Be Mine Forever (Detectives Kane and Alton)

She took in the young man beside him. Dressed in a Black Rock Falls deputy uniform, he could only be Zac Rio. Tall, slim, and muscular, with dark curly hair and standing around six-three, he had a friendly intelligent expression. She offered him her hand. “You must be Zac Rio? I’m Jenna Alton and this is Dave Kane.” His handshake was firm but brief.

“Welcome to crime central.” Kane shook his hand.

“Oh, I don’t think so.” Rio shook his head. “What’s happened here in the last few years is a weekend’s work elsewhere. This is a massive county. I’m not surprised people come here to disappear.”

Jenna liked him already. “Come inside, we’ll show you around.”

“Thank you.” Rio looked around. “I arrived just in time by the look of things. How do you manage with only two full-time deputies?”

“We call in help from the other counties.” Jenna took the steps. “We currently have a teenage girl missing. I’ll bring you up to speed.”

“No need.” Rio flicked her a glance. “Wolfe walked me through the case last night.” He gave Duke’s head a scratch. “I know all about Duke as well and Wolfe gave me the run down on every new forensics technique he’s used over the last month or so.”

“Yeah he tends to do that but loses me halfway through.” Jenna grimaced. “Although, Wolfe never ceases to amaze me. He puts in the hours and is amazing at his profession.” She led the way to the front of the building and walked inside. “He and his girls helped out at the school gym last night. We’d have been there until way past midnight without their help.”

They moved inside the office and she sank into her chair behind the desk. Kane sat down and Rio stood. Jenna smiled at him. “Take a seat. You’ll be working in the main office with Kane and Rowley. If necessary, we have a communications room we can use. My office will be getting upgraded in the next few weeks. As you can see by the work going on outside, we’ve had substantial additions made to the building.” She thought for a beat. “Then there’s the house. It’s fully furnished and has room for a housekeeper. It’s owned by this office so no rent to pay. I’ve replaced all the mattresses and linen. It’s good to go. You can move in when you’re ready.”

“Yes, Wolfe mentioned that as well.” Rio smiled. “I’m paid up until the end of next week, so we’ll make the move then. I’ll need time to pack.”

“Good.” Jenna leaned on the desk, and clasped her hands. “I’d like to know about your experience with missing persons and murder cases.”

“I’ve handled many of both and solved all but one.” Rio removed his Stetson and placed it on her desk. “I’m very interested in criminal behavior and because I was gifted or cursed with an incredible memory, I retain everything I read or see. My problem is, I’m not a behavioral analyst. I appreciate Deputy Kane is a profiler and Wolfe informed me you have the ear of Jo Wells, the FBI’s top behavioral analyst. I can provide you with case studies on the fly as comparisons, which would be of some help.” He clasped his hands together. “I’m studying Montana law, as between states the differences are considerable as I’m sure you both know. You’re not from around these parts, are you?” He shrugged. “That’s another annoying feature, I seem to be able to pinpoint accents with accuracy, although Kane here has me baffled.”

“Do I?” Kane gave Jenna a knowing look. “I figured I’d started to blend in fine.”

“You’re a mixture, so I’d say you moved around as a kid.” Rio snapped his fingers. “Army brat?”

“Yeah, we moved around some.” Kane smiled. “Have you lived in California all your life?”

“Yeah, but this is our home now.” Rio frowned. “I lost my folks in a plane crash a year ago. I left my brother and sister with my step-grandma and they didn’t settle. It was a nightmare. They ran away and it took me weeks to find them.” He pushed a hand th

rough his hair. “Having fifteen-year-olds living with me in a one-bedroom apartment wasn’t going to work, so we moved here. I took any job I could find and got the kids into school. They’ve settled down well but I missed law enforcement. When Wolfe hunted me down and told me about the available position here, I had to apply.”

Jenna nodded. “It’s not the same as having a detective’s shield, we all work together according to our strengths.”

“Yeah, Wolfe explained.” Rio glanced at Kane. “A good leader plays to their strengths and from what I see nobody is complaining.”

“Your application mentioned an interest in media.” Kane stood and went to the counter and filled Jenna’s coffee pot with water from the sink. “Does this mean you’ll be able to handle the dreaded press releases?”

“Sure.” Rio smiled. “I can capture crime scenes and take any images you require as well. I have a trunk load of equipment at your disposal.”

Jenna grinned. “Sweet. I figure we’re all going to get along just fine.” She stood, picked up her notebook, and grabbed the pen for the whiteboard. “Now, I’ll get down some notes on what we know about Laurie Turner’s disappearance.”

“If you’ll allow me to make things easier for you, Sheriff?” Rio smiled. “I could handle the whiteboard. I don’t need notes, it’s all in here.” He tapped his head.

“Well, that would save me a ton of time.” She handed him the whiteboard marker. “Go right ahead.”

“If and when necessary I can distinguish behavioral patterns as well, so can give you an idea of where a killer might strike next.” Rio cleared his throat. “Well, in a place this size an approximation at least.”

“Yeah.” Kane collected cups and added the fixings to Jenna’s desk. “We discussed ‘comfort zones’ with Jo during our last case. It’s good to know you can recognize a pattern at the get-go, it will save time.”

Jenna leaned back in her chair and stared at them. “Right now, we have a missing girl. So, get your heads around the evidence to date. The vehicle is significant and the woman who noticed Laurie, said she was carrying a backpack.”

“Yeah, could she have planned to run off with someone, a boyfriend perhaps?” Rio paused from adding notes to the whiteboard and opened his hands wide. “Girls of Laurie’s age do it all the time.”

“You have experience with cases involving sixteen-year-olds?” Kane filled three cups and returned the pot to the heat and then sat down.

“Happens I do.” Rio sat back down, ignored the fixings, and blew on the hot brew. “My brother and sister are twins, they just turned sixteen. I don’t remember life being so complicated at that age. It’s as if they’re at war with the world.” He glanced at Jenna. “They just took off and I found them at a soup kitchen three days later.”