“Not yet.” Jenna shook her head. “I sure hope everything is going okay.”
“With Jake helping out, I doubt it.” Emily’s mouth twitched in amusement. “You know he’ll puke. He’s a great deputy but he’s not so good at crime scenes. I hope he knows what to expect.”
“Don’t worry.” Kane turned to look at her. “Your dad will ask him to be the support team for Sandy. They’ve been to classes and he’ll know what to do. He’ll be there for Sandy, if it kills him.”
Amazed how nonchalant Kane and Emily acted with a dead woman floating in the bathtub a few feet away from them, she turned back to the sitting room to collect and bag the laptop, phone, and purse. She glanced back at the bathroom and listened to the mumble of conversation. Homicide was never pretty and everyone in law enforcement coped with the mental trauma in their own way. The professionalism Kane always had at a crime scene and Emily’s matter-of-fact attitude had calmed her nerves until the sudden realization that, with three murders, they had another serial killer in Black Rock Falls. Here, right in the ski resort. The killer could be staying in the next room. Ice-cold fingers of dread marched up her spine as the need to look over her shoulder gripped her. They’re not finished, are they? They’re never satisfied. Who will be next?
Twenty-Four
Rowley’s face ached from keeping it fixed in a happy expression. He’d attended all the classes with Sandy, but now that the time had come, his confidence had flown. Inadequacy hung over his shoulders like a huge weight. He could encourage and do everything he’d been shown, but ultimately it was all up to Sandy. It seemed as if she’d been in pain for hours, but Wolfe had insisted everything was going along just fine. Hmm. With the love of his life’s mood swinging from anger to despair, he’d been very close to tears. Being useless to help her and putting on a brave face sounded just fine until another contraction came. Sandy looked at him, eyes wild, as if she hated him. He held her hand as she squeezed the feeli
ng out of it. Where had that strength come from? The bones in his hands grated together. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
“Sorry for what, Jake?” Sandy puffed out her words. “Did you think they’d come by stork? My hating you right now is normal. Remember what they said at the classes? It’s hormonal. I don’t really hate you. I just want it to be over.”
He rubbed Sandy’s back and relaxed his smile, his eyes moving to Wolfe, who nodded at him. The man was so damn calm it was as if he were watching a cooking show.
“I spoke to Jenna earlier.” Wolfe was pottering around, checking things on trays. “They’re heading down the mountain with Emily.” He turned to look at Sandy. “Do you want a support team or would you rather be alone with Jake?”
“Jenna and Emily came to classes with me when Jake was busy, so yeah, if they arrive in time, that’s fine.” She looked at Rowley. “I don’t mind if Dave comes in. I think Jake needs his own support team right now.” She smiled at Wolfe. “Just don’t call my mom just yet. She’d pass out cold if she knew I was in the morgue.”
“Yeah, it might take some explaining.” Wolfe smiled at her. “You have a way to go yet. I’ll go and grab a coffee. Jake, do you want one?”
Rowley blinked. Wolfe was going to leave him alone? He swallowed the rising panic. “Sure, but hurry back.”
“Everything is progressing normally, Jake.” Wolfe headed for the door. “Try and relax. Sandy is stronger than you think. Giving birth is a natural thing. She’s fine and the babies are fine. Stop stressing. All is well.”
Rowley shook out his numb fingers, wondering if a few of them had cracked under the pressure of Sandy’s grip, and forced a smile. “Oh, I know she’s strong. Trust me, I know.”
Twenty-Five
Jenna rubbed the snow from Duke’s coat, dried his feet, and set him in front of the fire in their suite. Not knowing how long they’d be away, she’d walked him and then made sure he was comfortable and she’d given Rio one of their room keys to check on him if they were delayed. She’d spoken with Julie to make sure she was in her hotel room. With Rio staying in the next room, she’d be safe. Looking all around to make sure she hadn’t forgotten to do anything, she hustled to the elevator and headed to the ground floor. Surprisingly, the foyer was empty, a sign on the front counter telling guests to press a buzzer if they needed assistance. She sighed with relief. Kane and Emily would have been able to move the body without being seen. With the guests on the verge of mass panic attacks after the blackout, she didn’t need any more fuel on the fire. She’d have to make an announcement as soon as the victims’ next of kin had been notified. With the media at the conference, she couldn’t risk the loved ones of the victims finding out on the evening news.
Bracing for the arctic blast, Jenna pushed her way through the main doors. At once the bitter cold caught in her throat and pained her chest. The temperature must have dropped again. The smell of ozone filled her nose as small shards of ice cut into her cheeks. Battered by wind howling like a pack of wolves, she put down her head and trod with care toward the Beast. Kane had parked with the engine running as close to the main door as possible. It took a couple of goes to pull open the passenger door, the wind adding an unseeing force that, once she’d pried the door open, threw it back with such force it dragged it from her fingers. She glanced inside as Kane slid out his door and ran around the hood to secure the door before returning. She looked at his concerned face. “The weather is getting worse. I felt ice on my cheeks before. If we get Graupel snow, it will make the blacktop slippery.”
“What on earth is Graupel snow?” Emily leaned forward in her seat. “I thought I’d seen everything here.”
“It’s kind of like ice pebbles made from snow, a bit like hail.” Kane stared out the windshield. “It looks like Styrofoam.” He turned the steering wheel and headed through the trees. “The back road was cleared at six. It will be our best bet. The Beast has bulletproof glass. I can assure you it won’t shatter. Worst-case scenario, we hit ice and slide off the road and down the mountain, but the snowplow driver told me he salted the road three times in case we had an emergency. Just as well, the back road comes out well past the road blockage on Stanton. If we hit any rough patches, the new snow tires should keep us safe.”
Openmouthed, Jenna gaped at him. If it weren’t bad enough driving with a corpse in the back of the truck, now there was a chance they wouldn’t make it to town. “Oh, well, I feel so much better now. Sliding off a mountain and flying right out there will be fun until we hit the rocks.”
“Oh, you of little faith.” Kane gripped the wheel. “You trust me, don’t you, Em?”
“Implicitly.” Emily chuckled. “Although Dad figures I’m missing the fear gene.”
“Wonderful.” Jenna fixed her seatbelt and hung on as the wipers battled the snow. “Well, mine is firmly in place.”
The Beast was a heavy vehicle, but as they negotiated the back road, the wild wind battered snow against the side. Jenna watched Kane’s mask of concentration as he negotiated the winding narrow road through the glow of the headlight beams. It was like driving through a white tunnel. Snow covered everything and draped over fences and trees like dripping white frosting, but apart from a dusting of snow, the road glistened with a thick coating of sand and salt. She held her breath as they rounded each corner, but the snowplow attachment on the Beast took care of any snow that had fallen from trees to settle in great piles across the blacktop.
“I hope Sandy is doing okay.” Kane’s attention hadn’t left the road. “Maybe when we get there, we shouldn’t mention we drove down with a murder victim in the truck.”
“Do you think she’ll tell the twins when they’re older?” Emily poured coffee from a Thermos and handed it to Jenna. “You know, that they were born in a morgue during a blizzard and delivered by the medical examiner?”
Pondering the question, Jenna took the coffee and offered it to Kane. “Well, it is a strange story to be sure. What happens if anything goes wrong?” She turned to look at Emily. “I know Wolfe is good but he doesn’t have incubators or anything like that does he?” She took another cup of coffee and raised an eyebrow.
“He’ll make do.” Kane cleared his throat. “You can trust him, Jenna. I’ve trusted him with my life many times.”
Jenna sipped her coffee. “Oh, I know that and I do trust him but babies are a bit different to his usual guests.”