AllFreeNovel
Share Us
EIGHTEEN
Dark skies and low cloud shrouded the snowcapped mountains, and the wind rattled the glass doors of the sheriff’s department as Rio stared into the gloom. Winter was overdue and the late snowfall meant when it did arrive it would be brutal. The office, with its new furnace, was usually warm, but being Sunday, when he arrived with Rowley it was freezing. It hadn’t taken long to set things right, but they both sat bundled up in their thick coats, gloves, and hats waiting for the temperature to rise. Jenna had made a frantic phone call earlier and he stood leaning on the front counter waiting for her to call again. She’d outlined what had happened to Tauri but had called in Special Agent Dax Styles from Rattlesnake Creek to assist. He scratched his cheek. They’d always worked as a close-knit team and her idea to change the system concerned him. He glanced up as Rowley handed him a steaming cup of coffee. “I feel useless just waiting here for something to happen.”
“We’re short of resources with Carter missing and Jo and Kalo on vacation. Jenna had no choice; she needs the backup of the FBI.” Rowley blew across his coffee cup. “I figure calling in an agent with a chopper is a good thing. He can move from one place to another in less time than we can drive and he’s a tough agent with an MP background.”
Rio’s phone vibrated in his pocket, and he took the call, putting the phone on speaker. “Any news yet, Jenna?”
“Wolfe is still hunting down the chopper’s location with Agent Katz. I figure they’re close. They’re coordinating signals. Styles is doing a preflight check and then we’ll be going to Wolfe’s helipad to refuel. They have a plan, but I didn’t call for that reason.” Jenna took a long breath. “We have two active murder cases with no credible evidence. I want you to hunt down the two possible suspects, Dallas Strauss and Chase Holden. Find out everything about them, where they live and work. Go and speak to the managers of the food market and the general store. Talk to the people working at the food bar. Show them pictures of the men and Carter. Ask them if they’ve seen any of the men in the stores over the last week or so. If you get a positive ID on Strauss or Holden, go and speak to them. See what you can find.”
“We’ve collected a ton of local footage from people via the hotline.” Rowley sipped his coffee. “We’ll need to go through that as well.”
“That will take you forever.” Jenna paused for a beat as if thinking. “Call Agent Katz out at Rattlesnake Creek field office and ask her advice. With luck, she’ll be able to run a facial recognition program incorporating our three suspects. Unfortunately, as Carter is missing, we need to include him into the mix. I don’t believe he is involved for one minute, but we can’t ignore the fact that he fits the description of the man seen with the murdered women.” She sucked in a deep breath. “When you’re done, start on the victims’ laptops or tablets and hunt down their social media platforms. Check out their phones. Who did they call? Are they friends of one of the suspects? Does the killer work in an industry that involves the victims in any way? None of these things must be ignored. We can’t risk missing a link between the victims.”
Rio shot Rowley a glance and raised both eyebrows. “Okay, we’re on it.”
“I hope you find Kane and Tauri real soon.” Rowley swallowed hard, making his Adam’s apple bob up and down. “How are you finding Agent Styles?”
“Bossy but efficient.” Jenna cleared her throat. “I’ll message you if we find any trace of them and then I’ll maintain radio silence until we get them clear. Wolfe will be backing us up. Your priority is the homicide case. Get the job done.” She disconnected.
Heading behind the desk, Rio changed the 911 calls to his phone and looked at Rowley. “She’s holding up well under the circumstances.”
“She can maintain that tough exterior for a time.” Rowley rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I’ve never seen her fall to bits, but she’s only human. We’ll need to be here to take the weight as much as possible until this resolves itself one way or another. If the cartel is involved as she believes, it could be messy.”
The phone on the desk rang and Rio picked it up. “Sheriff’s office. You’re speaking to Deputy Rio.”
“This is Brian Rhoads, the manager of the pizzeria. I didn’t want to call 911 as I might be worrying over nothing, but one of my long-time employees, Johanna Worth, didn’t show for her shift last night. It’s not like her not to call in if she’s sick. She was due at six last night. I called at eight, mainly to see if she was okay, and got her machine. Same thing this morning. I know she goes out for a run every morning in the forest and I’m getting concerned. She lives alone out at Craggy Rock since her divorce.” He let out a long sigh. “I’d drive up there myself to check on her, but I don’t have anyone to run the pizzeria. Weekends are always busy and I have dough to prepare.”
This is all we need. Rio ran a hand down his face and blinked tired eyes. “Give me the details and we’ll do a drive-by.” After taking down the details, he disconnected and looked at Rowley. “We might have a problem. Another woman hasn’t shown for work and nobody can reach her.” He pushed his hat on his head. “Let’s go.”
The front door swung open and Rio’s twin siblings, Cade and Piper, walked inside in a blast of cold air. Their noses were red tipped and their cheeks crimson. He came out from behind the counter to greet them. “What’s up?”
“Nothing.” Piper smiled at him. “If you’re working on a Sunday and the sheriff isn’t around, something is wrong. We heard the news on the TV about the guy they’re calling the Casanova Killer. Does he really try and charm the servers in the stores and then kill them?”
“So it would seem.” Rio raised an eyebrow. “Why are you here, Piper?”
“We heard about the request for camera footage of the guy and figured you might need some help manning the phones, so we dropped by.” She shrugged. “We haven’t anything to do today. We’re sick of studying. It’s fall break next week. We have plenty of time.”
At twenty and college students, the twins were more than capable of manning the phones. “Sure, we need all the help we can get right now.” Rio took two notepads from a drawer behind the counter. “If anyone calls, make a note of the time, take their details first, and then take down why they’re calling.” He took two cards from a holder on Maggie’s desk and handed one to each of them. “Tell them to upload any footage to the link on these cards. There’s a page where they fill out details and a file set up for the camera footage. They just have to click it and upload.”
“Anything else, say, if they’re calling about the murders,”—Rowley moved to Rio’s side—“take their details and any information. Take your time and get them to repeat anything you don’t catch first time around. Again, times and dates are crucial evidence, but don’t be surprised if the phones don’t ring all day. It happens. Don’t leave the office unattended. If you get hungry, order takeout and charge it to the sheriff’s office. We’re good at Aunt Betty’s and the pizzeria. Coffee and cookies are in the kitchenette. Lock the door behind us.” He zipped up his jacket and smiled at them. “We might be away for a time. We have a long list of things to do.”
“Go.” Cade shrugged out of his jacket and hung it on a peg by the door. “We’ll be fine.” He indicated to the TV in the corner of Maggie’s office. “We’ll watch TV and pig out on pizza. Same as at home.” He grinned.
Rio nodded and headed out the door. He looked at Rowley. “Do you know Craggy Rock?”
“Yeah, it’s close to Stanton Forest.” He headed for his truck. “We’ll take my ride. I know my way around better than you do and it will make life easier. Why don’t you hunt down the details of our suspects, we can head there once we’ve done a welfare check?”
Icy wind cut into Rio’s cheeks as he skirted the hood of Rowley’s sheriff’s department truck and climbed inside. “The wind is cruel. It cuts right through everything.” He added information to the MDT. The mobile data terminal was a crucial piece of equipment in a patrol vehicle. The computer had many functions and locating people was one of them. Once located, he’d get a rundown of any outstanding warrants and criminal background.
“Yeah, it is but with luck it will blow away the clouds and hold off the snow for a few more days.” Rowley backed out of his parking spot, spun the truck around, and headed out of town.
Raindrops splattered the windshield in a vague attempt to rain, the high wind more likely bringing with it small particles of snow or ice from the mountains. Rio climbed out of the truck and waited for Rowley. He scanned the immediate area, noticing the truck parked in the driveway matched the vehicle owned by Johanna Worth. “That’s her vehicle. The plate matches.” He headed toward the door. “If she doesn’t respond, we’ll head around back and check the doors.”
“You mentioned she runs.” Rowley indicated to a trail leading from her driveway. “That likely crosses Stanton and leads to the forest. If she went on a run this morning, maybe she was injured.”
Rio shook his head. “If a bear took her, she’d be in trouble, but if she fell or hurt herself, she’d be carrying a phone. Do you know anyone who goes into the forest without a phone?”
“True.” Rowley went to the front door and rang the bell. “Sheriff’s department. Are you home, Ms. Worth?”
