Bring Me Flowers (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“Ask him if he’ll be home this evening as we need to speak to him and will explain when we arrive.” He shrugged. “Then if Chad recognizes his voice, you’ll know if her father was involved.”

Straightening, she nodded. As usual, he made sense. “Okay. I’ll do that now and wait with the paramedics to speak to Chad’s father when he arrives.”

“Could you ask the paramedics to transfer the body to the funeral home? Wolfe should be finished in about ten minutes. I called ahead and they’ll be waiting. Wolfe will follow and get the autopsy underway tonight.”

“Sure.” More than happy to leave her deputies to the unpleasant task of moving the victim into a body bag, she headed toward the ambulance.

After speaking to Chad, she made the call, making sure the young man could hear Kate’s father. “I’m sorry to bother you, Mr. Bright, this is Sheriff Alton. Would it be possible to drop by in about twenty minutes? I need to speak with you.”

“Katie hasn’t got herself into any trouble, has she?”

Jenna hedged, not wanting to discuss anything over the telephone. “I’ll explain when I get there. I would like to speak to you and your wife if possible.”

“Yes, of course. Come right over.”

Disconnecting, she took in Chad’s haggard appearance. He was close to breaking point. “Was that the voice you heard?”

“It was similar but the man I spoke to referred to her as Kate.” Chad wiped a sleeve across his red-rimmed eyes. “I didn’t think it was strange because we all call her Kate, but now hearing his voice I remember her dad always calls her Katie.” He sniffed. “The man who answered her cellphone said I would find Kate by the pool, not Katie. I am 100 percent sure.”

She heard a car engin

e and glanced toward the sweeping driveway. “That is probably your dad. I’ll speak to him and then you can go home and rest.” Thinking ahead to the dreadful task she had of informing Kate’s parents and the support they would need, she squeezed Chad’s shoulder. “I’ll catch whoever did this and get justice for Kate.”

Her calm exterior covered the rage she had festering inside for the demented lunatic murdering at will on her watch. She could feel his presence and almost taste the evil lurking in the air. She turned to see Kane walking grim-faced from the pool area beside the paramedics pushing a gurney carrying the body bag. Had a military-trained super-soldier arrived to help her by divine intervention or was it just dumb luck? The “do things by the book” sheriff part of her wanted to arrest the killer and take him to trial to pay for his brutality, but deep down inside, the woman in her wanted Kane to put him down like a rabid dog.

Thirty

Kane watched Jenna walk with Chad toward a car parked at the front of the complex and let out a long sigh. The sleepy town of Black Rock Falls had become a playground for crazies of late, and he wondered how much more stress she could take. Six months earlier, Jenna had suffered near death at the hands of two psychopathic murdering brothers who had befriended then stalked her. The brutality of the murders those lunatics had committed turned his stomach, and now six months later, Jenna was dealing with another potential serial killer.

He waited for Wolfe to join him and cleared his throat. “I’m worried about Jenna. I know she is strong but it wasn’t long ago she was held captive by a couple of killers herself.”

“She won’t let her guard down in front of us or anyone else. Maybe you need to get closer to her. I’m not saying sleep with her but she needs a shoulder to lean on. We all have our breaking point—even you.”

“She respects I have feelings for my wife and the job makes it difficult.” He grimaced. “You wait until you feel the lash of her tongue the moment you step on her toes at the office.”

“I’ll make a point of keeping well clear of her toes.”

Kane rubbed his chin. “I admire how feisty she is. She can fight with the best of them.”

“Well, Jenna is never going to be the quiet type, is she?” Wolfe placed his bag at his feet and huffed a weary sigh. “Forget Jenna for a moment. I’ll need to give my girls a call then I’m heading to the funeral home. I’d like to get the autopsy out of the way ASAP. The time of death could be out by some time, depending on how long the killer kept her in the hot spa before laying her out on the diving board.” He waved a hand toward Jenna. “If you’re worried about her, offer to go with her to see the parents. If they ask, I’m afraid they won’t be able to view Kate until I’ve finished. Probably in the morning. Once I release her body, I’ll let you know.”

“How do you cope when you have to do autopsies on kids?”

“It doesn’t matter who I have on my table; they all need my help. I’m the voice who tells their story and brings their killer to justice.” Wolfe’s gaze was cold and steady. “They deserve dignity and a name. To me they are never ‘the victim.’ If they are a Jane Doe then that’s their identity in my mind until proven otherwise.” He shrugged. “Does it make me angry or sad? More than you’ll ever know. I’ve seen what man is capable of doing in war to protect his country but when someone tortures for enjoyment, it churns my guts the same as the next man.” He nodded toward Jenna. “Do as I say and keep her company tonight; she is walking a tightrope right now and needs a friend.”

“I’ll do my best.” He strolled toward Jenna and waited some distance away as she spoke to a man he assumed to be Chad’s father.

When the car drove away, he went to her side. “I would like to come with you to see Kate’s parents, then I need to escape from the horror of the last couple of days. I’m going home to switch off for a while. Maybe watch a cheesy movie or something.”

She gave him one of her “Jenna has left the building” stares and ignored him, but her gaze moved around the complex and a tremble went through her. “I can feel the killer here, as if he is watching us—what if it’s two men? I’ve been wrong before, haven’t I?”

Considering she could be suffering from undiagnosed PTSD, Kane took her by the arm. “What makes you believe he is watching you?”

“Chad called Kate’s cellphone when he arrived and heard her ringtone somewhere nearby.” She looked up at him and fear flashed in her eyes. “He was here watching to see how Chad would react to seeing his girlfriend gutted.”

When she did not shrug off his hand, he gave her a gentle squeeze. “I checked the immediate area. All the passageways have locked doors. He may have been inside the pool area at that time but left before we arrived.”

“How? Chad didn’t see anyone and the gate was locked.” She glanced around at the woodland along the opposite side of the driveway. “I bet he is over there watching us.”