Break the Silence (Detectives Kane and Alton)

Pete shrugged. “It sounds a bit childish. Okay, so if I play your stupid game, what happens if you catch me?”

“I’ll kill you.” A sinister chuckle came from deep in his chest. “Okay, in five seconds. One, two…”

Twenty

Wednesday

It was a little after seven when Jenna’s cellphone chimed the 911 ringtone. She’d just sat down to eat breakfast in Kane’s cottage and hoped the cowboys arriving in town hadn’t started to make trouble. She took one bite of her eggs then reluctantly answered the call, putting the phone on speaker to allow Kane to listen. “Sheriff Alton.”

“This is Bob Jamison. I’m a paramedic over at Black Rock Falls General. The cleaner at the college called us out to the pool for a suspected drowning.” He waited a beat. “There’s a deal of blood on the ladder and trauma to the victim’s face. We hauled the body out of the water from the other side, left it on the gurney and sealed the area. I figured you’d want to take a look, in case it’s suspicious.”

Jenna exchanged a glance with Kane. “Yeah, we’ll get the ME out there. Can you wait until he arrives and tell the cleaner we’ll need a statement?”

“Sure, but she’s pretty shaken. We have her in the back of the bus. A security guard came to look and he recognizes the body but can’t give a positive ID—he doesn’t know his name. Says he believes he’s on the football team and swims here almost every night, same time.”

“Thanks. Keep him there as well.” Jenna disconnected. It was about a half-hour drive from her ranch to the college, but Wolfe could get there in ten minutes. “Rowley’s close. I’ll send him out to hold down the fort until Wolfe gets there.”

“You finish eating.” Kane picked up his cellphone, made the calls and then disconnected.

Jenna sneezed and looked at him. “Thanks.”

“You okay after the freezing-cold swim?” Kane’s gaze moved over her.

Jenna swallowed the mouthful of eggs. The previous evening, they hadn’t discussed saving Jones. She’d just wanted to soak in the hot tub then get an early night. “The rapids moved faster than I imagined.”

“It was just as well we had the dirt bike or we wouldn’t have gotten there in time.” Kane frowned. “The bends slowed him down some, but it was closer than I’d have liked.”

Jenna reached for her coffee. “Did many of your things get wet?”

“Nothing above the waist.” Kane frowned. “You?”

“Yeah, most of my stuff is ruined, but my phone came through okay.” She finished her coffee and stood to collect the dishes. “I have a drawer filled with everything I need at the office. It was just as well I didn’t lose my keys, my wallet, or my phone.” She rinsed the plates and slipped them into the dishwasher. I have new cred packs at the office as well; mine is a little wet but my creds are fine.” She sighed. “My notebook is toast but I have a spare. Thank goodness my files are up to date.” She glanced at him. “I guess you’ll need replacements for everything as well?”

“No, I’m fine. My notebook was wet too.” Kane smiled at her. “I’ve replaced it with a digital pen. I can use it on my cellphone screen and it converts my notes to text via Bluetooth. I’ve been itching to try it.”

“Wolfe?” He always had the best gadgets. “That would save tons of time updating files manually. I’ll ask him to get me one too.”

“Don’t worry him, I’ll order you one online.”

Jenna smiled at him. “Thanks.”

“Jenna.” Kane leaned against the counter and looked at her with a concerned expression. “If this is an ‘accidental’”—he made quotes around “accidental” with his fingers—“drowning, it means three college kids have died in about the same number of days. Jacobs’ death is suspicious, and I figure if this victim is on the football team as well, it has to be connected.”

Jenna had come to the same conclusion. She messed with the dishwasher and then turned it on before straightening to look at him. “Yeah, if he is, something’s not right.” She blew the bangs from her forehead. “I’m ready to leave. We’ll head out to the college first. Let’s just hope another killer isn’t stalking Black Rock Falls.”

It was a magical day when summer mellowed into fall, and Jenna decided it was her favorite time of year in Black Rock Falls. Each season had its own glory, but as Kane drove toward town, she opened her window and allowed the wind to tousle her hair. Glancing in the side mirror, she could see Duke’s reflection, his long ears flapping and lips vibrating in the airstream as if he was singing. Glad to be alive, she inhaled the crisp morning air, almost tasting the flavors of the season. The smell of pine and then wood smoke intermingled with the last sprinkle of fragrant wildflowers. She inhaled, appreciating the fragrant air filling her lungs. Her mind filled with the horrible experience of watching Jones coming close to drowning and what had happened in the college pool. Did the fight by the rapids have anything to do with it?

The lan

dscape changed dramatically as they left the open grasslands and moved through town then out onto Stanton Road. The rolling green pastures and grassy hills soon became a forest of tall pines, growing so close together a bear could be a yard away and hidden from view. The dark, rough-barked trunks lined the roadside like a row of sentries, hiding the many secrets within.

“What’s on your mind?” Kane glanced at her for a second before returning his attention to the road.

Jenna dragged herself from her thoughts. “If both these deaths are homicides, what’s the possibility they are revenge killings for Chrissie? Have you had time to look into her background yet? Is her father capable of murder?”

“The father is terminal and too ill to murder anyone. Her grandpa is in his eighties so we can rule him out. Her brother is the eldest by six years and MIA in the Middle East somewhere. From all accounts, her sister and mother wouldn’t be strong enough, but she does have a cousin in town: Steve Lowe.” The nerve in Kane’s cheek twitched. “He’s twenty-one, six feet tall, and works at the feed store in town. Their families live one street apart so I’d guess Chrissie and Steve spent plenty of time together as kids.”

“Hmm. So he’s a possible. We’ll need to speak to him.” Jenna chewed on her bottom lip, thinking through the circumstances of each case. “The cases are coming along so fast I can’t seem to get a foothold on any of them. We haven’t gotten any real proof against the men we feel might be responsible for Chrissie’s rape, and if Wolfe rules Jacobs’ death as murder, we have two persons of interest in the case, maybe three if we include Steve Lowe. I feel a little out of control right now, as if the cases are sweeping us along on a mystery ride.”