Bring Me Flowers (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“I receive piles of merchandising, game cards, free downloads for promoting the products, and I hand them out like candy.” Provine made an exaggerated head bob toward the flat screen. “I really should get back to the kids.” He wet his thin lips. “I’m sure you can check my alibi.”

Alibi is a word used by a guilty man. “Aimee Fox mentioned you closed the store for over an hour on Monday afternoon. Did you have to go somewhere?” Did you just happen to murder Joanne Blunt while you were out?

“I had to update my server and the computers were down. I closed the shop to get some peace and quiet.”

Kane made a note then turned to go. “Okay, thank you for your cooperation.” Not good enough, Provine.

He headed toward the garage with the intention of speaking to Derick Smith again but wanted to relay the afternoon’s information to Jenna in person. He had spent far too much time already and wanted to interview Steve Rogers at three. The interview was crucial for him to profile the man in a controlled situation. At this point, the charges they had against him did not hold water and he would be out on the street again. Rogers had killed someone, without doubt. He flicked through his notes, found the number of Smith’s mother, and called her. Discovering Derick had been home playing pool with three of his friends yesterday evening, he took him off his list and headed back to the office. He wondered how Jenna would take the news; he doubted if the man locked in her jail had killed the girls, which meant their killer was still on the loose.

Forty-Three

Jenna glanced at the clock in her office; in less than fifteen minutes Steve Rogers’ lawyer would be walking into her office and demanding an interview. Kane was MIA and Wolfe had flashed past her door ushering Emily before him, face in a permanent frown and looking like a Viking berserker. What the hell is happening now? She closed the open file on her computer then pushed to her feet. The smell of coffee brewing was driving her crazy and if she snuck out to the kitchenette now, she had time to grab a cup of Joe before the interview. In the hallway, she could hear the rumble of Wolfe’s deep voice; not loud but if her father had spoken to her in such a way, she would have shriveled up and died on the spot. Feeling a little sorry for Emily, she reached for the freshly brewed pot of coffee.

“Pour one for me, will you?”

As usual, Kane had walked up behind her without making a sound. She turned her head a little to watch him drop a large box of donuts on the counter then turn away and stash something in his desk drawer. “Been on a shopping spree? You do remember Rogers’ lawyer is due in about ten minutes?”

“Yeah and I haven’t been shopping.” He raised one dark eyebrow and piled his coffee with sugar and cream. “I was undercover, so to speak, keeping an eye on Emily. The baker had the strange idea I was staring so long in his window because I couldn’t afford to purchase a cake. He came out, thrust the donuts into my hands, and gave me the best ‘get lost’ look I’ve seen in ages. I guess having me hanging around outside his shop was bad for business.” He grinned. “The cookies I stashed are mine. A guy my size needs a lot of cookies, especially chocolate chip ones made by his boss.”

Jenna grinned at him. “I’ll bake some more this weekend.” She waved her cup toward the control room. “Wolfe is in there with Emily, and from his face, she is in trouble with a capital T. What happened and why did you have to watch her? I thought she was at the Foxes’ place.” She reached for a sugar donut.

“You have no idea.” Kane cocked one dark eyebrow. “Let’s say the situation was more than tense. You had two deputies ready to throw law out the window and throttle the little weasel.”

Amazed Wolfe had agreed to Emily’s plan to discover Lionel Provine’s secret dealings, she gaped at him as he explained. Her mind went into freefall at the revelation Steve Rogers’ doctor could prove he was innocent of the girls’ murders. She stared at Kane, trying to process the fact Rogers could have killed his wife. She shook her head slowly, realizing the magnitude of the problem she faced. “Oh my God. The arrest warrant for Rogers was specific to the girls’ murders and is useless. We can’t hold him on suspicion of murdering his wife; as far as we know, she isn’t missing.” She leaned back on the counter and sipped her coffee. “We are in deep shit.” She glanced at him. “I hope you can help me figure a way out of this mess?”

“I’ll do my best.” Kane’s blue eyes moved toward the front door. “I’ll need to think quickly, here is the lawyer now.”

“Dammit.” She flicked a look at the door. “Rogers is going to walk, and if we’ve made a mistake, he’ll kill again.”

“Someone will kill again. The clock is ticking.” Kane rolled his wide shoulders. “All we can do is stretch our resources and watch these suspects.”

Jenna sighed. “Take Mr. Jenkins down to the interview room then get Rogers. I’ll ask Wolfe to place trackers on our suspects’ vehicles. I doubt we’ll be able to use any evidence gathered in court but between you and me, I wouldn’t mind knowing if either of our suspects leaves home tonight.”

“Neither would I.”

She strolled toward the lawyer and fixed a smile on her face. “Right on time. If you will go with Deputy Kane, we’ll have your client in the interview room in a few minutes.”

“Interview room?” Jenkins adjusted his tie, his buffed, manicured nails glistening as he moved his soft hands. “Why was I forced to speak to Mr. Rogers in his cell last time?”

“Because we didn’t have a room available and now we do. Deputy Kane will be conducting the interview and he will bring your client.”

After speaking to Wolfe, she strolled across the main floor, down the passageway, and through the door to the steps leading down to the cells. To her delight, Wolfe had made a few changes in the days since his arrival.

He had changed a storage area into an interview room. It had an electronic lock complete with card entry, turning it into a secure area. She flashed her ID card over the scanner and held the door open.

She glanced at the lawyer seated at the large wooden table and sat opposite. “Before we begin, how open do you believe Mr. Rogers would be to waive the doctor–patient privilege?”

“It is not something we have discussed but from my dealings with Mr. Rogers, I can assure you he is of sound mind.” Jenkins’ thin lips turned down as he fussed with his leather briefcase. “This trumped-up charge is just that—pure fabrication and indication of more harassment from your deputy.”

The door opened and Kane’s blue gaze rested on Jenna for a few seconds before he ushered the handcuffed Rogers into the room.

She took in the prisoner’s disheveled appearance and the smell of unwashed sweat filled her nostrils. Her attention moved to the lawyer. “I would like to make it very clear, it is a prisoner’s choice to use the facilities or not. Mr. Rogers was offered a shower this morning but he refused.”

“After four days, we usually hose them down.” Kane dropped his huge frame into the chair beside her and his mouth quirked into a slight grin. “Health reasons, you understand?” He placed a folder on the table.

Jenna glared at him then cleared her throat. “I am switching on the recorder now; the interview will be sound- and video-taped. The time is five past three. In the room is Sheriff Jenna Alton, Deputy David Kane, attorney for the prisoner, Mr. Samuel Jenkins, and the prisoner, Mr. Steve Rogers. Deputy Kane will start proceedings.”

“Mr. Rogers, we have determined your whereabouts during the murders of Felicity Parker and Kate Bright.” As he slid three graphic crime scene photographs of the victims across the table, his expression turned to granite. “We have signed statements from witnesses who can place you in the area at the time of death of both these girls.”