Jenna heaved a sigh. “That was expected. Go on.”
“I have reason to believe that Devon could have sustained the marks on his ankles from other means; they’d had group sex previously, and after looking at the tapes, I can’t rule out the possibility he received the marks at that time. Also, by speaking to witnesses, his head injury could have been caused during football practice. He could have sustained a concussion before entering the pool, slipped, and fallen.” He looked at his notes. “The only death I’m leaving with an open verdict is Jacobs’. I can’t prove he dropped a barbell on his neck or that his spotter accidentally dropped it on him, but as I don’t have a shred of evidence either way, I have to leave his finding open.”
Jenna could not believe her ears. “And Court?”
“I have no proof Court didn’t sustain the facial injuries during the fight on the mountain or on the football field. I do have evidence to support his state of mind the night he died. Two of his friends had just died and he’d been seeking professional help. He was alone with a needle still in his arm and the evidence points to suicide. The man he took to the cellar could’ve been a dealer. I have no hard evidence anything else happened.”
Suddenly lost for words, Jenna stared at him. “What? You mean after all this time you’ve changed your mind on all the cases?”
“No, before this, I’ve only made assumptions—we all did. It’s my job to prove cause of death, and I’d never make a determination until I’d considered all the evidence. I require absolute proof of homicide before I stand up in court and testify to convict a man for murder.” Wolfe lifted his grim expression to her. “It’s only been a week and I came today to give you my final determination. If you find new evidence, I’ll reopen the cases.” Wolfe collected his documents and lifted one eyebrow. “Sometimes the dead don’t talk.”
Fifty-Five
Wolfe’s conclusions percolated through Jenna’s mind on the drive to the Lowes’. She glanced at Kane. “He’s right.”
“Huh?” Kane flicked her a bemused look then returned his attention back to the road. “About what?”
Jenna sighed. “What Wolfe said about not convicting a man without proof. I was just so sure we were looking at homicides.”
“Me too, but in the end there just wasn’t enough evidence to charge any of our suspects.” A nerve in Kane’s cheek twitched. “I’m sure we didn’t miss anything.”
Jenna chewed on her bottom lip. “Shane looked worn out today. I know he’s been working late to search for any shred of evidence to bring about a conviction.”
“He’s been pulling triple shifts in the ME’s office and assisting us on stakeouts; I’m not surprised he’s exhausted.” He pulled into a parking space outside the Lowes’ house and turned to look at her. “He’s on the edge of leaving town too, Jenna. We can’t involve his girls in cases again.”
Jenna turned to look at him. “I know.” She adjusted the sling holding her injured arm. “I guess as we’ve all gotten so close, Emily became a natural part of the team.”
“Put that to one side while we speak to the Lowes.” Kane examined her face. “You look annoyed, and right now they need compassion. Losing one child is bad enough but not knowing what their son could be going through right now, or if he’s alive or dead, must be horrendous.”
Jenna nodded. Kane would be aware of the horrors of a military chopper going down behind enemy lines. “Have you been in similar situations?”
“Yeah.” Kane’s eyes had a faraway look. “If they’ve been captured, they’ll be tortured. Wolfe told me in confidence, the government is hoping for a negotiation but the chances are slim. There’s not much communication between the radical groups, so if they capture one of our guys, for them it means the end of a very nasty road.”
Jenna fumbled with the seatbelt and groaned. “Okay, let’s go and speak to the Lowes. I hope knowing the men who hurt their daughter are dead or heading for jail will give them closure.”
“I don’t think anyone ever gets closure, Jenna. The anger takes a long time to go away.” Kane leaned across her and pushed open the door. “Will you be okay? You’re sheet-white.”
“I’ll be fine.” She forced her mouth into a smile. “I’ll take some pain meds when we’re through talking to them.”
The walk to the Lowes’ front door gave Jenna a minute to collect her thoughts. There could be nothing worse than facing a family who’d lost a child. She’d have to break the sad news of Chrissie’s death being ruled a suicide. She would give them a concise and clear statement offering them a brief outline of what they assumed happened. Wolfe had sent all the information to the state coroner’s office and they would decide if an inquest was necessary. If so, the coroner would reveal the horrific details of their daughter’s suffering. Right now, she hoped to soften the blow. She’d noticed two vehi
cles parked in the driveway and hoped she’d find both of Chrissie’s parents at home. Not notifying them beforehand wasn’t an oversight. She preferred to deliver this kind of information in person, and phone calls usually led to disclosure of information.
She glanced up at Kane as he pressed the doorbell to an older-style red-brick home. From inside she could hear the chimes. The door opened and a tall, gaunt man in casual jeans and sweater opened the door. “Mr. Lowe?”
“I am.” Mr. Lowe gave her then Kane a look of deep concern. “Is there news of my son?”
“No, sir.” Kane shook his head. “A member of his team would come by to speak with you if there was any news.”
Jenna cleared her throat. “Is your wife here? We have some information to share with you both.”
“Yes, come in.” Mr. Lowe held the door open and stepped to one side. When a teenage girl walked into the hallway wide-eyed, he turned to her. “Go get your mom and then go to your room. We have something to discuss with the sheriff.”
The girl turned and hurried away, and Jenna followed Mr. Lowe into the family room with Kane close behind. She stood waiting for Mrs. Lowe, and when a rake-thin woman with a pale complexion arrived, they all sat on sofas facing each other. Jenna wanted to be as compassionate as possible. “We’ve come to inform you that we’ve made an arrest in Chrissie’s case.”
“Only one? The medical examiner informed me she was raped by more than one man.” Mr. Lowe’s face filled with anger. “What’s his name?”
“We’ve reason to believe four men were responsible; one will be pleading guilty and the other three are dead.” Jenna kept her voice low in an attempt to calm the man before her. “Another man we have in custody admitted to taking photographs. The images he took implicated the other men. He is currently in the county jail awaiting a hearing. He’ll plead guilty and spend a long time behind bars.”