Bring Me Flowers (Detectives Kane and Alton)

iceman had vented his innermost feelings, she gaped at him. “I thought you liked living in Black Rock Falls?”

“Like is a pretty strong word.” Kane snorted in derision and his lips turned down. “A new life maybe, and having you as my boss is a bonus, but I watched my wife die and I live in pain. I’ll probably be stuck here for the rest of my life.”

“Oh my God.” Jenna punched him hard in the bicep and pain shot up her arm. Dammit, she had got close to breaking her knuckles, and Kane only looked at her with one raised black eyebrow. He had not moved an inch. “What the hell is wrong with you? Poor boy, are you feeling sorry for yourself? Want me to buy you a pacifier?” She glared at him. “Pull yourself together.”

When Kane flashed her a brilliant white smile, she gaped at him, speechless, rubbing her throbbing hand.

“That’s the Jenna I know.” He mussed up her hair with one big hand and chuckled. “I thought you had checked out on me for a while before—and next time, punch me in a soft area, or knee me in the groin if you want to get my attention, or you’ll hurt yourself.” He sauntered toward the car.

Running her fingers through her hair, she followed him. “What do you mean by that comment? Are you saying I’m demanding?” She climbed into the passenger seat and turned to see him trying to hide a smile. “What’s so funny?”

“Not a thing, ma’am.” Kane’s full mouth twitched at the corners. He started the engine and turned the SUV for home. “The last few days have been horrific and I’m glad to have you back.”

“I haven’t been anywhere.” The meaning to his words dropped into place and she shrugged. “Okay, yes, I had a few flashbacks. It’s hard not to relate to what the victims went through. I’ve been there, and if you hadn’t arrived, the Daniels brothers would have raped and murdered me. I know they are dead and can’t hurt me. What’s happening to me?”

“We all have a breaking point and you need time to unwind. We have done everything we can for tonight. We can’t compare cases until we get the autopsy results on all the victims. If you want, I’ll write up the case file when I get home and send off an email to Helena to keep them in the loop.”

Jenna sighed. “Thanks. It has been a very long day and I do need to turn off for a while.”

“I’ll take you home so you can take a nice hot shower then why don’t you come over to my place and watch a movie?”

She turned in her seat and looked at him. “No shop talk.”

“I promise.”

The SUV slowed outside Aunt Betty’s Café and Kane held up one long finger then headed inside the store. She glanced up the street and a wave of unease slid over her yet the brightly lit street had a number of people strolling by. Music drifted out the door of the café, and through the storefront window, she noticed Lucky Briggs and Storm Crawley at a table in animated conversation. She waited in the car but try as she may, she could not drag her mind away from the murders. There had to be something, some clue she had overlooked.

She turned on the overhead light and took out her notepad, scanning each page with care. She read the interview notes she had taken with Aimee and Kate. Allowing the girls’ replies to her questions to percolate through her mind, she focused on what they had said. Their attraction toward Lucky Briggs and Storm Crawley had included Felicity. Would they make a secret rendezvous to meet the men of their dreams? She had to admit she would have walked on hot coals to meet the members of her favorite band at the same age, and these men just happened to be locals. They would have the girls’ trust, and after her unnerving interview, she would not put rape past either of them—but murder?

Cowboys worked on ranches when not traveling the rodeo circuit; they likely butchered livestock. And most men hunted in the region, and blood and guts came with the sport. She had failed to look deeper into the cowboys’ lives. She made a note to ask Rowley to ask the locals. People gossip and he would be the best person to pry information loose.

What else had she missed during the interview with Aimee and Kate? Had she overlooked a small but crucial reference or had she failed to ask the correct questions? She rubbed her temples in an effort to force her mind to work harder. Her attention moved to the computer store sitting in darkness, and a spark of memory ignited like a Roman candle on the Fourth of July. Aimee and Kate said they communicate online. She had the impression they would not use the term if they meant called each other by phone. She assumed the games room they used had a live feed; people often played games against each other. Is it possible the killer is hacking their video calls?

Thirty-Two

Kane dropped onto the soft leather sofa beside Jenna and handed her a bowl of popcorn. She had been distant on the drive home, and after taking a shower, she had called him to walk her over to his cottage. The murders had spooked her more than she was prepared to admit and spending the rest of the evening watching a romantic comedy seemed the right thing to do. He hit the play button on the remote, and to his surprise, she sniffed and he noticed her eyes fill with tears. “Relax for a while. It has been a tough few days. Don’t take everything so personal; you’re human not a machine.”

“But I’m the sheriff.” Jenna swiped at a single tear streaming down her cheek. “I need to crack the whip and act tough.”

He grabbed a handful of tissues from the box on the coffee table and handed them to her. “You are tough. In fact, you’ve surprised me many times. I think you are a great sheriff and so do the townsfolk. They voted you back in for another term, didn’t they? What more proof do you need?”

“That’s because no one had the guts to stand against me.” Jenna dabbed at her eyes. “What if I missed something and Kate died because of it?”

He let out a long sigh. “Then we all missed a clue, didn’t we? You have to stop blaming yourself for everything that happens in town. People commit crimes, and nothing we do can change anything. It’s called free will: People decide to keep the peace or break the law, their choice. Our job is to catch them and send them to jail.”

“In the car, I remembered Aimee and Kate mentioned they spoke online.” She lifted her tousled head and looked at him. “They spoke online. I didn’t put that in my notes. If the killer is stalking them online, and I missed that crucial part of the conversation, I could have saved Kate.”

“No. The killer is to blame. You have to stop doing this to yourself, it’s not healthy.” He reached for his cellphone, called Wolfe, and put his device on speaker. “Just a minute. I’ll clarify your worries with Wolfe.” He placed the cellphone between them. “Ah, sorry to bother you. I need some info. How long would it take you to trace a Black Hat’s IP address?”

“Dammit, Dave, you know that’s impossible. They bounce the signal off so many towers in so many countries, it could take weeks, and they change computers all the time. I’m good but if you are alluding to our killer hacking the girls’ computers, it’s possible but highly unlikely. One, maybe, but not all of them. Is that all? I need to finish up here and get home to my kids.”

“Yeah, thanks, man.” Kane disconnected and looked into Jenna’s distraught face. “See, it made no difference, plus the fact Wolfe already considered the idea. Now blow your nose, drink your wine, and watch the movie. We said no shop talk.”

“Okay.”

* * *

Sleep had crept up on Kane way before the end of the movie, and he woke with a stiff neck sometime in the early hours. The temperature in June dropped considerably overnight, and Jenna was the only thing keeping him warm. He glanced down at her in the blueish light from the flat screen. She had fallen asleep against him. Her long black lashes brushed her pink cheek and one hand gripped his T-shirt. Dressed in soft, white pajamas and her pink slippers, she had a vulnerability that tugged at his heart. If she needed him as a friend, he would be there for her. Soon the darkness and self-doubt would slide away and she would be back in control of her emotions.