THIRTY-THREE
TUESDAY
Enjoying the crisp fresh morning, Kane checked the water feeder and tossed a couple of salt blocks to the feed he’d added to the manger inside the fence line. They’d extended the perimeter of the security fence to include the back paddock and a part of the woods bordering the edge of the ranch. The paddock was rich and lush with grass, and with no worries of bears or other predators breaking through the security fencing, they could leave the horses to run free during the summer. Kane derived a great deal of pleasure from grooming them and a day didn’t go by when he didn’t tend to them. Gathering the grooming equipment from the fence post, he headed back to the barn. Carter was completing a preflight check of the chopper, which he’d parked in the front yard so they could have a quick getaway this morning. He gave him a wave. “Are we good to go at seven?”
“Yeah.” Carter adjusted his Stetson and ambled over toward him. “I figure we should forget the workout this morning. Time is getting away from us.” He grinned at Kane. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen you show up this late to do your chores.” He chuckled. “Are you still in honeymoon mode?”
Kane returned his smile. “I plan to be in the same mode right up to and beyond our fiftieth wedding anniversary, so you better get used to it.” He allowed a small hum of contentment to slip past his lips. “It sure is good being married to Jenna. I figure I’m still in the disbelieving phase. I never thought it would happen but I’m sure glad it did.” He bent down to rub Duke’s ears and then straightened. Carter obviously had something else to say to him.
“It can be tough on a woman, living with guys like us.” Carter peered into the distance and sighed. “We need someone who understands that were not exactly normal. It’s not easy finding someone, especially if you make the mistake of dating someone in the military. Most times they have their own ghosts to put to rest and you sure don’t need two people carrying that burden into a marriage.”
Not intending on discussing the past with Carter, Kane nodded in agreement. What was in his and Jenna’s past was need-to-know, and Carter didn’t need to know, that was for darn sure. He cleared his throat. “I’m going to take a shower and start breakfast. See you in about twenty minutes?”
“Yeah, sure.” Carter gave him a wave and headed to the cottage.
The moment he walked into the house he found Jenna in full sheriff mode. He could hear her on the phone issuing orders to Rowley. While they were at the state pen interviewing the Michelangelo Killer, Rio and Rowley would be hunting down Lucas Davies.
“Before you do that”—Jenna pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and acknowledged him with a smile—“itemize and photograph the box of trinkets that Kane rescued from Goodwill, send the images to Kalo, and ask him to get them out to all precincts. We might hit gold if anyone recognizes them. Then take them over to Wolfe.” She disconnected.
It had been Kane’s lucky day. When he arrived at the Goodwill store, the box that Derek Bright had dropped by stood untouched on the front counter. Not wanting to make a fuss about the trinkets being possibly part of a murder investigation, he’d offered a generous donation for the entire box. After much raising of eyebrows, the two elderly women behind the counter had nodded in agreement. He’d left the store with “come by again soon” following him out the door.
He sat down to remove his boots and looked at Jenna. “Any updates on possible places the killer is holding his victims?”
“Not yet.” Jenna’s brow furrowed. “Kalo called. He’s sending the list of possible cave sites but isn’t optimistic. Historical sites are signposted and frequently visited by hikers. I doubt anyone would risk keeping women there. It’s summer and anyone could wander in, so it’s doubtful our killer is using them. I called Atohi Blackhawk. He knows the area and couldn’t think of anywhere suitable for actual jail cells. He’s going to speak to his elders. If he gets any information, he’ll call me this afternoon.”
Kane stood and nodded. “I’m still confused about Poppy’s hand in this, and if she’s helping the killer, why wouldn’t they be making sure she doesn’t leave any DNA? The scenes have been so clean it’s out of character.”
“I figure we’ll find her holed up with the killer. I’m hoping Kalo gives us a place to start a search.” Jenna looked up at him. “We can’t run around blindly all over the county. They could be anywhere. You know as well as I do a psychopath who has a hatred for women could flip on her at any time. I just hope we find them before she becomes the next victim.”
Kane smiled at her. “I know you will. Carter says wheels up at seven.” He headed for the shower.
Over breakfast Kane listened with interest as Jenna discussed Jo’s list of interview questions for Bruno Vito, the Michelangelo Killer. He sipped his coffee and turned to Jo. “You mentioned this man was married and his wife had no idea that he’d been killing multiple women over a long period.” He placed his empty cup on the table. “I’m not familiar with double-life psychopathy. Is there anything we should know before heading into this situation?”
“You won’t be in contact with him at all.” Jenna squeezed his arm. “He has agreed to speak to Jo and me. I figure he believes he can intimidate us because we’re women. He might clam up if you and Carter are in the room.”
Kane shook his head. “I figure he’ll be in his passive mode, the one he used with his wife, which makes me wonder whether he’ll actually discuss his murders with you. Whereas talking to Carter and me, he’d have the chance to boast about his kills.” He stood and collected the plates from the table and rinsed them in the sink before stacking the dishwasher.
“Double-life psychopathy isn’t the same as personality disorder syndrome.” Jo met his gaze. “It’s a person who can compartmentalize their lives into two sections that don’t cross at any time. They can access the side of their personality they need to deal with the current situation. They switch easily without any problem whatsoever. In fact, I would even suggest that after a kill—should the need arise—Vito would be able to portray the loving husband even though he had blood on his hands.”
Kane leaned back on the counter and nodded. “Would it be a form of disassociation or just associated behavior? That seems to be more prevalent in psychopaths.”
“Disassociating? Yes, as in managing to forget that he’d just brutally murdered a person and then go home and act normally with his kids. However, many people compartmentalize in their daily lives to cope with unpleasant situations or memories. I’m not saying hiding emotions is a healthy thing to do but it’s widespread and quite normal. I’m sure in your time in the military it was necessary for you to compartmentalize bad memories to remain focused on your missions, the same as Carter.” She smiled at him. “It might have been necessary at the time, but you don’t live a double life because of it, do you?”
Kane caught Jenna’s wide-eyed expression suddenly dropping to her coffee cup and shook his head. “Nope, I’m just a deputy in a small town in Montana. My days of working for Uncle Sam are over.”
“Time to go if you want to make it back here before noon.” Carter stood, scraping back his chair and picking up his hat from the seat next to him. He looked at Zorro. “Stay here with Duke. It’s playtime.” The Doberman shook himself and gave a happy bark before nudging Duke toward the doggie door.
“Well, won’t you look at that.” Jenna chuckled. “That dog does understand everything you say.”
“Well, he’s always been a little uptight.” Carter rubbed his chin and looked at the dogs crawling through the hatch. “He needed to be trained to a level where he didn’t get blown up searching for explosives, but when we moved to Snakeskin Gully, I introduced a few more commands so he could unwind during our downtime.” He pushed his hat on his head and headed for the door. “Wheels up in five.”