“Okay. I’m heading up the mountain with Sheriff Alton to search Price’s cabin.”
“Oh, make sure you take a rifle with you.” Rowley’s face broke into a grin. “Folks up that way tend to shoot first then ask questions later.”
“Wonderful.”
4
The adrenaline rush of killing slipped away, leaving a wave of contentment. She glanced around her neat home, everything in its place, all surfaces polished to a high shine. She liked clean. In fact, one thing out of place, one speck of dust annoyed her, and right now she had some cleaning to do.
She opened the cupboard door in the spare bedroom and stared at photographs of the monsters. To enforce her determination to rid the Earth of predators, she had stuck the images to the inside of one door,
and on the other, the missing girls she had found in the newspapers. She touched each young face. I will get justice for you, I promise.
She scowled at the men’s images and rage sent bile rushing up the back of her throat. Oh yes, she had discovered the monsters’ names and where they lived. Now she would stop them from hurting girls. She had tracked down Amos Price after overhearing about the strange behavior of a clown at a kid’s party. She wondered how many times parents ignored inappropriate touches and kids’ complaints because they were too ashamed to admit such a thing had happened to their child. She had stopped him. The monster hiding behind a painted smile.
With satisfaction, she tore Amos Price’s image from the wooden door and ripped it into shreds then strolled into the bathroom and flushed it down the toilet. The sight of him writhing in agony and the fear in his eyes as his life slipped away had ignited the dark side again. She enjoyed his suffering, could almost taste it, and wished it had lasted longer. The craving to lure the next man into her web had become an obsession.
An absolute need to hunt down and kill.
Who will be next? She let her gaze drift over the photographs then dragged her nails down the image of a monster. “Are you ready to die?”
5
As Kane’s powerful SUV climbed up the winding mountain roads, eating up the miles, Jenna let out a sigh. A vista of intense beauty stretched out forever, pine forests climbed up magnificent mountains, swirling rivers and dancing waterfalls threw a myriad of rainbows, making the view magical. “Oh, this is magnificent. I wish I had ventured up here earlier. I can’t believe I’ve missed seeing this before.”
“It is amazing but not somewhere you should venture alone.” Kane’s large hands gripped the wheel as he negotiated a tight bend in the road. “Rowley mentioned that the mountain men, wherever they are hiding, tend to shoot first and ask questions later.” He grinned at her. “Then there are the black bears and the bobcats. I guess you’d look like dinner to them.”
“You wouldn’t.” She returned his grin. “You’re all gristle.”
“Thanks.” Kane’s eyes sparkled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Jenna stared at the GPS. “Price’s cabin should be down a track on the right about a hundred yards ahead.”
The car bumped over the dirt road, tipping from one side to the other. The trees came close to the road, sending zebra shadows flashing past as they moved in and out of the sunshine. “There on the right. See the ‘private property’ sign?”
“Got it.” Kane spun the wheel and expertly negotiated a bend then a dip in the road. “No wonder his truck was so beat up. This place would be murder during the winter.” He indicated ahead with his chin. “There’s the house.”
Jenna stared at the log cabin. It was larger than she expected with a woodshed and a small barn. An old hunting dog ambled out to greet them. It was pitifully thin with its bones showing. “You were right about the livestock. I wonder what he has in his barn.”
“I guess we’d better check there first.” Kane slipped from the car and raised both eyebrows. “I can’t smell livestock.” He trudged off toward the barn.
Jenna patted the old dog on the head. “Don’t worry, we’ll find you something to eat.”
“His water bucket is empty.” Anger radiated from Kane. “A hunting dog doesn’t get that thin in a couple of days. Up here, he could have caught his food.” He bent and filled a bucket from a faucet attached to a rainwater tank. “Come here, boy, there you go.” He turned and pulled open the barn door. “Nothing in here.”
“Okay, let’s check the house.” Jenna pulled on a pair of latex gloves then took a set of keys from her pocket. She strolled onto the porch, opened the door, then took a step backward. “Man, this place stinks.”
“Not death; that’s the smell of the unwashed.” Kane’s mouth curled into a grin. “It seems Amos Price wasn’t one for personal hygiene.” He moved inside the door. “Wait there. I’ll open some windows.”
“I’ll check the bedrooms.” Jenna strolled into what looked like the master bedroom and her attention settled on an array of wigs on the nightstand.
She threw open the cupboard doors and gaped at the rack of brightly colored clown costumes. A shudder of revulsion went through her. When Kane walked into the room, she turned and grimaced at him. “He was a clown. I hate clowns.”
“He’s a dead clown now.” Kane’s blue gaze moved over her face. “It’s a real phobia, isn’t it? Clowns, I mean.”
“Yeah, and John Wayne Gacy didn’t do much to help their cause either.” She shuddered. “In case you forgot he was a mass murderer of little boys.”
“I’m not likely to forget him but I wish I could.” Kane squeezed her arm and the heat of his hand felt comforting against her skin. “You okay?”