Page 46 of Whisper Through the Pines

A thump and then a strangled cry of anguish pierced the silence, followed by voices and the sounds of people crashing through the forest, dogs barking, and a scuffle—and then nothing. Frantic, Jenna raised her voice. “Dave, call out.”

“Here.” Kane’s voice sounded a long way away.

Picking up her feet, Jenna ran to her left, weaving in and out of trees. “Dave, I can’t find you.”

“Look for my flashlight.” Kane sounded closer and moments later a beam of light lit up the trees above. “We’ve found him.”

A wave of relief washed over her. She holstered her weapon and pulled out her flashlight. The mist still hampered her, rising like a white wall in her flashlight beam. Another wail cut through the forest and a dog barked. The next moment, Ben, Raven’s dog, bounded toward her. It stopped, sniffed her, and then leaned against her leg. “Hello, Ben.” She bent to hug the dog and straightened. “Take me to Raven.”

Ben moved off slowly, sticking to her side as they weaved through the trees. She could hear voices and see flashlight beams ahead as the trees opened up to a trail. Beside her, Ben whined and she stopped dead at the horrific sight before her. They were too late. Surrounded by curls of mist, a man sat slumped against a tree, his head a few feet away. Blood still seeped from his neck and ran down his coat to pool on the ground. She cast around as Kane emerged from the mist. “Dave?”

“What happened to you? Are you okay?” Kane turned and his gaze raked over her. He blew out a long breath and shook his head. “I’ve been trying to contact you. Did your com stop working?” He indicated to the forest. “Rio is out searching for you. We heard a noise but got here too late.”

Jenna swallowed bile and kept her eyes on Kane. “I fell and lost my com. I didn’t call out until I heard voices. More importantly, did you catch Durnell?”

“It’s complicated.” Kane turned and walked toward her. “Durnell is the victim.” He led her into a small clearing and indicated to a handcuffed man sitting beside a bloody ax, his head hanging down and his body shaking with sobs. “That’s the killer.”

Gaping in astonishment, Jenna moved closer to the man. Beside him, Carter and Raven had their weapons pointed at him. He wasn’t going anywhere. She passed her flashlight beam over him, recognizing him right away. “Mason Kitteridge. What have you done?”

Forty-Two

The chilling wait in the forest for Wolfe and his team to arrive had rocked Jenna. She’d never encountered a serial killer who showed remorse for his victim. They were usually the opposite and discarded their dead bodies like garbage. Only the thrill of the kill remained with them, and sometimes they took a small trophy to remind them of that, but Mason Kitteridge was a whole different ball game. They’d locked him in the back of Rio’s vehicle and listened to Kitteridge’s constant wailing. They could get no sense out of him. With three doctors on scene, she waited for them to discuss his condition. When they’d finished talking, she went up to Wolfe. “What do we do with him?”

“I wouldn’t interview him without an attorney present.” Wolfe removed his examination gloves and rolled them into a ball. “I don’t believe he’s exhibiting a killer’s remorse. Listening to what he has to say, I figure this was a revenge killing. I’ve seen similar reactions from people who have murdered in self-defense.”

“Are you saying that you believe his target was Durnell all the time and the others were just collateral damage?” Kane’s gaze moved to the robot MARA and then back to him.

“Maybe.” Wolfe turned back to the crime scene. “I’m a medical examiner. Y’all need to work out why he killed the others.” He nodded toward MARA. “The fog doesn’t bother her. She can process a crime scene faster than three of us.”

Shuddering at the memory of the sight of Durnell, Jenna met his gaze. “Well, we’ll get the prisoner into an interview room. I’ve called Samuel J. Cross to represent him, as he seems in no fit state to speak to us alone, and it seems I made the correct choice.”

“We’ll be fine.” Wolfe nodded to his team. “The cause of death and time is obvious. I’ll make sure to determine if he used the same ax on all his victims and send you a report.” He gave her a long look. “They have a medical facility at County that can deal with someone in his condition. Don’t be tempted to send him to the hospital because he is a very dangerous and unstable man.”

Nodding, Jenna led the way to her team. “Raven, I’ll drive your truck into town. I want you to ride shotgun with Rio. Wait for all of us to arrive before attempting to move the prisoner to the interview room. Secure his hands and feet. Don’t take any chances. I figure Kitteridge was expecting death by cop.”

“We knew you wanted him alive.” Raven smiled at her. “He backed down with three rifles aimed at him.” He tossed her the keys. “Take Ben with you. He likes you.” He twiddled his fingers and Ben walked to her side. “I just need a quick word with Emily.”

Jenna followed Kane back to the fire road, but before she reached Raven’s truck, Kane took her arm. She stopped walking and looked at him. “Did you forget something?”

“Yeah.” Kane pulled open the door to Raven’s truck and took out the first aid kit. “You’ve scratched your face and it needs tending.” With gentle care he cleaned the scratch on Jenna’s cheek. “You don’t need a bandage.” He closed the first aid box and replaced it inside. “I’m sure glad this is over. Murder takes all the fun out of Halloween.”

Bone-weary, Jenna opened the door of Raven’s truck for Ben to jump inside. She turned to Kane. “You can say that again.” She slid behind the wheel and headed back to the office.

* * *

One hour later, she went downstairs to the interview room. The lawyer Sam Cross had arrived earlier and spoken to his client. Jenna had made a few notes on a legal pad and sipped coffee while she waited. The entire team wanted in on the interview, but she went inside the room with Kane and had Jo on a video call from the ranch. Everyone else watched the video feed or through the two-way mirror. To her surprise, Kitteridge had behaved himself. Once in custody, he’d become almost resigned to his fate. He sat at the metal table, his hands clasped in front of him with his eyes lowered. Jenna had seen the many characteristics of a psychopath. It was often difficult to know what was real and what was a cleverly contrived deception. She lifted her gaze to Sam Cross. “Is your client willing to answer questions concerning the murders of Avril Lampton, Hank Parker, Trace Byer, Lyle Thorn, Raymond Cherry, Aaron Connor, and Caleb Durnell?”

“Yeah, my client wishes to advise you that he is willing to take responsibility.” Cross shook his head. “Against my advice.” He turned to Kitteridge. “I can make a case for your defense. Are you sure you want to proceed?”

“It’s over.” Kitteridge leaned back in his chair, rattling the chains securing him to the table. “Can we get this over with? I’m tired and hungry.”

“Once you answer our questions. I’ll make sure you have a meal.” Kane lifted his chin. “Before we send you to County.”

Gathering her thoughts, Jenna clicked the top of her pen. “Why did you kill them?”

“I had to.” Kitteridge shrugged and stared at his hands. “They were just like Durnell.”

Knowing that Durnell had been charged with interfering with a child, she zoned in on his reply. “In what way?”