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“Yeah.” She handed him a steaming beverage. “Did you get anything out of Josh Rockford?”
“If their alibis check out, I won’t have anything concrete on Rockford or Billy Watts for Sarah’s murder but Rockford is so smooth, he could pay people to cover for him.” Kane picked up his notebook and his brow wrinkled into a frown. “Apart from knowing Stan Clough’s whereabouts at the time of the incidents, the jury is out on the attempts on your life—any one of our suspects could be guilty.” His blue gaze settled on her face. “You can take James Stone out of the equation; he was at a conference and I don’t think he will bother you again.” His lips twitched into a small smile.
Feeling as if a great weight had lifted from her shoulders, Jenna smiled. “Thanks, I appreciate your help.” She did a scan of the room and lowered her voice. “I have information on Stan Clough, but it will wait until we are in my office. What else did you discover?”
“Rockford and Watts didn’t appear to know about Sarah’s murder, and when I questioned them about their whereabouts they appeared annoyed rather than guilty.” Kane stood and leaned one narrow hip against his desk. “I need to rule out any connection between Josh and the hit-and-run. I want to inspect both pickups. I gather Mayor Rockford and John Davis live on the same side of town?”
Jenna sipped the scalding coffee. “Yeah, we’ll drop over soon as we’ve read the reports. Maggie can lock up and we can head home once we’re finished.”
“The only person I haven’t interviewed is Dan Beal but Billy Watts mentioned he met him at the gym at eight on Monday morning. If he is telling the truth, he wouldn’t have had time to murder Sarah or trash the motel then be at the gym by that time. We can also rule him out of the hit-and-run because he was locked in the cells on Thursday night.” Kane let out a long sigh. “I still have a feeling in my gut the murders are the work of two killers. From the injuries I witnessed, it looks like the same person or persons murdered Sarah and John Helms. The scene was too neat. In my opinion, one person wouldn’t have the time or energy to clean it so thoroughly in limited time.” He cleared his throat. “Let’s see what the autopsy revealed.”
Jenna glanced at Deputy Rowley’s booth. “Have you finished uploading those files?”
“Yes, ma’am, but there’s something you need to see.” Rowley spun around in his chair. “I didn’t find anything interesting on the suspects’ Facebook pages but I did find this photo on Sarah’s account.”
“Well, I’ll be…” Kane bent to stare at the screen.
The image depicted Mrs. Woodward leaning on the tailgate of an old blue pickup. Jenna leaned closer and noticed a torn sticker on the back. She glanced at Kane. “You have to be joking. That’s not the vehicle that ran me off the road, is it?”
“Unless one of the others in town has the same torn sticker, I think it’s the same vehicle.” Kane rubbed his chin. “Why would Mrs. Woodward try to kill you?”
Jenna gaped at the image of the smiling old woman in disbelief. “I haven’t met her, so no reason at all.”
“Something stinks.” Kane straightened and moved his gaze toward Daniels sauntering in their direction, then back to her. His voice lowered to just above a whisper. “I don’t want this information getting out and compromising our investigation. I have no idea who his brothers have spoken to, and if it includes our killer, he will be one step ahead of us all the time.”
Jenna nodded in agreement. “Okay, my office.” She turned and smiled at Daniels. “I’ve filed the GPS and phone records for Rockford and Watts. Check the dates against the withdrawals from John Helms’ and Mrs. Woodward’s bank accounts. See if either of them visited the other counties at the same time.”
“I’m on it.” Daniels headed for his booth.
Jenna followed Kane and Rowley into her office. Seated at her desk, she looked at her two deputies and relayed the information on Stan Clough she received from Davis. “This puts him in the right place at the right time. He is local to the area. So far, the only man who fits the profile of a sadistic killer, plus three people went missing then nothing. He gets out of jail and people go missing again. Too much of a coincidence, if you ask me.”
“We’ll need to pay him a visit and have probable cause to get a warrant to search his property.” Kane’s blue eyes narrowed. “Can you get the warrant today?”
Jenna nodded. “Yeah, but first we need to see what is in Sarah’s autopsy report.” She read the note attached and swallowed hard. “The hood we sent into forensics had pig’s blood on it, hence the smell, plus my saliva.”
“That’s not good.” Kane gave her a worried stare. “Clough owns a piggery.”
She pulled up the details of Sarah’s suffering and forced her expression into one of bland interest. Viewing the crime scene had been horrific but knowing the intricate details, no matter how clinically described, cramped her stomach. She had known this girl and wanted to help her find her grandmother. The image of Sarah’s battered body rushed through her mind, and she blinked away the sting at the backs of her eyes. “Okay. I’ll read the report.”
“Do you want me to handle it?” Kane leaned forward in his chair; his face held an expression of deep concern.
“No, I’m fine.” She grasped the mouse and scrolled down the page.
“Maybe start with the ME’s opinion and we can go through the details if necessary.” Kane rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t need to see the images.”
“Okay.” Jenna scanned the document. “The ME attributed death to multiple injuries, including a deep incised wound of the neck and multiple stab wounds of the stomach. The upper torso injuries are consistent with the use of a steel-tipped whip.” She sighed. “I’ll read the report.” She drew in a deep breath. “The sharp force injury to the neck led to the transection of the left and right carotid arteries, and incision of the right internal jugular vein causing fatal exsanguinating hemor
rhage. Investigation reveals an inconsistency between the sharp force injuries. The sharp force injuries to the neck would be consistent to a serrated-edge knife, or hunting knife. The wounds to the torso measure one-half inch in diameter with a curved tip, consistent with a kitchen knife. Contusions on forearms could be defensive wounds. The blunt force injury to the back of the scalp is superficial and non-fatal.
“The victim exhibited signs of recent forced sexual activity. Swabs revealed no DNA evidence, but a match was found for the lubricated condoms with the trade name of Trojan Bareskin.” She glanced up at Kane. “I’ll see what forensics found.” She took a long drink of her coffee then went back to look at the reports. “Here we go. They found one black hair on the clothing left at the scene, and from the list, Sarah’s panties are missing.” She read and re-read the next sentence. “You are correct on the number of people involved. They found two sets of footprints in the blood. One sized ten and one eleven. Leather soles.” She turned her screen around. “Look.”
“This isn’t proof we have two psychopaths loose in Black Rock Falls. These people have an allure; we could have one killer and one he convinced to go along for the ride.” Kane gripped his coffee mug and stared at her with an expression of annoyance. He turned to Rowley. “Not a damn word leaves this room. Understand?”
“I understand.” Rowley scrubbed both hands over his face. “I can’t believe the animals raped her as well.”
“And John Helms. Did they find anything else?” Kane gulped down his coffee and eyed her over the rim. “Don’t tell me he was raped as well?”
“I’ll open the other file.” Jenna scrolled through the documents. “Not raped but brutalized. The bugs and seeds they found on him are local to this area. Both murders happened here in Black Rock Falls.”
