Be Mine Forever (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“What conversation?” Wolfe looked at her blankly and shrugged.

Jenna chuckled and waved behind her toward Wolfe’s office. “I’ll leave you to get ready.”

She headed back to Wolfe’s office. Kane was on his feet, his jacket and T-shirt folded on Wolfe’s desk. She stared at him, taking in all the scars on his body and then shook her head in dismay of what he had suffered in the line of duty. “Before he starts the autopsy, he wants to show us his new toy for extracting metal from flesh. It’s some type of super magnet.”

“Great.” Kane headed for the door. “Let’s have at it.”

Jenna made idle conversation as Wolfe zapped Kane’s implant and seemed to take ages to remove it. The darn thing had settled in the muscle on Kane’s shoulder and took some digging to locate it. Once it was out, she destroyed it by smashing it with the hammer, Wolfe provided. A few stitches later and Kane held up a finger to his lips. He handed the scanner to Wolfe and indicated he should check him all over.

“You’re good to go.” Wolfe smiled at him. “Ten days for the stitches and try not to bust them open. You can shower with that dressing but I want to see it tomorrow. The device was damaged during removal and may cause a problem.”

“Roger that.” Kane turned to Jenna. “I’ll go and collect my things and give you some privacy.” He headed for the door.

Jenna pulled her T-shirt over her head and turned her back to Wolfe. “He didn’t as much as flinch. Ouch!” She caught her breath as the local anesthetic needle slid into her flesh followed by a cold burst. “Thanks for the warning.”

“Sorry, I’m used to working on people who don’t complain.” Wolfe chuckled. “But then they don’t have the advantage of a local.”

Not amused, Jenna glared at him over one shoulder. “That’s because they’re dead.”

“Thanks for letting me know.” Wolfe grinned. “Stand still, this won’t take long.”

The door slid open and Emily stood at the entrance, eyes wide. Jenna looked at her and smiled. “Hi, Em.”

“What’s going on?” Emily looked back down the passage. “Dave just walked past me without his shirt and now you’re the same?”

“It’s a cover up operation.” Wolfe winked at his daughter. “Our esteemed sheriff and her deputy tangled with some thorns this morning and lost. It’s all good. Go and prepare the body, I’ll be starting the autopsy as soon as I’m finished here.”

“Thorns, huh?” Emily wrinkled her nose and turned away. “Anything you say, Dad.”

Jenna sighed. “It’s hard telling lies to protect someone, isn’t it?”

“Not really.” Wolfe slapped a dressing on her shoulder. “It’s a way of life in our business.” He handed her a dish containing the small tracker. “Do you want to do the honors?” He followed her to the bench and waited for her to pulverize the device. “I’ll microwave all the pieces just to be sure.”

Jenna pulled on her shirt and waited for him. She led the way to join Kane in the alcove in the hallway and pulled on scrubs, masks, and gloves. She looked at Kane’s bleak expression. “You good?”

“I will be when I get over the fact someone has been recording everything I say and do for the last few years.” Kane’s eyes flashed with anger. “I had a right to know. After years of putting my life on the line for them, it’s a sobering thought to know they don’t trust me.”

Thirty-Nine

The tension seemed to shimmer around Kane in the examination room. He needed a break, and Jenna knew just the man to do it. As Wolfe prepared the files on his preliminary examination of Becky Powell, Jenna sent a message to Ty Carter.

We’re at the autopsy of latest victim. I figure Kane needs a couple of hours downtime. Can you organize something for later?

A few seconds went by before her phone signalled a message. Jenna stared at the screen.

Just us guys?

Yes, I’ll stay in town and catch up with Jo.

Jo is staying over at Louan tonight. If we’re having a guys’ night out, Dave can bunk with me. I’ll call him later. Leave it to me.

“Was that anything important?” Kane moved to her side.

Jenna didn’t meet his eyes. He could read a lie in an instant. “No, Jo is heading over to Louan and staying over is all.”

“Are you ready?” Wolfe peered over his mask at them. “Good. We have Becky Powell, sixteen years, Caucasian, brown eyes, and hair. She is average height and weight for her age and in good physical shape, exact details will be listed in my report. Her body was formally identified by her parents at ten this morning. Preliminary X-rays, scans, and samples are ready for examination.” He pointed to an evidence bag on a bench. “I removed the black gaffer tape covering her mouth and found a pair of men’s briefs stuffed inside. I also removed the tape binding her wrists behind her back. Both have been examined. From the tape all the trace I found was from Becky, so whoever was handling the tape used gloves. The DNA from the briefs isn’t a match for Wyatt Cooper and Bobby Kalo is running it through the databases as we speak.”

“Did you confirm the time of death as suggested last night?” Kane stepped forward to stare at the X-rays.