Break the Silence (Detectives Kane and Alton)

Jenna glanced down at her notes. She needed a description or a name. “Come on, now, you must know this guy. Why did he attack you? Who is he? We’ll haul him in for assault.”

“I attacked him.” Lyons smirked at her. “He wanted to act the hero and chase after Emily. He wouldn’t back off, so I hit him. End of story. Can I go now?”

“The interview isn’t over yet, Mr. Lyons.” Jenna stared at him. “It’s come to my attention that you’re in the habit of inviting young women to your off-campus house with the intention of raping them.”

“Me?” Lyons’ eyes never left her face. “You have the wrong man.”

“Do I?” Jenna placed the compromising images taken from the uncut media files on the table before him. “This is you and your friends, raping women, I believe?”

“You can make what you like of those photographs but I know the truth.” Lyons’ mouth curled into a sadistic grin. “They all came willingly and never made a complaint. Some women like group sex, or are you too frigid to understand a good time, Sheriff?”

Beside her, Jenna heard a low growl come from Kane and she exchanged a meaningful glance with him before turning her attention back to Lyons. “I understand these four women are speaking to the FBI as we speak.” She saw the raw rage in his eyes. “In fact, all these witnesses will testify that you and your friends drugged and raped them at a party at your house and then blackmailed them to keep quiet.” She shrugged. “Your friend Josh rolled over on you in the Chrissie Lowe case too. We have all the details about the night she died and evidence to back up his statement. In fact, we have all the flash drives and enough witnesses to keep you in jail for the rest of your life and then some.”

“Do you want to give us your side of the story?” Kane leaned forward. “This is your chance.”

“I don’t have a story.” Lyons glared at him. “I don’t need to rape women—they come to me willingly. I’m the quarterback; they all love me.”

“Uh-huh.” Kane folded his arms across his chest. “That’s why Chrissie Lowe killed herself after your date.”

“Can we move on to the night Alex Jacobs died?” Jenna needed so much more from Lyons. “Did you spot him on the weights?”

“Nope.” Lyons pulled at the cuffs, making them jangle against the hook in the table. “If you’re going to accuse me of killing him as well, I want a lawyer.”

Jenna shrugged. “Very well.” She took down details and closed the interview. As she stood, she looked at him and smiled. “How’s it feel to be on the losing team?”

Fifty-Three

Wolfe scratched the two-day-old stubble on his chin and stared at the results of the blood tests taken from Chrissie Lowe and Dylan Court. Nothing was adding up; in fact, all his findings seemed contradictory. He’d made his final determinations and didn’t believe Jenna would approve. He’d checked his findings a number of times and they’d all come out the same. Unconvinced, he’d visited the college to speak to the coach and members of the faculty who’d accompanied the players on their trip. All had said the same thing and confirmed that Pete Devon had taken a number of big hits over the days before his death. They’d also mentioned that Dylan Court had taken the deaths of his friends hard, to the point of seeking professional help. He signed the death certificates and let out a long sigh then turned his attention to Lyons’ test results from the hospital.

Although Lyons had been out of control on arrival at the hospital, the tests had detected no alcohol or drugs in his system. What had made him charge onto an unsafe bridge like a lunatic remained a mystery, and so far, he wasn’t talking. The arrogant young man didn’t seem the type to run from a fight, and from Josh Stevens’ statement, which Jenna had emailed to him earlier, Lyons had controlled everything and everyone in his house.

After collecting his results and shoving them into a folder, Wolfe headed for the door. At the reception, Emily sat chatting with Webber. He hadn’t questioned her about her ordeal, preferring she had a good night’s sleep, and figured going over a near-death experience once with everyone present would suffice. “Ready to go?”

“Do you want me to take care of reception?” Webber stood and helped Emily to her feet.

Wolfe shook his head. “Nope, I’ll lock up. You come too; you’ll be needed to help sort out this mess.”

“Dad.” Emily gave him a worried look. “You mad at me?”

Wolfe locked the door and turned to her. “You’re a grown woman and I respect your decisions, but risking your life after all we’ve been through is upsetting.” He let out a long breath. Being a single father was becoming harder each year. Once, his glare had them all scampering to their rooms, but as they grew into young women, Emily and Julie in particular needed more tact than an angry growl. “Kane shouldn’t have involved you. It was unprofessional and I told him so.”

“You know Dave would willingly take a bullet for any of us.” Emily’s face drained of color. “You heard his orders over the com. Jenna sent him down the back trail and then he took the cut-through track to meet me. He was following orders and he figured I was safe with Colt covering me. I can’t believe you blamed him, Dad. He’s like your brother. Heck, he’s one of the family.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “Jenna risked her life to save me. She could’ve waited for the fire department, but no, she came onto the bridge to help me, same with Dave. He didn’t hesitate to climb down the rock face to save us. That’s what family does, Dad.” Her eyes filled with tears. “You used to be like that too.”

Wolfe looked down at her and cupped her chin. “I know I don’t take so many risks now because I’m all you have. I made a promise to your mom to always be here for you.” He dropped his hand. “Wipe your eyes or we’ll be late for the meeting. And in case you’re worried, I sorted everything with Kane. We’re good.” He headed for his truck. Oh boy, my girls sure have a way of twisting my heart.

The aroma of coffee and cinnamon buns greeted them as they entered Jenna’s office. With everyone squashed around her desk and talking at once, it was like walking into a cage filled with turkeys. Wolfe dropped his files on the table amid the cups, coffee pots, and plates of buns and then helped Emily into a chair. He looked at Jenna. “Morning, ma’am. How’s the arm?”

“I’ll do.” Jenna was looking pale and drawn. She stood and went to the whiteboard. “Okay, so many things happened yesterday, we’ll need to correlate everyone’s stories into a timeline.” She glanced back at Wolfe. “Are there any findings we need to consider before we go on?”

Wolfe tapped the folder on the desk. “I have made a determination in the cases. They’re not what I expected, and the reasoning behind each one is complicated. I suggest we deal with each case separately, and I’ll give you my cause of death as we go. It will make more sense if we deal with Chrissie Lowe’s rape first. I have ruled her COD as suicide, I’ll elaborate later.”

“Okay.” Jenna moved down to the end of the board. “This morning we interviewed Josh Stevens and Seth Lyons; you have all received a copy of their statements. Stevens verified Chrissie’s movements on the night she died. As you can see from the timeline, she left the student hall at nine. We now know she got a ride to the party with Jacobs and Devon, was drugged and raped, and then around two was returned to her dorm. It was then she wrote a text message to a number we can’t trace.” She looked back at Wolfe. “Any luck finding out who she messaged?”

Wolfe shook his head. “It could’ve been an attempt to contact her brother but there was no reply. From what I could ascertain by pulling every string I have, her brother’s team went down in enemy territory. If any of them survived the wreck, they won’t for long.” He stared at Webber and Rowley. “That information is classified and does not leave this room.”

“I trust my deputies.” Jenna added notes to the whiteboard. “Okay, let’s move on. Lyons is talking to his lawyer but he won’t be getting away with anything. We have video proof he was involved in Chrissie’s rape and many others. I’ve turned a copy of everything over to the DA

’s office. The FBI has spoken to a number of victims from the video files and found some who are willing to testify. The DA refused to cut a deal with Josh Stevens and he is currently on his way to the county jail to await a hearing. I believe due to the evidence against him he’s opted to plead guilty to rape but will be testifying against Lyons in an effort for leniency.” She looked back at Wolfe. “Do we have solid evidence to corroborate Stevens’ statement?”