“She’s one tough lady.” Rio stared after her.
Rowley shook his head. “On the outside maybe but on the inside, she has a heart of gold.”
Epilogue
Sunday
Kane woke in a world of pain and from under his lashes made out Wolfe leaning over him. He tried to speak but nothing came out of his mouth. Another face he didn’t recognize peered down at him and then the pain subsided and he floated away into oblivion. It was like twilight the next time he opened his eyes. He had to be hallucinating and blinked twice before trying to focus on a blue balloon floating at the end of his bed. He moved one arm, and pain shot through him like a thousand hot blades. He gasped and scanned the room from beneath his eyelashes. The light inside the room was dim but he could make out the usual paraphernalia of a hospital room. Something was in his hand and his fingers curled around warm flesh. He turned his head to find Jenna resting in a recliner, curled up in a blanket and fast asleep. He squeezed her fingers and her eyes popped open. “Hey.”
“You scared the hell out of me.” Jenna reached for the call button. “The doctor will want to know you’re awake.”
He shook his head. “Not yet. How long have I been out?”
“It’s five-thirty, Sunday morning.” Jenna yawned and stretched like a cat. “Carter brought you here in the chopper and I figure Wolfe saved your life. He was pumping blood into you all the way here. You’re still in town, they didn’t have time to take you to Walter Reed. The doc will explain what happened but they had to work on you for hours and then they kept you sedated. The girl nicked an artery so it was a big operation and the hunting knife was embedded in your sternum, so you’re going to be sore for a while.” She squeezed his hand. “Do you know, Wolfe refused to leave your side? He only went home last night. He’s been living in this room and we’ve been taking shifts.”
“Thank you. I’m sure pleased to see you.” Kane smiled at her. “Wolfe cares but he’s also following protocol. I might have said something in a drug-induced state and he carries out orders to the letter.”
“He was worried sick.” Jenna pushed a hand through her hair. “He knew you were in terrible pain but you were so weak, he kept arguing with the doctor that too much morphine would kill you.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “Do you remember anything at all?”
Kane took in her tousled hair and sleep filled eyes. “Yeah, Marlene Moore dropped out of the hayloft, I made the mistake of catching her, and she stabbed me. I didn’t feel a thing.” He sucked in a painful breath. “I figured the vest had caught the hunting knife. They’re designed to solidify around a sharp blade so I wasn’t too worried. The puncture wound I didn’t notice until I saw the blood.” He sighed. “I guess she got me under the arm. Did you find the knife?”
“Yeah, Webber and Emily went over the barn for evidence. There wasn’t too much there at all.” She smiled. “But they found two perfect fingerprints and they were a match for Laurie Turner. We know they murdered her there and then transported her to the mines. They used different vehicles Collins borrowed from his father’s car yard and that’s why we couldn’t get a lead.”
Astonished, Kane nodded. “So, are they in custody?”
“Yeah, they’re in a youth detention facility.” Jenna rested her elbows on the edge of his bed. “Collins waived his rights and Jo interviewed him, she explained his options and what would happen under the law. He decided to roll over on Marlene and Dr. Turner. He admitted to hitting Becky twice as Marlene was strangling her and felt guilty but insisted Marlene killed Laurie. It was all Marlene’s idea. He denied even knowing Sandy was in the house at the time of Becky’s murder and we believe him. Sandy only heard one person. We figure Marlene attacked her before Collins arrived with Becky.”
Kane swallowed but his mouth was dry. As if reading his mind, Jenna held a cup and straw to his lips. He drank and thanked her. “What conclusion did Jo come up with on the kids?”
“Collins has a dominating mother, he is useless to her and like his father, in her eyes.” Jenna refilled the water and placed the cup within reach. “When his father left, he had no one to control her and it did something to him. Jo said he craved affection, so would do whatever Marlene wanted to get her approval. Like you said, typical subordinate to a dominant killer. He didn’t like killing but it pleased his girlfriend so he went along with it.”
“Yeah, that sums it up.” Kane ran a hand over his face and winced at the stubble. “And Marlene?”
“Abused as a kid by men she trusted.” Jenna’s eyes narrowed. “She was probably born a psychopath and just needed a trigger. She didn’t trust men, so made Collins prove he loved her by making him her partner in crime. She took trophies, we found the murdered girls’ missing pompoms in the barn.”
“Classic case.” Kane bit back his next words as a person entered the room carrying the usual hospital breakfast and left without a word. He scanned the plate and pushed it away in disgust.
“You okay?” Jenna looked concerned. “At least drink the orange juice. You haven’t eaten in days.”
Kane squeezed her hand. “I’ll be fine. It hurts some but I hate hospital food. I could sure go a pile of pancakes, strips of bacon and maple syrup from Aunt Betty’s.”
“Me too.” She pulled out her phone and placed an order. “They’ll have it here in no time but I should check with the doctor first.”
He grinned. “There’s nothing wrong with my stomach and I’d like these tubes removed but first, tell me about Dr. Turner.”
“Oh, we have his case sewn up too.” S
he smiled. “He’s such an arrogant ass. You should have seen his face when we told him patient 124 had told us everything. Even Sam Cross couldn’t get him out on bail this time. Turner is in county awaiting trial.”
Kane yawned. “That’s good and Vicky Perez?”
“She’s fine. She needed plastic surgery for the cut on her face but she went home. She’ll testify in court against Bonnie and Clyde.” Jenna smiled at him. “Just to tie up any loose ends, Mr. Law is remaining in county to await his trial and his wife and child are safe and well. She’ll remain under the protection of Her Broken Wings Foundation, until they find her work and a place to stay. You can rest easy; all the cases are closed.”
Kane sighed with relief. Now he could relax. “That’s great. Have Carter and Jo returned to Snakeskin Gully?”
“No, they’re still in town. They didn’t want to leave until they knew you were okay.” Jenna smiled. “So, expect visitors soon.” She leaned closer. “Do you recall, the night you were stabbed, you were trying to tell me something before you passed out. Can you remember what it was, it’s been driving me nuts?”
The image of her terrified face was imprinted on his brain. He nodded. “Yeah, I remember. You looked so worried, I wanted to tell you I was okay and we’d make it through, we always do.”