Bring Me Flowers (Detectives Kane and Alton)
Page 54
“I hope so.” Kane’s blue eyes met hers over the rim of his takeout coffee cup. “I have the awful feeling she’s dead. Most people won’t leave home without their cards and wallet and I doubt if I could find anyone who willingly leaves without their cellphone.” Kane raised one black eyebrow. “Even you.”
She frowned. “For me it’s weapons then cellphone, and I usually stuff some cash into my pocket.” She sipped the coffee, easing the soreness in her throat. “But I admit I do keep essentials here in my office.”
“Exactly.” Kane flashed her a white grin. “So, unless Mrs. Rogers has a hideout somewhere with a stash of cash and clothes, I think we should be concerned about her safety. Especially as we found evidence of blood on the hall floor and the Chinese rug is missing.”
“She is not at her sister’s and I’ve contacted all the friends on the list she gave me. No one has seen her.” She rubbed her temples in slow circles. “If you add the muddy boots and shovel… It’s not looking good, is it?”
“Nope.” Kane’s blue gaze slid over her face. “Wolfe is bringing in cadaver dogs. Stanton Forest covers miles in all directions. We’ll need to set up a search party and spread out in sections from where Rogers parked his car.” He wiped his mouth with a paper towel. “The problem I have is if he isn’t our killer, we are counting down the hours for the next victim to turn up.” He sighed. “If he has escalated, we would expect him to hit over the weekend.”
A cold chill shivered down Jenna’s spine. “My guess would be while everyone is occupied at the dance at the showground on Friday night.”
“That was my thought as well.”
Trying to push past the horror of finding another mutilated victim, Jenna stood and went to the whiteboard. “Okay, while we’re waiting for Wolfe to finish his tests and for the K-9 team to arrive, the best course of action would be to remove Rogers from the suspect list then run through the timeline of each victim and see if any of our suspects match the murders.” She glanced at him. “As we have absolutely zero suspects or information concerning Joanne Blunt, I’m treating her death as a random thrill-kill by the same killer. We have nothing to tie her in with the other victims and we can discount a copycat.”
Taking the black pen, she made two separate sections at the end of the whiteboard and titled them, “Felicity, Kate other suspect options.”
Felicity.
Movements prior to death:
Last seen alive: Monday morning approximately seven fifty
By whom: Parents
Mrs. Rogers at approximately eight
* * *
What was she doing?
Leaving home to visit Aimee Fox
Mrs. Rogers witnessed her walking toward Stanton Forest – opposite direction to Fox home
* * *
Location: Stanton Road
* * *
What was she wearing? Blue shirt with butterfly, blue skirt, pink cowboy boots, earbuds.
* * *
Boyfriend: Derick Smith
* * *
Friends: Aimee Fox, Kate Bright, Chad Johnson, Lucas Summerville
* * *
Recent social interactions: Online gamer, Aunt Betty’s Café, computer store
* * *
Suspects: