Seeing Jenna’s eyes flash, Kane swallowed hard and looked at Carter. “Jenna is just being careful.”
“I still think it wouldn’t hurt to check up on him.” Jenna looked at Kane. “Can you make an excuse to call him when we’re done here?”
Kane shrugged. “Sure.”
After eating he made the call. “Hey, how are things? Has Cade settled down some now?”
“Nope. Now he’s giving me the silent treatment.” Rio sounded annoyed. “Thanks for taking his keys. He needs to be brought back to earth. Taking the bus to school for a while will hopefully make him see reason.” He let out a long sigh. “That woman is way too old for him. He figures the sun revolves around her. She’s just using him. The idiot told her about his inheritance. I can’t watch him twenty-four/seven and I’m concerned he’ll take off from school with her. I spent hours trying to find her cabin. Bear Peak is like a maze and driving around there is dangerous.”
Kane scratched his head. “The bears are one thing but the guys living off the grid are a little nervous of law enforcement snooping around. They shoot first and ask questions later, so you’ll need to be careful.” He thought for a beat. “Next time he goes missing, call it in and we’ll work together. Wolfe has a drone he is planning on using for aerial shots of crime scenes. Maybe we can use it to track Kara’s truck back to her cabin.”
“Thanks, I’d appreciate your help.”
“So, I guess you’re staying home to watch Cade tonight?” Kane rubbed the back of his neck thinking what to say next. “Do you figure he’ll run off again?”
“I hope not. I’m his brother and there’s not too much I can do. I wanted to take his phone but it would have ended up in a fight. He’s seventeen. I can’t force him to
stay home either, but if he heads out, I’ll follow him.” Rio cleared his throat. “Thanks for calling, I’ll see you in the morning.”
Kane stared into space. “Yeah, sure.” He disconnected and headed back to the family room. “Rio’s home watching Cade. I don’t figure he’s going anywhere.”
“See?” Carter relaxed in one of the leather chairs beside the fireplace. “Everything is fine.”
“That’s a relief.” Jenna shook her head, allowing her bangs to spill over her forehead.
TWENTY-FIVE
THURSDAY
Deputy Zac Rio stirred at the sharp tone of Jenna’s voice and inhaled the stench of death. Nausea gripped him and he forced open his heavy eyelids, blinking into the shaft of sunlight pouring from an open door. He lifted one hand to shield his eyes and stared in horror at the dried blood covering his fingers. Disoriented, he struggled to sit up, and gaped at the sticky mess of crimson smothering his jeans. His shirt stuck to his chest under the darkening red stain running from neck to navel. Footsteps came closer and he turned his head. Pain shot through his temples, as his gaze rested in horror at the blood covered floor.
“Stay where you are, Zac.” Jenna moved closer with her Glock steady in her hand. “Give me your weapon. Take it out using finger and thumb.” She held out her hand. “No sudden moves.”
Confused, Zac removed his pistol and handed it to her. “Where’s all this blood coming from?”
“Hands on your head.” Jenna pushed his Glock into the back of her belt.
He complied. The room was unfamiliar and he had no memories of how he’d gotten there and for him that was impossible. He shook his head in disbelief and stared up at Jenna’s stern expression. “What’s going on here, Jenna?”
“I could ask you the same question.” Kane crouched beside him. “What’s the last thing you remember?”
Rio searched his mind. He’d been born with a retentive memory and could recall everything he’d seen at will and had the ability to process information at high speed, but right now he came up with a distorted array of memories. “I’m not sure. I answered the door around nine last night. It was a kid who said Flora Carson out of Buffalo Trail had sent them to tell me about a prowler. Her phone was out and the kid came by on his bike.”
“Then what?” Jenna was moving around him snapping images with her phone.
Trying not to spew, Rio looked at Kane. “Nothing until I woke up here. Nothing at all. My mind is a complete blank.” He turned to Jenna. “Can I put my hands down now? I’m gonna spew.”
“Take a few deep breaths.” Jenna pulled on surgical gloves and picked up a bloody Ka-Bar knife, dangling it between finger and thumb. “Does this belong to you?”
Focusing on the combat knife, Rio shook his head. “No, I’ve seen two people with them, one is Kane and the other FBI Special Agent Ty Carter.”
“It’s not mine.” Kane slid his knife from a leather sheath on his belt and ran his thumb across the sharp blade before slipping it back. “And Ty was with us last night.”
Rio shook his head. “I’ve never seen it before.”
“Can you stand?” Kane pulled on surgical gloves and grasped Rio by the arm, pulling him to his feet.
Head fuzzy, Rio staggered before spreading his feet to gain his balance. “Yeah. I feel like I’ve been out drinking all night and then had a bull stomp all over me.” He turned his head and caught his breath at the sight of a pair of feet sticking out from a doorway, one wearing a tattered bedroom slipper, the other clad in a pink sock. A trail of blood ran from one room to the other. He swallowed the rising bile. “Oh Jesus, is that Flora Carson?”