“Jenna.” Kane moved to her side and handed her a jacket with FBI written front and back. “There are two deputies just south of the firetrucks, maybe we need to
have a word with them as well and see if they’ve found the girl?”
“Yeah.” She turned to Carter and Jo. “I’m going to speak to Wolfe and then go talk to the deputies.”
“Okay.” Jo indicated to a group of sightseers bunched together alongside the road. “We’ll see what they have to say.” She headed off with Carter and the fluorescent FBI logos on their jackets bounced away into the night.
Jenna hustled over to Wolfe’s truck. Inside, she could make out Wolfe, Emily, and Webber staring at the fire. As he buzzed down his window, she moved closer. “The fire chief figures it will be hours before we can get inside. He’s calling out another crew to hurry things along.”
“Colt’s been filming the blaze and we’ve been scanning social media for any footage.” Wolfe’s eyes reflected eerily in the fire. “I might not be able to get inside the house but I’m observing the fire. I’ve seen one hell of a lot of housefires but nothing like this one. How did it get out of control so fast? From the reports of the blasts the local fire department were on scene in ten minutes, which for a volunteer crew is pretty fast.” He sighed. “Unless the sheriff had a ton of combustibles inside the house, it shouldn’t have flared up so fast.”
Jenna nodded. “I thought the same and the fire chief said ammunition was popping and if the sheriff had stored some in a metal box it could have caused an explosion.”
“Do you keep your ammo in a metal box?” Wolfe raise an eyebrow.
“No, but it’s all over the house, in drawers.”
“Sheriff Stuart was a sensible man, no way he’d have stored ammo in a metal box in his home.” Wolfe met her gaze. “If the propane gas bottle exploded, it would have blown the house apart but it dissipates fast or burns up. The deputy I spoke to on the phone told me they heard three clear explosions. A whoosh and two loud cracks. I’m seeing debris all around, so a blast of extreme force. It sure sounds like C-4 to me.”
“Me too.” Kane leaned on the van with one hand and peered inside. “I figure it’s the same MO as the explosion at Louan but this time he didn’t plan on leaving any evidence.”
Jenna looked from one grim expression to the other. “I noticed a couple of cruisers over by the firetrucks. We’ll head across this field and speak to the deputies. It will keep us out of harm’s way. Maybe they’ll have a lead on who did this.”
Heat from the blaze warmed Jenna’s cheeks as she headed across the uneven ground with Kane at her side. The smoke was getting so thick she could hardly breathe. “Here.” She dragged a couple of facemasks from her pocket, handed one to Kane, and removed her helmet to push the other one over her nose.
“Keep your helmet on.” Kane adjusted his chin strap and pulled down the visor. “I sure don’t like the look of this blaze.”
Jenna nodded. “Yeah, something’s not right here.”
Through the smoke she could make out the flashing lights on the cruisers but underfoot the plowed ground was treacherous. She pulled out her flashlight, glad she’d filled her pockets with everything she might need. The duty belt she usually wore held everything she needed but in plain clothes with a shoulder holster, she needed more pockets. She trained the flashlight beam on the ground and they hurried over the plowed field toward the cruisers. A whizzing sound flashed past her shoulder, and she ducked as an explosion shook the ground. Before she could think, a blast of hot air shot her high into the air. She couldn’t breathe, spinning in a ball of smoke and soil. The ground came up fast but instinctively she wrapped her arms around her and tucked in her head, taking the impact on her back, and throwing out her arms to spread out the shock. Although her vest had taken most of the impact, pain shot through her lungs as the air was forced out. Spread-eagled in the moist soil, she sucked in agonizing breaths.
Another loud boom and a flash of light broke through the smoke. The next moment something huge streaked over her head and landed close by with a whine and a thud. She flinched at the sight of a cruiser door embedded in the soft soil, its window intact. Oh Jesus. Instinct to survive kicked in and she rolled into a ball as debris rained down on her. The helmet and liquid Kevlar vest Kane had insisted they all wear would protect her from serious injury. Coughing, she rolled to one side to scan the smoke-filled area for Kane. Her flashlight was gone and the smoke was so thick, she couldn’t see more than a few yards in any direction. Shredded paper and pieces of cloth fell from the sky in an almost graceful descent, like birds coming into land. Amazingly the facemask had remained in place under her visor. Moving her limbs and wiggling fingers and toes, she appeared to have come through the explosion unscathed. She coughed violently and then lifted her voice above the roaring in her ears. She pressed her mic. “Kane. Can you hear me? Is anyone out there?”
Nothing. It was as if she was the only person on earth.
“Kane… Kane.” She coughed and wheezed. “Dave, call out. Carter, Jo… Wolfe?”
Nothing.
Disoriented and nauseous, she crawled around on her hands and knees, hoping not to come across any body parts. The rear vision mirror of the cruiser lay on the dirt still attached to part of the windshield. Trembling and suddenly afraid for everyone on scene, she swallowed the acid crawling up her throat. Could she be the only survivor in a mass bombing attack? I must get up and search, there must be someone else alive.
Sitting up slowly, she stared around the smokey field but couldn’t make out any movement. Years of training fell into place. First, she must evaluate her condition and supplies. She checked her pockets: apart from the flashlight, everything was in its place. Her clothes had come through intact, although encrusted with dirt. Her bare hands carried a few scratches and her neck was a little sore. Too dizzy to stand, she looked all around praying everyone was alright. She sat staring into the smoke for what seemed like forever before she caught sight of flashlights bobbing in the distance. The next moment, Wolfe burst out of the smoke, with Webber and Emily close behind. From another direction, Zorro dashed toward her his mouth opening but not making a sound, and behind him she could see Carter, his eyes wild as he searched the area. Behind him, Colt Webber was running toward the firetrucks. Why would anyone place an IED in a plowed field? Who was the intended target? It made no sense.
She stared up at Wolfe. He crouched beside her and his mouth was moving but no words came out. Emily was there too, rifling through the medical kit but all Jenna could hear was the roar of the fire. She blinked at him and shook her head. “I can’t understand a word you’re saying. I’m okay, where’s Kane?”
She glanced down as Wolfe handed her his phone. He’d written her a message.
Not sure, Carter and Webber searching now. Where does it hurt?
Jenna handed him back the phone. “I’m fine, can’t you hear me either?”
When Wolfe smiled at her and nodded. Jenna touched her ears. “Oh, it’s the blast, I hear roaring in my ears. It will be okay soon, right?”
Wolfe nodded again and then wrote another message and held out the phone for her.
You have a few scrapes. Em will tend them. I’ll go check on Kane, Carter went to find him.
“Okay.” A rush of anxiety hit her and she trembled. “I hope he’s okay.”