AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Shaking her head, Jenna drummed her fingers on the table. “Nope, he only gave me the basic rundown. It’s just as well Rowley had Rio with him. Rowley isn’t too good with messy crime scenes.” She pulled out her phone. “While we’re waiting, I’ll get the lowdown from Rio. He probably took in more about the scene without even realizing it. His memory is incredible.” She handed Kane one of her wireless earbuds so he could listen in to the conversation and made the call. “We’re stuck in Helena for a time. What else can you give me on the scene?”
“No forced entry on either of the doors but the ground is disturbed outside the cellar window. I checked inside and there’re indistinct marks on the cellar floor. The cobwebs around the window are torn and there are some leaves on the floor, but the window is shut. It’s a possible entry point because the height of the window would make it difficult to leave without a stepladder or similar, and we know the killer walked out the front door. There is a trail of blood from the bedroom, as in drips. It’s as if they killed the old lady, removed their shoes, and walked out the house dripping blood. I found partial prints on the front door handle, but they appear smudged, so I’m assuming the killer was wearing gloves.”
“What about the house?” Kane leaned toward the phone. “Any sign of a robbery? Could the killer have been searching for something specific?”
“Not that’s evident. I figure the entire house needs a forensic sweep. There were hairs on the bedroom carpet. The victim’s, I figure. I collected them and bagged them. I didn’t see anything in the victim’s hands. She didn’t fight back. Maybe she knew her attacker?”
Jenna exchanged a glance with Kane. “Have you interviewed her neighbors?”
“There are no neighbors. Well, not for a mile or so. It’s isolated out here. The driveway is just rocks. Anyone could’ve driven here and we wouldn’t know.”
Rubbing her temples, Jenna sighed. “Okay, I’ll need you both out there until we can get home. If you need to dash back to town and grab something to eat, one of you go while Webber and Emily are there. I don’t want anyone out there alone.”
“Copy that.” Rio disconnected.
Thinking it through, she looked at Kane. “What do you think?”
“An attack to the face is usually a crime of passion, which seems unusual in an elderly woman… unless the killer is trying to throw us a curve ball by making us believe just that.” Kane twirled his cup in his fingers. “We can assume it’s not an elderly person because, from what I recall of the windows in the cellars of those old houses out that way, the root cellars had a trap door and a small window mostly for ventilation. It’s set high on the wall and most people use a metal rod to open and shut it. It has a drop of at least six, maybe eight, feet, so a slim person or a young person would most likely fit through. The drop w
ould be too great for the average older person.” He frowned. “I’ll need more details. For instance, did they attack the eyes?”
Amazed by his insight, Jenna shrugged. “I didn’t like to ask Rowley about specifics. He’s a bit squeamish, as you know.” She stirred cream into her coffee. “Why drag the body into the closet? Most people kill and run. Is that significant?”
“Maybe.” Kane sipped his beverage. “It would tie into the damage to the eyes, if any. It would tell me the victim knew her attacker, and even in death, the killer was still concerned they’d be recognized.”
“So if she lives alone, are we looking for someone who is well known in the community and has a ton of friends who drop by?” Jenna ran her finger through the sugar she’d spilled onto her saucer and licked her finger. “But Snowberry Way isn’t an easy place to get to. You’d have thought she’d have been snowed in all winter.” She looked at him. “Most of the older women I’ve met often spend time with their families in town over the holidays, and some stay right through until the melt.”
“All these things we’ll take into consideration.” Kane opened his hands. “It’s not much use speculating until we have more information.” He glanced at his watch. “We’ll head back to the ME’s office. Wolfe’s meeting will be over by the time we arrive. I’ll grab him a to-go coffee. He’s probably starving by now and we haven’t got time to stop.”
Jenna stood. “Okay, I’ll order him some sandwiches as well. I’ll fix them up for our meals at the counter.”
“My treat.” Kane frowned at her. “There’s no way you’re paying for Poppy’s meal. This trip was my idea. Don’t get all stubborn on me now.”
Jenna grinned at him. “Oh, buttering up the boss won’t get you any favors.” She giggled. “Well… on second thought… maybe it will.”
FOUR
They arrived in Black Rock falls before four, and after stopping to collect a few supplies from Wolfe’s office, climbed into the Beast and headed to Snowberry Way. The roads, now clear of snow, had sustained damage and large potholes dug out by the force of the ice, which made the going slow. Kane maneuvered his truck over the holes and road debris, finally turning into the driveway of the victim. He looked at Jenna. “Well, nobody walked here, that’s for darn sure.”
Two cruisers and Emily’s silver Jeep Cherokee sat in the driveway, and tucked inside a garage was a Ford truck. Kane climbed out into the cool mountain chill and turned to Wolfe. “Why didn’t Webber bring the van?”
“He’s been and gone.” Wolfe pulled on booties and gloves and handed the same to Jenna and Kane. “I spoke to Em before we left and told her to get the body on ice. She took the temperature of the victim at the scene. I’m sure my job here is just about done. She’s very capable of handling a crime scene.”
Kane smiled. “Oh, I have every confidence in her ability. I’ll be glad when she graduates from medical school and can be around full-time. It will take the weight off you a bit.” He chuckled. “We might get to go fishing one weekend.”
“That will be years yet.” Wolfe shrugged. “I’m just glad she spends her time in the office when she’s not in class. She’s like a sponge and learns so fast. Any exposure to cases, I can give her, is an advantage.”
The door to the house opened and Rio walked out to greet them. His serious expression and pale face spoke volumes as he approached Jenna.
“What have we got?” Jenna snapped on her gloves. “Have you made any progress since we spoke?”
“I don’t have any other information for you regarding the victim.” Rio wet his lips. “We’re assuming it’s the owner of the house. The vehicle and land title are both in the name of Agnes Wagner. She’s lived here for over fifty years. Her husband died ten years ago. She takes care of herself, from what I can make out. There’s a full pantry and freezer. She doesn’t have any kids. It must have been lonely for her out here by herself.”
“Did you visit the neighbors?” Jenna followed him inside the house.
“Yeah, there’s only one. The house further up is boarded up.” Rio turned to look at her. “They didn’t see or hear anything and I’d believe them. The cabin is set way off the road.” Rio stood to one side and pointed to the door. “Smudged prints here, drips of blood all over, but the scanner didn’t pick up anything solid. As you can see, it’s even hard to tell the size of the hand.” He pointed to the stairs. “Emily and Rowley are upstairs. I’ve searched the house. Nothing seems disturbed. The cellar is the only point of entry I can find. Although there’s no evidence we can use and no footprints. The melting snow has saturated the ground. On the inside, I found a few damp marks under the window, but if there were wet footprints, they dried. The window is shut tight as well. They left by the front door. It was open when we arrived.”
“Okay.” Jenna headed for the stairs.
