Where Angels Fear (Detectives Kane and Alton)

Taking a deep breath, Kane eased through the door and, senses on full alert, moved inside one step at a time. The smell of blood surrounded him and before he could drop into his professional safe zone of calm, his flashlight illuminated a headless skinned body hanging on a giant hook. The hair on the back of his neck bristled and his mind continued to play tricks on him. Heart pounding, he lowered his flashlight; sure he had seen the shapely back of a woman then turned to catch Rowley’s pale face and wide eyes in his beam. “What was that?”

“A deer maybe.” Rowley’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed. “The door is six inches thick. I figure it’s a freezer.”

Kane shone his light over the door and surrounds searching for a handle. Above the door, he found a rod to keep the door open and slotted it into place. “See if you can get the lights on.”

Moments later the room flooded with light. Kane shook away the macabre images inside his head and scanned the room before him. Frozen carcasses of elk and deer hung in lines. It was unusual to see so many in one place. Hunters in Montana field-dressed their tagged kills, left them to cool then took them home or donated them to charity. Seeing so many in storage made him suspicious. He would contact Fish, Wildlife and Parks and give them the heads-up. Taking care to avoid touching anything, he walked the walls of the freezer, checking each line of carcasses. There was only one entrance, yet the building was vast. There must be another way into the place. He strolled back to Rowley and they headed back out and into the watery sunshine.

“What was that all about?” Rowley scratched his head under his woolen cap.

Kane shrugged. “I’m not sure. Poaching perhaps. I’ll get the FWP to look into it but right now our priority is finding the missing persons.” He pulled the outer door shut, locked it and led the way around the building.

After an extensive search, they’d found nothing but a bunch of empty rooms. Disappointed, Kane exchanged his gloves for something warmer than latex and sent Rowley to do another search of Burns’ office and yard. He made his way back to Jenna and explained what they’d found. He noticed Jenna’s excitement and the pile of evidence bags sitting on the counter. “What have you got?”

“We have enough here to bring Burns in for questioning.” She smiled. “Blood evidence in the vehicle and on the seats. Also, we found Ella Tate’s cellphone. Sitting right on the bench in clear view.”

Kane frowned. “Wolfe had no luck searching for her phone. You sure it’s Ella’s?”

“Oh yeah, but the battery and SIM are missing.” Jenna held up an evidence bag. The pink phone had “Ella” on the cover in rhinestones. “Just like the description she gave Wolfe.” She smiled. “We have enough evidence here to book him.” She pulled out her cellphone. “I’ll call Wolfe.” She made the call, then lifted her gaze to Kane. “He’s on his way, we’ll wait.”

“Ma’am.” Rowley came jogging back. “The snow is a foot deep around the vehicles. Nothing has disturbed them since we were here. The office doesn’t have a cellar. I can find no trace of Sky Paul or the others.”

She turned to Webber. “Wrap it up. We’ll wait for Wolfe to arrive now.” She turned to Rowley. “Take Burns back to the station and put him in a cell. He can cool his heels until we get back then I’ll call his lawyer. We’ll be along as soon as Wolfe has completed his examination of the scene.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Rowley tipped his hat and strode toward his cruiser.

Kane walked out of the oil-polluted atmosphere and into the crisp winter morning. He took a few deep breaths and looked at Jenna. “I wonder if he’ll talk. We still have three people missing.” They crunched through the snow back to his truck. “I’m starting to wonder if there are more people involved in this crime.”

“How so?” Jenna rested one hand on the door of his truck.

Kane shrugged. “A gut feeling. There’s too much going on for one person to handle.” He waved a hand toward the junkyard. “If he’s working with Knox, for instance. It would make more sense. Knox kidnaps the people and Burns disposes of the vehicles. The only part of this that worries me is where Doug Paul fits into his MO. If it’s a killer we’re dealing with, unless Doug was collateral damage, and he mistook Levi Holt for a woman, the motive doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.” He leaned against his truck. “Kidnappers who aren’t interested in collecting a ransom or selling their victims usually do it to rape, murder or both. I’ve never heard of one who deals in spare car parts and frozen poached meat on the side.” He snorted. “They’re usually way too smart to keep a victim’s car in their possession.”

“So you’re not convinced we have our man?” Jenna’s brow crinkled into a frown. “It all adds up to me. Especially if Wolfe finds evidence that Burns disposed of the bodies in the crusher.”

Kane shook his head. “It will be hard to prove he is involved in Doug or Olivia’s disappearances, especially if the vehicles he used to conceal the bodies have already been recycled.” He blew out a huff of steam. “That’s if he murdered the other victims. Burns doesn’t fit the profile I’d expect for a killer escalating so fast. He was quaking in his boots when I had hold of his arm and didn’t try and sweet-talk his way out of trouble.”

“The evidence is stacked against him, Kane.” Jenna folded her arms and stared at him. “What do you see that I’m missing here?”

Kane shrugged. “Oh, he’s involved but he doesn’t have the street smarts to do this alone.” He waved a hand toward the garage. “What’s his motive?”

“He could have raped the women.” Jenna stared into space. “I figure the chop shop would be lucrative.”

Kane nodded, then mimicked her pose and folded his arms. “Sitting out on the highway hoping to kidnap a woman and steal her car seems a bit extreme, when he’d have the ability to steal one from a parking lot. To be perfectly honest, it would be difficult to rape someone outside in this weather. He must have taken the women somewhere other than here. We’ve searched this place and there’s no sign anyone’s been in the other building for some time. And the junkyard office hasn’t got more than a spare foot of space.” He kicked at a wedge of snow with the toe of his boot. “Then we have to factor in Doug Paul. He plays hockey for the Larks so he’ll be fit. How did Burns subdue him, drug Ella, then get Olivia out of the wrecked car all on his lonesome?”

“All good points I’ll consider after Wolfe has examined the premises.” Jenna brushed snow off her jacket and opened the door to Kane’s truck. “I think Burns is guilty as hell. The evidence is right in front of us.”

Kane met her gaze. “Well, I figure Burns is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Fifty-Six

Doug woke to the sound of arguing, his head pounded and his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth. The memory of Jim ramming the gurney into him was the last thing he remembered apart from the searing pain in his head before he blacked out. From under his lashes, he watched the nurse and Jim come toward him. He lay very still and tried not to flinch as the nurse moved close then touched him.

“He won’t last much longer if you keep damaging him.” The nurse peered down at him. “His organs will be worth zero if they’re bruised. “Look at him. What will they say about his condition?”

“I don’t care what they say.” Jim slammed down a fist on the side cabinet, shaking the utensils. “They work for me just like you do and be here first thing to complete the orders. I’m going to see her now and make the final arrangements, then I’ll be back to finish up outside. Pack up everything we don’t need and I’ll store it somewhere safe when I return.” He turned on his heel and charged out the door.

Doug clamped his jaw shut as the man washed him and changed the dressing on his wound but neglected to fasten the restraints. His heart pounded at the thought of escape and the monitoring machine kicked up the beats, but the nurse was too busy with Olivia or didn’t care. He attempted to move and discovered his limbs worked just fine. Moving with slow measured movements, he eased the needle carrying the drip from his arm and pressed down hard to stop the flow of blood. Then he pressed the needle into the mattress. The effort made the machine beep faster and he heard the nurse curse under his breath. Doug pushed his arm under the blanket, leaving his right arm on top.

The curtain swished open, then closed, and the nurse peered down at him.