Jenna stood her ground. This man didn’t frighten her. “I appreciate your cooperation with Deputy Walters earlier, but I’ll need a statement from you and your brother concerning your whereabouts at the time Carol died.” She waved her statement book at him. “May we come inside?”
“Ah—” Errol glanced at his brother and they exchanged whispers that Jenna couldn’t hear.
“We can do this here or downtown? I need a statement one way or another.” Jenna glanced from one angry face to the other. “You do realize, as Carol was under a protection order, the first person we look at is the husband. If you have a witness to prove where you were at the time of the fire, then I’ll leave you alone.”
“Okay.” Errol stood to one side and Jenna walked into the hallway with Rowley close behind. The house was a mess and had the stench of a garbage truck.
She followed Errol and his brother into a kitchen with every surface piled high with takeout cartons, dirty dishes, and food wrappers. A loaf of bread covered with blue mold sat on the bench beside a rancid stick of butter. She pulled out her pen and, pushing a pile of plates to one side, rested the statement book on t
he kitchen table. “Okay, where were you when the fire broke out?”
“Eating in Aunt Betty’s Café and after I went to the bank. It wasn’t until I left there that I noticed the smoke.” Errol frowned. “Lou was with me in the diner and they have CCTV. I have an ironclad alibi.”
Wondering why an innocent man would even mention the cameras, Jenna wrote down what he’d said in the statement book. “Okay, add the approximate time you believe you were there and sign it.” She offered him the book and turned to Lou. “Did you arrive at the same time as Errol?”
“Nope, a little after.” Lou shrugged. “Don’t look at me for this. I didn’t even know where she lived until Deputy Walters showed before, so don’t come to me with your accusations.”
Startled by Lou’s aggression, Jenna turned her attention back to Errol. “Did you know where Carol was living?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t kill her.” Errol rubbed the back of his neck. “I wanted her back.”
Mind spinning, Jenna stared at him. She’d gone to great lengths to keep Carol’s whereabouts secret. “How did you find out where Carol was living?”
“It was on the protection-order paperwork.” Errol shrugged. “It states I’m not to go within ten yards of her or her residence.” He handed back the statement book.
Angry at the incompetence of the clerk who issued the order, Jenna filled out the details for Lou Dean and handed the statement book to him. “Read this, add the time you arrived at Aunt Betty’s, the time you left, and sign it.” She turned back to Errol. “So, we won’t find your fingerprints at Carol’s apartment, is that right? You never went there?”
“Nope.” Errol shuffled his feet. “Am I responsible for burying her? I’m barely keeping a roof over my head.” He lifted his gaze to her. “She didn’t have life insurance.”
Disgusted, Jenna stared at him. “It seems fighting the divorce has come to bite you in the ass. Until it’s final, you’re Carol’s next of kin and responsible for her remains.” She pulled an evidence bag from her pocket and held it out to Lou. “If you’d drop the statement book and pen in here for me, please Mr. Dean.”
“What the hell for?” Lou eyeballed her. “What’s your game?”
Jenna wrinkled her nose. “Your hands are filthy and I’m a germaphobe.” She looked around the kitchen in disgust. “This place needs to be condemned. I suggest you clean it up before I inform the town council. It’s a health hazard.”
To her surprise he dropped the book and pen into the bag. Jenna sealed it and met his confused gaze. His brother just stared at them openmouthed. “Thank you. We’ll see ourselves out.” She gave Rowley a meaningful look and they hurried out the door.
“That was pretty slick, ma’am.” Rowley dropped into the seat beside her. “I wondered why you used a new statement book and ran the scanner over it before we left. You wanted to collect Lou’s prints, right?”
Jenna started the engine and nodded. “Yeah, it’s an old trick.” She smiled at him. “I’ll drop the evidence at the office and get Maggie to send the samples to the lab. I sure wish we had a medical examiner in town. It would make life so much easier.”
“There’s not too much for them to do around here.” Rowley chuckled. “Accidents and old age are the main causes of death. Nothing bad happens in Black Rock Falls. Not now, anyway. There are rumors, and Atohi will tell you all kinds of stories about the forest, but I figure the worst that’s happened is when people go missing it’s because they fall into the ravine or the bears get them.”
Jenna peered into the dense forest and the dark mysterious interior. As the afternoon sun dropped in the sky the long shadows looked foreboding and as the wind moved the branches anything, man or beast could be in there, hiding. She shook her head. “Well, if I was a serial killer and wanted to hide off the grid, Stanton Forest would be perfect.” She raised both eyebrows. “They could be out there right now, just waiting for someone to walk on by.”
Twenty-Three
After viewing the CCTV footage at Aunt Betty’s Café, they discovered the Dean brothers had been in the café at the time of the fire. Errol had arrived first, and Lou about ten minutes later. As Jenna had no time of death nor could she get any more information from the fire chief on his estimate of when the fire started, she was at an impasse. She thanked Susie Hartwig, the assistant manager, and after ordering a meal, headed back to the table reserved for the sheriff’s department, at the back but with a window close by. Beside her, Rowley got to his feet and hurried back to the counter. She watched with interest as he spoke to a very striking Native American man and then ushered him to their table.
“Sheriff, this is Atohi Blackhawk, the good friend I mentioned earlier.” Rowley pushed the man forward.
Mesmerized by Atohi’s expressive eyes and handsome features, Jenna stood and offered her hand. “Nice to meet you, Atohi. I feel I already know you. Jake speaks very highly of you.”
“Ha, we have known each other for many years.” Atohi sat down. “We have a similar interest in horses and the preservation of the forest.” He smiled. “It is good to see a dedicated sheriff in town. Jake speaks highly of you too.” He glanced at Rowley. “You should bring Sheriff Alton to the res and introduce her to my father. He would like to meet her.” He looked at Jenna. “It will be good for the town to have a sheriff who cares. Our tribal elders will have much to discuss with you. Tribal law aside, we both have a mutual interest in the forest and rivers.”
Jenna smiled. “We sure do. I’m looking forward to visiting the res and speaking with your father. It will be a great honor to speak with your elders. We have a case right now, but we’ll be making plans as soon as possible… and please call me Jenna.”
“Ah yes, the fire.” Atohi frowned. “I would think it would be very unusual to have an electrical fault in the hardware store. The owner is an electrician and wired the entire place himself only recently. He had to make sure everything was up to code before he rented the apartment.” He looked at Jenna. “I know this to be true because he told me when I dropped by a couple of months ago.”