“Ma’am.” Rowley’s voice was pleading. “Let me speak to her again.”
Jenna whispered her reply, hoping her mic would pick up her voice. “Stand down, she has made it clear she doesn’t want to talk to you and you will only complicate things.”
She took a few slow steps closer to Alison. If she gained her confidence, she might be able to persuade her to give herself up. In the meantime, she would use her negotiating skills and keep her talking. “Do you know the names of any other men involved in the pedophile ring or any other victims you haven’t recorded in your diary?”
“No, but you are aware of Lizzy Harper, Angelique Booval, Pattie McCarthy. Jane Stickler must have come after me but I mentioned her as well. You see, I was in the hospital the night Bobby-Joe killed her and I took a beating for my trouble. I escaped that night but she died in front of me just like the others. Did you know he used a dead man’s card to get into the hospital that night? He was smart, but then psychopaths are intelligent.” She barked out a sarcastic laugh. “I wanted vengeance for all the girls they killed, all the lives they destroyed.” She rubbed her mouth. “You can tell the others they’re safe now. I’ve killed all the clowns.”
Beads of sweat turned to rivulets and ran down Jenna’s cheeks. Worried she might be losing control of the situation she swallowed hard and forced her voice to remain steady. “I’ll tell them but come with me now and I’ll make sure you get to tell your story.”
“Yes, tell my story.” Alison’s young gaze moved over her and her black hair moved almost in slow motion in the breeze. Behind her, a rainbow arched over the edge of the falls. Her lips lifted in a small smile then she opened her arms and fell backward over the edge, disappearing into the mist.
Jenna rushed to the top of the falls but all she could see was the pounding water rushing down the mountainside. She pressed a hand to her mouth in disbelief. Footsteps sounded behind her but she could not drag her eyes away from the tumbling water.
“God, no.” Rowley dashed past her, his hat falling from his head. “Alison. Oh, Jesus. No!”
Jenna reached out and grabbed his arm. “She’s gone.”
59
On her return to the office, Jenna released a very disgruntled Stu Macgregor from the cells, and after the stern warning Kane had given him, she doubted they would see him in town anytime soon. After handing over copies of the information collected from Bobby-Joe’s cabin to the
FBI, she discovered the pedophile ring had spread throughout the country. The men Alison had murdered were the tip of the iceberg. When she read Alison’s diary, the details made her sick to her stomach. The woman had suffered mental anguish after escaping Bobby-Joe’s cabin years previously. With no one she could trust, she had waited patiently until she found the men who abused her then taken the law into her own hands.
Thursday, week two
The following day, Jenna regarded the deputies seated before her desk. “The information from Brandon’s cabin included missing girls from throughout the state and I’ve turned all our information over to the FBI. We will still be involved to some extent but this is way over our heads. I believe Bobby-Joe used many of the images as security or even blackmail. I’ve identified a number of prominent men in the photographs.” She glanced at Wolfe. “What did you discover?”
“Everything Alison told you checks out: the poison used, the meat skewer, and she left the knife used on Chris Jenkins sticking out of Bobby-Joe. Forensics teams are working on exhuming the remains of the other girls.” Wolfe cleared his throat. “The only thing we don’t have is information on how she killed the last sheriff. His death was recorded as natural causes.”
“He was cremated as well, so we have nothing to go on. I suggest we let that one go.”
Jenna rubbed her temples, it had been a long day and it wasn’t even lunch yet. “So many things fell into place when I read her diary. When we checked the missing girls on file from all over the state, I read an old case file about a local girl who ran away from home then turned up with a few scratches and bruises five months later. The report said she’d suffered memory loss likely caused by a head injury but not how she survived alone up here in the mountains. I did wonder why there was no medical report to exclude sexual abuse on file. The sheriff at the time filed the report as a returned runaway and closed the case. He blacked out the names, I guess to protect her. I figure that was Alison.”
“The evidence was right under our noses.” Kane’s gaze met hers over the desk. “She owned a late-model white Ford and it has small blotches on the paintwork. If you recall on the night Ely Dorsey was murdered, Rosa, the cleaner at the motel, noticed a white sedan parked under trees prone to drop berries.” He sighed. “She was in town at the time of the murders and had access to the property where Amos Price died. Her car was seen heading to where we found Chris Jenkins.” He frowned. “What we didn’t have was motive so she slipped under our radar.”
“I had no idea she had history here. I thought she was new in town.” Jenna leaned back in her chair and avoided Rowley’s pained expression. “Didn’t she come from Blackwater?”
“Yeah, she did, but she used to live in Black Rock Falls as a kid. She never mentioned she’d been abused.” Rowley rubbed his chin, clearly still distressed. “She returned when she heard the Rockfords were selling their properties. She had a real estate license and contacted Davis when he advertised an opening.”
“When was that?” Jenna looked at him. “You seemed to know her pretty well the day we found Amos Price’s body.”
“A couple of weeks before then, I guess.” Rowley’s cheeks pinked. “We’d been out to dinner is all.”
So, a nice show of affection and tears as well. Alison had “found” the body because no one had been by and she wanted the world to know he was dead. She cleared her throat. “I’m afraid no one has spotted Alison’s body. I’ve notified everyone living in the vicinity of the river, and the team of volunteers have been searching without luck.”
“She couldn’t have survived.” Kane’s expression was solemn. “It’s probably for the best.”
“You all think she was an unfeeling killer but I know better.” Rowley lifted his chin in a stubborn manner. “I know she had to pay for what she did, but after what she went through, I wonder what a jury would have made of what happened.”
Kane flicked a sympathetic look at Rowley. “It’s obvious she took her own life so none of the women involved in this case would be dragged into court to relive the abuse.”
“I guess.” Rowley ran a hand down his face. “She obviously thought they had suffered enough.”
Jenna pushed to her feet. Getting everyone motivated again after such horrific crimes would be difficult. “Okay, Webber and Bradford, head out on patrol. Kane, check up with our FBI contact and make sure he has all the necessary files.”
“And me, ma’am?” Rowley lifted his brown gaze to her.
She offered him a sympathetic smile. “You can take an early lunch.”