It was like the lull before the storm. The only sound in Jenna’s office came from Duke snoring in his basket under her desk. The media release had gone out, asking if anyone had seen either of the murder victims but not indicating that they’d been slaughtered in the forest. She had to admire the way Rio injected urgency into the notice by asking people to contact the sheriff’s department without delay if they’d even seen a glimpse of the couple in town. The midday news bulletin had come and gone, and although the information would be repeated on the hour, she’d expected at least someone to have noticed them. She glanced up as a shadow fell over her doorway. “Do you have anything for me, Dave?”
“A timeline of the murder.” Kane sat down in the chair before her desk and slid over his iPad. “Going on the way the camping gear was tossed around, I figure the couple had just entered the clearing when they were set upon.” He leaned forward in the chair and scrolled through the images. “Emmett Howard was disabled first and dragged to where we found him. There is dirt on the back of the heels of his boots. Wolfe will confirm but from his initial findings, a puncture wound in the spine paralyzed him. There didn’t appear to be any defensive wounds but we’ll know more from the autopsy.” He pointed to an image of the fire circle. “See here, there is a half-moon print of a small boot. It matches Patti Howard’s hiking boots, which tells me the killer surprised her, she spun around and tripped over the fire circle. She didn’t have time to react and was attacked. It looks like the killer carried her to the tree and secured her arms.” He pulled his tablet back toward him and frowned. “In a few seconds, this person had overpowered both of them. They were at his mercy.”
The sightless eyes of the victims filled Jenna’s memory and she shuddered. “The gas was poured on both of them but the woman’s clothes were still soaked. Is that possible? The rate of evaporation might give us a better idea of the time this happened.”
“From what I could see, Emmett was doused in gas first. His clothes have the smell but appeared dry apart from the dew.” A nerve in Kane’s jaw ticked and his mouth flattened into a thin line. “Patt
i was soaked in blood. That alone might have some relation to the time the gas took to evaporate. There’d be many factors: the weather, temperature, and then there’s the humidity… which, that close to the falls, is never less than ninety percent.”
Jenna chewed on the end of a pen and thought for a beat. “I think she had tape residue on her face. The killer wanted her quiet, but why cover her husband in gas before her?”
“Maybe it was a threat.” Kane shrugged. “He could’ve pulled out a Zippo and waved it around, threatening to light Emmett up if Patti didn’t cooperate. Love is a powerful thing and she might have tried to protect him.”
The phone on the desk buzzed and Jenna lifted the receiver. It was Maggie on the front counter. “Send him up.” She disconnected and looked at Kane. “Someone met our couple in town.” She heard footsteps on the stairs and pushed to her feet. “Mr. Long. Come in and take a seat. This is Deputy Kane.”
“Ma’am.” Long removed his cowboy hat and sat in the chair Kane had just vacated.
Jenna took out a notepad and took in the man. He was mid to late thirties, strong build, and had a pleasant face. “First up, can I have your details for the record?”
“Sure. Tyson Long, raised and now living out of Summit Heights.” He glanced up at Kane as if assessing him.
Jenna cleared her throat to get his attention. “Okay, tell me how you came to meet Patti and Emmett Howard.”
“I met them on Monday.” Long’s expression was earnest. “I was in the Wild Outdoors store and they spoke to me. They were arguing about satellite phones. Patti wanted to see the falls and Emmett wanted to have some time alone with his wife in the mountains.” He opened his hands wide. “They just up and asked me if I could take them into the forest. They offered to pay me but I refused.”
The story sounded too darn familiar, and the sudden feeling of being trapped in a recurring dream spilled over Jenna. It was too much of a coincidence not to be taken seriously. It was as if the man before her were Adams. She’d play along and see what else he knew. “So, I’m guessing you took them into the forest, left them all alone, and came back to town?”
“Yeah. Are you reading my mind, Sheriff?” Long met her gaze, steady and unwavering. “I didn’t have much to do, so I agreed to take them up on Tuesday. We met at the Bear Peak parking lot at eleven-thirty and I took them down the mountain to a campsite I recalled. I left them there about an hour or so later and planned to go back up and bring them down this afternoon at four.” He gave Jenna a sweet smile. “When I heard the news, I figured no one knows where they are and I’d come by and tell you.”
Jenna exchanged a puzzled look with Kane and he returned it with the subtle lift of one eyebrow. She ground her teeth. It was as if he’d heard Adams’ story and decided to repeat it. Some people would do anything for attention, but Long had put her on her guard. Could this man be Adams’ accomplice, or was he here to throw reasonable doubt on Adams’ arrest? “Did anyone see you with them in the store?”
“I’m not sure, the store is always busy—maybe.” Long shrugged. “I guess the store has a CCTV camera. You could check the footage but I don’t see the point.” A flash of annoyance caught in his eyes for a split second. “Don’t you believe me? I took them into the forest and showed them a secluded campsite.”
“So, you’d be willing to take us to this campsite?” Kane pushed off the wall and dropped his combat expression on the man.
“Sure.” Long leaned back in his chair and shrugged. “I’ve nothing better to do this afternoon.”
Needing an excuse to speak to Kane alone, Jenna pulled her phone out of her pocket, looked at the blank screen and then at Mr. Long. “Can you give me a minute? Something’s come up.”
Not waiting for a reply, she stood and looked at Kane. “We need to talk.”
“Sure.” Kane opened the door and they walked into the hallway.
Jenna pulled him into the locker room. “What the hell is going on here? Is this guy playing us for fools? We have three homicides and one missing woman and they all just happened to meet strangers and ask them to take them into the forest? Am I missing something here or have people suddenly started to lose their minds? I mean, can people be gullible enough to go up to a stranger here in serial killer capital and ask them to lead them into danger, or what?” She paced the small area. “Once, I might believe, but twice?” Wanting to tear her hair out in frustration, she stared at him. “This guy gives me the creeps. He is so nice and yet I’m getting a really bad vibe off him.”
“One thing for damn sure, this isn’t a coincidence. I can’t figure out his angle, but to be singing the same song as Adams makes me wonder if they’ve planned this little charade.” Kane leaned against the wall. “This might be two different cases but having the exact same scenarios, same MO and both men admitting to everything apart from the actual killing is bizarre.”
Jenna pushed two hands through her hair. “What if this is a ploy to get them both off a murder charge? Think about it, Dave. Long’s testimony throws reasonable doubt on any case we might have against Adams, especially if Wolfe decides the TOD isn’t in Adams’ timeline. The second murder with the same MO, is reason enough for Adams to walk.”
“The problem is without evidence both men could be telling the truth, and most people would ignore the subtle differences in the actual killings and believe the murderer is still in the forest, waiting for his next victims.” Kane shrugged. “The autopsies will confirm, but from Wolfe’s preliminary examination of the last victims, both MOs were slightly different. There is a possibility we’re looking at two killers.”
Incredulous, Jenna stared at him. “You think?”
“I’ll go with the conspiracy theory but we’ll need proof they’re both involved.” Kane rubbed the back of his neck. “You’ll need to push Long a little harder and see if he cracks. Although I doubt it. Like Adams, he is so sure of himself he must have an ace up his sleeve or a get out of jail free card.”
“It sure looks that way.” Jenna pinched the bridge of her nose. “It’s as if they know we haven’t gotten a shred of evidence against them.” She moved to the door. “I’ll figure out a way to keep Long here to give us time to dig into his background. I’ll call Kalo.”
“Send Long to an interview room with Rowley to take his statement?” Kane followed her into the hallway.