“Not long now.” Kane’s powerful truck took the mountain road with ease. “Lock and load.”
Hanging on for dear life, Jenna held her breath as Kane executed the PIT maneuver. The truck ahead went out of control and spun its tires, screaming as it slid along the highway. Oncoming vehicles skidded to a stop as the out-of-control truck finally came to rest facing the wrong way and hard against the guardrail. As the Beast came to a stop, Jenna pulled her weapon and, using the truck door as a shield, aimed her gun at the driver. “Put your hands on the wheel where we can see them.”
The person inside the vehicle screamed and thumped her fists on the steering wheel. The next moment, her door flew open and Kane grabbed her by the collar and yanked her out.
“You’re under arrest for the attempted murder of a federal officer.” Kane pulled her arms behind her back and cuffed her. He read her her rights and then went about patting her down.
Jenna holstered her weapon and walked closer to the vehicle. As Kane spun the woman around to face him, she gaped at her in astonishment. This person was the last one she’d suspect of murder. The woman ignored her and stared at Kane with contempt. “That’s not Jolene. That’s her mom. She was at the class with her daughter the other day.”
“I can see that.” Kane’s eyes narrowed. “What’s your full name, Mrs. Hurst?”
“Go to hell.” The woman spat at him.
“Maybe later, but you’ll be there first.” Kane pushed the angry woman toward the Beast and then engaged the glass partition before guiding her into the back seat. He looked at Jenna. “We’re good to go once I call a tow truck for her vehicle.” He frowned. “I’ll have it towed to Wolfe’s forensic garage and we’ll need a search warrant. I noticed she has hoses and gaffer tape similar to what she used on Maya’s vehicle to push exhaust fumes in through the window. She planned everything.”
“Her name is Daphne Hurst.” Carter led Jenna out of earshot. “She gave me the first degree the day I dropped by to help out at one of the classes with Raven. She wouldn’t stop talking about her daughter. When I told her I had no intention of settling down, I figure she lost interest in me.”
“She figured by taking out the competition, her daughter would have a better chance.” Kane shook his head. “Any of the women Raven offered a dog to became a target.” He smiled at her. “You were right, Jenna. It all revolved around Raven.”
The reason people killed astonished and horrified Jenna, every one of them had a story to tell. She’d encountered unusual people in her time in Black Rock Falls but had never met anyone like Daphne Hurst before. Her phone buzzed. It was Jo. She brought her up to speed. “How is Maya?”
“The paramedics said her exposure to carbon monoxide wasn’t long but she’s been drugged. They suspected opioids and gave her a shot of Narcan. She started to come around right away. They took her to the hospital and I told her one of the deputies would be along soon to take her statement.” Jo’s boots crunched on gravel as she walked along the pathway. “I’ve taken photos of the scene and called Wolfe. He’ll be along with his team soon. I’ll head into the office now. I’d like to see what Mrs. Hurst has to say for herself.”
Jenna disconnected and climbed into the Beast. She looked back through the partition, a nice Perspex box isolating a prisoner from the rest of the cab. “We’re going to take you back to the office and put you in an interview room. I’m sure you’ll be able to explain to me why you tried to murder Maya Trent. She’s going to be fine, and I’m sure she has a story to tell about you.”
The woman just lifted a fist and extended the middle finger.
Forty-Three
After placing Daphne into an interrogation room, Jenna turned on the video to record the arrest. “You’ve been read your rights. Do you understand them?”
“Yeah, I watch plenty of cop shows.” Daphne pulled at the cuffs attached to a ring in the table and eyed Jenna with contempt. “Get on with it.”
Jenna remained standing, with Kane on her left. “You’ve been charged with attempting to run down a federal officer and the attempted murder of Maya Trent. Do you wish me to call a lawyer to represent you? As we mentioned in the Miranda rights, if you can’t afford a lawyer, we will get one for you.”
“I don’t need a lawyer.” Daphne gave a nonchalant shrug. “I didn’t do anything wrong. You’re a mother, aren’t you? What would you do to protect your child?”
Refusing to answer the question, Jenna looked into the camera. “The interview is paused at ten after eight while we wait for Special Agent Jo Wells to arrive to assist.” She pressed the button on the recorder and headed for the door.
She wanted to tie up a few loose ends before she questioned the prisoner. As she walked beside Kane to her office, she glanced at him. “There is one piece of evidence that we need to proceed with this case. If it proves to be what I imagine, I figure it will tie up everything in a nice neat little bundle for the DA.” She smiled. “I just need to call Kalo. He’ll get the job done real fast.”
Jenna walked into her office, smiled at Carter, who was staring at his tablet, and made the call. “Hi, Bobby. Sorry to drag you into work on a Sunday evening, but this is urgent. I’m sending you photographs of two women involved in a case that we’re investigating at the moment. I would like you to collect the CCTV footage from Aunt Betty’s Café on these dates.” She read out the list. “I need to know if these women were in a group of other women at those times and dates.”
“Not a problem.” Kalo’s chair squeaked as he moved it up and down in front of his desk. “I’ll run a facial recognition program through the CCTV footage in town over those dates as well, just in case I can pick them up in other areas. I’ll give you a call as soon as I get something. I should be able to have results from Aunt Betty’s Café within a few minutes as the parameters are very small.”
Jenna smiled. “Thanks, Bobby.” She disconnected and looked at Kane. “Now we need to know why she murdered those poor young women. It makes no sense at all.”
“I figured we had a motive—jealousy—and Jo agreed, but that was when we were considering the women in the self-defense group were responsible for the murders. Daphne Hurst wasn’t one of the women in the group.” Kane removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair. “When she was there with her daughter, she sat in the corner watching and didn’t interact with any of the instructors at all. So where does the jealousy motive come in?”
Jenna dropped into her chair. “It would be a twisted kind of jealousy. You admitted to me that Jolene made it clear that she was interested in you, even though she knew you were married, right?”
“Yeah, but she was making a bigger play for Raven—but why would that make her mom jealous? It makes no sense to me.” Kane went to the counter and poured two cups of coffee. He nodded to Carter, sitting in one of the chairs opposite Jenna’s desk. “Thanks for making the coffee. I figure it’s gonna be a long night.”
“Not if I can help it.” Jo walked in the door and indicated toward Kane. “Ah, coffee, can I have a cup?”
“Sure.” Kane pulled another cup down from the shelf. “We were just talking about motive. I can’t see that Daphne Hurst is jealous. She has nothing to be jealous about. She didn’t try and hit on any of the instructors.”
“This outcome has turned everything upside down.” Jo sat in a chair that Carter had taken from in front of Kane’s desk. “I’ll be interested in interviewing her. Taking in all the information we have, I believe we’re looking at a puppet master.”
