Bring Me Flowers (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“We can hire another full-time deputy as well, but a rookie. The mayor said the budget won’t stretch to another ex-marine.” Kane’s blue eyes searched her face. “Would you like me to place an advertisement once we have caught the killer or go ahead and start looking for someone now?”

She shook her head. “No, you have enough to do at the moment and a rookie to watch as well will be more trouble than he is worth. In any case, we have Maggie to do the grunt work. I can’t expect you to do her duties as well.”

Last night, he had let down his guard by showing her his gentler side. Rather than push him away she should encourage him to relax with her in their downtime. Their evening together had been natural as if they fit together, and the fact he cared enough to cuddle her all night meant a lot to her. She smiled and caught his relieved expression. “Thanks for handling the mayor, I find him a bit condescending. Then most of the old-school types in town think being a sheriff is a man’s job.”

“Trust me,” Kane smiled at her in a slash of white, “everyone knows who is in charge.”

Thirty-Four

Kane noticed the color rise in Jenna’s cheeks and stood ready to leave. “If it’s alright with you, ma’am, I’ll head out to the fai

rgrounds and speak to the cowboys.”

“Just a minute, Kane. I need a word with you before you leave.” Jenna tucked a strand of raven hair behind one ear then turned her attention to Wolfe. “If you need a quiet area to search through the laptops, use the control center, and you can keep an eye on Emily at the same time via the CCTV cameras.”

“Yes, that would be a good idea.” Wolfe rubbed the blond stubble on his chin and looked at Jenna. “I’ll need Chad’s IP address as well, and Kate’s other friends. It will give me a better idea of who was interacting and when. If I see someone we can’t identify, we will know it’s our bogey. Do you mind if I call the parents for the information?”

“No, go ahead and do what’s necessary.”

Unsure of Jenna’s mood or motive for keeping him behind, Kane dropped back into the chair and rested one boot on the knee of his other leg. After Wolfe left the room, closing the door behind him, instead of going back to her seat, Jenna stood between him and the desk and stared down at him with a confused expression. He gave her his brightest smile. “What can I do for you, ma’am?”

“Last night—okay. I know I checked out for a while.” Jenna rubbed both small hands over her face then peered at him through her fingers. “Before you ask, the flashbacks are a bitch but I’m coping, and swearing at you this morning was unforgiveable. I shouldn’t have had a drink or bothered you with my problems. It wasn’t a fair thing to do in the circumstances and I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.”

Kane leaned back in the chair and looked up at her. The memory of her snuggled against him came back in a rush. He frowned. “What circumstances?”

“You’ve recently lost your wife and ending up in your bed was unforgivable.”

“Her name was Annie and I lost her eighteen months ago.” He regarded the sorrow in her eyes and frowned. “You’re my friend and last night we both needed a little comfort. Trust me, sleeping alone after having Annie beside me for five years is hell. Just knowing she would be waiting for me to come home after a mission kept me alive. It’s been a long time since anyone needed me or cuddled me.” He reached for her hand and rubbed his thumb over her smooth skin. “Sometimes you’ll need a shoulder to cry on and I’ll need a cuddle or we’ll stop being human.”

Her dark blue eyes moved over his face and she gave the tiniest of nods. “I agree. I value the friendship we have outside the office. I think not allowing personal life to get in the way of the job is part of being a professional.”

He looked at her for a long moment. His dream of a wife, a white picket fence, and a bunch of kids had died with Annie but he had found a kindred spirit in Jenna. “I enjoy your company too and with all that’s happened lately, it’s not healthy to be alone every night to dwell on murder. Come over for a steak tonight and we can finish watching the movie.”

“Sure, let me know how you get on with the cowboys.”

He dropped her hand and touched the brim of his hat before heading for the door. “Yes, ma’am.”

* * *

Pedestrians dressed in their best fringes and sparkles filled the sidewalk. With the first day of the rodeo underway, the local businesses in Black Rock Falls were doing a roaring trade. Most of the stores had stalls out front carrying local souvenirs, preserves, pottery, and other interesting items. The boldly colored bunting draped on every available surface gave the main road a carnival atmosphere. Speakers set high on the lampposts vibrated with country and western music, the latest tunes interrupted by the local radio station with the results of events at the fairgrounds. The noise in the “quiet” town had increased to a constant babble of voices.

As Kane walked to his SUV, he returned the smiles on the faces of the people and friendly greetings but the memories of the mutilated bodies remained at the front of his mind. He slid behind the wheel ever vigilant, his gaze moving over the people, taking a mental note of men close by or speaking to young women. Somewhere in the happy crowd lurked a monster waiting to pluck another victim from existence.

His attention moved to a couple of girls heading into Aunt Betty’s Café, chatting animatedly with the computer science teacher Steve Rogers. When he noticed one of the girls was Aimee Fox, his worry meter hit the bell. He pulled to the curb and observed the trio for a few minutes, noting how different Steve Rogers acted with the girls. All charm and smiles, not the henpecked husband he had tried to convey to him during the interview. The man could easily fit the profile of a killer. Kane had seen more than two faces of evil displayed in a man who took pleasure in murder. He had an inbuilt dislike for Steve Rogers, and his gut instinct told him he was not what he seemed.

Needing to take a closer look, he climbed out of the vehicle and headed inside the café. He went to the counter and ordered a coffee to go then wandered over to the table where the two girls sat with Rogers. The trio had their heads together looking at one of the girls’ cellphones and making excited comments. He wanted to make it quite clear he had seen the teacher in the company of the girls. “How are you today, Mr. Rogers?”

“Enjoying a coffee with two of my pupils in plain sight.” Rogers gave him a condescending stare. “Am I breaking the law?”

“Nope.” Kane leaned down to look at the cellphone. “I noticed Aimee’s attention was fixed on something on her cellphone and was wondering what is so interesting. I’ve seen quite a few young people running around as if their lives depended on it.”

“It’s the new game app. See, it interacts with the camera.” Aimee held up the screen. “The idea is to collect the characters or whatever to go up a level. The final level apparently unlocks a bonus game.”

Kane glanced at the screen and saw the interior of the café, and right in the middle was a green character waving at him. He looked at the room then back at the screen. “That is incredible, digital interaction via the camera and the navigation system on the cellphone.” He glanced at Rogers. “You’d know all about this type of game, wouldn’t you?”

“My skills are not quite up to this standard or I wouldn’t be teaching, I’d be a billionaire.” Rogers gave a sarcastic laugh. “But I do have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

“I bet you do.” Kane smiled at Aimee. “Remember what your mom told you about going straight home.”