Break the Silence (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“Dear Lord. My sweet innocent girl.” Mrs. Lowe lifted her sorrow-filled eyes. “Was Seth Lyons involved? Chrissie’s roommate Livi came by and told us she went on a date with him the night she died.”

Jenna nodded. “Yes, he was. He slipped through our net for a while.” She sighed. “But Seth Lyons will spend the rest of his life in jail. The other men involved died in various accidents and one from a suspected overdose.”

“I’d have spoken to the son of a bitch myself but I don’t venture out much these days.” Mr. Lowe wheezed, coughed, then touched his chest. “Emphysema.”

“I’m so sorry.” Suddenly lost for words, Jenna swallowed hard. “I’m sorry to inform you, the ME has ruled Chrissie’s death a suicide.”

“We gathered as much after we spoke to Livi.” Mrs. Lowe shook her head. “I wish she’d told us.”

“Is that your son?” Kane stood and walked to the mantel. “A Navy Seal, you must be very proud, sir.”

“Yes, that’s Jack.” Mr. Lowe pushed to his feet and sucked in a breath. “That photo was taken the week he left. He’d been home on leave for a few days and then the call came and he was off again.” He shook his head. “He loves the life and lives for his team. I hope he makes it home.” He turned to Jenna. “I’ll never give up hope.”

“That’s a fine attitude.” Kane nodded. “When he comes home, we’ll come by and thank him for his service.”

Glad of the respite, Jenna stood and peered at the photograph. She did a double take and then swallowed hard. The smiling face slammed into her memory and her mind whirled with the implications. Heart pounding, she fought for words, unable to drag her eyes away. “He’s… ah… a fine-looking young man.” She handed Mr. Lowe the photograph. The need to leave had become urgent. “We should be heading back to the office now. If there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to call.” She handed Mr. Lowe her card.

“Thank you.” Mrs. Lowe gripped her arm. “For finding justice for Chrissie.”

Unable to reply, Jenna nodded and headed out the door. She walked swiftly back to the road without saying a word. She climbed into Kane’s truck, anxious for him to get behind the wheel. “I recognize the man in the picture.”

“Oh yeah?” Kane leaned back in his seat and his eyebrows knitted into a frown. “I didn’t know you knew any Navy Seals.”

Heart thumping, she stared at him. “He’s the mystery man or I’ve seen a ghost.”

“He’s MIA, Jenna.” Kane sighed. “You must be mistaken.”

A rush of euphoria hit Jenna like a tidal wave. It all made perfect sense. “Think about it, Dave. What if Jack Lowe is alive? After suffering a horrendous rape, Chrissie sent him a text naming the men who hurt her and telling him her intentions. She destroyed her cellphone. She could have flushed it down the toilet for all we know, and if he had gotten the message, he couldn’t have contacted her. Last she’d heard, he was MIA, and after almost a week, she’d lost hope and reached out to him beyond the grave. Maybe she believed he’d be on the other side waiting for her. She couldn’t face Lyons blackmailing her and took her own life.” She stared into space for a beat. “I figure Jack came back and murdered most of the men involved. He delivered the evidence of their guilt right into our hands. How else could he have gotten hold of the flash drives if he wasn’t Court’s killer? I don’t believe for one minute Lyons would risk taking such damning evidence with him out running.” She stared at him. “Jack risked being recognized to give me the evidence against Lyons.”

“You can’t prove Jack Lowe is alive, and if he is, you’ve no evidence he killed anyone, Jenna. I trust Wolfe’s findings. He didn’t find enough evidence to prove the men were murdered.” Kane gave her an incredulous look. “No one tried to kill Lyons either, or he’d have been telling anyone who’d listen. In any case, frightening a guy isn’t the same as killing him; and trust me, for a man with Jack Lowe’s abilities, killing Lyons would’ve been a walk in the park. If he’d seen the footage on those flash drives, he’d have a good reason.”

Jenna kept her voice low and in control. “He found a way to avenge his sister. I can feel it in my gut.”

“If you figure you saw Jack Lowe, I believe you, but we have no evidence, Jenna. Zip, nada, and the ME ruled out homicide. If he was on the mountain, there’s no case for him to answer.” Kane frowned. “If Wolfe says Jack Lowe’s on the other side of the world risking his life for our country, he wouldn’t lie. Right now, MIA means he’s either dead or being tortured in some godforsaken prison.” Kane started the engine. “Military guys all look much the same in uniform, but we’ll drop by to see Wolfe. He’ll find you a better photo of him from his files.”

Fifty-Six

After Kane and Jenna arrived at Wolfe’s house, and informed the girls they’d be holding a birthday party for Anna at Jenna’s ranch, Kane gave Wolfe a brief explanation for disturbing his evening with his family. He followed Jenna into Wolfe’s secure office. More like a safe room, the six-inch steel door protected the secrets inside. It was Kane’s first invitation into Wolfe’s inner sanctum and he took in the various computers and military phones and a wall lined with top-secret codebooks. He whistled. “Wow, no wonder you requested such a large house with separate accommodation for a housekeeper. When did you manage to get all this built?”

“When Jenna put in the requisition, a team moved in and it was all done by the time I arrived. They even moved in my electronics and the books from my other house. They sure wanted to keep you guys safe, and they still do. I send in weekly reports.” Wolfe tapped a white telephone. “That’s a direct line to the Pentagon.” He sat in a chair behind the desk and looked at them with one raised eyebrow. “So, what’s so top-secret you need to use my cone of silence?”

Kane explained, and moments later Wolfe went to work. He had an image of Jack Lowe on the screen in seconds.

“That sure looks like him.” Jenna leaned forward and stared at the screen. “He could be the man on the mountain. He matches the description of the person Emily saw and the one Webber saw go into the cellar with Court. If I did see Jack Lowe, he has a cle

ar-cut motive.” She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms over her chest. “You wanted new evidence—well, here it is. This is reasonable doubt, surely?”

“It’s hearsay at best. No one else identified him.” Wolfe looked at her. “Now you’ve seen a better photo of him, are you 100 percent sure?”

“My focus was on Emily and I only had a brief glance of him, but from what I recall, he resembled Jack Lowe.” She stared at the image. “Isn’t that enough to reopen the case?”

“No, I’d need more evidence, and so would the DA. I’ll stand by my findings, Jenna. Even if you did see him on the mountain, it proves nothing. You couldn’t stand up in court and testify he was a threat to anyone, and from Lyons’ statement, he’d testify the same. You told me the man you saw wasn’t carrying a weapon and showed no evidence of being in a fight. I’ve ruled the deaths as accidental or suicide, which means there’s no case to answer.” Wolfe tapped away at his laptop and then turned it for her to view the screen. “See for yourself: Jack Lowe is still reported as MIA, and I can’t find any trace of him being in the country since he left on his tour of duty. As far as I’m aware, none of his team have reported in since the chopper went down. By now, we have to assume they’re all dead.”

“So you’re saying I saw a ghost?” Jenna lifted her chin and stared at Kane.

Kane shrugged. “I don’t believe in ghosts but I do believe you met someone on the trail that resembled Jack Lowe.” He narrowed his gaze. “The press release you asked Rowley to issue mentioned a reward for the guy who gave you the flash drives. Maybe he’ll show and put your mind at rest.”

“I hope so.” Jenna shook her head. “But if I’m right, he’ll never come forward.”