Break the Silence (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“Ah, yeah, you’re on a scholarship, I forgot.” Lyons pushed to his feet. “Okay, I’ll see you at practice in the morning.” He led the way to the front door.

Colt followed and gave the guys in the family room a wave but none of them moved their eyes from the big-screen TV. He turned to Lyons. “Night.”

“Introduce me to the blonde tomorrow.” Lyons grinned.

Over my dead body. “Sure.” He headed down the steps and pulled out his phone, accessed the light, and hurried along the dark pathway. The temperature had dropped considerably in the last few hours and the breeze had an icy chill straight from the mountains. Even in August, the night temperatures reminded everyone that winter was on the way. As he made the first turn, he heard a crunch behind him and stopped. Moving his light in an arc, he searched the path behind him and found nothing. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled as the feeling someone was watching him crept over him. He kept moving then the sound came again, like footsteps on the pathway behind him and the scrape of a shoe on the rough cement. He wondered briefly if Lyons had set up a prank to scare him. Lyons wouldn’t be aware he studied martial arts and could take care of himself to some degree, but the narrow, tree-lined pathway didn’t offer him much room to maneuver. Added to the fact he had an iPad in one hand and a phone in the other, and anyone could be waiting around the next bend, it would be easy to get the jump on him.

His light made a tunnel before him, and as he walked, he slid the iPad under one arm, shifted the phone to his left hand, and then pulled his car keys from his jeans pocket. He hustled along, scanning the pathway in all directions and listening, but all he could hear was the sound of his deep breathing and the pounding of his heart in his ears. As the snaking pathway opened up to the parking lot, he heaved a sigh of relief then a slight buzzing broke the silence. He glanced up and caught a glimpse of the biggest insect he’d ever seen in his life. He stared into the darkness but whatever it was had vanished into the night.

Colt hit his fob key and climbed into his truck, locking the doors behind him. The walk had unsettled him more than he’d like to admit. He leaned back in his seat, glad when the engine turned over and music played on the radio. Feeling foolish for allowing his imagination to get the better of him, he stared into the darkness. Had the wind played tricks on his mind or had someone been lurking in the shadows?

Twenty-Eight

It had taken Kane some time to convince Jenna to take an hour or so to join him for dinner at the Cattleman’s Hotel in town. They’d been too exhausted to cook by the time they’d returned to her ranch. He enjoyed her company and hated to dine alone.

Wednesday evenings weren’t usually busy but with a festival in town, Kane had been lucky to secure a table later in the evening, not a prime position but not next to the kitchen either. After ordering, he took in the woman seated before him. She’d added a small amount of makeup, and the thin lines around her eyes made them appear huge in a face framed in glossy black hair. When she opened her mouth to speak, he shook his head. “No shop talk.” He smiled and handed her the menu. “We deserve one hour away from murder and mayhem.”

“My head is filled with theories and possible suspects. It’s so much easier for Wolfe when people are shot or stabbed to death. So far, we have one possible suicide and two possible murders. It’s hard to concentrate on anything else.” Jenna moved her gaze slowly over him. “But I have to admit you’re distracting dressed in a suit with your hair all slicked down.” Her eyes twinkled with amusement. “I keep thinking any minute you’re going to pull out your FBI creds.”

It was so good to see Jenna’s humorous side again. Kane chuckled. “I was going for the suave, sophisticated look.” He paused as the waiter offered him a sample of red wine. He sipped, and then nodded his approval. His gaze went back to Jenna. “Didn’t work, huh?”

“Trust me, you look just fine in blue jeans and a cowboy hat.” Jenna sipped her wine and moaned. “Oh, this is good.”

Kane lifted the bottle and showed her the label. “It’s from Central Otago, New Zealand. It’s a small area in the South Island. In my opinion, they produce some of the best Pinot Noir in the world.” He met her gaze. “It goes real well with a nice thick steak and all the trimmings.”

“I’m sure it will but you’ll only have one glass, won’t you?” Jenna shot him a mischievous grin. “Which means the rest of the bottle is mine.”

Kane wagged a finger at her. “And you a sheriff and all.”

They’d just finished their main course and had been waiting for dessert when Kane’s phone pealed. He frowned and glanced at his watch. “I only wanted an hour’s peace.”

“Anyone we know?” Jenna leaned back in her seat as the waiter placed a slice of Black Forest cake before her.

Kane nodded. “Yeah, it’s Webber.” He answered the call. “Problem?”

“Nah, just touching base.” Webber sounded a little anxious. “I made the team and took up an invite to go over the plays with Seth Lyons at the house on Pine. Apart from the guys treating me as if I had the plague, I didn’t receive any threats. I told him the truth about interning with Wolfe, so he won’t be suspicious if someone remembers seeing me with him. He did ask if I knew Jenna. One thing: on the walk there and back along the pathway, I had the strangest feeling someone was watching me.”

Kane frowned and remembered the alternative entrance they’d discovered. “Next time you head out that way, go down the no-entry road; it leads straight to the front of the house.” He glanced at Jenna. “The pathway through the trees has a silent alarm as well. They obviously don’t like unexpected visitors. Did you get any vibes from Lyons at all?”

“He plays his cards close to the vest but he did invite me to a party on Thursday night, a wake, I figure, for Jacobs and Devon.” Webber cleared his throat. “I’m angling for an invitation to move in. They’ve two spare rooms at the moment but it will be at a price.”

Kane leaned back in his chair and sighed. There always had to be a price. “How so?”

“They want me to become involved in one of their parties. Lyons made it very clear they use procuring a suitable woman for group sex as an initiation. He was careful not to mention he planned to rape her.” Webber cursed under his breath. “I sure wish I’d been wearing a wire.”

“Maybe we can find a local female cop willing to go undercover.” Jenna glanced at Kane. “How long have we got?”

“No time at all. Lyons has his mind set on one woman. I know it’s a mind game to see if I’ll defile a friend to make it into his inner circle.”

Kane blinked, his stomach clenching at the implications. “He’s not got his sights set on Jenna, has he?”

“No. Lyons wants me to introduce him to Emily.”

Twenty-Nine

Thursday

The thought of speaking to Wolfe weighed heavy on Jenna’s shoulders as she made her way into the morgue for Pete Devon’s autopsy. After Kane had explained Webber’s phone call the previous evening, the last thing she wanted to do was inform Wolfe one of his daughters could be in danger. Since moving to Black Rock Falls, both Emily and Julie Wolfe had come close to becoming victims. Although Wolfe was a consummate professional on her team, she expected a less than warm reception of her news, so seeing Webber and Emily waiting inside the morgue surprised her. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here today.