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Main Street was awash with brightly colored bunting for the county fair and rodeo. The usually slow-moving town had turned into rush hour with a flurry of people from different committees dashing along the sidewalk to secure a good position for their stalls. Men clutching opposite ends of folded tables carried them from the town hall and set them up. Moments later, a group of women dashed in to erect a sign claiming the spot. Others covered the benches and surrounds with tablecloths and signs. With the fair set to run from Tuesday through Sunday, the influx of tourists alone would keep them busy, but Kane’s stomach rumbled at the thought of all the homemade cakes and cookies he could purchase. He slowed his black, unmarked truck— affectionately known as “the beast”—to follow a horse trailer.
“I can hear your stomach from here.” Jenna turned in her seat to look at him. “You’ve only just eaten breakfast. Are you hungry already?”
Nonplussed, Kane smiled at her. “I’m always hungry. I burn up a lot of calories just driving to work.”
“Oh, that must be a pain.” She chuckled. “You know, I’ve never heard anyone complain about burning too many calories.”
Kane flicked her a glance. “Next time I see someone over two hundred and fifty pounds and six-five, I’ll ask them, but I’d guess if they worked out every morning like we do, maybe they’d have the same problem as me.” He bit back a grin. “Jealous?” He pulled into a parking space reserved for the sheriff’s department.
“More than you know.” Jenna sighed, gathered her things, and frowned. “I’m not looking forward to facing an autopsy on the first day back.”
Kane met her worried gaze. “Let’s hope it’s not a homicide, but if it was rape, we’ll still be hunting down the animal who raped her.”
“Yeah.” Jenna slid from the seat. “The beginning of another perfect week.” She shook her head and headed for the office door.
Kane stopped at the counter to give the receptionist, Magnolia Brewster—Maggie—a gift from Santa Cruz. “Thanks for holding down the fort and keeping Duke out of trouble during the day.” He allowed Duke to slide behind the counter, tail wagging.
“Thank you so much. That hound is always good company and no trouble at all, but I figure he missed you. Rowley was glad to leave him with me, said Duke bossed his dog around somethin’ wicked.” Maggie shook her head. “I’ve never seen the like here. He sat in his basket and snored most days.”
Kane wondered why Rowley hadn’t mentioned the problem. “Duke’s mighty territorial; he refused to let Rowley’s dog into my cottage last winter.”
“Oh, I know. I cared for Spike when Rowley was livin’ out at the sheriff’s ranch.” She looked at the package as if savoring it then turned it over in her hands and beamed at him. “I’ll just have to make sure you take a vacation every year if you come back with gifts. Did you have a good time?”
Kane chuckled. “Oh… yeah.”
“Hmm, you’re not planning on giving out any details, right?” Rowley came up beside him and grinned.
“Nope.” Kane smiled at them. “I’ve gotta go, Jenna’s waiting for us.” Not wanting to hang around for more questions, he waved Rowley toward Jenna’s office and following him took a seat.
“So, what’s been happening, Jake? Wolfe dropped by this morning and mentioned a suicide?” Jenna opened her daybook then stared at Rowley. “Have you filed a report for me?”
“Yes, ma’am, it’s in your files.” Rowley scanned his iPad. “Apart from the suicide, it was the usual: traffic violations, another fight at the Triple Z Bar—seems the local college boys have got it into their heads to go there to drink. Then they clash with the cowboys drifting into town for the rodeo.”
“If they’re over twenty-one, there’s not a lot we can do.” Jenna sighed. “I guess the owner could ban them but I figure he likes the passing trade.” She scanned her computer. “Now, about this apparent suicide.”
Kane turned in his seat to look at Rowley. “What did you make of the scene?”
“Chrissie Lowe was clothed and there wasn’t a whole lot of blood. The shower was running. She looked pale, and because of the hot water running over her, Wolfe said it would be difficult to establish the time of death.” Rowley cleared his throat. “She had deep cuts up both arms and I found a pocketknife beside her.”
“Did you speak to the person who discovered the body?” Jenna leaned forward on her desk. “It was her roommate, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, Livi Johnson.” Rowley rubbed a hand down his face. “She was hysterical, sobbing and shaking all over. It was difficult to get anything out of her. I figured I’d go back today and speak to her again.” He sighed. “One of the other girls informed me Livi started screaming at around seven Sunday morning. She’d gone into the bathroom after waiting some time without any answer from Chrissie.”
Kane frowned. “Did anyone contaminate the scene?”
“Nope.” Rowley looked at him. “I was wearing gloves when I turned off the shower and checked for signs of life. Then I called Wolfe. We processed the scene, took photographs, collected prints. I locked the dorm door and took the key. I collected the next of kin details from Rose Bishop, the dorm director, and Wolfe took over from there. He and Webber took the body to the morgue. He went to speak to the parents and obtained permission for an autopsy.” He frowned. “I feel real sorry for her family. They found out earlier in the week their son is MIA. Wolfe mentioned her father is terminal and her mom doesn’t look too well either.”
Sadness fell over Kane as he exchanged a glance with Jenna. They both understood the pain of losing family. “Okay. Did you secure the victim’s cellphone and media device?”
“Wolfe took her laptop but we couldn’t find her cellphone.” Rowley frowned. “I figure from the third degree you’re giving me, this is more than a suicide.”
“From Wolfe’s initial examination, he believes Chrissie was raped.” Jenna pushed the hair from her eyes. “We’re going to view the autopsy this morning. We’ll need to get a timeline of what she was doing in the hours before she died. Where did she go? Who did she speak to, and who was the last person to see her alive?” She stared at them across the desk. “Kane, I want you and Rowley to do some grunt work. Go and speak to her friends at the dorm and see what they have to say. I’ll call the college and get a list of her classes on Friday. I’ll need to organize some help from Blackwater so we’re free to investigate. With the rodeo in town, we can’t leave the office unattended. Once we’ve attended the autopsy, we can work back from there.”
Kane pushed to his feet. “Roger that.” He smiled at her. “I’ll be back before eleven for the autopsy.”
As they headed for the college, Rowley glanced at Kane. “So, how was the vacation? Now Maggie’s not listening in, you can tell me.”
Kane snorted with laughter. “You mean how was it going on vacation with Jenna?” He grinned at him. “It was great.”
