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The overnight snow had flattened the view and the early morning rays of watery sun glistened like streaks of gold across the ice-covered grasslands. Winter in Black Rock Falls was a cruel beauty, turning the trees surrounding the perimeter of the house to black creaking menaces. The frozen snapping branches sounded like gunshots in the stillness. “A blanket of snow” well described the scene before him. The silence was as if nature had turned down the volume.
His boots crunched in the snow on his way to the garage. He started his truck, allowing the engine to idle, then strolled back to his snow-covered cottage. Icicles hung down from the gutters and frost covered the windows in swirling patterns. It reminded him of a gingerbread house. He turned over the keys in his palm then decided not to go inside, feeling as if it was an invasion of Rowley’s privacy.
Later this afternoon, he would start to move his belongings out of Jenna’s house. Rowley had already taken his horse from the stable and was making noises about being anxious to return home. Not that he blamed him. With his family returning home for the holidays, he would want to spend time with them, and then there was his dog. The plan had been for Rowley and the dog to move into the cottage, but they soon discovered Duke was a territorial creature and refused to allow another male dog inside.
Kane made his way back to his truck and backed out of the garage. He heard the whirr of chopper blades then a bird set down beside the corral, sending out more snow than a snowplow. Unsure of the identities of the occupants spilling out the door, he drove to the front of Jenna’s house, slid from the seat and pulled out his weapon. One of the four men headed toward him and the other three hauled equipment out of the chopper. As the man approached, Kane aimed his pistol at the man’s head. “Stop where you are.”
“We’re under orders, Deputy.” The man lifted his hands.
Kane held his Glock steady. “Hold your cred packs out where I can see them.”
“Sure.” The man pulled out his military-issue cred pack and issued an order for the others to do the same. “Wolfe organized a security update for a Jane Doe. We can handle it from here, Deputy.”
Kane scrutinized each man’s credentials, and satisfied they were legit, holstered his weapon. “I don’t think so. Wait here. I’ll go speak with her.”
He headed back up the steps and slipped inside to find Jenna, face ashen. “It’s the guys from HQ here to install a new security system. I suggest you disguise yourself a bit, maybe cover your hair, put on sunglasses. They don’t know who we are and referred to you as Jane Doe.” He squeezed her shoulder. “I’ll stay until they leave. I suggest you head over to the safe room. I’ll come get you when they’re done.”
“Thank you. I’ll slip out the back door. I’ll call Rowley and tell him you’ll be late. I don’t want him figuring you’ve wrecked your truck and be heading back here.” Jenna gave him a small smile, then jogged to her bedroom.
Kane opened the front door and gazed at the four men. “Okay, where do you want to start?”
“We’ll need access to all rooms, to alarm the windows, and we’ll be setting up a new perimeter silent alarm system.”
Kane rubbed his chin. “That will take hours.”
“Nah, one at most. We use wireless laser technology now, no wires and impervious to all weather conditions. Easy to use, fast to install. I’m told she has a CCTV screen array.” He waved a little box. “This baby collects the data, sends an alert to as many cellphones as you like. We’ll update the CCTV and be gone before you know it.”
After hearing the back door open and shut, Kane waved him inside. “Okay, you’re good to go.”
Like him, Jenna had no photographs and in fact nothing personal on show in her house to identify her. Fortunately, the previous evening he’d moved her cruiser into the barn and fitted the chains, ready for her to drive to work on Wednesday morning.
The men moved with swift efficiency and, after explaining the system to Kane, left in a cloud of disturbed snow. He collected Jenna from the safe room. “That didn’t take long.”
“How do you know they haven’t fitted cameras in every room or listening devices? I don’t trust anyone.” She dragged off her coat and tossed it onto a kitchen chair.
Kane shrugged. “I watched them, but we can do a sweep of the place if you like?”
“Oh yeah, I forgot you have all the gizmos.” Jenna pulled a face. “I remember the day you arrived.”
Kane chuckled. “So do I.” He headed to his room and pulled out a suitcase. “Do you know how to use one of these?” He held up the headphones and scanner.
“Yeah, I remember.” Jenna heaved a long sigh. “It seems like a lifetime ago. I can manage. Rowley will be waiting for you.”
Kane handed her the equipment. “I’ll explain the security system before I go. It’s much easier than before and we can set it or deactivate it via our cellphones. I’ve added three numbers to the alarm, yours, Wolfe’s and mine, just in case. They gave me three remotes to carry in our trucks. They’ll recognize us when we drive in and won’t trip the alarm. If there is a false alarm, you can send an automatic message to notify both of us.” He led the way into the office with the array of screens. “Now you can pan the entire ranch and zoom in. I’m amazed they got all this done so quickly.”
“It’s great.” She listened as he went over the details. “Okay, that’s easy to understand. So you can activate the alarm again when you drive out?”
“Yep.” Kane headed for the door. “If you do find any bugs, don’t nuke them until Wolfe has looked at them. We need to know what or who we’re dealing with.” He turned at the door. “I’ll call with an update on the recycling yards at lunchtime.”
“Okay.” She followed him out. “Drive safe.”
Seventeen
The hiss of the life support system filled the quiet room as he peered down at Sky. His need to silence her had ruined his plans. He should have been more careful; one punch had come close to killing her and had been no fun at all. After carrying her back inside and removing all evidence of her escape, he’d called the nurse back to work and explained how it was his fault she had fallen ou
t of bed and hit her head. The well-trained and overpaid man had not said a word but set about making sure Sky would be okay.
Annoyed, he went back to his office and sat in front of his computer. His visit with his girlfriend on Saturday night had been adequate but she hardly filled his insatiable need. She was a means to an end and he could control her by telling her what she wanted to hear. He had become so skilled over the years he could charm anyone into believing anything he said. His life had become a web of skillfully told lies. Most of the time people were gullible and if he told them he could walk on water they would believe him.
