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Gritting his teeth against the searing pain, he lifted one arm and waved at the chopper. The line attached to his harness tightened, supporting him to the surface. He coughed water from his lungs and climbed on top of the boulder. Muscles frozen, he shook out his hands and legs, but a cruel wind plastered his wet clothes to his flesh. Face stiff as his exposed flesh froze, he slapped his cheeks and felt nothing. The cold had seeped into him, slowing him down, but now his brain was working just fine. Judging the distance between the boulder and the truck, he bent his knees and leapt into the air. He missed by a foot, but as the water washed him past the truck, he grasped the tailgate and clung for a few seconds before hauling his aching body into the tray. Vision blurry, and using the side of the pickup to guide him, he dragged his body to the broken window and peered inside. The pickup groaned and shifted under his feet, the raging water’s sheer weight would soon lift the vehicle and send it down the river to tumble over the falls. His time was running out fast.
NINETEEN
Jenna cried out as the pickup slipped and a huge rush of water submerged Kane again. He was in deep trouble. How many times would he be able to survive the waves of incredible pain as the freezing cold water hit the metal plate in his head? She’d seen the effect a winter’s day had on him, and the way his face paled as he battled with the agony. Her stomach tightened and she lifted her head to the chopper. “This is crazy. You’ll kill him. Haul him out. What are you waiting for?” Her words soundless on the wind.
Digging her nails into the bark of the tree, she stared in terror. Where was he? Why wasn’t Carter doing anything? It seemed like hours, but it was only a minute or so before Kane surfaced from the freezing water again, shook his head, and hauled himself into the back of the pickup. He stood for long minutes, examining the interior through the broken window, and then looked up. Water streamed from his helmet, as he signaled to the chopper. The next second an orange stretcher dropped from the open door of the chopper and lowered, twisting precariously in the wind. When it arrived, Kane made three attempts to grasp it before tying it to the back of the truck. Water was up to his chest and he had to dive into the raging torrent to haul out the frail body of Mrs. Darvish through the broken window. Jenna bit down on her cheek as Kane balanced precariously to strap Mrs. Darvish into the stretcher.
As the body lifted into the chopper, Kane went with it, spinning and swaying high into the air and over the trees. The sight of him so high up made her stomach clench. She had no idea where he’d gotten the strength to hold on. How had he survived such an ordeal? Eyes glued to the chopper, she waited for the stretcher to vanish inside the door and breathed a sigh of relief when a hand came out to haul Kane to safety. Without waiting, Carter took the chopper high into the air and it disappeared over the mountain peaks. Jenna stared after it and then turned and spewed in the bushes. She couldn’t remember a time she’d been so terrified. Trembling and knees weak, she slumped against a tree, trying to gain her composure. Sensing Wolfe behind her, she turned to look at him, dragged a tissue from her pocket, and self-consciously wiped her mouth.
“They’ll take the body straight to the morgue.” Wolfe gave her a compassionate look and patted her on the back. “I have coffee in the van. You look like you need one.”
She shook her head as her stomach heaved again. “I’ll be fine but Dave’s going to be in agony. That freezing water will bring on one of his headaches.”
“You shouldn’t worry so much about him. He’s tougher than you think and only five minutes away from a hot shower and his meds.” Wolfe touched her arm, his gray eyes sympathetic. “He’s a combat machine, Jenna. That was a walk in the park for him and he probably got a kick out of it. He’s an adrenaline junkie and works well under extreme conditions. It’s what made him the best in his field. His mental abilities under pressure are second to none. The only downside would be retrieving the body. I’ve seen him lose his cool twice: once was when he lost Annie and the second when he thought you’d died. I’ve seen him walk through hell and not flinch.” Wolfe narrowed his gaze. “Don’t let him see you upset, Jenna. You’re his Achilles heel. If he starts worrying about you when he’s risking his life, he’ll lose his edge and that could be fatal.”
Understanding completely, Jenna nodded. “Okay, but I’m only human.”
The idea that Wolfe considered Kane as part of his arsenal, rather than his friend, concerned her. She walked beside him back to the van. “I know he might be a machine to you, but I’ve seen agents killed and I’m sure you’ve seen many fine men killed in the line of duty. I don’t want him to become collateral damage. I want him here beside me in Black Rock Falls.” She waved a hand toward the ravine. “That was a senseless risk. The pickup will wash down the falls before long and we could have retrieved the body without risking everyone’s lives. Did you see how Carter had to fight the wind up there? Three lives could have been lost to collect a dead body.”
“The risk was acceptable because it’s a homicide and we have a possible psychopath killing old ladies. Time is of the essence. We need any evidence we can find to stop this killer.” Wolfe shook his head. “All three men wanted to see an end to the carnage. I needed the body before the water destroys any evidence and trust me if that truck went over the falls, there wouldn’t be much for me to look at.” He turned her around to face him. “Love is a powerful influence, Jenna. You’re one hell of a good sheriff and you know as well as I do that solving the crime, preventing murder, and protecting the townsfolk comes first. It’s your sworn duty. Don’t allow anything to cloud your judgment.”
Jenna climbed into the van and picked the splinters out of her fingers. “I’ll do my best.”
The trembling hadn’t subsided. If Kane or any of the others had died retrieving a corpse, she would have been responsible. No matter what Wolfe said, she’d keep her humanity and look out for the ones she loved. Protecting people in danger was one thing, but she’d never allow her team to risk their lives again to gather evidence. It was a fool’s errand and a complete disregard for life. Keeping her rising anger from showing in her face, she turned to him as he slipped behind the wheel. “I think I’ll have that coffee after all.”
TWENTY
Kane pressed both hands flat against the shower tile and allowed the hot water to pour over his aching head. When he’d hit the river, the brain-numbing pain had stunned him. He thought he’d gotten over the nerve damage caused by a car bombing and the recent bullet wound to the head, but the freezing river had sent a searing-hot rod of misery through his temples and blurred his vision. He stared at the white tile, allowing the heat to soothe the pain. The sight disturbance hadn’t lasted long but was something he needed to speak to Wolfe about before it became a problem. The retrieval had been what he expected, a thrill ride, until he hit the river. The body of Mrs. Darvish had been floating face down in the water and she hadn’t been wearing a seat belt. Not that it would have helped her, but it made him wonder if she’d tried to escape the pickup before it went into the ravine.
As the meds kicked in and the hot water thawed out his frozen limbs,
Kane stepped out, toweled off, and dressed. He could hear voices as he left the bathroom and walked into the hallway and found Jenna chatting to Emily. They both turned and looked at him at the same time. He smiled. “Emily, it’s good to see you again. How is the new semester shaping up?”
“It’s great!” Emily led the way to Wolfe’s office. “Dad is unpacking the body. Sit down and I’ll make coffee. You both look frozen. Was it terrible on the mountain? The retrieval must have been hair-raising.”
Shrugging, Kane dropped into a chair. “Not for me but it was darn cold up there. The water was freezing. If it had taken any longer, I’d have ended up a Popsicle.” He looked at Carter’s Doberman, Zorro, sitting like a statue on a mat in the corner of the room, and then moved his attention to the hallway. “Where’s Carter and Jo?”
“He’s refueling the chopper and doing whatever he does after a flight.” Jenna sat beside him. “Jo went to get some takeout from Aunt Betty’s. Shane figured you’d be starving by now.”
“He knows me so well.” Kane chuckled. He looked at Jenna. “Mrs. Darvish wasn’t wearing a seat belt, which I find strange. I wonder if she tried to get out of the pickup before it went over the edge.”
“If someone was pushing her toward the ravine, it makes sense, but why didn’t she get out? I sure would have tried and there is a small ledge just below the edge. She would have known that surely.” Jenna took the cup from Emily with a smile. “Unless the truck rammed her faster than we figured?”
Kane shook his head. “On an incline like that and with the pickup sideways, it would have been slow not fast. A shunting forward by the damage I saw on the door. It was caved right in.”
He wrapped his hands around the cup and allowed the scene to fill his mind. For a moment he stood on the mountain road, looking back and forth. What had he seen? What had he felt? The sensation of being there, the cold wind blowing up from the gully, filled his mind. He blinked. “The wind gusts coming up from the ravine would have pressed against the door, making it difficult to open. She was a frail old lady and didn’t stand a chance.”
The door opened and Jo walked in laden with packages. She dropped them on the table with a sigh.
“Wolfe didn’t say what to buy, so I asked Susie, she sent burgers, fries, and peach pies.” Jo pulled up a chair and looked at Jenna. “What have we got here? Not an accident, from what Wolfe was saying.”
“No, Mrs. Darvish had a run in with a GMC truck before she went over the ravine. Someone wanted her dead but decided to play a little with her first.” Jenna pulled a face. “What sort of a person bullies a sweet old lady?”
Biting into a burger straight from heaven, Kane chewed and swallowed. “Someone who finds old people a threat maybe.”
“From what I heard from Cade Rio this morning he had a problem with his grandma.” Jenna nibbled on fries. “He was at the right place at the right time. Is he capable of murder, do you think?”
Unable to consider Cade, who he’d come to know well, as a cold-blooded killer, Kane looked straight at Jo. “He and his sister are twins, and they were placed with their step-grandma after their parents died. They didn’t cope with her at all and ran away. Zac Rio has custody of them now. I figure they weren’t young enough or there long enough to cause that type of deep-seated emotional damage.”
