Whisper in the Night (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“Then take a seat.” Lancaster waved them to chairs in front of his desk. “But I already gave Deputy Rowley all the information on my whereabouts Sunday night.”

Kane leaned forward in his chair. “We’ve a statement from Miss Pike stating when she woke at one, you’d already left. Where were you between the hours of ten and seven, when you started work?”

“I couldn’t sleep and she’d run out of beer, so I drove around some, then went home and fell asleep.” Lancaster raised an eyebrow at him. “I didn’t check to see what time it was but the alarm woke me at six and I came to work.”

“And last night?” Jenna lifted her chin. “Where were you between the hours of nine and six this morning?”

“Last night?” Lancaster rubbed his chin. “I had a few beers and watched TV, then went to bed.”

“Can anyone verify that?” Jenna’s dark hair fell over her eyes as she made a few notes.

“Nope.” Lancaster frowned. “After the grilling by your deputies Angela isn’t speaking to me right now, and my other girlfriends were busy.”

“That’s too bad.” Kane shrugged. “What do you drive?”

“A white Silverado. It’s parked out front.” Lancaster sat up straighter. “Why?”

Kane smiled. “Nice truck. Mind if we take a look at it?”

“Sure.” Lancaster pushed himself up to his feet. “You won’t find no drugs, I don’t do that shit.”

They followed Lancaster to his vehicle and Kane noted Duke’s lack of response to the man. If Lancaster had been involved in either of the kidnappings, he would’ve expected some sort of reaction – although, if he’d covered himself from head to toe in some type of suit, maybe not.

After taking in the state of the man, with his dirty nails and unkempt appearance, it surprised Kane to find the vehicle immaculate. Lancaster opened the door and Kane pulled on gloves and searched inside. From the fresh aroma, the entire interior, seats and carpets had been professionally cleaned and within the last few hours. He verified the time by the date stamp on the sales receipt Lancaster had left in the console. How convenient. “Just had it cleaned, huh?” He waved the receipt. “Can I keep this?”

“Sure. I’d just gotten back before the cops hauled McLeod away. Had a call from the principal ten minutes later. He told me to lock up after the drama club has finished.”

“The drama club is still here?” Jenna exchanged a knowing look with Kane. “Can you take us there? I’d like to speak with them as well.”

“Sure.” Lancaster locked his pickup and sauntered toward the building.

When Duke flopped onto the ground as if the short walk had worn him out. Kane hung back; he wanted to speak to Jenna. “He’s hiding something. Why else do you figure he’s gotten his car cleaned?”

“Suspicions, hell yeah, but again we’ve no solid evidence… unless…” Jenna’s eyes lit up. “Give me that receipt. Maybe the cleaner hasn’t emptied their vacuum yet. We might find some evidence.”

Kane shook his head. “It wouldn’t hold up in court. They’d have cleaned any number of cars before his and since. His lawyer will have the evidence dismissed.”

“Okay.” Jenna let out a long sigh. She glanced at her watch. “The chances of finding Amanda alive are getting slimmer by the second and we’ve found nothing. No sightings, no word from her abductor. Not one shred of evidence to find Amanda or lead us to Lindy’s killer. I’m just chasing my tail. I hope the girls in the drama club can give us a lead.”

Kane shook his head. “It’s never too late, Jenna, and the team are working their butts off searching for Amanda right now.”

His cellphone buzzed and he glanced at Jenna. “It’s Blackhawk.” Ahead he could see Lancaster hovering outside a classroom. “Do you want me to take this and catch up with you?”

“Yeah. I’ll call Maggie about the drama club girls.” Jenna turned and hurried away, cellphone pressed to her ear.

Kane took the call. “Did you find the cabin?”

“Yeah, it was right where Lucy said. No one’s been here for months. We’re heading back to join the search now. Apart from a few tire marks consistent with Miller stopping along the side of the forest we’ve found nothing. I figure he parked and walked to one of the houses. There’re a hundred or so in walking distance. I called Rowley and asked him to hunt down any of Miller’s friends in the area. We checked out three addresses and his friends were cooperative, allowed us to do a walk-through even though we’re not deputies. We checked them real good too. Root cellars, attics, the whole nine yards.”

“We’ve lucked out all day as well.” Kane sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. “We had to let him go. We didn’t have enough evidence to charge him.” He cleared his throat. “He pulled in a real smart lawyer, Samuel J. Cross.”

“I know Sam. Honest as the day is long.” Blackhawk chuckled. “Hard to believe he came back here. He studied at Harvard and became a partner in a law firm in New York.”

“You don’t say.” Kane shook his head in disbelief. “He looks like a hobo.”

“He’s a cowboy born and raised. A non-conformist. I’d say the New York lifestyle was too fast for him. Old man Cross couldn’t understand where Sam’s brains came from and figured he’d been swapped at birth.”

Kane glanced down the hallway to see Jenna walking into a room. Lancaster was heading back his way. “I gotta go. It’ll be dark soon. You might as well call it a day.”