The Crying Season (Detectives Kane and Alton)

Kane opened the bag and took out the pile of wrapped sandwiches and cakes then placed them on the table. “The bus drivers don’t recall him but they have a ton of passengers. I checked the hunting licenses and none were issued to anyone matching his description either.” He bit into a turkey on rye and chewed slowly, enjoying the unique flavor of Aunt Betty’s special BBQ sauce.

“I’ve spoken to the guy on the counter at the Cattleman’s Hotel as well.” Jenna gave him an exasperated look. “He told me Woods spent most of his time in his room but he did have dinner with Mayor Petersham and his wife.” Her expression turned to one of concern. “Wolfe and Webber are at the Finches’ cabin. I hate dragging Wolfe away from his girls all weekend but he insisted it was his case and he wanted to check out the barn before any trace evidence deteriorated.”

“He’ll need time off on Monday. His youngest, Anna, is in a school play.” Kane leaned back in his chair as Jenna looked at him with interest. “Without their mom, she needs him to be there.”

“Maybe she needs us all to be there.” Jenna lifted her chin and sorrow filled her eyes. “Wolfe as well. He treats you like a brother and you spend hardly any time with him.”

“I do when we’re not busy. I usually end up shooting hoops with his middle daughter, Julie.” He shrugged. “As sheriff, maybe you should throw a barbecue once a month and invite the team?”

“That’s something to consider.” Jenna took a bite of a bagel with cream cheese.

Kane smiled at her. “Getting back to Woods. We can’t rely on Wolfe finding anything. The killer is smart and knows how to cover his tracks. I figure we need to dig into Woods’ past and see what he has been doing and where he goes. If we can link his movements to any similar unsolved murders in the state, we might be able to hold him on suspicion.”

“With Stone representing him, we’ll need something substantial.”

“Yeah, I—”

Jenna’s ringtone interrupted his reply.

“Sheriff Alt

on. What? Hold a minute while I put you on speaker, Deputy Kane is with me.” She gave Kane a look of disbelief. “Go ahead.”

“This is Ranger Harris, we have what we thought was a gunshot victim up here on check station five.”

“Is the victim alive?” Jenna chewed on her bottom lip.

“Yeah, he is raving some. Said a man killed his girlfriend up near Bear Peak. Two hunters found him and called it in. They said they heard a single rifle shot. We called the paramedics and he is on his way to the hospital. One of my men will stay with him until you get there.”

“Thank you. Did you get the vic’s name?” Jenna motioned for Kane to pass her a notepad and pen. “And I need the details of the men who found him.”

Harris gave the information and Jenna gave Kane a worried look. “Was Colter Barry coherent enough to give a position where the alleged murder took place?”

“No, ma’am, but it must be some ways west of the firebreak. The hunters were crossing through an old hiking area to report here. I have two men and a dog I can spare to go back up there with them and get eyes on the area. The birds will be circling by now if there is anything dead in the forest. I figure it will take about an hour or so to find it.”

“Yeah, thanks, and if you find a body, don’t disturb the scene. Call Shane Wolfe, the ME, right away. He is close by at the Finches’ cabin, west of Bear Peak, this afternoon. If you give him the coordinates, he will meet you there with his assistant, Webber. They’ll be on horseback.” She relayed his details. “I’ll head to the hospital and see what Mr. Barry has to say.”

“Roger that. I’ll be sure to keep you informed, ma’am.” The line went dead.

Tiredness drained from Kane as an adrenaline rush took over. He emptied his coffee cup and stood. “I’ll go and get changed.”

“No time, just grab your weapon and cred pack. I’ll help you get the horses loaded.” Jenna sighed and shrugged into her jacket. “So much for a lazy Sunday afternoon.”

33

Anger trembled through his fingers as he dismantled the last trail cam and pushed it into his rucksack. If his scope had not picked up the two men walking out of the forest, he would have gone in to make sure he made the kill, and they would have discovered him soaked in blood. Dammit, he would have enjoyed playing with Colter Barry.

From the crimson spray, his target had taken a headshot, and the likelihood of him surviving would be remote, but soon the rangers would be out searching the area. It would take the two men at least an hour to get help, carrying a wounded man. He figured he had plenty of time to do the cleanup and get to his designated check station before going home.

He retraced his steps, making sure he kicked dirt over any boot marks. Satisfied, he strolled back to take one last look at Lilly. After activating his body cam, he walked around her, bending close to get the shots he desired. When his prey went quiet and their eyes fixed on him, seeing nothing, his hunger to hear them scream was sated, but like taking the last lick of an ice cream, he wanted more. Careful to avoid the pool of congealing blood around her, he bent to kiss her mouth. It felt strangely exciting through the cotton mask, slack and cold against his lips. In a rush of euphoria, he decided the next guest he would take to his cave would be a woman.

He would visit her often.

Half an hour later, he reached his cave and deactivated the electric fence across the entrance. Pulling out his flashlight, he slipped inside and switched on the lamp hanging on one wall. Here he could wash up, change his clothes, and pick up his spare hunting rifle before reporting to the rangers and leaving the hunting area. He checked the power gauge on the solar battery and smiled. It never let him down. He turned in a slow half circle and removed his mask then scanned the line of plastic-wrapped corpses. Black, empty eye sockets watched his every move as they grinned at him. He chuckled at their welcome. “Hello, boys, did you miss me?”

34

Rain pelted down in a storm that seemed to come from nowhere and Jenna was glad to have had the forethought to grab their rain ponchos before leaving. The swish of the windshield wiper blades sounded melodic and almost soothing. Jenna leaned back in her seat, glad Kane had offered to drive them into town. She glanced over at him, noticing the way the nerve in his cheek ticked when he was thinking. “If this is another murder, our killer is escalating.”