“I sent the images to your files.” Kane hovered in the doorway. “No water on the floor. The cord to the hairdryer was attached to the plug above the vanity. If she’d left it on the side and reached out even to dry her hands on the towel before she grabbed it, there’d have been droplets of water on the floor. No one in their right mind picks up an electrical device with wet hands.”
Wolfe put the file up on the screen and flicked through the images of the scene. The edge of the vanity, where he assumed the hairdryer might have been, was too far from the tub to have just fallen in and who would be stupid enough to leave a hairdryer running on the side of the sink? He turned and picked up the right and then left hand of the victim to remove the bags and examined each hand closely. He lifted his attention to Kane. “She wasn’t holding the hairdryer when she died.” He ran his gaze down the body and then rolled it on its side and checked the back. “When the apparent cause of electrocution is suspected, we look for the points of entry and exit of the current.”
“Wouldn’t the burn mark wash off in the water?” Kane leaned closer.
Wolfe moved his gaze over the victim. She looked peaceful, almost serene. “Good question, but not in this case as the body wasn’t submerged for a long time, although even electrocution victims found floating in the ocean still display a burn, a collapsed blister with a brown center fading out to a pale ring. The hands are the most common entry point for electrocution, but I’m not seeing this here.”
“So, you don’t believe she was electrocuted?” Kane looked incredulous. “The entire complex was without power and we tracked down the cause to her suite.”
Wolfe stood to one side to allow Emily to examine the body. He shook his head. “I can’t make that judgement until autopsy. It’s obvious from what you witnessed that electricity might be the instrument of her death, but she could have suffocated or drowned. Look at it this way. If someone dies from a knife attack, they don’t die from a knife, do they? They die from the resulting injury. Electricity is just a tool of death, not a cause.”
“Okay.” Kane rubbed the back of his neck. “Go on.”
Wolfe smiled at him. “In my report, I’ll be making the cause of death clear. For example, electrocution resulting in suffocation or whatever.” He took in Kane’s weary expression. “In some cases, the shock will paralyze the diaphragm, causing the person to suffocate. As she was in the tub at the time, the shock could have incapacitated her and she slid under the water and drowned. To determine the correct cause of death, I’ll need to see if there’s any water in her lungs. That’s why I asked you to collect a sample of the tub water for comparison.”
“That makes sense.” Kane blinked a few times. “Any progress on the other victims?”
Wolfe nodded. “Yeah, I finished up about ten. I had just gotten to bed when Rowley called. It’s been a long day.” He zipped up the bag and loaded the body into a refrigerated drawer. “The autopsy can wait for the morning. I’ll write up my reports and walk you through all of them over the phone. Are you staying at my place tonight or heading back up the mountain?”
“Driving back.” Kane yawned explosively. “I’ll grab a couple of cups of coffee and we’ll be good to go. With a killer running loose, we don’t want to be stuck here in town.” He stared at the door. “Are Sandy and the twins okay?”
Wolfe smiled and the tiredness seemed to lift. “Yeah, she came through real well. It was an uncomplicated birth, everything textbook. The babies are strong and healthy. Rowley is a mess, but he’ll be good once he stops shaking.”
“Can we go and see them now?” Emily washed her hands and arms at the sink. “Do we need scrubs?”
Wolfe chuckled. “No, you go ahead. I’ll clean up and make some coffee. I have cookies as well in my office. You go and see Sandy and then come and help me with the coffee.”
“Okay.” She ran out the door.
“I’ll wash my hands too.” Kane frowned. “I’ve not had too much experience with newborns.”
Wolfe patted him on the back. “They’re tougher than you think. Maybe you’ll find out one day.” He headed for the door.
Twenty-Nine
Kane pushed open the door to the visitors’ waiting room slowly and peered inside, not wanting to be obtrusive. His gaze went to Jenna, her face flushed and staring at a tiny baby. Her lips were set in a permanent smile as she rocked back and forth as if mesmerized. When she lifted her eyes to him, his heart skipped a beat. There was deep longing in her expression. He smiled and nodded at Rowley, standing at the side of the gurney holding Sandy’s hand, his face a picture of rapture. He peered at the babies Jenna and Emily were cuddling. “Congratulations! Wow they have dark curls just like you, Jake. So much hair, and those eyes. They’ll have you both wrapped around their little fingers before you know it.”
“I welcome it.” Rowley grinned. “But that was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever experienced.” He sucked in a breath. “Meet Cooper David Shane and Vannah Jenna. We’d be honored if you’d be their godfather. Jenna has already agreed to be godmother.”
“Here.” Smiling, Emily held out a bundle to him. “This is Cooper. I’ll go and help Dad.”
Kane could have held the tiny baby in one hand. The blue eyes looked right at him and little fists waved. A lump in his throat threatened to stop him replying to Rowley. He’d come so close to holding his own son, only to have him and Annie snatched away in an instant of madness. He pushed the thought aside and looked at the tiny Jake Rowley clone. “Hi, Cooper. I’m your godfather. Welcome to the family.”
He heard Rowley snort with laughter and looked straight at Jenna. Her eyes were misty with tears. “Let me see Vannah.” He walked to her side. “Oh, she has dimples just like Sandy.” He looked down at the babies. “So, you decided to arrive during a blizzard, huh, and like true members of the Black Rock Falls Sheriff’s Office family, in the middle of a murder investigation.” He chuckled and looked at Sandy and Rowley. “We’ll babysit anytime. You’ll just have to show me how to change a diaper.”
He walked to Rowley and with reluctance handed over the baby. “Sorry, we can’t stay for long. We must get back up the mountain before the road becomes impassable. We’ve left Julie alone.”
“Well Zac is there.” Jenna frowned. “He’ll take good care of her.” She pressed a kiss on the baby’s head and with obvious unwillingness handed her over to Sandy. “I could hold them all night. They’re so beautiful. Are you staying here overnight?”
“Yeah.” Rowley placed his son in one of the baby capsules they’d had in the truck and covered him with a blanket. “I’m sleeping on the sofa and we’ll drive back home in the morning unless Wolfe thinks Sandy should spend some time in the hospital.”
“I’m not going to the hospital. I’m fine, just tired is all.” Sandy looked indignant. “My folks have already offered to stay with us for a few days. Dad will do the chores to take the strain off you, and Mom can help me get the twins settled into a routine.”
“Call in Walters in the morning to handle the office for a couple of days.” Jenna smiled at Rowley. “Get some rest. No one is going to cause too much mayhem in the middle of a blizzard.”
The door opened and Emily came in with coffee and cookies for Rowley and Sandy. She looked at Kane and smiled. “Dad says we need to leave these folks alone to get some rest. He’s waiting for you in his office.” She hurried out the door.
Kane nodded and turned to the couple. “We’ll see you in a few days. If you need anything, just call me.” He headed out the door with Jenna close behind.