Whisper in the Night (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“Okay, we’ll drop by at nine, will that give you time?”

“Sure, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Jenna disconnected and leaned back in her chair. Wolfe usually gave time of death by calculating the temperature of the body, so something else had happened to make him mistrust his findings. A knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts. “Yes, come in.”

“Rowley and Walters are back.” Kane indicated behind him with his thumb. “Do you want them in here to give their report now?”

Jenna glanced at the clock on the wall. It was past five. “Yeah, it’s late and we still have to go speak to Anderson. It’s been a long day and I’m dead on my feet.”

“Do you want me to order Chinese for say six-thirty? We’ll pick it up on the way home.” Kane rubbed his belly in an unconscious move. “Save worrying about dinner.”

“Yeah, I’m too sore to cook and too exhausted to eat but Chinese would be nice for a change.” Jenna smiled at him. “Then get back in here. I’ll wait for you.”

“Roger that.” Kane hustled out the door.

A few moments later, Rowley and Walters came to her door. “Sit down; Kane will be here in a moment. I’ve added all our potential suspects’ interview data to the files. Make sure you upload your information before you leave tonight. Rowley, you’ll be in charge first thing in the morning, I’m attending the autopsy report with Kane.”

“Before we start, something has come up that needs your attention.” Rowley pulled out his notes. “It came about when we spoke to Noah McLeod. He admitted to involvement with one of the students.” Rowley went on to explain what had happened.

Jenna listened in astonishment. “So McLeod figured you were there because of a complaint against him?”

“Sure thing. He almost messed his pants when he saw us coming.” Walter chuckled. “Don’t think he’ll be leaving town anytime soon – Rowley put the fear of God into him.”

Jenna frowned. “How so?”

“I told him you’d have the FBI on his tail if he left town.” Rowley cracked a smile.

“Did I miss anything?” Kane walked into the room with Duke on his heels, closed the door behind him and took a seat.

Jenna explained, and then looked at Rowley. “Get him in here first thing in the morning for questioning. Walters, go see the parents of Jocelyn Smythe and explain the situation, speak with the girl if possible, get a statement, then I’ll turn it over to the DA. He’ll likely want to charge him.”

“Where was McLeod when Lindy Rosen went missing?” Kane turned to look at Rowley. “He might be our man.”

“He doesn’t have anyone to verify his whereabouts on Sunday night. He lives

alone, said he stayed home and watched TV.” Rowley leafed through his notes. “He admitted knowing Lindy Rosen but said she was chasing after Mason Lancaster, the ex-football player.”

Jenna nodded. “Then we’ll need to interview him about that as well when you bring him in. Ask him what was on TV on Sunday night; he should remember what he watched.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Rowley made a few notes.

They discussed the interviews with all the potential suspects, finishing with Rowley’s talk with Mason Lancaster. Jenna leaned forward on her desk. “So did his girlfriend corroborate his story?”

“Yes and no.” Rowley glanced up from his notes. “She said the last time she recalls seeing him was around eleven. She fell asleep soon after, then woke up and found him gone. That was a little after one. She noticed the time because he usually leaves around six if he has to go to work the next morning. I asked her if he’d called her today and she said her mother had just left and she turns off her cellphone during her visit so if he did call, he didn’t leave a message.” He frowned. “We dropped by the Cattleman’s Hotel and they went through the credit card receipts and found he’d paid for their meal around nine, so that part of his story is true.”

“So he was in the area, knows Lindy and mentioned her attraction to him. He believes he has an alibi. I wonder if he tried to call his girlfriend to corroborate his story? If so, I bet a dollar to a dime he didn’t figure on her cellphone being off when he called.” Jenna pushed to her feet, went to the whiteboard and added Mason Lancaster’s name. “I think we have a suspect.” She turned to look at Rowley again. “Did you find the mysterious lady at the Triple Z?”

“Nope but we found Bob and he said Kittredge is in the bar every night and picks up women regular. He doesn’t recall which woman or any particular night, said the days all roll into one.”

“Okay.” Jenna wrote down the names of the four men they’d interviewed and made notes beside each name. “I figure our killer is one of these men.”

Lancaster (Groundskeeper at high school): In the area at the time of Lindy Rosen’s disappearance, knows her, has no alibi.

Kittredge (Green Thumb Landscaping Service working at the Rosens’): Lives at the Triple Z, knows Lindy, has no alibi at this time. Sex offender.

Sean Packer (Handyman working at the Rosens): Had contact with Lindy, lied about his knowledge of explosives.

Noah McLeod (Janitor at high school): Also has contact with Lindy, admitted sex offender.