Jenna wrapped her in the towels. “Very soon.”
In the kitchen, she instructed Bradford to find Sandra something to eat, locked the front door, then left with Rowley by the back, glad to hear the bolt sliding into position. She jogged back to collect Duke, confident the dog would lead them straight to Kane. As they headed up the mountain trail at a run, she opened her mic to speak to Bradford. “Sandra will need to be examined. Don’t allow her to wash no matter what, okay? Stay alert—we don’t know where Bobby-Joe is at the moment and Alison is still missing.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Kane, what’s happening?”
“I’ve moved into position behind a boulder high up on the west side of the trail. I have a visual of a man tied to a tree. His condition is unknown but he is bloody. It looks like someone cut his throat. Hang on, I’ll set up my rifle and take a look through the scope.” Silence hung heavy between them for a few long seconds. “Oh, shit!” Kane paused and Jenna could hear him take a deep breath. “Alison is the killer, repeat, Alison Saunders is the killer.”
Realization hit Jenna like a cannonball. She swallowed the lump in her throat as the missing links in the case dropped into place.
“Alison wouldn’t hurt anyone.” Rowley flashed her a look of concern. “There must be some mistake.”
Jenna glanced at him but kept up the pace. “We’ll find out soon enough. Did you hear that, Kane?”
“Yeah, sorry, man, it’s her. She is covered in blood and pacing up and down in front of a mutilated body. She has a pistol and is scanning the trail as if waiting for someone to arrive.”
“Okay, we’ll keep out of range.” Jenna stopped walking and surveyed the area. “We’re going in left of the main trail. Can you cover us from your position?”
“Yeah, I have a clear line to the target.”
“Oh, Jesus, don’t kill her, Kane.” Rowley’s voice raised in panic as he spoke into his mic. “It has to be a mistake.” His eyes pleaded with Jenna.
Panic drove Jenna faster along the trail. On her order, Kane would take out Alison without a second thought. The idea made bile rush into her mouth. She bit out the words. “Stand down unless she is a threat. We have no idea of the situation right now. If she is the vigilante, remember I want her alive to answer questions.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Kane’s clipped reply grated on her shattered nerves. “Standing down, awaiting orders.”
58
Hidden in shadows, Kane lay flat on his stomach and rested the sniper rifle on a convenient rock. Through the high-powered scope, he followed the movements of Alison Saunders. Her normally neat hair was tangled and her white skirt and pink blouse spattered with blood. Deranged was a good word to describe her appearance, and Jenna and Rowley would walk right into her line of fire if they continued up the trail to the top of the falls. He moved his attention to Bobby-Joe Brandon’s blood-soaked naked body. He had stab wounds to his upper torso, a knife protruded from his chest, and his head hung down.
Jenna spoke in his ear. “I can hear the falls, where are you? Duke is pulling to the right.”
Kane rolled on his side and scanned the forest until he found Jenna. “I see you. I am on the right up high in the shadows. Alison is still staring at the trail as if she is waiting for someone.”
“So, if we continue on the left we’ll be walking into a trap?”
“Roger that. Suggest you circle round and use the trees for cover until you are closer to her position.” He sucked in a deep breath. “I won’t allow her to shoot you, Jenna.”
“Dammit, Kane, we don’t know for sure if she is the vigilante.”
He shook his head slowly in despair. “By the state of Bobby-Joe, this is her best work yet, and for the record, I don’t have to kill her.”
“I’ll be able to talk her down.”
Kane peered through the scope at the wild-eyed woman pacing the top of the falls. Talking her down would not be an option. “From what I’m seeing now, she is way past negotiation.”
Rowley’s voice came through his earpiece.
“I’ll talk to her. She’ll listen to me.”
Kane shook his head. “It’s not a good idea.”
To his horror, Rowley burst through the trees and into the open. He could hear the conversation through his earbud.
“What do you want, Jake?” Alison placed the pistol on a rock. “Don’t worry, I’m not planning on killing you.”
“I would like to know what you are doing up here with Bobby-Joe Brandon.” Rowley’s voice sounded in complete control.