“Nope.” Carter’s eyes filled with remorse. “You know, he won’t come back until he finds her?” He lifted his chin, the blanket hanging from his fingers. “I should get back at it and help him. He can’t do it alone.” He went to roll off the boat.
Wolfe laid a hand on his shoulder. “He’s not alone. We’ll find them.”
“Okay.” Carter shook out the blanket and moved closer to Jo. He took a cup of coffee from the search-and-rescue guy. “Thanks. Head toward the next bridge. That’s where Deputy Kane was heading.”
The boat moved off again and Wolfe shook his head. He’s never seen Carter and Jo look so defeated. It was as if all the life had been drained from them. He grabbed a few things from his bag and went to work on Jo. Her scrapes were superficial but she’d swallowed a ton of filthy water. Carter had a small bruise on one cheek but hadn’t complained of any injuries. He’d need to check him out later, once they’d showered. “I’ll need you both at the morgue. I’ll need to run tests. That water is teaming with microbes and other nasties you don’t want to know about. I’ll give you both shots and meds to cover anything sinister.”
“Jenna tried to get to me but the river swallowed her.” Jo’s eyes brimmed with tears. “I caught hold of a log floating by. It saved my life.” She leaned into Carter and his arm went around her. “I couldn’t do anything to save her.”
Wolfe dabbed at the scrapes with antiseptic and narrowed his gaze. “Jenna is tougher than you imagine. She understands how to survive in a river and has done it before. Kane will be searching for places she might have made it ashore.” He scanned the wall of rain ahead. “The bridge would be a good place to start.”
“I see someone.” The search-and-rescue guy at the front of the boat moved a search beam through the dim light. “There.” He pointed and the boat sped up.
Relief flooded through Wolfe as the beam picked up Kane, white-faced and grim, wading through hip-deep water with Jenna wrapped around him. She had her legs around his waist, one arm circled his neck with the other tucked in. Kane had locked his arms around her. As the boat got closer, the strain on Kane’s face was evident. His mouth turned down and rain streamed over his bare head. He looked at him and nodded. Wolfe kneeled in the boat and lifted Jenna from his arms. She appeared waxen and freezing cold against him. Water poured from her clothes, leaving puddles in the bottom of the boat. Moments later, Kane rolled over the edge and pulled her against him. Wolfe wrapped them in foil, hoping she was alive. “Jenna, I want you to open your eyes. Talk to me.”
Nothing.
“She’s alive.” Kane’s voice sounded hoarse. “Jenna.” He gave her a little shake. “Shane is here, and we’re going home.”
Concerned, Wolfe ran his hand over Jenna’s ice-cold skin and lifted her chin, feeling for a pulse. The slow but steady beat reassured him and he looked at Kane. “We need to get her awake and warm.” He tapped Jenna’s cheek. “Jenna, open your eyes. Talk to me.”
When her eyes fluttered and opened, Wolfe relaxed. “Don’t y’all go back to sleep now. We have fresh coffee.” He squeezed her arm. “Jenna.”
“Okay, okay.” Jenna winced. “I’m in pain. Like with a capital P.”
“She dislocated her clavicle.” Kane met his gaze. “I likely did more damage putting it back in the socket, but I couldn’t carry her with it like that. If it hurts right now, it will get worse once the cold eases.”
“I figured he’d shot me.” Jenna leaned into Kane. “He’s been carrying me for miles.” She noticed Jo and Carter close by. “Oh, thank the Lord, you’re both okay.”
“Exhausted but okay.” Carter smiled at her. “Dave would have carried you to the end of the earth if necessary. He’s as stubborn as a mule.”
“Just as well, huh?” Kane snorted and took a cup from the search-and-rescue guy. He handed it to Jenna. “Drink the coffee, Jenna, and keep talking.”
Wolfe pulled a shot of morphine from his bag, swabbed Jenna’s arm, and pushed it in. He lifted his gaze to Kane. “The drug will ease the pain but she’ll want to sleep. You must keep her awake.”
“I know the drill.” Kane sipped his coffee and turned to the search-and-rescue guy. “Get us the heck out of here.”
As the boat spun around and headed back toward the flooded parking lot, Wolfe’s phone buzzed. It was Rowley. “We have them. Dave and Jenna are close by. I’ll put you on speaker.”
“That’s good.” Rowley’s serious voice sent up alarm bells for Wolfe. “The body of the woman in the sedan was located. It’s another of the women from our self-defense group. Her name is Roxanne Dunn.”
Twenty
Rhett Lawson’s arrival in Black Rock Falls had been planned since he turned three. Meeting Julie and discovering she lived in the place he’d been raised had been a big surprise. Right now, he didn’t know what the future held for him, but he hoped Julie would be a big part of it. The first hurdle had been meeting Dr. Shane Wolfe. He hated to admit it, but he’d been a little apprehensive about meeting Julie’s father. His arrival in Black Rock Falls and seeing Dr. Shane Wolfe had surprised him. A tall blond man with kind gray eyes had greeted him with a smart-ass remark, likely to test his reaction. He often found that people judged him by his appearance and anyone who didn’t make the effort to discover him as a person wasn’t worth his time. He’d spent his stretch in college studying psychology, sociology, and behavioral sciences as well as many other courses to make him ready to assist children in trouble. He had always been able to read people and that started many years ago in foster care. He read the warning in Wolfe’s initial attitude toward him, in the first few minutes, he’d laid down the rules without saying a word. Julie had mentioned that he had old-school values and he admired that, and in fact, old-school would be how he’d describe himself. He might look like a player but he respected women. He believed, after spending the evening over a fine meal and having a long chat with Wolfe, that he’d made his intentions clear. The family had made him very welcome and his interest in motorcycles had been an advantage. He’d spent a very enjoyable hour or so discussing Wolfe’s current project and been entertained by seeing the immaculate old Harley that he had built from a frame.
The moment he laid eyes on Julie he’d recognized her as someone very special. Her goals in life and her attitude were commendable, but she had something else he couldn’t quite put his finger on. She mesmerized him and was all he could think about during the time between the conference and when he walked in the door and saw her standing there waiting for him. He’d had the strange feeling when he drove into Black Rock Falls that he’d finally come home. He’d been born in the local hospital and had discovered since that his parents had died in this county. Over his time in foster care, he’d received various accounts of what had happened to them. He’d been told they’d died in a plane crash, another time in a car wreck, and later in a fire. Although he’d searched through old newspapers around the time of their death he hadn’t discovered anything of interest.
The day he turned eighteen, he had been sent to the local child and family services to speak to a counselor as he was due to leave foster care. Although that meeting didn’t give him any more information on how his parents had died, he discovered it had happened when he was two years old. They had informed him that their wills had left him an estate but it was not accessible until he turned twenty-five. As he’d won a scholarship to the University of Montana, he followed his dreams, studied very hard until he had two degrees to aid him toward his goal in life. Now at twenty-five he’d returned to Black Rock Falls to discover what his parents had left him. He turned to Julie. “I really appreciate you coming with me today.” He shook the rain from his hat as they stepped inside the lawyer’s building.
“It’s such a private thing. I’m surprised you wanted me along.” Julie smiled and placed her umbrella in a stand by the door. “I’m happy to be here. I hope I can be some help.”
He glanced at the copper shingle on a door on the left, it read: samuel j. cross, attorney at law. Smiling at Julie, he turned the handle and walked inside. Behind a desk sat a woman in her mid-forties with spectacles halfway down her nose and staring at a computer screen. He paused at the desk and waited for her to look up at him. “Good afternoon, my name is Rhett Lawson and I have an appointment with Mr. Cross.”
“I’ll tell him you’re here.” She pushed to her feet. “He is expecting you.” She headed along a passageway behind her.
A few moments later, a man wearing a cowboy hat, jeans, and snakeskin cowboy boots came out to greet them. Surprised at seeing a man who resembled a ranch hand with his hair tied back in a strip of leather, Rhett blinked. Gathering himself, he held out his hand. “Rhett Lawson and this is Julie Wolfe.”
“Come on in.” Cross’ firm handshake put him at ease. “I have been following your career through college for the last couple of years. I feel like we’re old friends. I know Julie, of course.” He led the way into a large office and slid into a massive leather office chair. “I have everything at hand. Can I get you anything to drink?”
