Be Mine Forever (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“I viewed the CCTV feed from last night outside the library.” Rio offered Jenna his iPad. “You can see Becky arriving, she parks, locks up, and goes inside, using the front entrance. If you fast forward, you’ll notice movement at the fire door out back about five or so minutes after. An indistinguishable light-colored truck drives out, no lights and although I’ve magnified the frames, I see a blurred driver and no passengers.”

“How long did you observe the footage?” Jenna scrolled through the feed. “Did you see Becky leave?”

“Nope and they close at ten on Tuesdays.” Rio removed his hat and stroked the rim. “She didn’t leave the building unless she snuck out the fire door and kept to the shadows. The truck was parked in the shadows, so if you go back, it’s impossible to tell and the light is out in the stairwell, the truck’s interior light was out as well.”

“How convenient.” Kane sorted through the pile of statements that Rio had compiled. “If this is kids, they thought of everything. Problem is we can’t tie it in with a silver GMC truck or a Chrysler sedan. Both were seen at the time of the murders.” He held out his hand for the iPad and scanned the screen. “I figure that is a GMC truck.” He rewound and watched the feed a few times. “Send it to Bobby Kalo at the FBI. His number is on file. Ask him to enhance it. The problem is, we have two murders and two different vehicles. Maybe we can get a list of everyone who went into the library.”

“I already thought of asking about that and only three people were loaned books that night.” Rio smoothed his curly hair and pushed on his Stetson. “The librarian was coy about giving out personal details, so I asked if she could tell me the sex of the people. All female and then I asked if one was Becky Powell.” He smiled. “Becky was there, because I saw her arrive but she didn’t loan a book and if she met a guy in there, neither did he.”

Jenna nodded. “Okay and what about Mr. Law? Does he have an alibi for last night?”

“Nope.” Rio took the iPad from Kane and scanned through the files. “He drove from county to Black Rock Falls and was in town at the time of the murder. I have him leaving Aunt Betty’s Café at eight-forty-five. He says he went home to Blackwater, has no witnesses and was arrested by you on his return.”

“Again, here is a man who attacks women’s faces. That’s a bully, a coward. Strangulation is up close and personal. His wife was asked specifically if he’d ever tried to strangle her and she denied it. A leopard doesn’t usually change his spots.” Kane stood and went to the counter to pour a cup of coffee. “I can’t see what motive he’d have to kill a cheerleader and I really can’t see either girl getting willingly into his vehicle.” His phone pinged a message and he stared at the screen. The next moment his ringtone filled the room. He glanced at the caller ID and looked at Jenna. “It’s personal, I’ll take it outside.” He stood and went into the hallway.

Jenna turned her attention back to Rio. “Are you sure you want to move into the house? Have you had second thoughts?”

“Nope. I’ve spoken to the twins and they think it’s cool. They’re hoping for a ghost. I’m not so sure about Mrs. Jacobs, the housekeeper I’ve engaged.” Rio met her eyes with a steady gaze. “I did wonder what security was needed and the cost of updating it. I’ve spoken to Jake. I’ve been checking in with him to make sure he doesn’t need anything. He said they often left the front door key on the stoop above the door. So, I figure that’s how the killers have gotten inside. This makes them locals and people who move along that road frequently to have noticed one of them taking the key from its hiding place.”

Jenna sighed. “Not often, we left it there for the delivery man and for some repairmen to get inside after Jake had left. Kids walk past there on the way to school. There’s a bus stop across the road, anyone might have seen them access the ke

y.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “But we will beef up security. It doesn’t have an alarm system and I can arrange to have it installed. Wolfe will likely clear the house as a crime scene shortly. I’ll have professional cleaners go through and make sure everything is good before you move in.” She stared into the distance. “Run it past Mrs. Jacobs, the housekeeper, but she’s very down to earth and no one died in her part of the building.”

“Okay.” Rio smiled at her. “Is there anything else I need to do, Sheriff?”

Impressed by his thoroughness, Jenna shook her head. “No. You’ve covered everything I’ve asked for.” She glanced at her watch. “It was a late night for all of us, so why don’t you head on home? I have the Blackwater deputies patrolling during the festival and there’s not much going on now until Saturday.”

“Before I leave…” Rio stood. “Jake said he’ll be back tomorrow. Sandy is staying another day at least and is doing just fine.”

Jenna smiled. “That’s good to know. I’ll see you in the morning.”

As Jenna was refilling her cup, her phone chimed. It was Wolfe. “Have you found anything?”

“Not specifically, no, but I do have something of interest regarding the unknown DNA trace we found at the crime scenes.” Wolfe sounded pleased with himself. “I’ve known for some time of a company which developed a very involved program in conjunction with funding from the Department of Defense. From what I’ve read, the Snapshot Forensic DNA Phenotyping System accurately predicts what a person looks like including eye color, hair color, and skin color.”

Fascinated, Jenna sat down at her desk. “How involved is this process?”

“It takes time and is complicated but it’s worth a try. I’ve submitted the sample to a public genealogy database and the results will be forwarded for Snapshot’s Genetic Genealogy analysis. With luck, we’ll get an image of the face of the killer.”

“Wow!” Jenna stared at the door as Kane walked in. “Can you get a rush on it?”

“I’ll pull in a few favors and hope for the best.” Wolfe cleared his throat. “Has Dave cooled down some yet?”

Jenna laughed. “I’ll let you know later.”

“Okay, copy that.” Wolfe disconnected.

Jenna updated Kane and stretched. “There’s nothing more we can do tonight. I think I’ll grab some takeaway from Aunt Betty’s and head on home.”

“I’ll come home and tend the horses but then I’m going for a steak at Antlers with Carter. He’s booked a table for seven.” Kane smiled. “It seems he doesn’t like eating out alone and figured as Jo is away, we could have a guys’ night out. Play cards, talk about fishing, and relax for a time.” He looked at her. “I could do with some downtime. Do you mind?”

Shaking her head, Jenna smiled at him. “That’s a great idea. I’ll drive my cruiser home. I don’t want to be stuck out at the ranch without transport. It’s like tempting fate.”

“Uh-huh, leaving you out there alone is tempting fate.” Kane regarded her with one eyebrow raised. “It’s likely I won’t be back until morning. I’ll bunk with Carter. He has two bedrooms in his suite at The Cattleman’s Hotel.” He shook his head. “Apparently the hotel upgraded him when they discovered he was FBI.” He grinned. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

Jenna sipped her coffee. “I managed just fine for the two years or so before you arrived.”

“So, you’ll call me if anything happens?” Kane’s expression turned serious.