Pray for Mercy (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“I wouldn’t miss it.” Carter strolled out into the sunshine. “Lead the way.”

When Kane pulled up outside Mrs. Jefferson’s neat house. He looked back down the long driveway and wondered why a woman of her age would walk so far each day. It must be three miles from town to her home and yet a sedan sat in a garage next to the house polished and clean. Another vehicle sat in front of the house, a white GMC truck with a man sitting inside. He walked up to the man. “Bret Carson?”

“Yeah.” Carson opened the door and climbed out. “What took you so long? Harriette could be in trouble inside.”

“We found Mrs. Jefferson.” Jenna moved to his side. “I’m afraid she’s dead.”

“What do you mean?” Carson paled and ran a hand down his face. “What happened to her?”

Observing him closely, Kane flicked a glance at Jo, who was doing the same. “What makes you think something happened to her? She was an old lady. People die of old age.”

“After someone murdered Agnes Wagner and then my grandma, not forgetting the horrible death of Mrs. Darvish, what else am I to think?” Carson looked at him wild eyed. “There’s a crazy person running around town. You need to stop them.”

The fact they’d considered Jolene Darvish’s murder a homicide had never been released to the media. Finding her truck at the bottom of the ravine was described as “under investigation” and there’d been no findings in his grandma’s murder pending an autopsy. Kane shook his head. “Those are wild accusations. Where did you get this information? The death of Agnes Wagner is still under investigation, the same as the others.”

“Are you saying my grandma wasn’t murdered?” Carson pushed a hand through his thick brown hair and glared at Kane. “Then why can’t I see her? When I called the ME, he told me that I should remember her how she was, not how she looks now. They cut up her face, didn’t they? Did they do that to the others too?”

“Mr. Carson.” Jenna had a notepad and pen in her hand. “I need you to calm down. Were you home last night?”

“Yes, I’m home most times.” Carson’s cheeks reddened. “I’m on disability. I was in a wreck and hurt my spine. Why?”

“You mentioned Mrs. Jefferson likes to walk home from town and does so most weeknights.” Jenna lifted her pen. “How do you know this?”

“I know because she is a friend of the family and mentioned her doctor told her to walk each day to improve her heart health.” Carson stuck out his chin. “I was out walking my dog one evening and saw her walking out of Wishing Well Park. I told her it wasn’t safe for her to be walking through there at dusk.”

“Do you walk your dog every night around the same time?” Jenna bent her head to make notes.

“I walk him before supper, yes, every night.” Carson folded his arms across his chest. “Why?”

“So you’d often see Mrs. Jefferson walking home?” Jenna lifted her gaze to him.

“Sometimes I did, not every night.” Carson flicked a gaze to Kane and over Jo and Carter. “Why the interrogation?”

“Well, as she went missing and from your account the chickens haven’t been tended, most people would assume she was either inside the house or something had happened to her on the way home.” Jenna raised an eyebrow. “As it’s obvious the house hasn’t suffered a break-in, or one of the doors would be damaged, wouldn’t any reasonable person retrace her steps to ensure she wasn’t lying somewhere after collapsing or similar? Especially as you were aware she walked home the same way each night.”

“I didn’t think to.” Carson shrugged. “I just called 911.”

To make sure we found her body? Kane exchanged a look with Jenna. “Okay, Mr. Carson. What can you tell me about Mrs. Jefferson? Is that her vehicle in the garage?”

“It was her husband’s. She doesn’t drive.” Carson glanced at the sedan. “She allows me to drive it to the carwash once a week.”

“Do you know her family?” Jenna looked at Carson. “We’ll need to notify her next of kin.”

“She has none. She never had any kids.” Carson shrugged. “She made me the executor of her will, same as my grandma did. They trusted me. I’ll handle the funeral arrangements.”

“Okay.” Jenna cleared her throat. “I’d like to ask you some more questions. Would you mind coming down to the sheriff’s office?”

“I suppose it’s okay.” Carson narrowed his eyes at her. “Is there something you’re not telling me about my grandma’s death?”

“I’ll know more in a few hours.” Jenna looked at Carter. “Agents Carter and Wells will take you. I’ll have someone drop you back for your truck later.”

Kane waited for Carson to be placed in the back of the cruiser and turned to Jenna. “He could be a possible.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Jenna turned to Jo. “Can you take him back to the office and question him? Carter might be able to dig deeper. We’ll check out the house.”

Pushing his Stetson back from his forehead, Kane frowned. “We have four homicides and all but Mrs. Carson have no next of kin. What if Carson is executor of their estates as well? It’s a group of people who’ve known each other for years. If so and he’s the sole beneficiary, that’s a darn good motive for killing them.”

“Kalo will find out.” Carter moved to their side. “Carson is acting suspicious.”