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“You came here.” Jenna pushed a lock of dark hair from her forehead and her lips quivered into a small smile.
He grinned at her. “Yeah, I did. But after four homicides, four attempts on your life, and discovering the star hockey player in town is a potential predator before I’ve received my first paycheck… I’m not so sure if Black Rock Falls is the quiet town I imagined.” He gave her a long look, noting the apprehension in her eyes. “Yeah, the DA did question me about why I left a lucrative position and came here. I explained, but now they want me to take the psych evaluation along with you.”
“At least I’ll have company.” She frowned and pleated the edge of the white sheet with her small fingers. “How did the Rockford hearing go?”
“He is currently in the county jail awaiting trial on a number of charges.” Kane cleared his throat. “Even his daddy won’t get him out of this and I dou
bt the mayor will be elected for another term either; the townsfolk are not impressed.” He sighed. “You’ll be up to your neck in court cases for the rest of the year. Man, those Daniels brothers were a class on their own.”
“Have you ever come across this type of psychopathic killer before? I thought most of them worked alone?” Jenna raised both dark brows. “They had different types of victims, and that’s unusual, isn’t it?”
“Not necessarily. We are talking about two different men here. Say Dirk took most of the abuse from his father. He would likely have the need to torture men and make them pay for what happened to him as a boy.” Kane pushed a hand through his hair, worried this kind of discussion might upset her after her experience. He would keep it simple. “Then Dean might have believed his mother allowed his father to hurt them and his focus was on hurting women. Rape and torture isn’t sexual; it’s punishment.” He sat on the edge of the bed and watched her reactions carefully. “I believe the initial motive was money, as you said, and the Daniels boys used their brains. They only wanted cash—tortured their victims for their PINs then cleaned out their bank accounts. My guess is they started slow, and inflicting pain triggered the psychopathic behavior. The prolonged torture and rape of their victims came later. Psychopaths escalate, and each kill is more extreme to feed the thrill.”
“But Mrs. Woodward was seen banking cash. They didn’t kill her straight away, did they?” Jenna sipped her drink. “I wonder why?”
He shrugged. “As far as we can tell we believe they discovered she had a variety of bank accounts and a fortune hidden away. My guess is she called them about purchasing the Old Mitcham Ranch. She likely wanted to get a feel for the area and I’m betting they suggested she stay with them. I found her purse in a drawer in a bedroom in their house. She likely offered to work around the place as a housekeeper for practically nothing and at first they paid her in cash.”
“So why kill her?”
“Ah, well, I gather she would have told them she had the money available to buy the property outright. We know she obtained a nice fat cashier’s check as a deposit. She was the golden goose and they wanted to clean out all her accounts. Once they did that, she was useless to them.”
“Okay, you have proof to connect them to Samantha and Sarah Woodward’s murders, and Pete, of course.” Jenna looked at him expectantly. “Have you found anything else to link them to Helms’s murder?”
“We found an earring matching the one missing from Helms’s body with the earlobe still attached in the Daniels’ barn. I’m guessing they took him home and didn’t waste any time torturing him for his PIN.” He sighed. “Their cellphone records and the GPS in Dirk’s pickup match every withdrawal date and time for both Helms and Woodward. We think Helms went in the barrel because Clough hadn’t set up his piggery in time.”
“Anything else I need to know?”
“Yeah.” Kane rubbed his chin. “As of one hour ago, the investigation is out of our hands and being handled by the big boys. Homeland Security has taken over our missing persons’ cases and will be checking files from other states just in case this involves mass murder.”
Jenna’s face drained of color and she placed the glass on the table then lifted her chin.
“I have a confession to make. I did miss something the day I went to the Daniels’ ranch.” She cleared her throat and a pink flush spread over her cheeks. “I heard a whining noise like something… somebody in pain. When I asked Dean, he said his mare was giving birth.” She met his gaze. “He had blood spots on his boots and stank of sweat. I should have checked or at least remembered. Helms and Sarah are dead because of me.” She leaned back and closed her eyes. “I used to be a good judge of character and I actually liked Dean and Dirk. Seems my profiler training was a complete waste of time.”
He considered her confession for a few seconds then shook his head. “You are not to blame; you accepted the explanation of two men you trusted, and if you’d discovered them torturing John Helms, they would have killed you and Pete. They had a good thing going, and being psychopaths, they wouldn’t have thought twice about killing the pair of you.” He sighed. “Charm is a gift psychopaths have in spades. Trust me, they could fool the best of us. Think how many people Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy deceived?”
“You know,” Jenna opened her eyes and looked at him as if seeing him for the first time, “underneath that tough, no-nonsense image lies a man of great worth. You are a kind and generous man and it has been an honor working with you.”
Kane smiled and squeezed her hand, so small in his palm. “Thank you. I like working with you too. I just have to keep reminding myself who is the boss.” He chuckled. “Which I have to admit has been a big adjustment for me, but I’m a quick learner.”
“And I need to respect your experience and work with you.” Jenna sighed. “I’m used to having to tell deputies when to wipe their asses.” Her lips quivered into a smile. “It’s been amazing having someone to trust. Do you think we’ll ever get a replacement for Pete?”
Kane chuckled and moved his thumb in small circles over the back of her hand. He had contacted HQ to find a suitable replacement—someone he could trust.
“Do you really think Black Rock Falls is interesting?” She gave him a blank stare.
“I sure do. I’m wondering what will happen next.”
“Oh, I thought with the new deputy arriving, you would ask for a transfer—and I wouldn’t blame you.” Her blue eyes misted over and she swallowed hard.
“Do you really think I’d leave my cozy cottage, fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies, and seeing my boss in pink slippers?”
“So will you stay and help me fight the bad guys?” She chewed on her dainty fingernails and her soft gaze drifted over his face.
What? Leave her alone in this backwoods town? Never. He smiled down at her. “Yes, ma’am.”
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