Chapter Nine

“Brooks,” Jemma repeated when Hayes relayed to Owen and her what he’d just learned about the dead gunman. “Obviously, we’ll need to talk to him again.”

And she wondered this time if he’d be in a semi-cooperative mood. She doubted it, especially when confronted with the fact that someone who worked for him had tried to kill Hayes and her just hours ago.

“Hours,” she muttered. Hard to believe it had happened that recently. The fatigue was making it feel as if it’d been a heck of a lot longer.

“Yeah,” Owen said, and he seemed to understand exactly how she was feeling.

Of course, he did.

He had to be experiencing much worse than she was since he was also likely dealing with a whole of pain. And Ruby was aware of that, too. Even though she was working on something on her tablet, she was standing right next to Owen and keeping a close eye on him.

“Once I have more info on this dead bouncer turned gunman, I’ll deal with getting Brooks back in here for questioning,” Owen insisted. “That way, if he has to be arrested, it’s better if I do it.”

True. It was never good to have a family member involved in something like that. Especially when the family members had such an antagonistic relationship as Brooks and she did.

“Hayes and you can go out to Duane’s school,” Owen went on. “And, yes, take Aiden with you. Treat it like the dangerous ops that it possibly is and have a look around. Maybe talk to the students. But don’t you personally do the search of the buildings or grounds. Leave that to CSIs and the forensic team.”

Not having to search would definitely cut down on the time they were at the school. Still, they’d have to be on guard every second there. Not just because Duane might be a killer but because he might also be using his students to help him carry out these sick attacks.

Owen checked the time, wincing a little when he turned his arm to look at his watch. “Both the CSIs and the forensic team should already be in place at the school and the park, and they’re doing an aerial search with some kind of new equipment that might detect buried bodies.”

That could come in handy if the three missing hikers were indeed buried there. Of course, the three could be anywhere except on the actual hiking trails. If they had been there, they would have almost certainly been spotted before now.

“Do a quick in and out at the school,” Owen went on, “and then come back here, and both of you get some rest. That’s an order.”

“I hope that rest part applies to you, too,” Ruby was quick to say.

“It does,” Owen assured her, and he leaned over and brushed a kiss on her cheek.

Ruby frowned at the PDA but then relented with a sigh. It was obvious she loved her man and was worried about him. Jemma was worried, too, and that meant the sooner Hayes and she got back, the sooner that maybe all of them could get some much needed downtime.

“Don’t hesitate to call for backup if you need it,” Owen added to Hayes and her as they made their way into reception.

Jemma didn’t balk at putting back on the Kevlar and the helmet. Hayes geared up as well, and he texted Aiden to let him know the plan, that he’d be following as he’d done on their trip to her family estate.

Hayes and she hurried out to the cruiser, and Jemma held her breath with each step. No shots came at them this time, but there was a sniper still at large, and she knew he could strike again at any moment.

Maybe even at the school.

Securing the area around the inn was a piece of cake compared to the school and the surrounding county park. There were plenty of places for a sniper to lie in wait. And that got her thinking about the area and those three missing hikers. About any possible connection there might be to their suspects.

“Can you pull up a map of the park?” Jemma asked Hayes as she drove away from the inn. “Cordelia used to have a place that she called her country estate. I don’t have the address, but it was named Briarcliff.”

Hayes immediately took out his phone. “You think it could be near the trails? Or Duane’s school?”

“Maybe. I’ve never been there, but I recall her saying once that sometimes hikers or campers strayed onto her property.”

Hayes tapped away at his phone, and judging from the sound he made, he’d found something interesting. “Briarcliff is indeed right by the park, less than a half mile from one of the main trails. But it’s on the opposite side from Duane’s school.” He paused, looked at her. “Are you thinking Cordelia might have murdered those hikers and then covered her tracks with the county dispatcher?”

Jemma wanted to blurt out a “Yes,” but that was because of her personal feelings for Cordelia. But she just couldn’t see her stepmother killing strangers when there would be no monetary or personal gain for her.

“I don’t know,” Jemma settled for saying. “Unless Cordelia or Brooks has a personal connection to the hikers, then it would seem a long shot that one of them would kill them and then cover up those crimes by killing more people.”

“Still, it’s possible,” Hayes admitted. “I’ll set a search program to see if the database can come up with a connection.” He tapped away on his phone again. “But one thing that stands out for me is all three missing hikers were about the same age as Brooks.”

Jemma considered that but continued to keep watch as she maneuvered the cruiser around the narrow country roads. “So, he might have known them.”

But even if he had, then…what? Brooks was a serial killer who’d been at it for years? And maybe he’d even killed Jemma’s mother?

That put a knot in her stomach.

“Brooks is often at the estate with my father,” she muttered. “Brooks could go after him.”

Hayes didn’t dismiss that possibility. In fact, he seemed to give it plenty of thought as she took the final turn to the school. “Call your dad’s landline again. Let him know that Brooks will be brought in for questioning and that he should watch his six.”

News like that would alarm her father. Not for himself. But for her. So, when he didn’t answer, and she had to leave a message, Jemma relayed what Hayes had said, but she added, “I’m being careful. Want you to do the same.”

Maybe that would be enough to keep her father safe. Then again, the Rattler had no doubt faced plenty of enemies who were far more formidable than Brooks.

Jemma had to push aside her concern for her dad when she reached the gates to the school. They were open, and there was a CSI in a white protective suit and a heavily muscled man carrying a rifle next to her.

“One of my team members,” Hayes let her know. “Griff Abrams. Owen deputized him, too, and put him on personal protection details.”

Good. Because this was the exact spot where Owen had been shot, and Jemma didn’t want to risk that being repeated.

Hayes tipped his head in greeting to both Griff and the CSI as they drove through the gates. Jemma didn’t have to go far on the private dirt and gravel road, only about two hundred feet before she spotted the school.

Such that it was.

There were obstacle courses and outdoor equipment, but the facility itself looked more like a series of metal hangars threaded together with canopied walkways. The building in the center had a sign over the door that read Office of the Phoenix Rising Military Institute.

A lofty name for a school that looked more like a set-up for a paintball course.

“Keep on the helmet and vest,” Hayes instructed. “Aiden, I want you to hang back,” he said through the earpiece once he had it inserted.

Jemma put in an earpiece, too, and was able to hear Aiden’s reply. “Will do. I’ll stay close but will have a look around. Are you going inside the office?”

“That’s the plan,” Hayes said, but then he stopped when the door opened, and Duane came out. Not alone. There were three male students with him, all wearing camo. And none of them looked over the age of twenty.

“Maybe not,” Hayes amended. “Let us see what Duane has to say.”

Jemma and he got out, and Duane smirked when he looked at them. Maybe because of the vests and helmets. Jemma smirked right back, and she motioned toward the gate.

“Some of my boss’ blood is still there,” she remarked, though she hadn’t actually seen any. Still, it was an in-the-face reminder to Duane that this Phoenix Rising Military Institute wasn’t a safe place for cops.

Maybe not safe for anyone else either.

Like Hayes and her, Aiden was firing cautious glances all around him, and he went closer to a group of students who were engaged in some kind of martial arts training under a canopy.

“There are drones flying over my property,” Duane complained, drawing Jemma’s attention back to him. “What are they looking for?”

“Bodies,” Jemma admitted since there was no reason to hold that back from him. Plus, she’d wanted to see his reaction.

And she got one.

The smirk vanished, and some instant alarm went through Duane’s eyes. “What bodies?”

Again, there was no reason to withhold the info. “Three hikers who went missing in the park just on the other side of your fence. Know anything about that?” she asked. Hayes pulled up the photo of the three on his phone and showed Duane.

“I’ve never seen any of them before,” Duane concluded after barely giving the pictures a glance.

Jemma was about to press him on that, but one of the students spoke first. “Hey, you’re that guy who’s been on the news,” the man said. Correction: the kid. Now that Jemma could get a closer look at him, she figured he was still in his teens. “You rescued that kidnapped woman a couple of months ago, and your picture and the story were everywhere.”

Hayes growled. Actually, growled. Clearly, he wasn’t pleased about having that kind of media attention. But that particular case had indeed garnered plenty of buzz.

“You work for Strike Force,” the kid went on. He thrust out his hand to Hayes. “I’m Zander Emerson.”

Jemma immediately recalled that Zander had been a student at the same time Caleb Preston had died. He would have also been here when the hikers went missing.

“Wow,” Zander remarked, still focusing on Hayes. There was some hero worship in his tone and expression. Maybe it was fake, but Duane obviously didn’t care much for that.

“The deputies are here to poke around the school,” Duane snapped. “To poke into our lives. They think we’ve done something wrong.”

That had Zander’s enthusiasm waning some, and he pulled back his hand. “You mean because of all those dead cops? Yeah, you’d have to investigate that,” he added, sounding far more cooperative than Duane. “And the shooting, too, of that guy who’s head of Strike Force.”

“They’re looking for a scapegoat,” Duane went on. “And I’m not going to give them one.” His eyes narrowed when he looked at Hayes and her. “Both the school’s and my reputation have been shot to hell and back. Over half the parents are coming today to collect their students.”

“That seems wise, considering the shooting that took place here,” Hayes remarked.

“My students aren’t in danger,” Duane snapped. “Owen was the target, not any of them.”

“Yeah, he was the target,” Hayes verified. “But stray bullets can hit anyone. You should close down the school until the killer is caught.” Even though Hayes didn’t mention anything about Duane being that possible killer, his expression still got his point across.

And that pissed off Duane even more. “Do what you have to do, and then get the hell off my property.”

With that, Duane stormed off, and two of the students followed him after giving Jemma and Hayes a nervous glance, that is. Zander didn’t budge.

“Mr. Gorman’s not usually like that,” Zander said. “But all this has messed with his training schedules and shit. Stuff,” he corrected, blushing a little.

“How is he usually?” Hayes pressed.

“Good,” Zander was quick to say. “A good teacher. Shows us a lot of sh—stuff. It’s better here than being in a regular school.”

“And you feel safe here?” Jemma wanted to know.

“Safer than at home,” Zander grumbled. “This is a solid place, and it’s why I’ve been here since I was fourteen.” His gaze drifted toward Duane and his fellow students who were going inside one of the hangers. “You’re not like going to arrest Mr. Gorman, are you?”

“Why would we need to arrest him?” Jemma pressed.

Zander lifted his shoulder. “I don’t know, maybe because Owen Striker was shot earlier out by the gate. Mr. Gorman didn’t have anything to do with that though. He was out on the firing range at the time.”

Hayes jumped right on that. “Alone?”

“No. He was training some of us,” Zander muttered.

“Was there someone with Mr. Gorman at the exact time of the shooting?” Hayes pressed.

“Maybe not at the exact time,” he admitted after a short pause. Zander then looked uncomfortable that he’d just spilled that bit of info. “He wouldn’t try to kill anybody. Yeah, he hates hikers ’cause sometimes they trespass and try to climb the fence. They leave trash and shit by the fence. Sometimes, actual shit.” He shook his head in disgust. “No respect for private property,” he muttered, no doubt using verbiage that he’d heard from Duane.

Jemma made a mental note to do some research to see if there were any records of Duane having run-ins with hikers. Cordelia and Brooks, too.

“Mind telling us where you and Mr. Gorman were last night and this morning?” Jemma asked.

Zander didn’t seem to get defensive about the question. He shrugged again. “I was here. Lights out at nine. Yeah, that can be a pisser, but I’m always pretty tired on the day of maneuvers so I crashed before nine. Mr. Gorman probably did, too. He does the maneuvers with us.”

She had no idea what that entailed, but she suspected it was some kind of war games. “Since you fell asleep before nine, you can’t be sure though if Mr. Gorman did, too.”

Another shrug from Zander. “No, just guessing he did. I mean, he’s sort of old to be running in the woods like that with fifty pounds of gear on him. Don’t get me wrong. He keeps up, but I think it takes a lot out of him.”

Maybe, but Jemma was betting if Duane had actually been the one who’d done all these murders, then he would have gotten the adrenaline surge he needed to carry through an attack.

One of the students doing the martial arts training called out to Zander, motioning for him to join them, and Zander muttered a goodbye and ran off toward them.

Jemma glanced around for anything out of the ordinary. And especially for anyone who might be lying in wait to start shooting. She didn’t see anything like that so Hayes and she began to walk past the hangers.

In addition to the office, most were training areas, but one of the buildings was set up as an open bay bunk area. Sleeping quarters which would give the students little to no privacy. She thought it might make it harder for them to sneak out and help Duane commit murder.

But it’s possible that was exactly what’d happened.

“I can’t see all the students being in on a plan to murder an entire police force,” Jemma said.

Hayes was quick to agree. “Too hard to keep something like that a secret.” He huffed. “Plus, these are kids. It’s one thing to play and train as a soldier, but it’s another to actually kill.”

He glanced around at the half-dozen students they could see. One was chatting with Aiden now, but none of them were acting as if they had huge secrets to hide.

Hayes and she continued walking, stopping outside the building where Duane and the two students had entered. She knocked. Then, Jemma knocked again when there wasn’t an answer. Still nothing.

Since they had a search warrant, she opened the door and saw that the front portion of this area was set up more like an actual classroom, and the two students were now working at computer stations. Duane was at a desk at the front of the room, and he immediately got to his feet.

“I’m not answering any more of your questions unless my lawyer is with me,” the man snapped.

“For someone who claims he’s innocent, you sure are nervous around cops,” Hayes commented.

Duane hiked up his chin and tried to smirk. “I’m not nervous of a rent-a-cop and a rookie.”

“You should be,” Hayes fired right back, and his smirk was a lot better than the one Duane was attempting.

Hayes’ phone buzzed, and when he showed her Owen’s name on the screen, they excused themselves and stepped outside to take the call. Hayes put it on speaker for Jemma to hear.

“Are you at the school?” Owen asked the moment he was on the line.

“Yes,” Hayes verified. “Is there a problem?”

“There is,” Owen confirmed. “The forensic team just found a body.”