Jenna shrugged. “Yeah, I was a little scared, but if it had gotten out of hand, it would have taken me only a second or so to draw my weapon. None of them were armed. I told them that it would be better for them to walk away rather than be hauled into my office. I’d noticed you and Dave standing a few feet away and indicated that we wouldn’t have a problem marching them through town like convicts.” She smiled. “It seemed to work.”
“Ah, there you all are.” Emily poked her head around the door. “Dad wants to know if you want to stick around for the preliminary examination. Also, Raven, you’ve met the deceased before. Can you give a positive ID?” She frowned. “Her face looks okay but she’s banged up. Dave is heading there now. The two of you will be enough for identification purposes.”
“Yeah, I’ve met her.” Raven shook his head, his expression grim. “I’d like to know what happened to her.”
Jenna stood. “I’ve met her too and I agree we need to get to the bottom of this. If she was pushed, I want to know why. She was a very nice woman. I don’t figure she had any enemies.”
“If Jo agrees”—Carter swung his attention to Jo—“we’ll stay and help out.”
“I don’t plan on flying in this storm and Jaime is happy with her nanny. She is used to me being away for days at a time. I’ll call her the moment she gets home and explain.”
Standing, Jenna smiled at them. “Thanks. I appreciate your help.”
She led the way into the hallway and met Kane in the alcove, changing into scrubs. His hair was still wet from the shower and his nose red from the cold. She hugged him. “You look freezing.”
“I’m good since I got the hail from down the back of my shirt.” He touched her cheek. “I’m fine. The retrieval went better than we expected and we were able to find her phone.” He frowned and shook his head slowly. “Jan didn’t need to die like that. It’s looking like murder but I can’t imagine who would want to harm her.”
“I don’t have any doubt she was pushed.” Raven pulled scrubs over his head and looked at Jenna. “There was evidence of a struggle.” He turned to Kane. “Did she have any defensive wounds on her?”
“Not that I could see, but I’m sure when Wolfe does his preliminary examination, he’ll be able to make a determination.” Kane handed Jenna a pair of examination gloves and a mask. “She landed on her back in the rocks, so it’s not pretty.”
Nodding, Jenna followed Kane and Raven into the examination room with the red light flashing outside. She steeled herself for the vision of someone she knew quite well badly damaged and lying on a gurney in the morgue, but the actual sight of seeing Jan’s broken and bruised body brought tears to her eyes. She should be used to seeing murder victims by now, but in truth, the professional façade she put on only covered her true emotions. She always held deep empathy for the victims, but falling apart didn’t catch their murderers. What Wolfe had said to her when he arrived in Black Rock Falls and became the medical examiner always came to the front of her mind when her emotions threatened to overtake her during an autopsy. He told her that he was there to represent the dead because they couldn’t speak for themselves. He would learn their story and make sure it was heard by everyone who would listen. She’d made that her creed as well. Determined to catch Jan’s killer, she stepped closer to the gurney as Wolfe proceeded with his examination. As the sheriff of Black Rock Falls, she owed it to the townsfolk to keep them safe.
“Before we start.” Wolfe surveyed the faces in the room. “The phone unlocked with facial recognition. I’ve removed all the protection for it so you can take it into evidence, but unfortunately the last few photographs and the video that was running when she fell show only the phone’s descent to the ground. There is background noise of a scream but no visual evidence of anyone else being there. The phone blacks out on impact.”
Running a hand down her face, Jenna sighed. “That’s bad news, but I’ll send the footage to Kalo just in case he can get any other background noise.”
“Do you all concur that this woman is Jan Pierce from Black Rock Falls?” Wolfe looked from one to the other. “Is she the same woman you mentioned who attended the self-protection classes?”
Jenna nodded. “Yes, unfortunately, she is Jan Pierce. We found signs of a struggle at the edge of the trail and believe someone pushed her.”
“The first thing we need to look for is defensive wounds.” Wolfe gently lifted each arm and examined it closely. Then he checked the nails on each hand and opened the palms to reveal green marks. He looked at Emily. “Help me turn her over.”
The damage to the back of Jan’s head was extensive and Jenna glanced away, taking deep breaths through her nose to steady herself. She turned back as Wolfe examined the victim’s torso and legs.
“There is a distinctive bruise behind one knee and it is arc shaped. It resembles the heel of a boot. I’ll get some enhanced photographs of it. Livor mortis isn’t pronounced and, due to the heavy blood loss from the head injury, not a good indication. However, I don’t believe that she was moved after the fall. When we discovered her body, her limbs were spread-eagled. I will complete a series of X-rays and scans on the body but it is evident that she has two broken femurs, one broken ulna, and a broken clavicle on the left side. These are consistent with falling from that height, as is the fractured skull. From the evidence presented by Susie Hartwig in Aunt Betty’s Café, who gave an exact time she was last seen alive, and when you discovered the body, I will set those times as the perimeter for the time of death.” He looked at Jenna. “I agree with y’all this is a homicide.”
Eight
Graduating from college had left Julie Wolfe a strange feeling of foreboding. Excitement leading up to the ceremony had given her stomach cramps, but now at home when it was all over, her future was insecure. She’d spent most of her time in her bedroom removing things she didn’t need going forward. Confident she’d made the right choice by applying for positions in child safety, the career she really wanted was child advocacy. It would mean she would become the voice of children going to court. She would make sure that their voices were heard and their concerns met. The idea of working directly with a lawyer and the children’s services fit into her wheelhouse of study and diplomas. She understood the need to start at the bottom and work her way up as her experience grew. A position had opened up in the last month in Black Rock Falls and she’d applied. Waiting for her dream job was the worst part, as other offers had arrived in the mail.
She could work in other towns. One job in Louan and one in Blackwater both appeared to be very good positions, but she really wanted to remain close to home. Her dad, the medical examiner Shane Wolfe, worried way too much about her and her sisters, and in truth, she didn’t want to cause him more stress by moving away from home.
When her phone buzzed, she stared at the caller ID and screeched with delight. She’d been waiting for a call from Rhett Lawson and hoped he hadn’t been delayed because of the storm. She’d met him during a career convention in Helena before the holidays. He would be moving to Black Rock Falls to work and to discover what his parents had left him in their will. When she’d mentioned him coming to town to her dad, he’d given her a long look and then offered the spare room for him to stay until he’d gotten his affairs settled. She understood his reasoning. Lately she could read him like a book. The last thing he wanted was for Rhett to stay at the motel because he knew she would visit him there. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her judgment; he didn’t trust the groups of miners or ranch hands who came into town looking for a good time.
Her hands trembled with excitement as she accepted the video call. She could hear the sound of vehicles in the background, and Rhett’s windswept hair meant he was somewhere outside. “Hey, are you sheltering from the storm?”
“Yeah, I made it to the Triple Z Roadhouse before the sky opened up. I’m just outside now.” His mouth curled into a wide smile. “It’s sure good to see a friendly face, I’ve been on the road for days. I packed all my belongings into my Harley, so there’s nothing to go back to. Whatever happens, I’ll be remaining in Black Rock Falls until I get a job.” His eyes moved over her face. “They mentioned inside that there was a motel in town or I could stay at the one behind the Triple Z Bar. I figure they believed I was a biker and would fit right in there.”
Julie had spoken to him many times over the last three months but knowing he was so close made her nervous. Suddenly tongue-tied, she didn’t know how to ask him to stay at the house without overstepping the boundaries that they’d created between them. Right now, they were just friends and there were no expectations either way, although she really liked him. “My dad has offered you our spare room until you get your affairs in order if you would like, but if you would prefer to stay at a motel, I would take the Black Rock Falls one, which is closer to town. It’s a dive but not as bad as the one behind the Triple Z Bar.”
“Are you sure he won’t find a guy with tats and a Harley an unwelcome houseguest?” He chuckled and swiped at his chin. “I read an article about him in a newspaper I picked up in the motel I stayed in last night. You didn’t mention he is on the forefront of forensic science in this state and he’s married to a renowned forensic anthropologist. I never judge a book by the cover but usually the elite of this world look down their noses at people like me.”
Not trying to smother her grin, she shook her head. “My dad is not an elitist and neither is Norrell. They are both very down-to-earth people and work hard to solve crimes in this state. When my mom died, my dad quit the military to raise us. My little sister Anna was only a baby and it was tough going for a long time. I guess being the only parent for so long, he is a little overprotective—well, let me rephrase that—he is overprotective, but he has good reason to be. Both Emily and I have been involved with serial killers at one time or another. With being as close to law enforcement as we are, we have targets on our backs for those who want to seek revenge.” She met his gaze. “Come and meet the family. There’s no obligation for you to stay if you feel uncomfortable. I’ve already told you my dad owns a Harley. In fact, he is rebuilding another as we speak. You have old-school values like him and most of the deputies we call family in Black Rock Falls. I honestly believe you will fit in just fine.”
“That would make sense if they all had military backgrounds.” Rhett sighed and stared into the distance. “I want to see you again and we have so many things to talk about. It feels like a year since we went to the convention. Graduation seemed to take years to arrive. I’m so glad all that part of my life is finished. I’ve already applied for a few positions in Black Rock Falls. We can chat about that when I arrive. How far away from your house am I?”
Ecstatic that he decided to at least drop by, she grinned. “Less than twenty minutes.” She gave him directions. “If you go past the sheriff’s office, you’ve gone too far. You need to go left at the crossroad and follow that road. We’re the big house at the end of the street. There’s a gnome with a red hat sitting at the front gate. Anna found it at a yard sale and insisted we bring it home.”
