Jenna pushed to her feet. “I’ll call in Walters to hold the fort.” She tapped her bottom lip, took a deep breath, and looked at Rowley. “Soon as you have organized the interviews with the hospital, go and get your horse. We’ll meet you at Gloria’s.” She turned to Webber. “When you’re done at the hospital, remain in the office unless there is an emergency.” She grabbed her weapon and pocketed her cellphone then picked up the keys and dropped them into his hand. “If we aren’t back by five, lock up.”
“Sure thing, ma’am.”
Jenna strode out of her office and looked up at Kane. “It looks like you’re getting a ride in the forest after all.” She pushed her hair behind one ear. “Bring old Duke. He might be able to help.”
“Yeah. He’ll be an asset.” Kane’s expression was solemn. “This ride is not really what I had in mind. If the caller is the vigilante, she might be sending us off on a wild goose chase to get us out of town.”
Dread washed over her. “You mean so she can kill again?”
“Uh-huh. That’s exactly what I mean.”
45
Excited did not come close to how Chris Jenkins was feeling after speaking to Bobby-Joe. His shabby, run-down cabin with its squeaky front door and dripping taps did not appear quite so bad. He stepped onto the porch to gaze into the surrounding forest and wanted to shout out. It was a beautiful day after the rain. Perfect for meeting the girl. He grinned and went back inside. I am one lucky son of a bitch.
Having his friend close by would sure make things easier if he had any trouble getting her to his SUV. He laughed to himself. She would be his property, and the income she would provide from members of their special group would make his life more comfortable. He would not miss Ely and Amos; in fact, once Stu had gone to jail, they had insisted on kidnapping the girls and he ended up paying his dues just to get involved in the action. Now Chris would be calling the shots.
He figured his girl would be the first of many. If he had two in Bobby-Joe’s cage, he would be able to purchase a cabin higher up the mountain. Many of the older doer-uppers were for sale and some already had root cellars. If he had two or three girls in his own cellar, he would become a very rich man. He chuckled and strolled into the kitchen to prepare a bottle of soda. His girl had made a point of asking him to bring soda and bourbon. It was an unusual request but who was he to argue? And the alcohol would make the drugs work faster. Then she will be mine.
As he crushed the pills and added them to the drink, his mind filled with what he would need to take with him. He had anticipated meeting her for some time and wanted to have time alone with her before Bobby-Joe arrived. He frowned. He had no choice but to go along with his odd behavior. Without Bobby-Joe’s hidden cellar, he would not be able to keep his girl. He wondered what her name was and sighed. It did not matter anyway as Bobby-Joe’s rules did not allow anyone to call the girls by their names. He said it was too easy to slip up if the cops arrested them, and if they did not know their names, they would pass a polygraph.
He replaced the lid on the bottle and put it back in the refrigerator then headed for his bedroom. His heart pounded with anticipation of finally meeting her and he had to force his mind to focus on what he needed to take in his bag to the meeting. He already had cleaning materials in the SUV. After taking two girls to the small cabin, they could not risk leaving any evidence. The forest rangers usually went by to check them, and with two girls missing, if they left the place in a mess, the rangers would call the cops. He pulled on a pair of surgical gloves before tossing the box into his bag. He knew the drill by heart; everything he touched could leave a fingerprint. He tossed a couple of large towels, condoms, and a change of clothes into the backpack. A box of chocolates and his clown mask. He stood back and surveyed the room then picked up his camera and stuffed it in the bag. It was much safer than using his cellphone.
He turned and glanced at the clock and his stomach gave a squeeze. He had time to eat then he would head down the mountain to Black Rock Falls and take the back road into Stanton Forest. He wet his lips in anticipation of what was to come and grinned at his reflection in the mirror. I’m coming.
46
After stopping to rest the horses and have a bite to eat, Kane mounted his horse and adjusted his backpack. Duke had kept up with their slow pace and seemed to be having the time of his life. He was a great companion and had stuck to him like glue. I’m glad I kept him. When Duke returned to his side, he smiled at him. “Good boy.”
The picturesque ride up to Craig’s Rock would have been easier if they had gained access to a private road leading higher up the mountain, but the gate was locked and well signposted with “Keep the hell out” written in red. As Rowley insisted the mountain folk might shoot first and ask questions later, rather than cause a problem, they had taken the dangerous trail up beside the falls. Riding single file with a massive drop on one side of the rock-strewn pathway, the horses showed reluctance to move at times, but as the path reached closer to the summit, Kane enjoyed a spectacular view of the entire valley. Far below, the town seemed insubstantial against the miles of open ranges on one side and the massive pine forest on the other.
At the top of the trail, Kane noticed a group of eight or so cabins set in the woods, quite close together. He rode up to Rowley. “Are those the fishing cabins Mayor Rockford used to own when he lived here?”
“Yeah, he used to hire them out to tourists.” Rowley removed his hat and pushed his fingers through his damp hair. “You would be surprised how many people come here to spend weeks hiking through this forest in the summer. I guess they camp most times but then arrive here to spend a few days fishing before they make the trek home.” He pushed his hat back onto his head. “I gather the real estate office handles the bookings now.”
Kane surveyed the cabins then shrugged. “I guess but it’s one hell of a ride up here to fish. How much further is Cr
aig’s Rock?”
“A few minutes, if the GPS is correct.”
They took an animal track through the forest with Rowley out in front, using the GPS for navigation. It would be easy to become lost in the dense mass of pine trees; apart from up or down, every direction appeared the same. Without the sunlight spiking through the branches, the tall, unforgiving, rough trunks appeared sinister. Kane moved closer to Jenna and she turned and gave him an enquiring look. It was obvious by her virtual silence most of the way, her mind was back on Black Rock Falls and the vigilante.
“I need a word, Wolfe.” Jenna waited for him to catch up to her. “I guess there’s a remote possibility we’ll find a grave. I doubt we’ll find anyone alive up here. If so, we’ll need a forensic anthropologist. Do you know anyone?”
“I have a team on standby.” Wolfe nodded at her. “Don’t worry, I have everything covered. If we find anything, I’ll make an initial assessment—for instance, confirm the bones are human and what approximate age—then arrange to have the Helena team come up here tomorrow. We’ll need their expertise to discover how long the bones have been there; we might be looking at a burial, hundreds of years old.”
“Yeah, I understand. You work with flesh and fingerprints to discover the cause of death and identity and they look at things like moss or mold on the bones, animals in the area, and determine sex and cause of death in other ways.”
“Exactly.” Wolfe’s face cracked into a smile. “I’ve studied the field but it is a different degree. For instance, they’ll be able to extract DNA from teeth, if any are intact, and arrange carbon dating if it’s an old burial.”
Kane looked into the never-ending vista of trees. “It’s going to be difficult getting a team up here with the equipment required.”
“Not necessarily.” Wolfe scratched his blond stubble. “I had a good look around when we took a break and I’m pretty sure they could land a chopper on the top of Black Rock Falls. There is a large flat area on one side of the mountain far enough away from the falls to be safe.”
“I wish I’d known that earlier.” Jenna held her back and groaned. “Although, asking the mayor to pay for a chopper might be pushing my luck.”
Kane urged his horse forward. “That won’t be our problem if it is more than we can handle; the Helena forensics team will take over. As the girls are reportedly missing from all over the state, they’ll want to be involved from the get-go, and so will the FBI.”