Bring Me Flowers (Detectives Kane and Alton #2)(51)
“How do you cope when you have to do autopsies on kids?”
“It doesn’t matter who I have on my table; they all need my help. I’m the voice who tells their story and brings their killer to justice.” Wolfe’s gaze was cold and steady. “They deserve dignity and a name. To me they are never ‘the victim.’ If they are a Jane Doe then that’s their identity in my mind until proven otherwise.” He shrugged. “Does it make me angry or sad? More than you’ll ever know. I’ve seen what man is capable of doing in war to protect his country but when someone tortures for enjoyment, it churns my guts the same as the next man.” He nodded toward Jenna. “Do as I say and keep her company tonight; she is walking a tightrope right now and needs a friend.”
“I’ll do my best.” He strolled toward Jenna and waited some distance away as she spoke to a man he assumed to be Chad’s father.
When the car drove away, he went to her side. “I would like to come with you to see Kate’s parents, then I need to escape from the horror of the last couple of days. I’m going home to switch off for a while. Maybe watch a cheesy movie or something.”
She gave him one of her “Jenna has left the building” stares and ignored him, but her gaze moved around the complex and a tremble went through her. “I can feel the killer here, as if he is watching us—what if it’s two men? I’ve been wrong before, haven’t I?”
Considering she could be suffering from undiagnosed PTSD, Kane took her by the arm. “What makes you believe he is watching you?”
“Chad called Kate’s cellphone when he arrived and heard her ringtone somewhere nearby.” She looked up at him and fear flashed in her eyes. “He was here watching to see how Chad would react to seeing his girlfriend gutted.”
When she did not shrug off his hand, he gave her a gentle squeeze. “I checked the immediate area. All the passageways have locked doors. He may have been inside the pool area at that time but left before we arrived.”
“How? Chad didn’t see anyone and the gate was locked.” She glanced around at the woodland along the opposite side of the driveway. “I bet he is over there watching us.”
“Then we’ll take a look. Get in the car.” He opened the door of his SUV and slipped behind the wheel.
The engine of his powerful vehicle roared into life. He backed up then hit the spotlights, and two beams of white halogen light pierced the dark woodland for fifty feet or more. Bats flew out of the trees in a cloud of confusion but nothing else moved. “He’s long gone and wouldn’t have risked hanging around to be identified.” He turned to look at her pinched expression. “We’ll talk to the parents then I’m taking you home. Grab your stuff and come over to my place, and we’ll watch a movie.”
“Why?” She gave him a long, confused stare.
He shrugged. “I need to leave the job behind for a few hours and I need some company before I lose it big time.”
“You lose it? Give me a break.” Jenna snapped back into sheriff mode and snorted with mirth. “Between you and Wolfe, I don’t need to wait for winter for the room temperature to drop to subzero.” She turned in her seat, her expression hidden in shadows. “But I will take you up on the offer of wine and a movie. I can’t wait to tell Maggie a tough guy like you enjoys watching romcoms.”
He spun the SUV around and headed for the gate. The task ahead would be depressing to the max and he needed to keep the banter between them light-hearted. “I’ve created a monster.” He smiled at her. “No, I take that back, once Maggie spreads that news around town, everyone will know I’m really a sensitive guy.”
“Good luck with that.” Jenna placed one small hand on his arm. “I think we should close the gate once the ambulance has left.”
Kane pulled up at the curb. “Yeah, and I’ll wrap some tape around it to keep the kids out of the area until I notify the dean. Although, he is likely vacationing somewhere.” He glanced at her. “Have you called a support person for the Brights?”
“Not yet, and I can’t find any other people with the last name Bright in the local phone listings. It’s late and someone local would be ideal.” She frowned. “Apparently Reverend Jones has been very helpful for the Parkers. I know they go to the same church, and as it happens, I have his number in my contacts list.” She pulled out her cellphone. The light from the screen illuminated her worried expression. “Do you think I should call him?”
“If you don’t have the contact number of a family member, I guess a reverend would be the next best person.”
“Okay, I can at least ask him.” Jenna shook her dark head then called Jones and asked him to meet them at the Brights’ residence.
Once the ambulance and Wolfe had left, Kane went to shut the gate and noticed a squashed flower on the driveway not far from the entrance. Moving back inside, he bent to examine it; noting the resemblance to the ones left with Kate’s body, he dropped the plant into an evidence bag and pushed it into his pocket. He straightened then headed into the trees adjacent to the long driveway, using his flashlight to search the area of woods close to the road.
He noticed a small patch of disturbed earth as if someone had wrenched the flowers out by the roots then broken the stems and scattered the remains. “So that’s where he collected the flowers.” He did a visual scan of the area.