“Yeah, we have an interview with James Stone tomorrow at ten.” Jo cleared her throat. “He’ll only speak to Jenna and me. He made it very clear he doesn’t want Kane anywhere near him.”
Kane snorted. “Really?”
After receiving a gunshot wound to the head from Stone resulting in a near-fatal fall into a ravine, a busted knee, and memory loss, he’d wanted to confront the man who’d tried to kill him. In fact, something deep inside him had hoped Stone might attack him so he’d have the chance to even the score, but there was also something satisfying knowing the murdering SOB would be locked up for the rest of his life. He chuckled. “It amuses me to think that I intimidate him, but when you’re interviewing him make sure you let him know I’m right outside.”
“We’ll be landing at your ranch around 0800 hours.” Carter was all business. “We’ll have time for a chat before we head out to the county prison. They have a helipad, so we’ll take the bird.”
Kane nodded. “Sure. I’ll have a pot of coffee waiting.”
“Thanks for your help, guys, we’ll see you in the morning.” Jenna disconnected.
Trying to keep all the information straight in his mind, Kane stretched. They had other commitments for the morning. “We’ll miss one of the autopsies. Wolfe mentioned ten and two.”
“I’ll send Rio.” Jenna leaned back in her chair. “Rowley can handle the office.” She chewed on her bottom lip, staring into space. “Now we have to come up with a plan to keep Long here for a spell.” She turned her attention back to him. “Write up what we have on Long and run it past the DA.” She stood and pressed the button that made the whiteboard slide from its recess in the ceiling. “I’m going to enter all the information we have on the whiteboard. It will help us piece this together.”
Kane stood. “Sure, I’m on it.”
After getting the statement from Rowley, Kane picked up the phone and called the DA’s office. Surprisingly, the secretary put him straight through. “Some information has come up you need to be aware of in the Adams case.”
After going through the statement Long provided, Kane waited for the DA to process the information. “The sheriff would like to detain Long pending the autopsies. We’ve considered a collaboration between Adams and Long or maybe they’re part of a cult imitating James Stone’s murder spree. They both display psychopathic tendencies and we’re wary about allowing Long back out on the streets.”
“Stone will have him out in a second. Let him out before he figures out you suspect him.” The DA swore under his breath. “It also means the circumstantial evidence we have on Adams is shot to hell. I’ll have to drop the charges until you have more evidence. If we take him to trial now and he walks on reasonable doubt, which he will once Long’s statement is presented, we’ll be faced with double jeopardy if you establish, he did indeed kill Payton Harris.”
Kane grimaced. It wasn’t the news he wanted. “I’m sure Adams killed Harris and probably his wife too.”
“Then bring me the evidence. Until then, I suggest you keep both men under surveillance. I’ll speak to the judge and explain why we’re dropping the charges. I’ll see if he’ll agrees to allow your department to track both men via vehicles or phones. As they’re both ex-cons, we may be lucky. I’ll let you know.” He disconnected.
Shaking his head, Kane climbed the stairs up to Jenna’s office. He stared at the notes on the whiteboard and then headed back down the steps and hustled to the interview room. He flashed his card and walked inside. Long had his chair tipped back against the wall, boots on the table, and cowboy hat pulled down over his eyes. He cleared his throat. “Good news, we don’t have to trek up the mountain. The Howards have been found.”
He waited for a reaction and when Long jerked up, spilling his hat to the floor, it was all Kane needed. The surprise on the man’s face was evident.
“You sure it’s them?” Long bent to retrieve his hat.
Kane rested one hip on the table and looked at him. “Yeah, they’re on their way back as we speak. Thanks for coming in.” He paused a beat. “Something I forgot to ask you: You did time in county jail, didn’t you? What’s the scuttlebutt on James Stone?”
“Men talk, you know.” Long shrugged but his eyes shifted from side to side. “I seen him one time but he didn’t look like a serial killer. No one hassles him, that’s for sure. The guards treat him like royalty.”
Kane narrowed his gaze. “Really? I’d have thought the opposite, as he was a defense attorney.”
“Nah.” Long gave him a slow smile. “I figure it’s because he could kill them all and they know it.”
Thirty-Six
Somber didn’t adequately describe Jenna’s mood; morose, depressed came close. After receiving the news from Wolfe that the ear found pinned to her porch was indeed from June Harris, she had to concede the chances of finding her alive were now remote. There had been no sign, not as much as a strand of hair from June Harris, to assist them since the few drops of blood Rio had discovered. Search and rescue, along with cadaver dogs and the usual volunteers, had combed the forest, including the riverbeds and lakes. With hunters, wardens, and hikers constantly roaming the forest, someone should have found her or smelled her remains, but the woodlands were vast and Jenna had no option but to bring in the search parties. The poor woman had more than likely been murdered along with her husband and her body hidden. There was little or no likelihood of finding her remains after all this time.
After Kane had spoken to the DA, the two suspects she’d considered for the current murders had walked free. The only good news was that the judge had granted them permission to track Adams and Long. She’d contacted Bobby Kalo and he’d promised to set up an alarm system to notify her if either of them left town. When he’d called Kane with the details, she’d been on a call listening to Sam Cross crow in her ear about Adams’ release.
Jenna had never been a person to give up and believed the Wild Outdoors store and Aunt Betty’s Café could be possible hunting grounds for couples the men planned to kill. On the way home she’d stopped by both stores and showed the photographs of Adams and Long and had asked to be notified if the men happened to drop by. Both the café and the hunting goods store had CCTV cameras, and the proprietors were more than happy to call her and keep any footage if the men visited. The latter had placated her some, but a murderer still walked the streets. Until she had a suspect in custody, nothing would remove the terrible feeling of responsibility cramping her gut. Every minute that passed, another couple could be butchered in her town.
Without any other possible suspects to investigate, Jenna sat on Kane’s sofa and watched the news. The media release she’d worked on with Rio gave few details about the bodies they’d found in the forest and requested information about anyone in the area acting suspicious in the vicinity of Bear Peak at the times of the murders. She leaned into Kane and sighed. “I hope someone comes forward. I feel like I’m stuck in quicksand. I’m convinced we had our killers and now all we can do is wait until one of them tries to kill again and hope we get there in time.”
“We’ll get there.” Kane pulled her under one arm. “You’ve trained a fast-response team. Everyone knows their jobs and we can rely on them one hundred percent. The suspects aren’t going anywhere without us knowing.”
“How so?”
“Kalo has many tricks up his sleeve, and face recognition software is one of them.” Kane smiled. “He is utilizing the fee
d of every CCTV camera in town. Trust me, if those guys as much as jaywalk, we’ll know about it and in real time.” He gave her a squeeze. “You and Jo will be able to make Stone give up information. If those two men are involved, he’ll be crowing about it. For him it will be a triumph. He won’t be able to help himself. Knowing someone is killing for him will make him careless.”