?”

“No, but I’ve been wondering if you think it would be worthwhile checking if Sarah was on Facebook or Instagram.” Rowley pushed a hand through his hair. “People on social media enjoy telling the world what they’re doing, who they’re seeing, and the like. What if she met someone, or discussed her plans online?”

“Good idea.” Kane smiled at him. “Check all the image files. If Sarah took selfies, she might have posted them. It would be interesting to see who else she met in town.”

Rowley gave him a curt nod and headed for his booth. Kane called Alton to apprise her of the recent developments. “You may be interviewing the person who tried to kill you. I think I should tag along just to be safe.”

“I’m outside the real estate office now. It’s the middle of the day, the streets are busy, and I’m armed.” Alton chuckled. “If you prefer, I’ll make some excuse to see his vehicle and speak to him outside. I’m sure I’m more than capable of handling John Davis.”

He rubbed his chin, scratching the stubble. If Alton had received training in special ops or the secret service as he envisaged, she should be able handle most men with one hand tied behind her back, but it had not helped her in the bushes behind the Cattleman’s Hotel. Like it or not, she was vulnerable and he had proved as much during the couple of morning workouts they had manage to squeeze into their hectic schedule. He had decided to show her a few moves and bring her hand-to-hand combat skills back up to scratch. Her insistence he treat her as “one of the boys” rang in his memory and he pushed down his concern. He had become close to Jenna in the short time he had known her, and his protective side had rushed to the front. Pushing words out between clenched teeth, he capitulated. “Okay, but I’d appreciate a hand with the Susie Hartwig interview.”

Peals of laughter came down the earpiece. “If you’re worried about her hitting on you again, ask one of the deputies to sit in on the interview.”