Chapter 41

FORTY-ONE

They headed for the office, and once inside, Jenna pulled up the details of the male suspects. Unconcerned about the early hour, she called each of them and insisted they give her their whereabouts for the previous evening between nine and midnight. All four of them insisted they were watching Friday Night Sports at home. Hallon said his wife was over at his folks’ house baking pies with his mother and had been since three o’clock the previous afternoon. Crawley insisted his father was with him when he watched the games, but when Jenna followed up, Crawley’s mother said she went to bed early and usually her husband fell asleep in front of the TV just about the moment the game started. Wasser and Twotrees were alone all night. She ran a hand down her face in frustration. The phone calls had gotten her absolutely nowhere.

Her phone buzzed the moment she put it down. It was Norrell. “Hey, have you discovered anything interesting?” She put her phone on speaker so Kane could listen.

“Yeah, I have. The DNA under Abby’s fingernails has given us a result.” Norrell’s footsteps clattered over tile. “It’s not a match for Cole but is good enough to use as a comparison against the other suspects if you can get DNA samples for them legally. Also, Wolfe has noticed a chip on the enamel of the fraternity pin. He called Kalo and asked him to find all the images of the members of the fraternity around the time of the murders and see if he can find someone wearing that pin.”

Excited, Jenna punched the air. “That’s fantastic. If he discovers who owned the pin, we have the killer.”

“It’s a very exciting discovery. I just hope it pans out.” Norrell sighed. “This wasn’t the main reason I called, although it’s very good news. I was considering doing another media conference. I believe it might be beneficial to your investigation if the killer believes we’re hot on his trail.”

Horrified by what had happened since the last media conference, Jenna frowned. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Are you aware that Lily Jones was found murdered this morning? She was with Abby and Cole the night they were murdered. I’m starting to believe that the killer is taking out anyone he believes is a threat.”

“Oh, my goodness. No, I didn’t know. I’ve been here since five, waiting for the DNA results to come through. You don’t believe my media conference triggered him, do you?” Norrell had stopped walking and was breathing heavily.

Pushing hair from her face and tucking it behind one ear, Jenna glanced at Kane and shook her head. He responded with a shrug. “No, I don’t believe it was your media conference. I figured it was because the bodies showed, and whoever was involved panicked. It’s been a long time since Cole and Abby were murdered, and maybe their trust in each other is growing a little thin.” She sighed. “I’m convinced that a group of people are involved, and we have a list of suspects. It will be only a matter of time before one of them breaks now that two of them have been brutally murdered. In all honesty, I don’t believe any of them would consider the murders to be a warning not to say anything. When people are running scared, they look for protection and they’re not going to trust the person doing this. I figure you should go ahead with your press conference. Don’t give away too much information, just enough to let them know that we’re onto them. Maybe it will urge one of them to come forward. In fact, I might come along and mention that anyone who was involved in the murders twelve years ago might be eligible for immunity if they come clean about what really happened that Halloween.”

“Okay.” Norrell blew out a long breath . “I’ll write everything down first and run it past Wolfe. He’s very experienced in dealing with the media and will know what to tell them and what to withhold. When I’m done, I’ll send you a copy to approve.”

Relieved, Jenna leaned back in her chair. “Thank you. I’d appreciate it. I’ll speak to you later and we can arrange a time.”

“Not a problem.” Norrell disconnected.

“You do know the media conference could have triggered the killer.” Kane stared at her across his desk. “He might well believe someone is feeding information to us. We did, after all, go and interview Josie and Marissa soon after the bodies were discovered. Then we interview Lily and she turns up dead this morning.”

Jenna stood and stretched her aching back. “Did you manage to contact the owner of the beauty parlor and tell her about Lily?”

“Yeah, I did and she’s a close friend of Lily’s family. She wanted to be the one to speak to them about Lily’s death as her mother has a serious heart condition. The beauty parlor will remain closed today. It seems to me that she has everything under control. I told her to contact Wolfe to arrange a viewing of the body and positive ID.”

A knock on the door announced the arrival of Johnny Raven. The strikingly handsome, six-five, two hundred fifty pound chopper pilot and his K-9, Ben, were an asset to the team. At thirty-two, his military background meant that he slipped seamlessly into their way of doing things. A loner who’d lived off the grid until he’d discovered Wolfe’s daughter Julie as the only survivor of an air crash in the mountains over the winter and saved her life. He’d not only worked with Rio and Rowley honing his hand-to-hand and weapons skills but had enrolled in a law enforcement course at the college. Before offering him the position, Wolfe and Kalo had checked out his background and he’d passed with flying colors. Jenna looked up at him and smiled. “Hey, what brings you into town?”

“My sheriff’s department truck was delivered today.” Raven smiled broadly. “It’s been a very long time since I’ve driven anything like that. I came by to thank you.”

“If you’re going to be one of our deputies, you’re going to need reliable transport.” Kane stood to shake his hand. “It’s good to see you again and you too, Ben.” He held his knuckles out to the dog and received a friendly lick. Duke had actually got out of his basket to say hello and his thick tail was wagging at the sight of a friend.

They’d managed to secure Raven’s services by offering him a retainer and then consultancy fees when they needed him for a case. Concerned about Norrell going to the Whispering Caves in the mountains to visit the crime scene, maybe Raven had arrived at the right time. Although Blackhawk would be going with her along with her team, she doubted that Wolfe would have the time to spare due to the amount of forensic work needed with the current murders. She’d considered sending Rio or Rowley with her, but right now she needed boots on the ground. She looked at Raven. He was an experienced survivalist; he knew the mountain trails and the dangers in the forest. With his dog, he would be the perfect person to send with Norrell for protection. With Blackhawk and her own team of four young men, whom Kane and Rowley had trained in self-defense and weapons, she would be in safe hands.

She stood and went to pour three cups of coffee and handed them around and placed the fixings on the desk. “I’m really glad you dropped by today because I have a job for you. If you’re interested.”

“Shoot.” Raven spooned copious amounts of sugar into his cup and added cream.

Jenna sat down at her desk. “On Monday morning Norrell is heading to the Whispering Caves to excavate an old crime scene. It’s not the safest place to be heading. Blackhawk is going along and so is her team of four forensic anthropologists, but I’d appreciate it if you would go along with Ben and keep an eye on her. I know the bears are starting to move around and she gets so engrossed in her work it’s likely she wouldn’t see one until it was on top of her.”

“Yeah, sure. I’d love to do that.” Raven sipped his coffee and sighed. “This would be about the bodies that washed down in the river. The ones that went missing over Halloween twelve years ago.”

Jenna gave him an update on what had happened since finding the bodies and the current cases. “So she might need protection from a human element as well. Whoever is involved in the current cases might be a threat.”

“Hmm, well, they won’t get past me or Ben.” Raven patted the dog on the head. “His hearing is impeccable and he can smell a stranger coming as well as a bear. Norrell will be safe with me. I can guarantee it.”

Eyeing him over the rim of her coffee cup, Jenna nodded. “That’s good to know.”