Seven
Relief was quickly replaced by concern when Kane stared at the message from Jenna. He pressed his mic to speak to Jo and Carter over the noise of the chopper. “Jenna’s okay but someone tried to kill her at the ranch. It was well planned. Someone broke into Wolfe’s van and took the remote control for the security system.”
“It sounds like they know her pretty well.” Jo shook her head. “Have you employed any strangers to work on the ranch lately or had anyone drop by?”
Kane thought for a beat. “Only the guy who broke in gunning for you, and he’s locked away with a never to be released order. It can’t possibly be him.” He looked at Carter. “How long?”
“We’ll be there in five.” Carter glanced at him. “Jenna knows how to handle herself. You worry too much about her.”
“This is Black Rock Falls, remember?” Kane narrowed his gaze at his friend. “Just when you think everything is back to normal, something weird happens and the nightmare starts all over again.”
“So, it seems.” Carter grimaced. “Cute little town you have here.”
The chopper headed over Main and far below Kane could see the Halloween decorations beginning to appear on front lawns. The early morning mist swirled from the river and spilled over the lowlands. Ahead, the usually blue endless sky looked troubled and a collection of gray clouds hovered over the horizon. The chopper dropped lower as Jenna’s ranch came into view. Kane scanned the area and made out the horses in the corral and t
hree sheriff’s vehicles in the driveway. He noticed Wolfe’s van heading through town, but no other vehicle traveled the road to the ranch or lurked along the side of the highway. When they landed, his attention went straight to Jenna. Her pale face peeked out from under her hoodie and she stood arms folded across her chest, waiting for him with Duke leaning protectively against her legs. Rowley was dusting what was left of the front door for prints. He gaped in disbelief at the damage. “Holy cow, it looks like someone took an ax to the place.”
“How did they get inside without power?” Jo unbuckled her harness.
Kane shrugged. “Once someone breaches the perimeter, glass breaks and doors can be kicked in. That’s why we converted the office into a secure area.” He pulled off his headset and headed for the ranch house, ducking to miss the still rotating blades.
Surprised when his dog didn’t dash to greet him, he headed straight for Jenna. He could see the damage to the renovated interior they’d worked on all summer. “Had a bad night, huh?” He put one arm around her and peered into her eyes. “Did you see who did this?”
“Nope, not exactly.” Jenna leaned into him, obviously exhausted. “I did get a glimpse of him in a flash of lightning. Maybe five-ten to six feet, long coat, cowboy hat, and glowing green eyes.” She gave him a determined look. “I know it’s close to Halloween, but he did have glowing green eyes.”
Kane gave her a squeeze. “I’d say he used night vision goggles. So, he came prepared. Anything else you remember?”
“He left a message.” Jenna pulled a disgusted face, walked to the end of the porch, and indicated to a piece of flesh hanging from a crossbow bolt embedded in a post. “I only just found this. It’s an ear, and that’s the same threat James Stone made to me when they hauled him off to jail.” She pointed to the muddy writing.
“Yeah, I remember.” Kane examined the message and then moved to the bloody ear and sniffed. “It’s fresh.” He removed his Stetson and scratched his head. “Has anyone gone missing over the weekend?”
“Nope.” Jenna indicated toward Rowley. “Everyone had power and phones except me, and no one has called in a missing person’s report.” She looked at Kane with a concerned expression. “James Stone used a crossbow in his murders, and the message is something only he would know. It’s not something we made public, but how can he be involved? He’s locked up, right?”
Kane nodded and pushed up the rim of his hat. “We would have been notified the moment he escaped; the prison warden knows he’s gunning for you.” He looked at Duke. “He looks a little shell-shocked. Is he hurt?”
“No, he’s fine, but he hasn’t stopped shaking. It was pretty harrowing for him. First a violent storm and then some guy trashed my house and tried to break into the office. I’m not surprised he’s distressed. I’m trembling all over. He let me know someone was outside and it gave me time to get to safety. Thank God you reinforced that room. I just holed up and waited him out. If he’d made it through the door, I wasn’t too worried. He had a crossbow and I had the AR-15.”
Kane smiled at her. “No contest.” He moved to her side. “What do you want me to do?”
“Take over the investigation.” Jenna looked up at him. “I can’t be involved with the break-in. When we find this guy, I don’t want him getting off because of a conflict of interest. Rowley will walk you through and Rio is inside capturing the scene.” She indicated to her duffel. “I’ve packed a few essentials, and I really need to sit down for a spell.”
“Why don’t you head over to my cottage and get some rest? You can grab the rest of your things later. Carter and Jo are staying for a while, and I saw Wolfe heading this way. I’ll wait for him and once we’ve finish processing the scene, I’ll write up a report. The damage will be covered by insurance and I’ll get someone out here to secure the house today.”
“How are we going to stop this happening again?” Jenna shuddered. “This crazy has access to my ranch. He’ll come back the second he knows I’m alone.”
“That’s not going to happen, Jenna.” Kane shook his head. “We’ll need a different access system. Wolfe will know what to do. We’ll just cancel all the remotes and replace them. I’ll go with Carter and get what we need from town and drive the Beast home.” He waved a hand toward the house. “Don’t worry about the damage. Everything can be fixed.”
“There is one thing.” Jenna pulled her jacket tight around her. “I think we need a trapdoor in the office. If the intruder had set fire to the house, I would’ve been trapped.”
Kane rubbed her back. “I’ll see to it before you move back into the house. Now go and get some rest.”
“Okay, thanks. I’m dead on my feet. Where’s Jo?” Jenna looked around him. “Ah, there she is. I have a theory I want to run past her. We can discuss it later. I really need a shower and ten gallons of coffee.” She headed down the front steps. “Come on, Duke.”
When Duke just sat there staring at him, Kane squatted to rub the dog’s ears and received a lick on the chin. “Good boy. You looked after Jenna all night. Go home—you’ll feel better with a full belly and a sleep in your basket.” He gave the dog a shove in Jenna’s direction and watched him follow her to the cottage.
“You talk to that dog like he understands you.” Rowley chuckled.
Kane frowned. “Duke understands me just fine.” He went to Jenna’s cruiser and pulled out a forensics kit, taking out gloves, evidence markers, and bags.