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Jenna nodded. “Not a problem. So, when do you want me to inform the next of kin?”
“When I have completed the autopsies, I’ll make them ready for formal identification.” Wolfe sighed. “I’ll need information from their relatives, so you can leave the notification to me if you want. It will take a couple of days. I handle things a little different than you, as in, ‘We found a body. It might be so and so. Are you willing to come in and do a formal ID?’”
Staring blankly into the pergola, Jenna shook her head slowly. “Okay, but call me if you need me to do anything.”
“Well, I will need a list of their next of kin.” Wolfe turned back to his work.
Jenna smiled at him. “Not a problem.” She pulled out her phone and sent a message to Kalo to hunt down the next of kin.
“We’ll head back to the office.” Jo stared at the Beast. “I lost my appetite when I walked into the pergola, but I’ll grab some food. Carter’s stomach is starting to growl like Kane’s. I’m sure once we’ve walked for a time, we’ll need something to eat.”
“It’s open.” Kane tipped his head toward the Beast. “It only locks the doors and sounds the alarm if you try and drive it.”
“Thanks for the tip.” Carter signaled to Zorro and they strolled through the onlookers and toward the Beast.
Jenna headed toward the small crowd of people waiting to be interviewed. She had devised a faster way of gaining information by asking people to produce their identification and then photographing it using her phone. Using the recording app on her phone, she asked them to give their name before interviewing them. It seemed that they were parishioners from various churches in the area who gave up their spare time to create the Nativity scene. They did the same thing every year, but this year instead of using the small plaster figurines, the mannequins had started to appear over the last week or so. Each morning another mannequin would arrive and the small incense burners had been lit. They’d never seen the mysterious benefactor and just worked on decorating the outside of pergola. She agreed with Wolfe and made a point of not telling them the mannequins were actually dead bodies, as that information was so horrific and would disturb them. Instead, she’d just informed them that suspicious objects had been found in the pergola, which would be removed.
After collecting a list of the other people involved, Jenna sent them on their way. Some of them were very distressed, and Kane suggested building a second Nativity scene in the children’s playground. In there was a covered area that was used for children’s parties over summer. He informed them that once the suspect materials had been removed, they would be able to collect their decorations. With everybody in a better mood, Jenna followed Kane back to the pergola.
“I’m sorry to say it”—Rowley came to her side—“but I figure Matthew Oakley got what he deserved.”
“Don’t be sorry.” Kane fell into step beside them. “Looking at what he did here, some people would call it divine justice.”
Jenna slowed and looked at the crowd. It was so cold Duke’s teeth chattered like castanets. She couldn’t understand why people wanted to stand around watching the medical examiner. With his van backed up to the entrance of the pergola, nothing could be seen going back and forth. She turned to her deputies. “Spread out and disperse this crowd. We need to get back to the office. We might not be able to be involved with the Maisy Jones case, but I want to be outside listening when Jo interviews her.”
“So do I.” Rowley wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I just thank God that you got there in time, Jenna. One thing’s for darn sure, we’re never going to let those babies out of our sight again.”
FORTY
Snow dusted the hood of the Beast as they headed along Main, and by the time they pulled into their space outside the sheriff’s office, snow had built up on the wipers, leaving wet streaks across the windshield. Jenna climbed out just as a blast of freezing wind rolled down from the mountains, chilling her cheeks and seeping through her clothes. As Kane grabbed the box of takeout, she unhooked Duke from his harness and headed up the steps to the office. It was good to be inside in the warm again and she smiled at Maggie, standing behind the counter wearing a Santa hat. Since they had left, she had decorated the front counter with red and green fairy lights. “Did Maisy Jones ask for a lawyer?”
“She did indeed.” Maggie rolled her eyes skyward. “Mr. Samuel J. Cross is in with her now. I figure he drew the short straw.” She shrugged. “I called that new guy and his secretary told me he’d already left for the day.”
Jenna frowned. “New guy? What new guy?”
“His name is Jeremiah Ash. He came here to settle from Butte. So the DA told me.” Maggie pointed to the stairs. “The FBI agents are in your office.”
“Thanks.” Jenna followed Kane up the stairs and into her office.
“Nothing much has happened since we last spoke to you.” Jo stood and took the box from Kane’s arms and placed it on the desk. “Sam Cross has been with Maisy since he arrived. Rio is waiting in the hallway outside the interview room for him to finish. If we’re lucky, we’ll have the time to grab a bite to eat before we start the interview. If he decides to allow us to interview her.”
Jenna looked into the box and pulled out a bagel with cream cheese and one of the to-go cups of coffee with her name written on the top. “That’s good. I was hoping to at least drink a cup of coffee as I walked around interviewing the people in the park, but there just wasn’t time.”
“I’m wondering what motive Oakley had for doing this.” Kane dropped into a chair and bit into a sandwich. “Have you given it any thought yet, Jo?”
“Yeah, it’s been on my mind since we discovered the bodies.” Jo sipped her coffee. “I need to know more about his background and it’s imperative that we search his house to find some clues. I’m intrigued to know why he did this and the reason he didn’t kill Maisy. It seems very strange to me that he abducted her from the side of the road, allowed her to see the dead bodies in the back of his truck and yet negotiated with her. Psychopaths don’t negotiate or make friends with strangers they don’t trust. There was no way he planned to let her just walk away. What she was telling you about him, Jenna, goes against every pattern of behavior I’ve documented to date.”
Exhausted, Jenna sank into her office chair and leaned back with a sigh. She took a bite of her bagel and a sip of coffee to wash it down as she considered Jo’s conclusions. “When we interviewed him at Miller’s Garage, he came over as a player more than a killer. He actually tried to hit on me with Kane standing right there beside me.” She sipped her coffee and looked at Jo over the rim of her cup. “He was overconfident and overbearing. Although I have to admit, he did come into the tall, dark and handsome category, so I guess it was his way of getting what he wanted.”
“Or trying to keep the conversation away from the topic.” Jo nibbled on an egg salad sandwich. “They often do that, you know. They believe they can use charm to control which way the conversation is going. You have to remember that he was trying to obtain information too. He needed to know what you’d discovered. Asking you out on a date wasn’t to kill you, it was more likely to get you on his side so he could constantly use you for information. They like to keep one step ahead if possible.”
“Well, he sure did.” Carter tossed a bunch of fries into his mouth, chewed and swallowed. “He was way ahead right up until he crossed the railroad track.” He shook his head. “Man, I’m sure glad he didn’t derail the train.” He looked straight at Kane. “Seems his truck didn’t have the advantages of the Beast. I figure your truck would have made a mess.”
“I’m not so sure.” Kane cleared his throat. “Just in case this is leading to you asking me to try some type of crazy experiment, it’s never gonna happen.”
“Hmm.” Carter grinned. “That truck of yours is stronger than it looks. I examined it for damage after Jenna was thrown onto the hood during the explosion and there isn’t a mark on it. I’m starting to wonder if the Beast is made from the same material as those UFOs that came down at Roswell.” He chuckled.
“Nah.” Kane shrugged. “Just American steel, is all.”
