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Thirty-Nine
Due to the road closures throughout the state, Jenna expected a long delay for a new furnace. She made a call to Mayor Petersham to approve the purchase of heaters, even though disturbing him on a Saturday was not in her best interests. After all, she had an office to run and staff to keep warm. He authorized the purchase without complaint and Rowley had gotten all the local store had in stock. The comforting heat on her legs made her drowsy but she shot to full attention when Kane backed into the office surrounded by the aroma of fresh coffee and carrying bags of takeout with Rowley close behind.
“I figured you’d want to work through lunch before heading out to speak to Ella Tate?” Kane dropped the bags onto the desk. “I brought Rowley up to date with my interview with the postman this morning. Did Wolfe have anything interesting?”
Jenna leaned forward in her seat to peer into the bags. “Not really. He’s still waiting on Ella’s drug test but if she had date rape drugs in her system, Wolfe figures by now she will remember most of what happened, so we’re good to go. The test will just confirm his suspicions and clear her of any involvement.” She selected a bagel with cream cheese, her favorite. “What concerns me is our lack of solid evidence. These cases don’t follow the usual MO of a kidnapping.”
“Yeah, no ransom or demands.” Kane sighed. “And we have three people missing without a trace. Our only witness should be the prime suspect at this point and we both know she wasn’t involved.”
“We might have another witness. Just before, I found an interesting report out of Blackwater on an attack on a motorist.” Rowley held the door open with his foot to allow Duke to lumber inside then flop down in front of the heater. “The incident occurred on Thursday night.” He pushed a tray of to-go cups onto the desk then sat down. “I’ve added the details to the case file.”
Jenna took a coffee with her name written on the side and had a sip. “Just give me a rundown. Why is it relevant to the Axman case?”
“I figure the report is close enough to what happened to Ella Tate to be the same person.” Rowley reached for a packet of sandwiches. “Levi Holt passed through town on his way to spend his vacation with his folks in Blackwater and came across a pickup, hood up, flashers on. When he stopped to help, a guy climbed out the car and attacked him. Holt escaped and reported the incident to the Blackwater Sheriff’s Department on Friday morning. I called Blackwater and spoke to the deputy who took down the complaint. He said he went for a drive-by in the area. He found a few bits of broken glass but the snowplow had been through and cleaned up everything. When I asked him why he hadn’t sent us the file as the incident occurred in our county, he closed down. I felt like he was stonewalling me.”
“Really? I wonder why. They usually cooperate with us.” Jenna accessed the file and scanned the report. “There’s no description of the attacker or his vehicle apart from a ‘guy in a pickup wearing a scarf.’” She exchanged a look with Kane. “The name on the report is their new rookie, Bates. We need to have a word with Levi Holt and get the whole story.”
“His report could back up Ella Tate’s statement for the night Sky Paul vanished.” Kane leaned back in his seat, sandwich poised in mid-air. “We need to know if the man attacked Holt with a hatchet, for a start.”
Jenna glanced at the file again and sighed at the incompetence of the deputy’s report. She turned her attention back to Rowley. “Okay, as you’re heading out to Blackwater to chase down Ty Aitken about Knox, I want you to drop by and interview Holt then speak to the proprietor of the Blackwater Motel and see if they recall Knox having a woman in his room. I’ll call in Webber to ride along with you. Don’t go near Knox. From the details on his driver’s license, he fits the general description of the Axman. I want to run a background check before speaking to him. If Holt’s recollection is the same as Ella’s, Knox might be our man.” She thought for a moment. “Go see Holt first and see if his account backs up Ella’s. I’ll be interviewing people all afternoon, so message me straight away if it does and take down a fresh statement from him.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Rowley reached for his coffee. “Will you clear it with the Blackwater sheriff before we leave? I don’t want to be stepping on anyone’s toes.”
“Sure.” Jenna reached for the phone. “Maggie, can you call in Webber for me please. No, he’s not at the ME’s office, he’ll be at home. Tell him I need him for the afternoon.” She disconnected, then contacted the Blackwater Sheriff’s Department.
Jenna pulled up her hoodie against the bitter cold and slid into Kane’s truck. She glanced at him. “I didn’t mention it in front of Rowley but I have some good news. The FBI didn’t find a connection between Doctor Weaver and the cartel or the reason she ordered a DNA test on me. He’s still waiting for the info on what tests she’s been doing on the townsfolk.”
“That’s a relief but I figure she’s involved in something illegal.” Kane turned in his seat to look at her. “Where to?”
Jenna buckled her seatbelt. “I hope Rowley sends confirmation on Holt’s attack before I speak to Ella again. I figure she’d be more forthcoming if she knew the Axman attacked another person. I want to pay Doc Weaver a visit and find out why she was heading out to the industrial area when everything around there is shut down for the holidays.”
“She lives over her clinic, so unless she is out on a call, we should find her there.” Kane swung the SUV out onto the blacktop and drove through town, took a left turn then pulled up in front of a store with Dr. Weaver’s shingle hanging outside. “The lights are on, she must work today.”
Jenna zipped up her coat and wrapped a scarf around her face then climbed from the truck. Underfoot, the slippery sidewalk was an accident waiting to happen. As she stepped cautiously toward the door, her insides twisted remembering the scare Weaver had given her at the ranch. She edged her way to the front door, glad when her feet hit the mat. The door chimed as they entered. She scanned the small waiting room; it was empty and no secretary sat behind the front counter. Unlike the usual white, sterile doctors’ offices, dark brown walls that made the straight-back wooden chairs appear to blend into obscurity greeted her and from the light hung an ancient strip of flypaper. She walked to the counter and pressed the bell with the sign, “If unattended please ring bell.”
A few moments passed before footsteps sounded and Dr. Weaver came through a door. She look over the top of her spectacles at Jenna then shifted her gaze to Kane.
“Sheriff, Deputy Kane, sorry to keep you waiting, my secretary doesn’t work today. What brings you out in this weather?”
Unsure why the woman unsettled her so much, Jenna offered her a smile. “We’re chasing down people who were in the vicinity of the industrial area out on the highway late Friday afternoon.” She caught her startled expression. “I gather you often travel between Blackwater and here on Tuesdays as well. As we’ve had a few incidents in that area over the last week we are collecting information.”
“I visit out-of-town patients on T
uesdays.” Weaver frowned. “I can’t give you names, I’m sure you’re aware of doctor–patient privilege. On Friday, I treated an accident victim out at the meat processing plant.”
“Why didn’t they call 911?” Kane frowned. “Any industrial accident is required to be written up.”
“Not if it’s the owner.” Dr. Weaver gave him a satisfied smile. “It was minor and he didn’t want any fuss.”
Jenna pulled out her notebook. “I’ll need his name.”
“Sorry, I can’t give you his name, I’ve divulged enough already.” Dr. Weaver gave her a sickly smile. “Is there anything else?”
Jenna pounced. “Yeah, why did you do a DNA test on me?”
“I did no such thing.” Dr. Weaver took a step back in surprise. “Let me see, I did a normal screening and an HLA test.”
“That’s a DNA test for tissue typing.” Kane moved a step closer and his lips flattened to a thin line. “Why was that necessary?”
