Be Mine Forever (Detectives Kane and Alton)

Jenna led the way to their table in the back. “I’m hungry is all. I don’t snack all day like you do and I’ve been too busy to fill up on coffee.”

“I’m not complaining.” Kane sat down and removed his Stetson and dropped it onto the seat beside him. He let out a long sigh. “What is it with festivals and crime? I’d been hoping we’d have wrapped this case up by now and made it to the fall dance on Saturday after all.”

“You really wanted to go?” Jenna grinned. “You know I wouldn’t step all over your toes if you took me to a place where I could just wiggle a bit to the music, we wouldn’t have a problem.”

“Trust me.” Kane shook his head. “That ain’t never gonna happen.” He leaned toward her. “I like dancing with a purpose… and I’m getting used to you scuffing up my boots.”

Their mood became somber the instant they walked into the morgue. The cold air was like a slap in the face and seemed to suck all the happiness out of Jenna. The too familiar odor invaded her nostrils and sent her crashing back to harsh reality. She followed Kane down the stark white hallway, the noise of his boots on the tile an irreverent echo in the silence. As they

stopped in the alcove to suit up saying nothing, the tick of the clock on the wall sounded loud in the quiet. She looked at Kane. “Where is everyone?”

“Oh, that’s right.” He pulled the green scrubs back over his head and hung them on a peg with his jacket. “Wolfe will be in his office. He wanted to examine our stitches before he started the autopsy. I guess Emily and Webber are getting the examination room ready.” He ran the tip of one finger over the yellowing bruise under her eye. “How’s the eye feeling?”

Jenna pulled off the scrubs and dropped them onto a peg alongside his. “I’m fine. It doesn’t worry me at all.” She headed toward Wolfe’s office and knocked.

“Come in.” Wolfe’s muffled voice came from behind the door.

“Afternoon.” Jenna walked inside. “Dave said you wanted to check our stitches?”

“Yeah, pull off your T-shirts.” Wolfe took a medical kit from the bench and pulled out a few things. He snapped on gloves and removed Jenna’s dressing. “Jenna, you’re good to go. Leave the clean dressing on for a week and then come back and see me. It’s waterproof, so you’ll be fine in the shower but keep out of the hot tub.” He replaced the dressing and after changing his gloves turned to Kane. “Hmm, yours is not so fine.” He cleaned up the wound and went back to his field medical kit and returned with a syringe. “Show me your hip, I’m giving you a shot of antibiotics.”

Jenna had her shirt over her head when the door opened. She pulled it into place and stared at Emily. “Hi, Em. Were you looking for us?”

“More prickles?” Emily raised both eyebrows. “You two are sure getting yourselves into strife this week.”

“No, not more prickles.” Wolfe tossed the syringe into a receptacle and removed his gloves with a snap. “I’m following up on my patients is all. Are you ready for me now?”

“Yeah.” Emily leaned against the doorframe. “I’ve been looking over the results of all the victims and the initial examination of Mrs. Turner tells me it’s a different killer. If this isn’t so, I need to know what I’m missing.”

“We’ll work through it and see what we find.” Wolfe waved her out the door. “We’re on our way.”

Inside the examination room, Jenna moved to the array of comparison images displayed on the screens. She liked that Wolfe had all the information on the other victims at hand, they often needed to know if the same person was responsible for a string of murders. By comparing results, a copycat stood out like a sore thumb. She scanned the images, making a mental note of the injuries to each victim. To her, ignoring the fact they all had the cheerleader involvement to link them, the injuries sustained appeared to be completely different. She glanced at Kane. “Thank God for medical examiners. Years ago, sheriffs had to make a judgment call on cases like this and from what I’m seeing here, we have two unrelated cases.”

“Yeah, I’m wondering how Dr. Turner is going to slide his way out of his wife’s murder.” Kane shook his head. “It just seems too obvious.”

“Some murders are obvious.” Wolfe shrugged. “Not every murder is a mystery. The person responsible is usually a close family member. Add some marriage problems and eight out of ten times it’s the spouse.” He pulled the sheet from Jeanette Turner’s pale body, adjusted the microphone, and looked at them over his mask. “Okay, let’s begin with my initial findings.”

“One thing is for sure, she didn’t die in the alleyway.” Kane moved closer to the body and examined the feet. “Her feet are clean, apart from the drag marks on her heels. They correspond to the marks I found in the alleyway.” He turned to Wolfe. “She wasn’t rolled down the steps either. I examined the bottom of the stairs for impact impressions and found nothing to indicate a fall.”

“The injuries would support that but there is a mark on her left hip, a scrape that has splinters in it, no bleeding or bruising. This would indicate she was dragged over the step treads post-mortem.” Wolfe indicated to various bruises on her body. “All of these happened at the same time, all have subdermal hematomas which, indicate she was alive when they were inflicted.” He moved to the victim’s head. “Look at the bruises on her face, see the small cut on the cheekbone?”

A cold breeze seemed to envelope Jenna as she peered at the wound and then turned to look at the enlarged image on the screen Wolfe had flicked up. Too many times she’d seen women covered in bruises just like Jeanette Turner. “I’ve seen the same injury in spousal abuse. An open hand slap followed by a backhand and in this case the person responsible is wearing a ring.”

“Better still.” Wolfe’s eyes twinkled over his mask. “I figure it may have a stone in it, if so, there’s a good chance some DNA might have been snagged in the setting.” He looked at Jenna. “Have you noticed if Dr. Turner wears a ring?”

Jenna shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

“Yeah he does.” Kane reached for his phone. “I had him place all his valuables in a bag when I took him down to the cells.” He headed for the door. “And we have a search warrant. Keep going, I’ll get someone to bring his belongings here.”

“There’s something significant we should mention at this point.” Emily changed the images on the screen to X-rays. “Mrs. Turner suffered a number of broken bones in her lifetime and one is a match with what we found on Laurie. Looking back on both victims’ medical files, they went to the ER with far too many injuries.”

Jenna stared at the X-rays, uncomprehending. “Explain.”

“The injuries to both women’s arms can only be caused by someone twisting the arm.” Emily’s eyes reflected her anger. “If both women in the same household had the same injury it points to abuse. I’m shocked the doctors treating them at the hospital didn’t put two and two together and notify the authorities.”

The despair creeping around Jenna’s heart was quickly followed by revulsion aimed at the man responsible for inflicting such injuries. She dug deep to find her professional demeanor, unable to allow her disgust to overshadow the investigation. “Unfortunately, until I became sheriff, many people turned a blind eye to spousal abuse. People didn’t think it was their business to get involved. Things are changing now. Women know they can get help in my town and that I’ll support them.” She stared at Emily’s distraught expression. “This doesn’t only happen to women. Men can have abusive wives but many don’t believe it’s manly to complain and suffer in silence. I’m working on changing that view by making sure any man in that position can speak to my deputies in confidence.”

“Moving right along.” Wolfe nodded to Kane as he came back into the room. “The livor mortis… ah the purple discoloration in the buttocks and lower limbs is the blood settling, which indicates the victim was posed shortly after death. So, by the state of rigor and her temperature on scene, I can give you a narrow margin for the TOD. I estimate it is between eight and midnight last night, more likely between eight and ten.” He indicated to the marks on Mrs. Turner’s arms and thighs. “Unlike the other victims, Jeanette Turner had sexual activity prior to her death and from my examination, I don’t believe it was consensual.”