“Like you don’t know,” Wright sneered.
Huck focused on Monty. “What happened to Rachel?”
Monty leaned over and released Huck’s cuffs, dragging them across the table and tossing them on the floor. “She got kidnapped last night, thrown into a dog crate, and nearly drowned by the river after somebody cut holes in the ice.”
Huck stiffened. “When?”
“After the search and rescue operation, which made it quite handy for you, didn’t it?” Wright asked.
Huck tried to wrap his head around this new development. “Is she all right?” They were no longer engaged, but he didn’t want any harm to befall her.
Monty nodded. “Yeah, she kicked the guy and ran into the forest, eluding him. She also punched him in the face, and I don’t see a bruise on yours.”
Huck sat back. She’d eluded the serial killer? Sure, Rachel kept herself in decent shape, but this killer operated with meticulous precision. No way a kick-and-punch combo would’ve taken him down.
“Luck certainly favored her,” Monty said.
Huck stared at his friend. “Does that make sense to you?”
“You’re not asking the questions here.” Wright slammed his fist down on the table, scrutinizing Huck’s face. “Not everyone bruises easily, you know. It’s possible she punched you and didn’t hurt you. We’re going to go through this my way. You are in custody, Captain. Your job is over. Now, we’re talking about your freedom.”
Monty looked at the empty chair next to Huck. “I think you should have an attorney present.”
Wright whirled on him. “It’s not your job to give advice to the accused.”
The accused. Huck was actually the accused. He shook his head and pressed his fingers against his right eye. He was getting a hell of a headache. “I waive the right to an attorney for now. For the record, I didn’t kidnap Rachel.”
“She was stuffed into a dog crate. You don’t seem to understand.” Wright punctuated each word with a chopping motion of his hand. “We have collected dog hair from her coat. Aeneas’s fur is on record with Seattle from a case a while back.”
Huck thought back. Oh, yeah, during the Snowblood Peak cases. He’d had to give Aeneas’s fur for a sample. “Did they match?”
Wright sat back, his shoulders up and his chest out. “We don’t know yet. However, I can tell you that I had the sample taken from her coat driven directly to the lab this morning and put at the front of the list. We should know within the hour.”
“Huh?” Huck thought back. Since Aeneas had been injured, he’d let the dog sit in the front seat with him as he drove home. He hadn’t even looked in the back crate. He usually kept a couple of blankets in there, and he most likely hadn’t locked the truck. “Wait a second. If Aeneas had been in the front seat, she would’ve heard him. If she screamed, and I’m sure she did, he would’ve barked.”
Wright sneered. “She thinks you put the dog in the back bed of the truck.”
This might not be good. Maybe he should have an attorney.
“How angry were you with Rachel Raprenzi for constantly attacking you?” Wright asked.
Huck cocked his head. “I wasn’t angry. I just found her to be annoying.”
“So annoying you needed to kill her, to shut her up, to drown her, so she couldn’t talk any longer?” Wright spit out.
Huck just looked at him. “No.”
Monty sagged back in his chair. “I don’t think there’s any way Huck kidnapped Rachel last night.”
Wright hissed. “There was time. You had all disbanded. He could have easily done it. He rammed her car and then tried to kill her, but she got away.” He smiled, showing sharp canines. “How does that feel?”
Huck frowned. “Rammed her car? Did you check my truck out?”
“Yes,” Wright said. “Those trucks are made to withstand damage. But don’t worry, we’re going to test the paint on both. That could take a week or so.”
Huck sat back and put his hands on his head. This was interesting.
Wright cleared his throat. “When did you find out your mother returned to town?”
