Prologue
Thursday
Fear gripped Jan Pierce so hard her chest tightened, making it hard to breathe. So many people had died at Bear Peak, she would swear she could hear them moaning with each gust of wind. Too afraid to move from the safety of her truck, she stared into the dark depths of Stanton Forest and a shiver slid down her spine. Fragrant pine trees marched up the mountainside in their green spring coats, and the wildflowers sprinkled in the grass coaxed her forward, but beneath the trees, the thick trunks created a dense, dark terrifying space. Desperately trying to push her anxiety to one side, she stepped from her truck and headed toward the popular hiking path. Her friends had assured her that the trail ran up the side of the mountain and offered glorious views of the lowlands below.
Her anxiety at living alone since her grandma died had intensified since the last murders in Black Rock Falls, and over the last three months she’d attended self-defense classes offered by the sheriff’s department. She’d met one of the deputies, an ex-military man and doctor by the name of Johnny Raven. He trained K-9s and specialized in dogs for personal protection. This past month she had driven to his small ranch in Stanton Forest, where he trained the dogs and worked with a dog she intended to purchase. Wanting to face her fears, she’d decided to hike to his home rather than take the fire road. It had been quiet in Black Rock Falls since Christmas, and as the weather forecast had predicted heavy rain for the next few weeks, this would be her only opportunity to test her courage.
Heart pounding and mouth dry, she stood for a few moments staring at the trail leading into the forest and then pulled on her backpack. The forest seemed to breathe as the hush of wind threaded its way through the trees. Whispers of the dead or a warning not to enter? She pushed away the stories she’d read about the forest and turned to scan the parking lot for other hikers. It would be easier to follow a group of people even at a distance, but apart from two vehicles parked some distance away, there was no sign of anyone.
Taking a deep breath, she took a few hesitant steps into the dark forest. If she tried not to manifest something bad in every shadow, the forest could be a beautiful place to visit. Watchful of her surroundings, she ran slowly, feeling the cold air slam into her lungs. The first part of the trail wound out before her with sunlight pouring down like flashlight beams and then it opened up to display blue sky. She ran harder, the allure of the light drawing her forward. The trail ran alongside the edge of the mountain, and the swaying branches of the pines created a frame of a magnificent vista.
The sight took her breath away. She pulled out her phone and angled it to catch the golden spill of sunlight over the valley. When she turned to her right, the jagged peaks of Bear Peak rose up black and forbidding, and when she panned down, she caught a ribbon of a blue river as it wound its way down the mountainside to the town of Black Rock Falls. She smiled to herself as she captured the video. She would add it to the others she’d collected from some of the most beautiful places around town and loop them together to create a screensaver. She spent a few minutes admiring the view and her confidence soared. Running, she headed back up the trail through the forest until a dark patch of dense trees and thick undergrowth sucked away all the light, leaving thick dark shadows.
Jan paused, heart hammering. Anything could be in there, a bear maybe or someone intent on harming her. So many people had been murdered in the forest, she hesitated breathing heavily and scanned the darkness for any sign of movement. She wanted to go back and swallowed hard, suddenly unable to take another step—but she must. She checked her phone for the time. If she didn’t keep going, she’d be late for her appointment with Raven. He was a busy man and wouldn’t appreciate her being tardy. Taking a firm grip on her fear, she ran into the darkness, tripping over exposed roots on the trail, but as she turned a bend, the light ahead spurred her forward.
The sound of rustling came from the trees and panic had her by the throat. If someone was in the trees watching her, she’d run right toward them. Too afraid to stop, she ran faster. Footsteps pounded along the trail behind her, but too afraid to look back, she burst into the light and found herself on a narrow path alongside the edge of the mountain. Gasping in the clear cool mountain air, she glanced over one shoulder. Her imagination had gotten the better of her. No one ran at her from the shadows. Trembling, she stared into blackness, but as the minutes ticked by not a soul emerged from the forest. Her imagination had become her enemy.
Trying to calm down, she turned back to enjoy the incredible landscape spreading out below her. She lifted her phone and, pressing record, aimed it to capture the view. Moments later the sound of a crunch came from the path behind her. Fear gripped her and her breath caught in her throat, but before she could turn, agony shot through her temple and a stab of pain hit the back of her knee. Jan stumbled forward and gasped as she fell into space, arms windmilling. She clutched at branches that only slid through her fingers and then hung for a second on an updraft, staring at the mountain before plunging backward toward the jagged rocks. The sound of laughter came on a rush of wind just before the beautiful image blacked out.
One
The day Dave Kane, who had left his job as a special agent and sniper working for the US government, arrived in Black Rock Falls to live off the grid with a new name and face, he never imagined he’d be teaching self-defense to a group of women in the local town hall. He enjoyed his work as deputy sheriff of Black Rock Falls. Being married to Sheriff Jenna Alton and raising two sons had never seemed possible during his old life. Although he drilled the women like a sergeant major and had assistance from the other deputies, he hadn’t imagined how much attention he would get from his students. He’d made it clear from the get-go that Jenna was his wife, but that didn’t stop some of them from batting their eyelashes at him and making any excuse to get him alone. Their vehicles mysteriously broke down or they’d heard someone in their house and wanted him to drop by to check it out. He wondered if he’d become a little oversensitive and mentioned it to Raven only to find that the same thing happened to him on a daily basis. He’d decided, when this happened, to bring up Jenna’s name as often as possible and keep a running commentary going about how good his two boys were doing—it hadn’t worked.
The self-defense classes had been his idea, and he didn’t want to stop them because in Serial Killer Central, people living alone needed as much protection as possible, and he welcomed everyone to come along. During their downtime, which of late had been almost every day, they held classes three times a week with two deputies taking the classes. The classes weren’t only for hand-to-hand combat but also to instruct people on the right way to handle a weapon. This meant he took groups of people, mostly women, to the firing ranges around town.
His friend, Deputy Johnny Raven, spent most of his downtime saving homeless dogs from shelters. He often drove miles throughout the state to collect animals he believed could be trained to protect people. He worked with military K-9s but used his knowledge to work with suitable strays for self-protection. Most times he gave these dogs to vulnerable women or charged a very small fee to cover his expenses. The K-9s, he sold to people or security companies and put the handlers through a vigorous training program with their dogs. Raven insisted that each dog had a good home with the handler and would check on them regularly. His partner in the dogs was Native American Atohi Blackhawk, Dave’s close friend and once the guardian of his adopted son, Tauri.
Kane stepped away from demonstrating how to escape from a choke hold when a wild-eyed teenager burst through the door. He turned to look at him. “Is there a problem?”
“Yeah, maybe.” The boy held his stomach, panting. “There’s a group of ranch hands bad-mouthing some of the college students outside Aunt Betty’s Café. It’s getting nasty and the sheriff is right in the middle of it, alone.”
“Did she send you for help?” Raven went to Kane’s side, his eyebrows raised.
“Nope, but I figure she needs it.” The boy leaned over, his hands on his knees, gasping in long breaths. “I figure you should come right away before someone gets hurt.”
It would be unusual for ranch hands or students to be carrying weapons in town. Most of the ranch hands had a rifle in their trucks but rarely carried sidearms. He glanced at the class and nodded to the women. It was almost over anyway. “That’s all for today. It seems we’re needed in town.”
“Deputy Kane.” Sierra Lang touched his arm. “Is there any chance you could check the security on my house? Living alone, I’m always worried someone might break in.”
Kane grabbed his holster belt, strapped it on and then took his coat from a chair and shrugged into it. He dived into one of his pockets for a cardholder and selected a card. “This is a company that comes to your home and checks everything out. They give you a detailed rundown of what they believe you need to keep your house safe. You’re not obligated to purchase anything they recommend, but it will give you a better idea than I can on what you need.” He sighed. “I understand that setting up security systems can be expensive, but if you have any problems, please contact the Her Broken Wings Foundation. We have created a fund to assist people to make sure their homes are safe.”
“I can put you on the list for one of our dogs too.” Raven smiled at her as he buckled his belt and checked his weapon. “Trust me, no one would get past them.”
“Thank you, I’d appreciate it.” Sierra took the card and pushed it down the front of her bra. She smiled. “I’ll see you at our next class.”
As Kane led Raven out onto Main, they could see the rowdy, loud group spilling out over the blacktop outside Aunt Betty’s Café. The town hall, where they held the classes, was a short distance from the sheriff’s office, so this morning they’d walked there in the fresh spring air. He glanced at Raven and they took off at a run, slowing some distance from the crowd to see what exactly was happening. In the middle of the altercation stood Jenna, both arms outstretched to prevent the men from coming to blows and speaking in hushed tones at the irate men around her. His dog, Duke, stood beside her, his lips drawn back to show his canines, which on a bloodhound made him appear to be smiling, but the low growl told another story.
Kane took in the situation and relaxed. He’d jump in right away if the men started swinging, but Jenna had earned her respect in town. He’d never seen her back down from anyone and she fought hard to keep the townsfolk safe. Her team of deputies ran like a well-oiled machine under her leadership and her record of taking down serial killers was legendary. Being slightly built and small enough to tuck under his arm, it never ceased to amaze him how lowering her voice to just above a whisper got people’s attention more than when she raised it. The same thing worked with their sons. They knew that if their mom spoke to them in a whisper, they were in deep trouble.
He placed a hand on Raven’s arm, indicating to him to stand down and wait. Pride radiated through him at the way Jenna took complete control of the situation. She didn’t need him or Raven strong-arming anyone. Kane leaned against a street light, and Raven stood nonchalantly reading the specials at the café. After a few minutes, the faces on the men dropped to expressions of embarrassment. Not long after, Jenna twirled her fingers at them, and they turned and the groups walked away in opposite directions. Kane smiled as she looked up and noticed him. “We’ve finished the class and we’re starving.”
“Who sent for the cavalry?” Jenna looked from him to Raven and back. “I had it under control and I didn’t need to pull my weapon either.”
Kane laughed. “I could see that and I wasn’t getting involved. When you drop your voice to a whisper I want to go hide under the table.”
“Oh, stop it.” Jenna slid her arm through his and grinned. “Yelling never gets anyone anywhere. I learned that from you.” She led him toward Aunt Betty’s. “I’m hungry too. I walked here to allow Duke to stretch his legs and to get some fresh air. No cases for me means updating files, checking lists from other law enforcement offices, or cleaning the closets and refilling supplies. It’s boring.”
“Not for long. The storm clouds are rolling in.” Raven frowned. “I’m guessing the weather forecast is right for once. The ground is still wet from the melt. If it rains for a week, it will flood.”
