Her Shallow Grave (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“Hmm.” Jenna read them their rights. “You’re all going to be held in custody in a secure hospital ward overnight. Once I have the arrest warrants, you’ll be moved to the county jail.”

“On what charges?” Blue Jacket held a rag to his broken nose.

“Kidnapping, drug offenses, and assaulting an officer will do for a start.” Jenna glanced toward the door as sirens approached. “Ah, the paramedics have arrived and my deputies.” She looked at Kane. “I’ll go and give Rowley and Webber a rundown of the case and they can do a follow up at the hospital.” She offered him her weapon. “Keep an eye on the prisoners.”

Kane smiled at her and waved it away. “These boys aren’t going anywhere. I’ll see them safely onto the ambulances.”

The first team of paramedics had Amy Fleming whisked away in seconds and to Kane’s surprise, Wolfe appeared at the door with more paramedics close behind. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I figured if Jenna called out Webber for backup, you’d need boots on the ground.” Wolfe pulled a pile of flexicuffs from his pocket and handed them to him. “I’ll prioritize the injuries for transport.”

“Thanks.” Kane followed him to each man. “We have a ton of people to interview on the other case. Jenna will get Rowley to process the paperwork and obtain the arrest warrants. She needed Webber to escort the prisoners to the hospital and get them tucked up in the secure ward.”

“That sounds like a plan.” Wolfe examined each man, spoke to the paramedics, and then walked back to Kane and lowered his voice. “You haven’t lost your edge, I see.”

“Not until I’m eighty, I hope.” Kane secured the less injured men’s hands behind their backs and Red Jacket—who’d given his name as Dean James—and Blue Jacket, he cuffed to the gurneys.

The prisoners fitted into two ambulances, which sped away with Webber in pursuit. Kane turned to Wolfe. “How did you find out we called for backup?”

“Webber called me.” Wolfe shrugged. “He thought it was a need to know.”

Kane nodded. “Well, he followed procedure. You are his superior.” He turned as Jenna came back into the room.

“Ah Wolfe, I’m glad you came by.” Jenna indicated to the bedroom. “Do you have an evidence bag? There’s a quantity of drugs in there, under the bed. I’ll need to know what we have here.”

“I’m on it.” Wolfe headed into the bedroom and returned in minutes waving an evidence bag. “I’ll take this back to the lab and then head off home. I’ll send you the results.” He gave them a wave and hurried to his truck.

As Rowley walked through the door, Kane opened his mouth to speak to him when Kim grabbed his arm. He looked down at her. She was quite beautiful and had to be close to five-ten. “Ah, is there something I can do for you?”

“Yeah, my head’s a bit muddled. If I think of anything else, who do I call?” Kim frowned at him. “Do you have a card or anything?”

Kane always carried his cards and, pulling off a glove with his teeth, fished one out of his inside pocket and handed it to her. “The department is here and this is my private cell number.”

“Okay and thanks for saving me.” Kim’s cheeks flushed. “Can you walk me to my room? Maybe stay for a drink? I just want to thank you for saving me.”

Kane smiled at her. “Why thank you, ma’am, but I have to finish up here.” He glanced at Rowley. “Deputy Rowley will take your statement and then give you a ride back to the resort before he heads back to town.”

“I’ve seen you around.” Kim was keeping a firm grip on his arm. “Maybe some other time, when you’re not so busy?”

Kane flicked a glance at Rowley and didn’t miss his snigger. He cleared his throat. “As you’re a witness to the fight, it would be a conflict of interest but thanks for the offer.” He stepped away. “Go with Deputy Rowley, ma’am.”

“This way, ma’am.” Rowley led her out the door. “I’ll make sure you get back safely to your room.”

Kane turned as Jenna appeared at his side. “Find anything interesting?”

“Nope. There’s no personal belongings here at all.” She pulled on her gloves and zipped up her coat. “I checked the men’s jackets before they left. I have their cellphones and wallets but they weren’t staying in this cabin. It’s not fully furnished.” She frowned. “I guess they broke in here to use it as a meeting place to sell drugs.” She puffed out a cloud of steam in the cold room. “I’ll talk to Rowley in the morning but I’ve handed him the case. We have gotten enough evidence to charge them, it’s just paperwork and arranging transportation to county. We have a murder to solve and it takes priority.” She shook her head. “I’ll inform the management about the door.”

Kane shrugged. “Sorry about that.” He stared at her face and watched it change from concern to hilarity in a split second. “What?”

“One of the men we arrested called you a weapon.” She grinned. “I haven’t seen you in action before, well, not in full combat mode.” She chuckled. “You are a weapon.”

Seven

Winter had a special meaning for him. Delores didn’t decay so fast in low temperatures and it gave him more time to arrange his most treasured pieces of her. The snow would cover his tracks and, in the melt, all traces of his existence would wash away. Only his creation would remain but he’d be long gone by then and looking for another town to hunt for her. He’d welcomed the first snow with a rush of enthusiasm, or was it anticipation making his hands tremble? Once Delores arrived in Black Rock Falls, more would follow and he’d be busy right through January. The snow-covered sidewalks had called to him, telling him the time had come to find her again. If he’d asked people to describe the season, most would mention the bitter cold and unforgivingly long freezing nights. For him, it was the steam rising from fresh blood, the excitement of luring her into his lair, and the surprise on her face when she realized he’d planned to immortalize her as part of his collection.

At this time of the year, most people lived in a world of gray but he’d always been special and seen things differently. His winter was an incredible shade of blue. Each touch of the full moon on the white-dusted town, enhanced rather than blurred his vision. Houses on every corner stood out in sharp lines and each shadow fell on the snow clearly defined. In the daylight, as his collections became visible, the panic would begin, the town would be running scared and yet they would continue to trust him. He smiled. Like Delores they always trusted him—at first.

Out driving and enjoying the solitude, he spotted her dark hair on the bus and followed. Through the window and highlighted by the bright interior, he witnessed her argument with the driver. From the man’s expression, she’d used his kind nature to bully him into setting her down in the middle of town. He slowed as she stepped down from the bus. Slightly bedraggled, she turned to give the driver the finger and the ink on the back of her hand sealed her fate. She had an attitude in spades. With a tatty backpack slung over one shoulder, she moved along the brightly lit storefronts. He cruised by, watching her in his side mirror as she followed the passengers hurrying home from the bus and hustled them for money. He parked in a dark alley beside the church, slid out his truck, and followed her. Keeping a few paces behind, he could hear her stream of different excuses for being on the streets and by the tim