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Walters arrived with an overcoat covering pajamas and a deerstalker hat. He gaped at Josh Rockford then looked at her. “What happened here?”
Jenna handed him a pair of latex gloves and the evidence bag. “The cellphone is evidence. This creep was taking photographs of me in bed. I’m charging him with trespassing on private property and invasion of privacy.” She turned to Rockford and read him his rights. “I’ll get a med kit and patch him up and you can take him to the hospital. Daniels will have to guard him overnight. He is meeting you at the hospital. Take him in and keep the cuffs on him. Make sure he is secured to the hospital bed.”
Jenna headed inside the house and took a wad of cotton out of the med kit. She pulled on gloves then went outside to see Rockford on his feet speaking quietly to Walters. Handing the dressing to the deputy, she retrieved the cellphone and flicked through the images. Anger rushed over her in a wave of violence. She wanted to punch him square in the face. Bile rushed into her mouth. Apart from the images of her sprawled in bed, Rockford had compromising images of very young gi
rls. She lifted her chin, trembling with rage. “Josh Rockford, I’m also charging you with possession of child pornography. Get him out of my sight.”
She stood on the porch, arms wrapped around her, and watched Walters’ cruiser disappear into the distance before taking out her anger by nailing the shutters closed.
Fifty-One
The following morning, Jenna’s attention moved to the empty garage at Kane’s house. Where has he been all night? The show of male bravado in her office the day before and being incommunicado when she needed his help had grated on her nerves all night. She went back inside and dialed Rowley’s number. “Hey, is Kane in yet?” She filled a takeaway cup with coffee.
“Nope.” Rowley cleared his throat.
She could hear the hesitation in his voice and shook her head. She knew he was covering for him. “Okay, spill the beans. Where is he?”
“I’m not sure.”
“If you know, tell me. That’s an order, Deputy.” She added sugar and cream to her coffee. “He didn’t come home last night and I couldn’t reach him. Where did you last see him?”
“He was off-duty, ma’am.”
Jenna sealed the lid then placed the cellphone on speaker and laid it on the table. She shrugged into her coat. “I don’t care. Josh Rockford tried to break into my house last night and I shot him; he is in the hospital. I think he might be involved in something serious.” She sighed. “I’ve already spoken to the DA. The evidence we have is enough to keep him in remand until they set a date for his trial. The judge is rushing through his hearing at nine this morning. The prosecutor won’t need me until the trial.”
“What? Are you okay?”
“I would be better if I could get in touch with my deputy. Where the hell is Kane?”
“He’s still at the Cattleman’s Hotel. I noticed his car in the police parking lot out front on my way past this morning.”
There had to be more to this story. Impatient, Jenna tapped her foot. “What do you mean, ‘still there’?”
“I dropped in for dinner with a couple of buddies last night. They have the special on ribs. Ah… Kane was there with Mary-Jo Miller.”
Gathering her wits, Jenna stared at the cellphone. Kane had said he was not ready for a relationship yet he took Mary-Jo Miller out on a date. Why did the idea annoy her? Oh shit, I’m getting feelings for David Kane. She swallowed the lump in her throat and sucked in a deep breath. “Okay, thanks. I’ll be leaving soon. Put on a pot of coffee, I think this is going to be a very long day.” She disconnected.
Pushing her mind away from the thought of Kane spending the night with Mary-Jo, she headed for Daniels’ cruiser. He had not been too happy to hand over the keys but his apartment was walking distance from the station and she needed her independence back. Planning her day put everything in perspective. She would send Walters to relieve Daniels at the hospital. Daniels could take Walters’ cruiser and keep an eye on Stan Clough’s movements for an hour or so. When Kane decided to arrive, he and Rowley could head to the piggery with the paperwork to interview the suspect and, if necessary, conduct a search.
Going over the facts in the Sarah Woodward homicide, she swallowed hard remembering the phone number she found inside the woman’s purse. After reading the autopsy reports, chasing up the number had slipped her mind. She would cross-reference the number with the list of properties John Davis had given Sarah. Likely, the number belonged to someone she had spoken to in the hours prior to her death, and that person might have information on Sarah’s whereabouts before the murder.
She slid into the driver’s seat, placed the coffee mug in the holder, and glanced up to see Kane’s black SUV driving past and heading for his house. The urge to get out and march over to speak to him flashed across her mind, but instead, she started the engine and turned up the heat. When Kane got out of his car wearing a dark blue suit sans tie with his short hair mussed, she gaped at him. He looked gorgeous. Oh yeah, he was her type, but obviously she did not rate in his top ten. Without thinking, she revved the engine and fishtailed down the icy driveway in a cloud of steam. Glancing in her mirror, she caught him staring after her with a grim expression on his face. Slowing the cruiser, she took control of the car and her emotions then headed for the office.
* * *
Kane watched Alton turn onto the highway and ground his teeth. He had hoped to be home before she woke but the chance of a hot breakfast in a very comfortable hotel had been too much of a temptation. He hurried inside to dress for work, wondering whether Jenna discovered he had taken Mary-Jo to dinner. He recalled seeing Jake Rowley at the Cattleman’s Hotel and grimaced. Oh yeah, her untouchable deputy would have been in her ear, and to make things worse, now she would believe he’d spent the night with a woman ten years his junior. The problem was he liked Jenna. She was gorgeous, but Annie still owned his heart. Perhaps the loyalty he had for Annie would fade in time.
* * *
He arrived at the station three minutes before the start of his eight-thirty shift and made his way to his desk. His attention moved to Alton’s office door and he wondered if he should offer her an apology for the day before. He rubbed the back of his neck. Trusting his gut instinct had gotten him out of more trouble than he cared to remember. He heard Rowley clear his throat and the familiar yet annoying squeak of his chair. Turning to look at him, he raised a brow. “The boss isn’t in a very good mood this morning, is she?”
“Well, considering she tried to call you when Josh Rockford broke into her house and she had to shoot him, I gather you are not on her BFF list this morning.” Rowley leaned back in his chair and linked his fingers over his waist.
Kane gaped at him. “What? She shot Josh Rockford?”
When Rowley explained about the photographs Rockford had taken and the kiddy porn on his cellphone, Kane rubbed his chin. “Jesus. Who is guarding him at the hospital?”
“No one. Mr. Stone pulled the judge out of bed in the early hours and produced some type of order to allow Josh to be released into the custody of his father.” Rowley avoided his gaze. “She wasn’t too happy about that either, but Rockford’s hearing is set for nine. Walters will attend but it’s not necessary with the evidence; it’s unlikely Rockford will get bail. The sheriff said the phone evidence alone will be enough for the DA to proceed to trial.”
