Pray for Mercy (Detectives Kane and Alton)

from the angle of the incisions on the victim’s face, whoever did this was right-handed. It’s just an observation currently, not conclusive. I’ll look closer at the autopsy.”

Kane hustled back to the sterile room, swiped his card, and stepped inside. He looked at Rio. “Well, some good news at least. Wolfe has collected all the samples and run the tests he needs to do on you for now, so you can take a shower. He’ll be by to examine you once you’re done and then we’ll be taking you back to the office.”

“Can I get some food?” Rio was holding his head. “Please?”

“I’ll grab you something to eat from Aunt Betty’s once we get back to the office.”

“Can I get some of my own clothes?” Rio stared at his blood encrusted hands. “These scrubs don’t do much to keep out the cold and I need a pair of boots.” He shivered. “I have plenty of spare uniforms at home and boots. Mrs. Jacobs, my housekeeper, will bring them over. She’s five minutes away.”

Kane could see the goosebumps on Rio’s arms, and his face had been sheet-white since they’d found him. “Sure, I’ll call her.” He looked at Carter. “I’ll go and pick up his clothes if you can handle the shower?” He looked at Rio. “You’ll need to use the nailbrush to get the blood from under your fingernails. Take your time. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

Kane stripped off the scrubs and tossed them into the bin and headed out the door. He stopped outside in the sunshine and stared into a cloudless blue sky spreading out above the mountains. He took in a few deep breaths of pine-scented air and allowed the scenery to push away the horror of the morning. He climbed into the Beast and called Rio’s housekeeper, only saying Rio needed a change of clothes and not mentioning the murder. He headed off and arrived at the house a few minutes later to find her waiting for him with a grocery bag filled with clothes and a pair of boots balanced on the top. He smiled at her. “Thanks, he’ll be glad to be dry again.”

“Did you bring his wet clothes for me to wash?” She eyed him dubiously.

Kane shook his head. “Ah no, I think we’ll burn them.” He took in her puzzled expression. “I’m sure he’ll explain later.”

He headed back to the ME’s office and, once inside, delivered the clothes and headed to Wolfe’s office to grab a to-go cup of coffee for Rio. He wandered back and his phone chimed. “Yeah?”

“Where are you?” Jenna sounded irritated. “I expected you back by now. I have Duffy to interview at noon. Will you be back by then? Rowley is out on his own talking to our suspects. I need more boots on the ground here.”

Kane rubbed the back of his neck. “Wolfe is examining Rio again as we speak. Once we have him sorted, I’ll drop by with him and Carter. I’ll go by Aunt Betty’s for takeout and be right back. Rio hasn’t eaten since last night.”

“Do you figure he’s involved?”

“I can’t say just now, but I doubt it.” Kane juggled the coffee and phone to scan the door to the sterile area. “Gotta go. I’ll see you soon.”

He walked inside as Wolfe finished his examination. “What did you find?”

“There’s a needle mark here, right between the shoulder blades.” Wolfe pointed to the red mark. “It’s impossible for a person to administer an injection there.” He handed Rio two pills. “For the headache. You’ll feel better once you’ve eaten and the memory should come back in sections. Write down everything you see in the flashes. It will assist with proving your innocence.”

“I’m glad at least one of you believes me.” Rio tucked the towel around his waist and shivered.

Kane handed Rio the coffee. “We’re just following procedure. If we let it slide because you’re a deputy, it looks as if we’re covering up a possible suspect in a homicide. You’d do the same in my position and let’s face facts here, finding you with a body and the murder weapon next to your hand is damning evidence. We had to be sure you hadn’t killed the woman. All we did here protects you from being set up for murder one.” He shrugged. “Get dressed and I’ll drop you at the office.” He looked at Carter. “I’ll drive down to Aunt Betty’s. We’ll be too busy to stop and might have time to grab a bite before Duffy arrives for his interview. You can bring Jenna up to speed.”

“That’s fine by me.” Carter removed his face mask and tossed a toothpick into his mouth. “Pulled-pork rolls for me, two, and pie—I’m not particular on what kind. I’m famished.” He went for his wallet.

Kane held up a hand. “Lunch is on the department. We have a tab at Aunt Betty’s.” He pulled out his phone and headed for the door. “I’ll call ahead and give them our order.” He made the call.

Carter followed him out the door and peeled off his scrubs. He was shaking his head. Kane stared at him. “What’s on your mind?”

“There’s one thing worrying me.” Carter moved the toothpick across his lips. “If Rio isn’t responsible for killing the old lady, then Rowley is out there alone with two possible suspects. From what I’ve seen, this killer isn’t going to worry about taking down a deputy. We need to have Rowley’s back before he becomes the next victim.”

THIRTY

Shocked by Rio’s drawn appearance when he staggered into her office with Carter, Jenna sat him down and pushed a cup of coffee in front of him. She trusted Wolfe’s opinion and would act on it. She looked at him, needing to say something positive. “I’m sorry I was so hard on you, Zac. I’m glad Wolfe was able to clear you of any involvement so quickly. You should go home and rest. We’ll find the person who did this to you.”

“You followed procedure.” Rio lifted his red-rimmed eyes to her. “I’d like to stay if you don’t mind. When you discuss the case, it might trigger flashbacks of what happened. I’ll stand down if it becomes a conflict of interest.”

Considering the options, Jenna nodded somewhat reluctantly. “Okay.” She turned to Carter. “What have we got?”

She listened as Carter updated her and shook her head when he voiced his worry over Rowley’s safety. “I’ve trained Jake to be cautious. He wouldn’t put himself in danger. These suspects are both working outside, in full view of the neighbors and homeowners, or I wouldn’t have sent him out alone. He’s fine. He called just before and he’s on his way back to the office. He’s spoken to Bueller and Hahn, and neither of them had an alibi for any of the times of the murders, so they are well and truly still on our list of possible suspects.” She dropped a pen into the old chipped cup with welcome to hawaii printed on one side and looked at him. “Hahn was within five minutes’ drive of the last murder scene, and Bueller admits to being in transit between Stanton and Main around nine as well. Both men were in the vicinity of the murder scene. Neither has anyone to prove their whereabouts. Although Hahn dropped by Aunt Betty’s at around eight-thirty. We can check that out.”

“Any clues to who left the message on the front door again?” Carter placed one boot on his other knee and leaned back in his chair. “No prints and no CCTV?”

When Carter aimed his piercing green eyes at her, it sometimes made her feel like a rookie. It wasn’t him. She liked him just fine, and away from the job he was a really nice guy. Like Kane, he shot straight from the hip and didn’t sugarcoat anything. His investigative experience was mind-blowing and sometimes a little daunting. Jenna pushed the hair from her eyes with a sigh. “Nope. I assume they used a stick dipped in the mud puddle beside the door to write it. No prints and the CCTV camera is still out. I walked the streets with Jo when we arrived to ask everyone close by if they noticed anyone and got zip.” She met Rio’s troubled gaze. “Someone sure has it in for you, Zac. Is there anything we should know?”

“Not about last night, no. Wolfe told me the memory might come back in flashes and as soon as anything comes back, I’ll tell you. It’s about Duffy. I had him come by to check the furnace a couple of weeks ago. It makes a noise and keeps me awake at night.” Rio scratched the dark stubble on his chin, making a rasping sound. “He recommended I put in a new one. He was real chatty and then went as cold as ice, as if he’d flipped a switch, when Mrs. Jacobs said I should get a few quotes before I asked you about replacing it.” He shrugged. “Colby Hahn has worked for us as well. I had a few jobs for him to do around the house but he had a problem with Cuddles… Ah, that’s Mrs. Jacobs’ cat. The twins said they had an argument because he locked the cat in a cupboard to keep it from rubbing around his legs.”