Her Shallow Grave (Detectives Kane and Alton)

Taking a deep breath, he pulled out his phone and called Wolfe. “Jenna’s been kidnapped. I have the woman responsible but she’s not saying if anyone else is involved. The Sculptor might have her, Shane. I’ll need you to track the GPS in her vehicle. Jenna is out there somewhere and hasn’t activated her tracker. She’s in trouble.”

“I’m on my way.” Wolfe disconnected.

The next moment Rowley was at his side, his face pale. Kane turned to look at him. “Read her her rights and then book her for kidnapping. Throw her in a cell and see if you can get someone from county to pick her up tonight.”

“Without a warrant?” Rowley took hold of Kim’s arm. “Want me to call the DA?”

“No.” Kane snorted. “She confessed in front of the entire room. I don’t need an arrest warrant.”

“Yeah, I heard her confess.” Rowley turned to Kim and read her her rights.

“Go to hell.” Kim glared at Rowley.

“Tell us where you have the sheriff. If you cooperate the judge will go easy on you.” Rowley sounded sincere. “You’re digging a deep hole for yourself, ma’am.”

“No.” Kim shook her head. “I know the law and you can’t take me anywhere without a female officer. I’ll tell everyone you tried to rape me.”

“That’s not the law but if you’re planning on falsely accusing Deputy Rowley, I’ll arrange for a female deputy to go with you.” Kane turned to where Sandy stood watching, wide-eyed. “I need your help to transport this suspect to the cells. I’m deputizing you.”

“Okay.” Sandy pulled on her coat. “Don’t worry about her. Go find Jenna.”

Anxious to find Jenna, Kane looked at Rowley. “You have your orders. Get her out of my sight.”

“Do you want me to call in Deputy Walters to watch over her until county arrives?” Rowley looked at Kane. “I’ll come with you as backup.”

Kane shook his head. “No time and I need you here, Jake. I’ll ask Wolfe to come with me in case Jenna needs medical assistance.”

“Copy that.” Rowley took his coat from Sandy and shrugged into it. He handed her Kim’s possessions. “Let’s go.” He took hold of Kim’s arm and dragged the abusive woman outside to his truck with Sandy close behind.

Kane went back to the table to grab his coat. He dropped a wad of bills on the table, gave the waitress an apologetic stare, and scooping up Kim’s keys, headed outside to wait for Wolfe.

He didn’t have to wait long, Wolfe’s white truck slid into the space behind the Beast and Kane rushed to Kim’s SUV to open the hood. He paced up and down as Wolfe used his magic to trace Kim’s movements.

“Got it.” Wolfe closed his laptop and shut the hood. “She did a turnaround outside Blackwater. I have the coordinates.” He handed the laptop to Kane. “I’ll grab my bag.”

“I’ll warm up the Beast.” Kane hustled to his truck, secured Duke, and started the engine.

“Wait!” Susie, came to his door. “You forgot these.” She handed him his Thermos and sandwiches. “Go find Jenna.”

Seconds later, with Wolfe at his side, Kane sped through town and out into the pale moonlight. He glanced at the glistening blacktop, the recent wash from the salt spreader holding back the ice

. “What’s the latest on the road conditions? Can we get through at speed?”

“Checking now.” Wolfe scrolled through his phone. “Yeah, the salt spreader went through at seven. Road is clear to Blackwater, maybe ice patches before dawn. We’re good to go. No snow forecast until late tomorrow.”

“Roger that.” Kane flicked on lights and sirens and stepped on the gas. “ETA?”

“Forty minutes at sixty.” Wolfe turned to look at him. “So I’m guessing twenty.” He cleared his throat. “Don’t hold back on my account.”

“Good to know.” Kane blew through town in seconds. “But tighten your seatbelt, the ice patches are unpredictable.”

Stanton Forest and the houses scattered along the opposite side of the road flashed by in a blur of light and dark. He slowed to take the on-ramp to the highway and hit the blacktop doing seventy. Ahead it seemed as if every eighteen-wheeler trucker had the same idea as them, getting to the next town before the next snowstorm. He’d been in law enforcement for some time and he’d never yet had an eighteen-wheeler give way to lights and sirens. Looking ahead down the straightaway, he pushed the Beast to one hundred and ten to overtake the convoy of vehicles. His truck picked up at once, engine roaring like an angry lion, and they passed six vehicles before the next sweeping bend came rushing up.

Kane said nothing and kept his eyes fixed on the road as the miles ticked by, but his mind was playing and replaying different scenarios of finding Jenna. Would she be alive, badly injured, or bleeding out? “How much longer?”

“Ten.” Wolfe held up his phone as calm as if he were at home sitting in his armchair. “Show me what you’ve got, Dave. We need to get to her fast. We don’t know what shape she’s in and it’s below zero out there.”

Remembering Wolfe would have executed hair-raising stunts as a combat chopper pilot, Kane glanced at him and focused back on the road. Another convoy was moving at speed ahead, nose to tail like elephants in a circus, headlights piercing the darkness in a tunnel of light. He slowed a little but kept a good distance from the last truck to enable the burst of speed he needed to pass seven eighteen-wheelers at once. “When the road straightens out again, I’ll pass them. I hope the road is clear.”