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Jenna caught the glance and smiled at her. “Yeah, I’m sure Bobby wouldn’t mind moving into our spare room for the holidays.” She stared at him. “Oh, unless you’re planning to go back home to your family, Bobby?”
“There isn’t a back home.” Kalo shrugged. “So yeah, I would love to stay. Would I be able to tag along with you guys when you go into town today?”
“Sure.” Kane slapped him on the back. “I’d enjoy the company. Once Jenna gets into town around this time of year, she’s like a whirlwind running through the stores.” He chuckled. “It doesn’t take me too long to buy what I need and then I usually just sit in the Beast with Duke and watch her run around.”
“Okay, then I’ll check the weather report to make sure we can fly back to Snakeskin Gully.” Carter pulled out his phone and scrolled through the pages on the screen. “Yeah, we’re good to go.” He looked over at Jo. “I’ll do my preflight check. I’ll need to refuel at the airport. Can you be ready in thirty minutes?”
“I’m ready now.” Jo grinned at him. “While you’re doing your preparations for takeoff, I’ll just take my time over breakfast and clear the table so Jenna can leave.”
Grateful for her generosity, Jenna smiled. “Thanks.”
The white dusting of snow covered the lowlands and in the distance Jenna made out the heavy white blanket over the Black Rock Fall’s mountain range. Snow might be light on the ground in town, but the skiing season was in full flight up in the mountains. As they turned into Stanton and headed along the highway to Main, Christmas decorations adorned many of the outlying houses, and pine trees in the front yards twinkled with fairy lights. As they reached the signpost to Black Rock Falls, Jenna pointed to an inflated snowman attached to the post, with one arm waving back and forth. “That’s new. The townsfolk have gone all out this year. Isn’t it pretty?”
“It would look even better if it snowed harder.” Kane smiled at her. “Are you planning on closing the office over the holidays?”
Jenna stared out of the window, admiring the displays of reindeer pulling sleighs and Santa Claus figures hanging from rooftops. Other houses had Nativity scenes in the front yard. “If we solve this case, we’ll be running a skeleton staff for ten days to take in New Year’s Day.” She glanced back to him. “We’ll hang a sign on the door on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day to call 911 in an emergency, but Maggie has volunteered to open the office every other day. We’ll take turns answering any emergency callouts over the time. With any luck we’ll have a nice peaceful holiday.”
“Okay, where do you want to go first?” Kane smiled at her. “I’ll do my shopping and we’ll all meet back at Aunt Betty’s.” He glanced over one shoulder at Bobby Kalo. “Does that work for you?”
“I’ll just tag along with you if you don’t mind.” Kalo pulled a woolen hat down low over his long hair and pulled up his hoodie. “I need some advice on what to buy.”
“Sure.” Kane turned back to Jenna. “Here okay?” He indicated to a space alongside the curb close to Aunt Betty’s Café.
Jenna nodded. “Sure.” She kissed Kane on the cheek. “I’ll call you if I need any help carrying anything.” She waited for him to stop at the curb and then climbed out of the Beast.
Dragging her list from her pocket, Jenna hurried from store to store. She’d planned out her trip and had completed all her purchases before heading back to the Beast to dump her shopping. Her next stop was the supermarket to pick up a special order of Scottish shortbread she’d purchased especially for Kane. She went to the checkout to speak to the cashier and waited for the right person to be called. They’d asked her to wait in Cakes and Coffee, a small enclosed area inside the store, and someone would attend her. As she made her way through the aisles, a little voice squealed and she turned to see Rowley’s wife, Sandy, with the twins, Vannah and Cooper. The one-year-olds had started walking at ten months and were wobbling around everywhere. Keeping them contained in a stroller was proving to be a tough time for Sandy. “Hey, there you are.” Jenna grinned at her godchildren and looked at their slightly frazzled mother. “Coffee?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” Sandy grinned. “The twins can play and wear themselves out. There is a playpen in the corner with colored balls inside and the twins love it. If I wasn’t so afraid of someone stealing one of them, I’d leave them in there while I did my grocery shopping.”
They ordered coffee and dropped the twins into the playpen and listened to the shrieks of delight as they mingled with the other toddlers. Jenna sat down at a table and smiled at Sandy. “This is a great idea.” She glanced at two men hunched over their phones. “Having a place to sit down for the guys to wait if they don’t want to do the shopping and for exhausted mothers is wonderful. Although, this isn’t part of my day at any time. Apart from the odd quart of milk and fresh fruit and vegetables, the kitchen is Kane’s domain and he’s taken to ordering everything we need online in bulk. A delivery truck comes by once a month. It makes life so much easier.”
“Hmm, a dream come true.” Sandy sighed and smiled as a server brought the coffee. “Now I’m not working, our income doesn’t stretch to monthly orders.” She pushed a hand through her hair. “I tried to go back to work, but the salary they offered me wasn’t worth it after paying for childcare. I tried it for a month to see if they’d offer me overtime, but they didn’t and the twins turned into monsters.”
Wincing internally, Jenna had been so busy of late time seemed to slip right on by. She made a mental note to give Rowley the promotion he deserved. He’d also worked long hours and had never applied for overtime. She could and would do something about that for both her deputies. The mayor had organized the financing for the new office and extensions to the sheriff’s department and supplied all the new equipment. The funding for her department had tripled this financial year due to the town’s prosperity, and the mayor spared no expense to keep the town safe. She could easily have employed another two deputies without putting a dent in the budget. She looked at Sandy. “It came to my attention that Jake and Rio haven’t once applied for overtime. I have Bobby Kalo staying in my cottage at the moment and he’s offered to estimate what we owe them. I’ll be speaking to them later today to ensure they file their overtime. I know we’re all friends, but we make enough sacrifices in this job without missing out on our entitlements.”
“Oh, that would be wonderful.” Sandy flushed and stared at her. “I hope you don’t believe I was asking for a raise for Jake. He’d be mortified.”
Smiling, Jenna shook her head. “Not at all. I’d planned to ask Bobby to look into it for me. He is always asking for things to do. He seems to be able to do so many things so fast. It’s not all hacking. He’s a very smart kid.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a tall man staring at the children. He had his hat pulled down low and stood arms folded across his chest and feet apart like a sentry. She flicked a glance at him. Assuming he was an overprotective father, she sipped her coffee and chatted with Sandy about the twins. The sound of Cooper’s distinctive “Dadeee, Dadeee, Dadeee.” The little boy was calling for his dad, Jake Rowley. Expecting Rowley to walk into the eatery, she glanced up. Horrified, she sprung to her feet. Cooper was over the shoulder of the stranger, arms waving. As they headed for the exit, Cooper’s face crumpled and he wailed. It had happened in seconds. She glanced at Sandy, who was on her feet with one hand pressed to her mouth. “Stay with Vannah.”
With no time to waste, Jenna pressed her tracker ring. The alarm would bring everyone running to her position. She leapt over the enclosure around the eatery and ran, dodging shopping carts, children and old people with walkers. She made it to the checkouts as the man disappeared into the crowd milling slowly along Main. She raised her tracker ring to her face as she ran. “A man wearing dark clothes, six-four, black Stetson, has abducted Cooper Rowley from the supermarket. I’m in pursuit on foot but he’s moving fast.”
Kane would hear her and so would Wolfe, Rio and Rowley. In the distance she could only make out the man’s hat as he walked swiftly through the crowd. For one moment he stopped and then turned and walked across Main. Jenna stared in disbelief. He was no longer carrying Cooper. In desperation, she searched the crowd and raised her voice. “Cooper, Cooper.”
“No! No! Dadeee.” The high-pitched call for help pierced the sounds of the busy town.
Jenna ran, pushing people mercilessly out of her way. Heart pounding and gasping for breath, she stared at a young woman heading toward the curb, holding the squirming, kicking Cooper. Breathless, she gained on the woman and pulled her weapon. “Put the baby down and stand away or I’ll shoot. I’m not fussy where I hit you right now. A headshot, maybe your knees, but I will shoot. Put. The. Baby. Down!”
A huge black truck roared up the middle of the road. For one second, Jenna thought it was Kane driving the Beast, but when it slowed and the young woman started toward it, panic gripped her. It wasn’t Kane. She holstered her weapon and ran toward the woman. As the woman paused to avoid an oncoming vehicle, Jenna reached her. She drew back her arm and using all the force she could muster, punched her in the side of the head. As the woman staggered, Jenna grabbed the screaming Cooper, wrenching him from her arms. The woman swayed and then gathered herself and pushed hard at Jenna and ran toward the black truck. Horns sounded but Jenna, arms wrapped tight around the little boy, fell backward clutching Cooper to her chest.
In a sickening thud, she hit the sidewalk hard on her back and all the breath exploded from her. In the distance she could hear sirens and realized her team had sprung into action. People crowded around her, all grasping at her to help her to her feet. Trying just to breathe, she held the little boy tightly and rubbed his back, speaking nonsense. The next moment, Kane pushed his way through the townsfolk. She looked at him. “He got away. His truck is like the Beast.”
“Which way did he go?” Kane’s voice was smooth and calming as he ran his hand over Cooper’s head and smiled at him and then stared from one end of Main to the other.
Breathless, Jenna sucked in air. “Toward Blackwater. He’s long gone and there’s a young woman with him.”
“There’s nothing to see here, folks.” Kane waved the crowd away. “We’re dealing with it. Go on your way. Happy holidays.”
