“Yeah, Kane said he has five stitches to his head and concussion. He’s pretty shaken. I figure being attacked from behind does that to a person. Wolfe insists he stay in the hospital overnight for observation. He’s having brain scans and will be monitored.” Carter followed her into the kitchen. “We’ll drop by later and see if he needs anything. Dave will be home soon and will fill in the details. He needed to wait for Wolfe. How is Jackson?”
Concerned that Raven had been injured, Jenna ran a hand through her hair and then pulled down cups from the cabinet above the sink. “Jackson has been sleeping most of the day. I’ve managed to get him to eat a little and he’s drinking milk. Shane said he would sleep most of the time until he got better. The Tylenol seems to be taking care of the pain.” She sighed. “His temperature went back to normal about an hour ago.”
“What about you?” Jo gave her a concerned look. “Have you eaten?”
Not at all hungry, Jenna shook her head. “No, not since breakfast. Kane made eggs and you know what he’s like about insisting I eat. You must be famished. You’ve been out all day. I’ll make some sandwiches. We have cold cuts, cheese, and salad.”
“You rest. I’ll make the sandwiches.” Carter washed up at the sink and then pulled out plates from the fridge. He smiled. “The one thing about you two is that you keep a well-stocked fridge. Ham, cheese, and salad?”
“That works for me.” Jo washed up at the sink too. “I’ll help.”
As they devoured the sandwiches and drank the coffee, Carter brought Jenna up to date at what happened at Rhett’s ranch. She shook her head. “I’m glad he’s not moving in right away. I still figure he needs to take precautions. The threat might be long gone but you can’t be too careful where there’s money involved, and obviously his property creates a ton of cash. The moment I’ve cleared the murder cases from my desk, I’ll start an investigation into the deaths of his parents.” She tapped her bottom lip thinking. “Seems to me if the office was filled with ledgers, there’d be good records of who worked there over the time Rhett’s parents lived at the property. It might be twenty-two years ago, but it’s possible the killer is still working there. I’d say we’d be looking for someone over forty.”
“Workers from when his parents lived there might remember what happened around that time too.” Jo leaned back in her chair. “People around these parts work to an old age. Most of the men are tough. This killer could be any age, so we shouldn’t discount anyone. We don’t place an age on serial killers—or anyone capable of murder. I came across a case where a five-year-old cut his father’s throat. It takes strength to do that or dumb luck to stab in the correct spot—but the kid meant to do it. It was a shocking case.”
Jenna shuddered. “It sends shivers down my spine.” She shook her head slowly. “Since living here, I figure nothing is impossible. I always believed people have a reason to kill but now my eyes are open to all possibilities.”
“Normal, rational people will usually have reasons to kill.” Jo shrugged and met her gaze. “That hasn’t changed. Anger, greed, jealousy, fits of rage are what we might term as usual, and the killers are remorseful afterward. It’s the psychopathic killers who don’t need a reason to kill—or with any of the usual reasons. They make up their own fantasy reasons to kill. They’re not logical or predictable and can change direction on a dime. This is why it becomes so confusing if law enforcement tries to fit each murder into a particular box.”
“I have a few weeks’ vacation coming up.” Carter leaned back in his chair sipping his coffee. “Jo is using the time to finish her latest book but Kalo and I will be at loose ends, if you want some help.”
Jenna smiled. “I’d appreciate all the help I can get.”
The sound of Kane arriving home caught her attention. “I so want to go into the office and interview this Larkin couple, but I’m concerned if Jackson wakes and discovers we’ve left him with Raya, he’ll fuss. He really isn’t well at all.” She sighed. “He’s been clinging to Dave most of the morning, but when Raven’s emergency happened, he’d just fallen asleep. He doesn’t like me very much right now. He figures Raven hurt his ear and I let him.”
“He’ll forget all about it before you know it.” Jo patted her hand. “Try some of the things you did with him when he was a baby. Sing to him or tell him a story he likes. Give him positive memories.”
“We can go and interview the prisoners with Rio and Rowley.” Carter stood and filled two cups with coffee as Kane and Wolfe walked in the door. He smiled at them. “Just in time for Carter’s famous sandwiches.” He pulled out more bread and went to work.
“We need to wash up.” Kane kissed Jenna on the head and headed for the bathroom with Wolfe behind him.
“The autopsy might be later today or we’ll postpone until tomorrow.” Wolfe turned to look at Jenna. “Things are piling up.”
Mind spinning with so many cases to consider, Jenna nodded. “Maybe just send me a report.”
“I’ll send you a video.” Wolfe followed Kane along the hallway.
“As I was saying”—Carter looked at Jenna—“we’ll set up Jo’s laptop in the interview room and you’ll have a video link. There’s no need to upset your boy.”
Glad she had such caring friends, Jenna smiled. “That sounds like a plan.” She looked at Jo. “Are you sure you’re up for it? We both went through a terrible experience yesterday.”
“All I needed was a good night’s sleep.” Jo smiled. “I’ve been taking it easy at the office most of the day. I don’t find researching people’s backgrounds too stressful at all.” She narrowed her gaze at Jenna. “You don’t honestly believe that the Larkins had anything to do with the current murder cases, do you?”
“Larkin was a common suspect.” Kane walked into the room and slid into the chair beside Jenna. He piled sandwiches on his plate and reached for his coffee. “I don’t believe he murdered any of the women, mainly because I figure he would have taken them home and fed them to his pigs rather than leave the bodies around for possible forensic investigation. Nothing points to him being the killer—but it’s obvious he’s hiding something sinister. What we need to discover is what frightened him enough to attempt to kill a law enforcement officer. What secrets has he got hidden around that rundown old farm?”
Thirty-Four
Rio opened the window to his truck as he drove into town with the Larkins secured in the back seat. The smell of pigs wafting from the couple had gotten unbearable and their constant arguing was starting to give him a headache. He breathed in the damp fresh air. Although it carried a hint of pine, the usual alpine fragrance had an undercurrent of rotting vegetation. Even so, it was better than the stink of pigs. He frowned. After transporting this couple, he might need to get his truck steam-cleaned. He glanced in his rearview mirror, glad to see Rowley following close behind in Raven’s truck. He figured it would take both of them to move the Larkins from his truck and down to the cells. If they continued to argue, he would place them in separate interview rooms. He’d leave them for a time with just a bottle of water until the sheriff interviewed them. That’s if she was planning to drop by the office sometime today. With her shoulder injury and her son sick, he doubted it and mentally started to consider what questions he would ask the couple. He’d read them their rights as he cuffed them, and they’d requested a lawyer to represent them. He’d called Sam Cross and expected him to meet them at the office when they arrived.
Brown water still rushed alongside the curb as he drove into town. Leaves and other debris had piled up over the drains, causing water to spill across the blacktop. Rio glanced at the sky. The rain had stopped but clouds still marred the usually clear blue vista. The weather of late had gone crazy. Winter had started early and then lingered far too long. He craved the sunshine. Being raised in LA, he’d never get used to the Montana weather. He parked in the back parking lot of the sheriff’s office and waited for Rowley. Together they moved the prisoners to the interview room, supplied them with a bottle of water each, and then left them to think about what they’d done.
Rio headed into the office to speak to Maggie on the front counter. The lawyer wasn’t waiting for him in the foyer. He’d hoped that Sam Cross would have arrived by now as he needed to speak to his clients before any interrogation could begin. The doors flew open and Emily Wolfe rushed in, blonde hair flying and eyes flashing with anger. He walked toward her. “Is there a problem?”
“A problem? Well, yes, you could say that.” Emily glared at him. “What happened to the brotherhood in this office?” She poked a finger at his chest. “Raven gets injured in the line of duty and is dumped at the hospital. I just came back from there and there’s no one from the office waiting to see if he’s okay. Did you even consider the fact that he has animals at home that need feeding? Has anyone even spoken to him and asked him if they can do anything to help? Raven drops everything to rush here to help you when you need him, and the moment he’s in trouble you all desert him like rats running from a house fire.”
Rio drew himself up to his full height and stared at her. “I’m sure Raven is fully aware of the problems surrounding what happened. I had prisoners to escort. Dave needed to get home because his son is sick and Jenna dislocated her shoulder yesterday—unless it slipped your mind?”
“That’s not good enough.” Emily balled her hands on her hips. “I’ve seen him and he’s barely coherent. He could have permanent brain damage for all we know. He should have someone there with him.”
