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The sound of the doorbell filled the silence of the isolated building. No footsteps came down the stairs, no answering reply to Rowley’s persistent and very loud calls. Rio pulled on examination gloves. “Go and check around back. I’ll look through the windows. See those flashes? I figure that’s a TV but I can’t hear anything.”
“Okay.” Rowley hurried alongside the house, his boots crunching on the gravel.
Outside, Rowley’s loud hammering on the back door echoed through the house, as did his callout. Rio moved to the windows, cupped his hands, and peered inside. A mudroom, foyer, and large windows of the family room loomed up on his right. He moved closer, noticing the flicker of a TV and peered inside. The chilling impact at finding a body is always the same. First a feeling of revulsion and the need to flee, followed by the tightening of stomach muscles and a wave of fear. He sucked in a breath and turned, almost jumping out of his skin when Rowley appeared out of the bushes. “This looks like another murder. There’s a woman on a sofa before the TV. I can clearly make out burn marks to the back of her neck.”
“I’ll try the front door.” Rowley moved forward. “The back door was locked. No signs of forced entry.” His hand closed around the doorknob and it turned. “It’s open.” He looked inside. “The security system is turned off.”
As the awful stench of death wafted out of the house, Rio turned back to Rowley’s truck. “Masks and booties before we check the body.”
They suited up, and taking a deep breath, Rio straightened his shoulders and walked inside. The victim was positioned on the sofa before the TV. A sandwich and a cup of coffee sat on a table beside her. He’d viewed Johanna Worth’s image on her driver’s license, not a great beauty but a pleasant face. His stomach roiled, threatening to eject his breakfast. Johanna Worth no longer existed. Wide black holes replaced her eyes, and blue lips drawn back into a hideous grimace gave the impression of a Halloween mask. “It’s the same MO as the others. Don’t touch her. It’s pointless checking for vital signs.”
The body made a sound like a moan and they both jumped back and looked at each other. The sound came again and Rowley’s face drained of color, his brown eyes, wide and fixed on the victim. Recovering from the fright, Rio grabbed him by the shoulder. “She’s dead. That’s the sound of the body decomposing. A buildup of gas, is all. We’ll need to call this in.” He thought for a beat. “Not Jenna or Wolfe. I’ll call Em and ask her who is available. We can’t call in someone from Helena.”
“Norrell will likely come with her and Webber. She is part of Wolfe’s team and, as a forensic anthropologist, is qualified to do a sweep of the scene.” Rowley shook his head. “Whoever is doing this is real sick.”
Suppressing a shudder, Rio turned away. “We’ll clear the house, but I doubt the killer waited around for us to arrive.”
They rushed through the house, calling out “clear,” and met back in the foyer. Nothing had been disturbed. Just like the other murder scenes, the killer hadn’t left any sign of being there. “Let’s get out of here before the stink permeates our clothes.”
Outside, he stood in the wind with Rowley, glad of the fresh albeit damp wind rushing through his clothes, the sweet pine forest scents blowing the stink from his nose. He took out his phone and called Emily Wolfe. He spent most weekends with Emily. They had gotten closer of late, and he couldn’t wait until she graduated from medical college. The internship would be with her father in the medical examiner’s office or maybe a spell at Black Rock Falls General, but it would mean they could take their relationship a step further. He loved her dearly and wanted her as his wife but had promised her dad they would take things slow until she’d finished her studies. She’d turned twenty-two and knew her own mind. A determined woman, smart and great company, just hearing her voice turned him into a shy teenager. “Hi, Em, we’ve found a body. Another victim of the stun gun killer. I know your dad and Jenna are busy hunting down Kane. Can you round up a team to do a forensic sweep and collect the victim’s body?”
“Sure, text me the address and I’ll call Norrell and Webber.” Emily sighed. “Luckily, Julie is at home to watch Anna. I’d hoped you’d drop by today.”
Frowning, Rio glanced at Rowley, who’d climbed into his truck. “No, we’re investigating the homicides. Jenna didn’t want to lose any time. She must have figured he’d strike again soon. Once you’re through here, we’ll be hunting down suspects.”
“I understand. Death waits for no man. I’m on my way.” She disconnected.
NINETEEN
Somewhere in Black Rock Falls
It had been a long cold night but Kane hadn’t wasted any of it. He worked at loosening one bolt and then the other. Pulling them completely from the wall was counterproductive. If his captors discovered him lose, they’d likely either shoot him or hammer the darn things back into place. If he pulled himself free, he’d never make it out of the metal door or barred window. No, he needed to outthink this band of men, who threatened his wife and son. So far, they’d fed him, changed the slop bucket, and given him adequate amounts of water. He found this highly unusual for the cartel. The usual mode of torture or persuasion didn’t involve food or water. It came with blows to the body that could be covered by clothes, sleep deprivation, or water torture. One thing, moving and using his muscles to pull at the chains had eased the stiffness from his injuries. Keeping moving even when chained was a priority. Killing each and every one of them his motivation.
A chopper passed overhead and he hoped Jenna had Wolfe or Carter out searching for him. His phone or belt locator should have pinpointed his location hours ago, which made him wonder why nobody had found him. He’d expected a rescue by now… unless they had Jenna. He shook his head in denial. She had Duke and the Beast for protection. Duke was a great early warning signal, and she had the panic room and Wolfe. When the sound of footsteps came from outside the door, he kicked away the brick dust from the wall behind him and leaned against it. If he turned to one side, he could use one hand, but the chains restricted him from using both at the same time.
The lock in the door clicked and the metal door swung open. Two men, one with a carton, the other with an automatic weapon, moved into the room. They didn’t speak to him but, using a broomstick, pushed the carton within reach. Kane could smell coffee and wondered briefly if they planned to lure him into a false sense of security with the food. He waited for them to leave and pulled the carton toward him with his foot. He turned to one side and reached for the one of two to-go cups of coffee. One bag held bagels and cream cheese—Jenna’s favorite—and the other six fresh donuts sprinkled with powdered sugar. He sniffed each item and sipped the coffee and waited. Nothing happened. They hadn’t drugged the food.
He ate everything, drank the coffee, and then stood the four bottles of water in a line within reach and waited. It had been at least forty minutes before the footsteps came again and Mateo stepped into the room. Acting nonchalant, Kane eyed him and the three men with him. He made a mental note of each man’s features. These were the same men all the time. He figured the extent of Mateo’s team was four. They had a chopper, which added another problem. They had the ability to move fast and over vast distances. If they had taken Jenna or Tauri they could take them anywhere and he’d never find them. He waited for Mateo to speak.
“How is your eyesight?” Mateo held out his phone.
A shiver of concern slithered down Kane’s back. It was easy to recognize Tauri’s tear-streaked face. He pushed down a rush of anger so intense it sent a shudder through him, but he said nothing and listened.
“Daddy, this baddy man broke the front door and took me in a chopper. Can you come get me?”
“Your ranch isn’t so safe, is it?” Mateo grinned at him. “I have your son and you have three hours to make a decision. Until then, I won’t touch a hair on his head. I’ve already fed him but that all stops at noon.” He waved his men from the room. “If you don’t agree to my demands, the consequences to your son are out of my hands. I have a man who is highly skilled in keeping a person alive during torture. He can’t wait to start on Tauri.”
The sound of Tauri’s name on this animal’s tongue sent bile rushing up Kane’s throat, but he remained emotionless. Allowing the enemy to get the upper hand was a mistake he’d never make. Anger smoldered into a volcano of destruction and he welcomed it. He’d use it to protect his son and strike so fast their weapons would be useless. Oh, how he’d make them pay for touching his family. Breathing in through his nose and out slowly through his mouth, not one muscle twitched. This man was a fool to reveal his intentions to him and he could use that knowledge to his advantage. They had underestimated him and now it was time to make his own plans. The moment they produced Tauri it would be game on.
TWENTY
The noise of the chopper surrounded Jenna and for once the vast beauty of Black Rock Falls had become a massive haystack hiding Kane and Tauri. She used field glasses to search all around the coordinates Agent Katz was feeding through to Styles and Wolfe. To her surprise, Nanny Raya had arrived to assist in the search. As a retired operative, she could use her in-the-field knowledge to their advantage. She had nodded to Jenna and climbed into Wolfe’s chopper. Trying hard to control the waves of rising panic as the hours ticked by, Jenna listened to the transmissions between Styles and Wolfe or Agent Katz. Flying with Styles was very different from Carter or Wolfe. She’d always believed Carter to be a little crazy and take too many risks, but Styles was a whole new ballgame. He tossed his chopper around swooping up and down, and moving so close to the roofs of houses she clung to the seat in terror. After half an hour Jenna had experienced every ride at the fair and had her stomach in her mouth more than once.
During lulls in the radio conversation, he didn’t speak to her. Keeping her attention on any buildings they flew over, she flicked him a glance. “Have you been flying long?”
“Yeah.” He flicked her a glance. “Beth asked me the same thing first time we flew together.” He swung the chopper to the right. “Do I make you nervous?”
Dropping the field glasses as they banked, she looked at him. “My nerves are shot, so it’s difficult to say, but you do seem to take risks.”
