Chapter 13

THIRTEEN

Duke hated storms, so when the weather was unpredictable Kane preferred to leave him at the office dozing in his basket. He made sure the dog had a good supply of food and water. He gave Duke’s head a rub, pulled the blanket over him, and listened to his contented sigh before following Jenna downstairs. He figured they’d get two more interviews out of the way before lunch. He smiled at Jenna as he slid behind the wheel. “Mrs. Peters first?”

“Yeah.” Jenna fastened her seatbelt and arranged her things in the center console. “It’s been a long time, but as you said, parents could be keeping things as a shrine to their son. I’m hoping they have, and we’ll find evidence inside the truck or his bedroom to help us find out who killed him.”

Starting the engine, with rain pouring down the windshield and the wipers increasing speed to cope with the deluge, Kane turned the Beast toward Main. “It’s a longshot but it’s all we’ve got right now. Although most parents see their kids in a different light to what they really are.”

“How so?” Jenna turned to look at him.

Kane slowed down to negotiate a large puddle of water across the blacktop. He smiled as a three-year-old wearing bright yellow rubber boots and a red raincoat ran along the sidewalk in front of their mother, jumping in the puddles. The child looked completely oblivious to the fact that he was soaked through. The bedraggled mother pushing a stroller hurried after him. The scene brought back memories of times with him and his sister when they did the exact same thing and got themselves into trouble.

They stopped outside Mrs. Peters’ home and dashed through the pouring rain to the front porch. The driveway squelched under foot. Changing his boots for a pair of thick lined rubber boots and two pairs of thermal socks had been a good idea. Splashing through puddles, Kane followed Jenna up the steps. The door flew open and Mrs. Peters stared at them, her mouth hanging open.

“Have the DNA tests come back yet? Is it my Cole?” Mrs. Peters looked from one to the other, a terrified but expectant look in her eyes.

Kane exchange a meaningful glance with Jenna and reached for his phone. “They hadn’t when we left the office, but I’ll see if they’ve been uploaded onto the server.”

“The medical examiner does require a positive DNA sample to identify Cole, but from all the evidence that we have already, I am certain that it’s him.” Jenna moved closer to Mrs. Peters. “My aim is to discover who did this to him and I need your help.”

“How can I help you? I don’t know anything.” Mrs. Peters stepped back into the passageway and waved them inside. “I spoke to my husband last night and we tried to recall every detail, but we haven’t come up with anything new.”

After scanning the files and the positive ID that Wolfe had uploaded earlier that morning, Kane gave Jenna a slight nod and pushed his phone back inside his pocket. “I’m afraid that the sample you gave us came back as a positive match to the victim. I’m very sorry for your loss.”

“We’ve always hoped he’d come back one day, but deep down inside I knew that was false hope. Whatever the reason he left, he would never have given up football. When he didn’t show after the draft pick, we believed he was gone.” Mrs. Peters’ eyes filled with tears. “This makes it so final, but at least now we can lay him to rest.” She straightened as if gathering herself. “Now what can I do to help you find this monster who killed my son?”

“Did you by any chance keep his room intact?” Jenna’s expression was hopeful. “And what about his truck? Did you sell that or do you still own it?”

“His room is exactly the same as when he walked out on that Halloween night to meet Abby.” Mrs. Peters looked from one to the other. “I always expected him to walk back through the front door. Same with his truck. It’s in the garage and hasn’t been touched since we found it in the parking lot near the forest ranger’s station.”

This might be the breakthrough they wanted, but they couldn’t rush into this as they needed more information about Cole. “Before we take a look, can you give me more information about his relationship with Abby? Did they get along or did they fight a lot?”

“He was infatuated with her and what young man wouldn’t be? She was a beautiful girl.” Mrs. Peters went to the mantel in the family room and beckoned them inside. “Look at all these photographs of them together. They made a perfect couple. Abby was a delight and never had a bad bone in her body. She doted on Cole and planned to move to wherever the draft sent him. To be honest, from what Cole said to me, I honestly envisaged him asking her to marry him once they knew he was literally set for life.” She shook her head. “I don’t recall them ever fighting. They started off as friends in high school and that blossomed when she joined the cheerleading squad. I can’t imagine why anyone would have wanted to kill them. They minded their own business and did nothing to hurt or annoy anyone.”

“There are people on this earth who are jealous of others’ happiness.” Jenna met the woman’s gaze. “Then there are others who just kill when the opportunity arises. You’d be aware of the murders that happened in this town over the last few years. None of them actually make any sense. They were all part of the killer’s deluded fantasies.”

“Well, go upstairs. His room is the third on the left.” Mrs. Peters sighed. “I keep the door closed now because it brings back too many sad memories. His laptop is there and also his phone. We found that in the center console of his truck, so he must have left it behind that night.” She tapped her chin, thinking for a beat. “I recall him taking the flashlight from the kitchen before he left that night, and we didn’t find it in the truck. You will know it if you find it because it’s metal and has the name Peters engraved on the side. It used to be in my husband’s toolbox and was forever being borrowed by one person or another.”

Kane added that information to his notebook and followed Jenna up the stairs.