Break the Silence (Detectives Kane and Alton)
Unsure of what to say, he smiled. “After my injury, you told me we’d take it one day at a time. I know you don’t want to get burned, Jenna.”
“You don’t know too much about fire, do you?” Jenna snorted a laugh. “A slow burn can turn into a wildfire without warning.”
“It sure can.” He smiled and turned onto the driveway. He ignored the no-entry sign and took the direct way to the front door. “And as much as I’d like to discuss this topic further, I figure we’d better put our game faces on.”
“Yeah, but with people getting murdered around us all the time, we need to step away for a few minutes and think about something nice or we’d lose it.” Jenna sighed. “Then we’d have to quit and join the rest of the crazies off the grid.”
“Yeah, but I figure I could handle complete isolation. Fishing, hunting, and sleeping rough.” Kane nodded in agreement and parked beside Wolfe’s van.
“Maybe not the sleeping rough bit… You can sleep rough if you like but I want a nice log cabin in the woods, with power and internet.” Jenna giggled. “I’d post no-trespassing signs and people would leave me alone.”
“Uh-huh.” Kane turned to look at her and smiled. “Or maybe we should stay here with all our friends and take another vacation—Hawaii next time?”
When Wolfe appeared on the porch and waved them inside, Kane took in his serious expression and all thoughts of another vacation with Jenna evaporated. He turned to Jenna and frowned. “He doesn’t look too happy.”
 
; “Let’s hope this isn’t a homicide.” Jenna slid from the truck and headed toward the house.
Kane hurried up the steps with Duke at his heels. Inside, a middle-aged woman sat on the sofa in the family room drinking a glass of water. Seth Lyons and Colt Webber stood talking to Wolfe, who was making notes. Jenna stood beside Wolfe, notebook in hand. Kane walked to her side and listened to the conversation.
“When was the last time you saw Dylan alive?” Wolfe stared at Lyons with a strange intensity.
“I’m not sure, last night sometime, maybe around eight, I’m not sure.” Lyons turned to Webber. “I was talking to Colt for most of the evening, well until late, and I headed to bed around one thirty, I guess.”
“Webber will be assisting me with the autopsy. You do know he’s one of my interns?” Wolfe moved his attention away from Lyons and looked at Webber. “Unless, of course, you’re one of Dylan’s friends?”
“I’ve seen him at practice but, no, I’m not one of his friends. I’ll be there, sir.” Webber’s gaze slid to Kane then back to Wolfe. “I noticed him last night. He was heading down to what I now know is the cellar. I’m not sure of the time. He was with another man but I didn’t get a look at his face. He had a hoodie pulled up over a baseball cap and I only saw him in profile. He was about my height. Broad shoulders. That’s about all I noticed. He could’ve been any one of the guys on the team.”
“I’ll want a list of everyone at the party.” Jenna handed her notebook and pen to Lyons. “Did you invite anyone new?”
“Nope, only Colt, and he was with me most of the evening.” Lyons narrowed his gaze. “Why?”
“I want a list while it’s fresh in your mind, just in case we need to speak to them later.” Jenna frowned. “Was Dylan a habitual drug taker?”
“Heck no!” Lyons shook his head. “We’re tested regularly and he’d never do anything so stupid. He’s not that kind of guy.”
Kane moved his attention from one man to the other and acted as if Webber was a complete stranger. “So, this guy you claimed you saw could’ve been a dealer? Maybe after losing his roommate, Dylan needed something to get him over the shock. Losing two friends in a week can push people over the edge.”
“I don’t know anyone dealing drugs, sir.” Webber raised one eyebrow then turned to Lyons. “Do you?”
“If I did, I wouldn’t be stupid enough to rat them out to the cops.” Lyons snorted. “Getting my legs broken or worse wouldn’t be a good career move.”
“Why didn’t you check the cellar when Dylan went missing?” Kane stared at Lyons.
“I didn’t know he’d gone missing until Mr. Wolfe called me. Look, man, things happen, people die. It’s life. No good getting all tied up in knots about it.” Lyons shrugged as if he was used to losing his friends. “We’re adults. We don’t have to check in and out or be home for dinner.”
“What else have you got for me, Wolfe?” Jenna looked up at him.
“I’ve taken a statement from the cleaner; she found the body. She has a key to the cellar and said it’s usually locked but she found it unlocked this morning. I’ll email you a copy.” Wolfe tapped away on the device in his hand. “I figure she’s in shock. Her husband is coming to collect her soon.”
“Okay.” Jenna’s cellphone signaled a message. “Show me the body.” She turned to Lyons. “Stay here and work on that list. I may have questions for you later.”
“Webber, come with me. I’ll explain the procedure for this type of situation.” Wolfe led the way down the hallway to the open door to the cellar.
Kane followed and, once inside, turned and locked the door behind them. He needed to speak to Webber without Lyons walking in on their conversation. Beside him, Duke let out a mournful howl that made the hairs on Kane’s arms prickle, and as he moved down the steps, the unmistakable smell of decomposition wafted toward him. At the bottom of the stairs, he instructed Duke to sit then pulled out his scanner, attached the earbuds, and swept the room for cameras or a listening device. He made a grid in his mind, taking in every possible aspect. “It’s clean.”
He glanced around the room. A vacuum cleaner lay on the edge of the rug, no doubt discarded when Doris Beachwood spotted the discolored face and empty, staring eyes of the corpse. Taking in the scene, he noticed a picture hanging on the wall was askew. He pulled on latex gloves and looked behind it to find an empty safe with an unlocked door. For a bunch of messy guys, this room was out of place, much like Lyons’ bedroom, which made him suspicious. He looked closer but found no signs of a struggle. It was tidy and the rugs hadn’t been disturbed. He moved to Jenna’s side and pointed to the safe. “We might have a motive.”