It was lunchtime by the time she returned to her office and she met Kane and Rio heading to the front door carrying takeout from Aunt Betty’s. She smiled at them and led the way inside. “Come into my office so we can bring everyone up to speed before we leave for the autopsy.”
She stared at the whiteboard, noticing Rio had updated everything since she’d left the previous day. He was an asset to have around but she missed Rowley and had checked in with him when she’d arrived earlier. It had taken little persuasion to insist he remain with his wife until she recovered. She sighed. At least all was well with Sandy but having her involved in a homicide had given the case a nasty twist. It would seem the killer or killers would stop at nothing to satisfy their cravings for murder.
“What’s on your mind?” Kane pushed a bag and a to-go cup of coffee across the desk to her.
Jenna peered into the bag. She hadn’t had a bagel and cream cheese for a while and gave Kane a small smile at the sight of it. He always came back from Aunt Betty’s with something she enjoyed. She pulled it out and took a bite, chewing slowly as she thought through what needed to be done but first, she needed an update from Rio. “Any calls come in about the silver GMC?”
“A few, and I hunted them down.” Rio leaned back in his chair. “They were owned by neighbors of people who have the same vehicle and live in Stanton but they were at home or out watching the fireworks. It’s a popular truck, so we’ll have tons of sightings.”
Unable to remove the incident with Mr. Law earlier in the day, she stared at the file on her computer screen. “Law was released last night and has a silver GMC. He’s a violent offender. How do we know he’s not involved in the murders as well?”
“He hasn’t come up on our radar.” Kane shrugged. “And he doesn’t fit the profile.”
“I’m thinking outside the box here, Dave.” Jenna looked at Rio. “Check him out while we’re at the autopsy and hunt down the persons of interest on our list and discover their location at the time of the murder. Most are high school kids but don’t forget Cory Hughes, he rates high on my list of possible suspects.”
“Sure, but I’m guessing most of the kids will have been in town at the festival.” He took a bite of his sandwich and washed it down with coffee. “I have traced medallions on cowboy boots. They’re popular as well but one thing did wave a red flag at me: they’re a feature of the cheerleading squad’s boots.” He put down his sandwich and accessed the files on his phone. “See in this group shot, they all have the medallions. I guess showing this to Sandy is out of the question?”
Jenna nodded. “Yeah, I don’t want to cause any more stress. We’ll speak to her as soon as her doctor says it’s okay. Right now, they’re keeping her quiet.” She scanned the whiteboard again. “Cheerleaders are part of our investigation. Concentrate on Verna Hughes, she fits the profile and could be involved. Maybe include Marlene Moore as well as both are cheerleaders and fit the profile.” She turned her attention to Kane. “Any info from Carter on what’s happening with Stan Williams?”
“From what I understand, Carter contacted Agent Josh Martin from the Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and forwarded the files and our reports.” Kane shrugged. “You know how they work. They won’t rush in and arrest him, they have a team of people who get involved and track down the entire pedophile ring. It takes time but they don’t want one rat they want the entire nest.”
Jenna and Kane arrived at the medical examiner’s office at a little after one-thirty. After greeting Wolfe in their usual manner, she was surprised to see Kane hand Wolfe a note which he read and raised both eyebrows. Jenna looked from one to the other and followed them into his office. Without saying a word, Wolfe took a device out of his drawer and stood. “I still have some things to do before we start the autopsy. You might as well wait here. Help yourself to coffee.” He handed Kane the device and left the room.
“It’s like waiting to see the dentist.” Kane motioned her to stand and ran the scanner over her and then held it out and showed her the reading.
Astounded to find she had a tracker implanted under her skin, Jenna pulled a sad face, took the scanner from Kane, and moved it over his shoulder. “I never minded the dentist.” She handed him the reading and caught the reaction on his face. He was fuming.
“Why don’t you make coffee? I could do with one right now.” He took out his notebook and scribbled a note.
From the reading, only mine has audio. Go and tell Wolfe, he’ll know what to do.
Jenna nodded. “You make the coffee. I need to visit the bathroom.” She headed out the door and Wolfe was outside leaning against the wall. She looked at him. “Only Dave’s has audio. You can’t be seen to remove them. They’ll know we know.”
“They should have told me at least.” Wolfe’s brow furrowed into a frown. “Don’t worry, There’s a way. We destroy them first and then remove them. They won’t know I’m involved.”
Jenna pushed her hair from her face and sighed. “He’s angry. What can you do, like today?”
“Simplest thing is a strong magnet.” Wolfe rubbed the back of his neck. “It depends how sophisticated it is and it may only scramble the circuits for a few seconds.” He thought for a beat. “Give me seven minutes to prepare, then come into examination room two. The autopsy will be in room three. Get him in number two without his shirt, I’ll say something about having to extract metal filings from a body by using a powerful magnet. They’ll expect some disturbance. It will give me time to remove his and we’ll do yours next.”
Jenna nodded and wrote a text to Kane explaining. She hit send. “Okay, how much is this going to hurt?”
“It depends how deep it’s embedded but you’ll need a couple of stitches.” Wolfe inclined his head. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you? You do know I can’t track you from the chip, that’s why I supplied everyone with a personal tracker. Your ring like the other disguised trackers are the only direct contact to the team members.”
“No, I want it removed.” Jenna pulled her hair back into a ponytail and secured it with a band from around her wrist. “It’s not that, it’s just knowing that every time I’ve been with Dave, someone has been listening. I know about Annie, his past life, and that makes me a liability.”
“The moment you r
ecognized him as an agent, he asked for permission to give you some details because of your clearance.” Wolfe stared into the distance over her shoulder as if considering his words with care. “You’ll never know everything about his life, or his other identities. If anyone searches his birth name, they’d find an autopsy report, a death certificate, and a grave. He’d never risk you by divulging his missions or the people he worked with over that time. I’m not blind and I know you’re close now but if you’re planning a relationship, I’d suggest you keep it secret and avoid asking questions about his past. He won’t tell you because if he did, you’d be taken out in the interests of national security.”
Dismayed, Jenna swallowed hard. “So, marriage is out of the question? It would be too much of a risk for national security?”
“Not necessarily. If you applied in a different county here in Montana for a license and snuck off to a JP or retired judge.” Wolfe regarded her closely. “Has he asked you to marry him?”
“No, we haven’t got that far yet.” Jenna’s face grew hot. “But we’ve talked about having kids and I know he’s got old school values.”
“Like me.” Wolfe smiled. “Well, if the time comes, I’ll do what I can to help.”
Jenna squeezed his arm. “That’s good to know but we never had this conversation, right?”