Cross My Heart (Detectives Kane and Alton)

Jenna sighed. “Oh, I hope so. The idea of facing him again makes my skin crawl, but it’s necessary, and I don’t like being beaten by a killer or killers.” She turned to look at him. “No, dammit, I refuse to be. Those guys are heading back to jail. We’ll find the evidence and June Harris. I’m never giving up.”

“That’s my girl.” Kane grinned.

Thirty-Seven

Opting to wear civvies rather than stir up hatred at the prison, Jenna stood on the stoop of Kane’s cottage and glanced at the men crawling over her ranch house like ants. She hoped they’d be through soon, although the awful feeling of not being safe in her own home hadn’t gone away. A cold wind with the bite of frost blew from the mountains, and she wrapped her coat around her and turned to watch Carter go through his preflight check. It never ceased to amaze her how he turned from a laid-back, easy-going guy to a professional in the blink of an eye. He had his FBI hat on this morning and had been very vocal over coffee about visiting James Stone.

After inhaling the clean pine air, Jenna turned as Jo moved beside her. “Ty seems different this morning. Is he always like that?”

“Not usually, no.” Jo pushed her hair inside her hood and shivered. “He’s read everything there is about Stone and doesn’t believe we should be interviewing him. He watched the interview you taped after his arrest and has the court transcripts. Ty has it in his head Stone can manipulate people to his will, and maybe he can, but he won’t be able to manipulate me, that’s for sure.”

“Who is trying to manipulate you?” Kane walked out behind them and pulled the door closed.

“Ty thinks that Stone will walk all over us.” Jo snorted. “As if.”

“Really?” Kane smoothed his hair and pushed on his black Stetson. “What do you think?”

“Ha.” Jo grinned at him. “You are too nice, Dave. That’s a classic reply from someone who hates to be involved in disagreements.”

“You don’t know me at all, Jo.” Kane chuckled. “All this geniality is a front. I’m hiding a dark and dangerous past.” He winked at Jenna.

“Sure, you are.” Jo tucked her bag under one arm and pulled on gloves. “Ah, it looks like Carter is ready to leave.” She headed for the chopper.

Jenna stared at him. “You’re pushing your luck. One of these days she’ll see right through you.”

“Carter has hinted at knowing my past.” Kane shrugged nonchalantly and buttoned his overcoat. “He doesn’t have details, but he’s not stupid. He recognizes a brother in arms, just like I picked you as an agent the moment we met. He just knows not to discuss it. To be honest, if Carter did discover our past lives, I don’t think it would go any further. He’s solid and I trust him. Wolfe believes he is a loose cannon, but I’ve never seen that side of him.”

Jenna headed for the chopper. “Me neither; now he has his filter back in place, I find him professional and an asset. I like his dog too.”

“It’s just as well Zorro gets on so well with Duke; they’ll keep each other company while we’re away.” Kane strolled beside her. “Although, I figure Ty wanted to take his dog into the prison with him. He sure loves that dog.”

The flight to county would be swift, and Jenna took the time to take in the scenery and absorb the peace the Big Sky Country gave her. Flying over Stanton Forest and the mountains gave her a special sense of wonder. The mountain had been there since the beginning of time and held the secrets of the ages. The peaks stood like sentries protecting Black Rock Falls with an impenetrable boundary, strong and resilient, like the people who lived in its shadows. She sighed as she searched the forest looking for the herds of elk and deer. It was as if she could reach out and touch the snowcapped granite and brush her fingers through the tips of the pines. She loved watching the eagles soar and, being so high, she had their perspective on life. High above the earth, the beauty of her county… her county, her people, her responsibility, thundered home. The townsfolk expected her to keep them safe. She had to solve the crime for them and bring the person or persons responsible for the murders to justice.

How different the scenery became as they approached the county jail. Set in the lowlands, surrounded by nothing but wilderness, the massive red brick building did justice to the word depressing. High walls, triple lines of fencing, and razor wire was the theme. No greenery, no gardens. Guard towers overlooked the building and armed men looked out as they flew over. Jenna peered into the exercise yards. Separated into sections, they were little more than pens with reinforced wire fences surrounding a dusty dirt rectangle. The chopper dropped, and through her headphones she could hear Carter advising of their arrival.

Guards and a man in civilian clothing waited near the helipad on top of the county jail, all keeping close to the wall as they landed. The wind buffeted the chopper and it swayed back and forth unnervingly before Carter finally set it down. As the engine whined to a halt, Jenna removed her headset and turned to Kane. “You haven’t offered me any advice about talking to Stone. Do you have any pearls of wisdom for me before I go and speak to him?”

“Nah, you’ll do just fine, but if I was in with Jo, I’d allow her to take the lead. I’ve seen her work and she’s very good. She has a way of manipulating psychopaths without them knowing, and that in itself is a gift.” Kane smiled at her. “She was amazing at the conference; her insights have really helped me up my game.”

Jenna laughed. “You sound starstruck. It’s just Jo, our friend, or is there something you’re not telling me?”

“I’ve always been a great admirer of her work, but I’ve yet to be starstruck by anyone. I do have respect for people’s talent, but to me everyone is equal no matter their rank or position in life. I’ve never been intimidated or in awe of anyone, not even POTUS—he’s just a man.” Kane shrugged. “I figure we’re lucky to be able to call Jo our friend.”

Jenna nodded. “Absolutely.” She gathered her things and followed Kane out of the chopper.

The warden greeted them and they went through the usual procedure of removing their weapons before being allowed inside the prison. Inside, the mood was gloomy and the place had the smell of unwashed men and boiled cabbage. Jenna followed the warden through many electronic doors and along walkways that took them through areas filled with inmates. The men glared at them and some whistled, sniffed, or made kissing noises. A knot of uncertainty crawled into her belly. It was like walking into hell. She recalled movies about people trying to escape a never-ending passageway with locked doors on each side, and this place was the same. It was a nightmare. No windows and a lingering presence of despair. The urge to turn around and run back outside was overwhelming; each step into the continuous gray interior suffocated her.

Fluorescent strip lights flickered, threatening to plunge them into darkness. Ahead, an inmate cleaned what looked like blood from the floor with a smelly mop and licked his lips as she walked past. She could feel Kane beside her and valued his solid presence. Behind her, Jo walked with Carter, but as they passed more inmates, they had to dodge spittle even with the guards issuing warnings to stay back as they passed through different areas. She wanted to speak to Kane but kept her thoughts to herself and her eyes on the men’s backs before her. She sighed with relief as they entered a small room with a window on one side. From here she could see into an interview room. It was bare apart from a table with two chairs on either side. All the furniture had been secured to the floor and the table had a loop for securing the prisoner. The room was brightly lit and two cameras sat high on the wall.

“We’ll have the cameras switched off. This is a confidential session.” Jo turned to the warden. We’ll make our o

wn recording. I find the subjects are more cooperative if they know they’re not being watched by anyone.” She nodded to Carter, who waved a camera at him.

“Your safety is our priority, Ms. Wells.” The warden looked taken aback. “This man is a mass murderer and psychopathic killer. You can’t possibly want to be alone with him.”

“But we do.” Jo smiled at him. “Agent Carter and Deputy Kane are highly skilled. They are the only protection we require. Thank you, Warden. We’ll give you a call when we’re ready to leave.”

“I’ll be posting guards outside the room.” The warden rubbed his chin, obviously concerned. “I’m afraid that is a condition of allowing you to interview Stone.”