Cross My Heart (Detectives Kane and Alton)

After the bodies had been retrieved—the man shot by Kane identified as Long, and the burned corpse as Adams—Jenna had spent the rest of Friday interviewing the suspect Rowley and Rio had apprehended in the forest. John Foster, dressed in cowboy hat and slicker, the uniform, it seemed, for James Stone’s disciples, had told an interesting story.

The scheme for Stone’s escape had been set into action following his arrest. His contact with the outside world hadn’t been restricted until after his conviction. As a lawyer himself, he’d known he’d be sent to jail for life and set a plan for escape in motion. It had taken time to organize. He’d selected suitable likeminded candidates for his disciples, working on a sure-fire defense to have them released from jail and by having guards ready to look the other way for the right price. Late Thursday night, Stone had complained of severe stomach cramps and convinced the medic at the prison that he was suffering an acute appendicitis. An ambulance had been called and the guards paid off to not resist the ambush by his disciples on the highway.

Foster insisted he hadn’t killed anyone but laid the blame for June and Payton Harris’ murders on Adams. He’d taken Jenna and the team to the cave where Adams had displayed June Harris. The poor woman had been retrieved and her body would be laid to rest beside her husband. It had also been Adams who’d broken into Jenna’s ranch by stealing the gate fob from Wolfe’s van. It had taken only a short time observing her ranch to discover who carried the controls to the gate. He’d tried to break into the Beast, but the bulletproof glass had proved too great a problem. Adams used a wireless blocker to disable Jenna’s phone and, after switching off the generator, had cut the power to the house.

Continuing to deny any involvement, Foster gave a detailed account of the brutal murders of Emmett and Patti Howard, saying he’d been in the forest as a lookout when Tyson Long arrived with the couple. Late at night, he’d distracted Emmett by crashing through the trees and grunting like a bear. Long had instructed Emmett to sit behind the tree and then used his crossbow to kill him. Patti’s murder had been brutal, and the gruesome details were verified by Wolfe’s autopsy findings.

Foster explained how, unrestricted in the jail, the disciples had been able to pass messages and plan where to meet in Black Rock Falls. On their release from jail, they’d placed a message in the personal column that read: I am a disciple. At the following meetings, held in the cave out of Stanton Forest, they’d planned every move and kept Stone in the loop by posting cryptic messages in the newspaper.

To cause chaos, Stone had chosen Adams and Long to commit copycat killings and made sure the men had alibis for each other’s crimes in order to shed reasonable doubt on any convictions. Knowing Sam Cross would see an injustice if one of them was arrested, he used the man’s integrity for his own twisted needs. He wanted Jenna to be confused and chasing her tail. When Stone’s plans fell into place, the disciples organized his escape, and as Stone’s only concession in jail and link to the outside world was a local newspaper, they posted a message in the Thursday edition of the Black Rock Falls News: Meeting of the disciples, 1:00 am Friday, Stanton Road.

/> With his disciples ready, Stone had only to follow the plan. Getting Jenna and Kane to the mountain had been easy. Kane’s love for his dog was well known, and causing an accident in the middle of town to coincide with the time they went to work enabled Adams to steal Duke. Later, Stone made an anonymous call to the forest warden, and all he had to do was wait in the forest for them to arrive. He had his men in position and only had to ambush her and Kane as they searched for Duke. The wildfire had been an unexpected bonus, driving Jenna into Stone’s clutches.

Foster had been stationed on the bank of the river just in case Jenna slipped through Stone’s net, and had been waiting for Stone to return when questioned by Rowley.

Jenna had interviewed Foster in the presence of Sam Cross, whose outrage at being a pawn in a deadly conspiracy was palpable. It was obvious that Cross was as honest as the day was long, but when he excused himself and refused to represent Foster, it was the first time Jenna had seen him vulnerable. After waiting for another lawyer to arrive, Jenna, with the DA present, had charged Foster with felony murder and a list of other charges. There was no deal offered, as he was a repeat offender. It would be very unlikely he’d ever walk free again.

Exhausted but with a huge weight lifted from her shoulders, Jenna had returned to Kane’s cottage and showered, scrubbing the stink of fire and death from her body before sleeping like the dead right through until lunchtime Saturday morning. She’d spent the rest of the day in the office with her team, tying up loose ends. Sunday would be a day to kick back and relax at home with Kane.

It was late when she woke on Sunday morning, but for once she didn’t care. She staggered out of bed, still drowsy, and headed toward the smell of coffee. She loved living with Dave, and having him close by was like living a dream. The thought of going back to her ranch house left a pit of loneliness in her stomach. She went into the kitchen, poured a cup of coffee, added the fixings, and took the cup to the window to stare at her beautiful home. Would she be happy there after what had happened? Would she ever feel safe again?

When Kane’s arms came around her, she leaned back into his embrace. “If I told you how much I love being here with you and I’m worried about moving back into my house, would you think I’m stupid?”

“No. I’d probably figure it was your roundabout way of asking me to move in with you.” Kane’s voice had gained a very bad Transylvanian accent. “Of course I will, my dear. I’ll move my coffin into your cellar as soon as the sun goes down. Ha, ha, ha.”

“Your what?” Jenna, turned to look at him and burst out laughing at his plastic fangs and long, red-lined black cape. “Oh, I’d forgotten today is Halloween.”

“You did?” Kane grinned, showing his fangs. “I’m going as Dracula… ha, ha, ha.”