“Do you recognize the substance, Matt?” Jenna looked at the fire chief. “It’s in your field of expertise.”
“Structural damage, and fire management and cause are more my field.” Thompson removed his gloves. “On the surface this looks like a gas explosion and I would say the propane tank exploding would have caused the damage and flare up. I’m not convinced this was a bombing at all. I don’t see any signs of an explosive device. What Carter has found could be the remnants of cellphones or TV remotes.”
“I see.” Jenna didn’t look convinced. “So, a difference of opinion?”
“I stick by my conclusions.” Thompson shrugged.
“That’s why I’m on the job. I’m an explosives expert and I find what you clowns miss.” Carter snorted and turned to Jenna. “Will you make sure this evidence is under lock and key while I clean up? It might be what we need to nail this guy.”
“Sure.” Jenna held out her hand to Kane. “Keys. I’ll get it squared away. You go inside the house. I’ve seen enough and Wolfe will bring us up to date later.” She looked at Jo. “Coming?”
“Yeah. I’ve spoken to all the witnesses.” Jo turned to follow her. “There’s nothing more for me to do here.”
Kane handed her his keys and watched Duke follow her back to his truck. He waited for a smart comeback from Thompson from Carter’s insult but he said nothing. “Will you send us a copy of your report?”
“Sure.” Thompson stared after Jenna. “I don’t want your boss telling everyone I’m not doing my job.” He stomped off toward his truck.
“I think he’s a jerk. He is more of an insurance assessor than a fire chief. He misses evidence and should know a fire that intense wasn’t just caused by a propane tank exploding.” Carter glanced at Kane. “Did you see how he backed down when I insulted him? How many guys do that?”
Kane bit back a laugh. “Tons. He can’t deal with you or me, so he figures he’ll come down hard on Jenna.” He grinned behind his mask. “Oh boy, has he picked the wrong person. She’ll eat him for breakfast.”
“Yeah, that I know.” Carter clicked his fingers and Zorro ran to his side. “I’m done here. I’ll clean up and we’ll wait for you at the café.”
Kane nodded. “Sure. Take Duke with you or he’ll end up getting his paws cut on all the broken glass around here. He’s over at my truck with Jenna.” He headed into the building.
Taking slow steps, he scanned the area. He took in the direction of the burn marks. The intensity of the fire was in three different locations. The house had literally blown apart in three directions. He’d seen similar results from grenade attacks on buildings during his tour of duty. He stepped with care over the floor and made his way to Wolfe. “This is different from the first fire. More intense.”
“It got away from the firefighters.” Wolfe’s gaze narrowed over his facemask. “In Louan they acted swiftly and extinguished the fire. Here it was well ablaze and they were more concerned about stopping it spreading to the other ranches. I guess it’s a call they had to make. Whoever was inside couldn’t have survived the blast so they made the call to let it burn.” He sighed. “Which means we have zip to go on in the way of evidence. The marble tabletop is what protected the lower half of the body of one of the victims. It’s female, so I assume it’s the sheriff’s wife. He’s that curled charcoal smudge on the floor there where I’ve marked it.”
Kane winced. “It doesn’t even resemble a body.”
“Nope. We’ll have to sweep it up and bag what we can find. Ashes mostly.” Wolfe indicated toward a body bag. “The other remains are in there. The zip-ties are intact.”
“Do you need any help?” Kane dragged his attention away from the bag.
“Nope. You didn’t need to see the bodies, Dave, Carter has it covered. I know working this case is hell for you.” Wolfe’s eyes showed compassion.
Kane shook his head slowly. “I need to be involved if I’m going to find the killer and you know I’d go rogue if Jenna pulled me off the case, plus how could we explain my absence to Jo and Carter?”
“Then I guess it’s for the best.” Wolfe straightened. “If you went rogue, I’ll be the one hunting you down and that’s never going to happen.”
Relieved, Kane slapped him on the back. “Good to know. Anything else I should know?”
“Em called just before. The parents of Pamela Stuart have made a formal ID. I’ll be conducting the autopsy this afternoon around four. It’s going to be another long day.” Wolfe sighed.
Kane could feel his reluctance. “I guess you wanted to spend time with the girls this weekend?”
“I always treasure my time with the girls but Emily was planning on going out with friends and Julie is babysitting.” Wolfe shrugged. “I might get home in time to read Anna a bedtime story but then it’s just me and the TV. The girls are growing up so fast, it’s as if my life is stuck on fast forward.”
Kane nodded. “I know how you feel.” He slapped him on the back. “I’ll see you at four.”
He ambled out of the ruins and headed down to the café but the idea of eating didn’t appeal to him. He just wanted to go home and wash the stink of fire and death away. Sometimes knowledge could be a bad thing. He’d always believed his past actions had caused the death of his wife but discovering sweet, innocent Annie had been the target of a deranged maniac was unconscionable. The anger raging inside him since seeing the image of her in the wreckage, her beautiful eyes fixed in death hadn’t abated. Yeah, he’d fought to keep control and would do his duty but no one could ever know that under his professional mask, revenge was riding on his shoulder like an evil twin.
Fifty-One
Inside his cellar, his secret cellar, well hidden under the floor of a closet, he made the final touches to the explosives he’d designed. Without his drone, he had no choice but to deliver them to the house of the magistrate per
sonally. Abe Coleman, the new Black Rock Falls magistrate, and his wife Pearl, had moved to the area the previous year. It had been a surprise to see the man’s face in the local newspaper at a charity function with his wife. They had kids, too young for his taste, a baby boy and a daughter that looked around five or six, but the wife was pretty. He connected the last wire and leaned back in his chair. He’d have his revenge on the self-righteous magistrate by watching his house and family burn. After a couple of weeks of seeing the FBI run around in circles, he would move on and find a distraction elsewhere in Montana.