Epilogue

TWO WEEKS LATER

The weather in Black Rock Falls had improved again. From her office window Jenna could see snowcapped mountaintops against a background of brilliant blue sky that went on forever. The last couple of weeks had been intense. She had spent long hours with her team correlating all the evidence against Clint Wasser. The ax had given up multiple DNA results and when Wolfe had entered them into the data bank, they’d discovered matches to a number of murders in different counties. When they hunted down where Wasser had been traveling in his work as a spare parts salesman, they matched the dates of the murders. Some of these homicides went back ten years or so, which proved that Wasser had never stopped killing since the night on the mountain twelve years previously. The information gathered from the ax would solve a multitude of cold cases throughout the state.

The excavation of the crime scene had continued but no other evidence had been discovered. Norrell had recovered completely from the incident, with only a few bruises remaining, but Wolfe had vowed to always accompany her and Emily to an excavation or crime scene in Black Rock Falls in the future. Jenna had chuckled when he’d mentioned the next time they went to an excavation, he’d be packing for bear. Since the incident she’d noticed that Raven had been around town more often than usual. The media had gotten hold of the story about how he’d rescued the women with his K-9, Ben, from a psychopathic serial killer. The orders for his protection dogs were rolling in daily.

Jenna turned away from the window as the knock came on the door and Raven walked in. “Ah, the man of the hour. Still dodging the reporters?”

“Yeah, but they’re not quite as bad now, and although I’ve explained many times that Ben didn’t get out of my truck, as I’m a K-9 unit, he’s become part of the story.” Raven nodded to Kane. “I do have some good news. Blackhawk is renting a cabin a short distance from mine. His work with Norrell’s team means he needs to be a little closer to town. He won’t be living there all the time, just when she needs him. At the excavation site, we got to talking about training dogs, so in his downtime Atohi is going to be working alongside me training K-9s and personal protection dogs. We’re going to be taking puppies and raising them up for the K-9s. I have a contact in the military who would welcome the chance to get puppies with the basic training completed. I’m also getting orders from local sheriff’s departments all over the state. Once I have the dogs at a high level, they want to send their deputies to me to train with the dogs. Luckily, I have a three-bedroom cabin, so they can bunk with me during this time.”

Smiling, Jenna looked at his enthusiastic expression. “That’s wonderful news, but does that mean we’ll be losing you?”

“Not at all. Black Rock Falls Sheriff’s Office will always be my primary concern.” Raven nodded. “I’ll be completing my qualifications in law enforcement this year. Trust me, there isn’t too much to do in the mountains of a night.” He smiled. “I came by to thank you. Moving back into civilization was something I never thought I’d be able to achieve. Since finding Julie in the plane wreck, and meeting so many fine people, I’ve discovered new goals in life. Just knowing that you, Dave, and Wolfe had faith in my ability to contribute to the team gave me the courage to take steps I would never have thought possible a year ago.”

“You’re very welcome.” Kane stood and shook his hand. “We already consider you part of the family. We’re having a cookout next weekend at the ranch. I hope you’ll come by. Everyone will be there, including Wolfe, Norrell, and the girls.”

I’d love to come, thank you.” Raven’s grin widened. “Atohi mentioned that you cook the best ribs in town.” He chuckled. “And you have a motorcycle collection for me to drool over.”

“I figure we’re starting to build our own gang.” Kane laughed. “I have a passion for building Harleys and Indians. Us guys all have a motorcycle now.”

“Wow!” Raven glanced at Jenna. “Pinch me, I must be dreaming. You know I purchased a number of old cabins all over the mountain. I’ve discovered a wealth of old motorcycles and parts left in garages. It would be a dream come true to see one of them back on the road again.”

Trying to avoid an eye roll, Jenna looked at Kane. “Seems you’ve found your long-lost brother.”

Jenna’s phone chimed. “It’s Wolfe.” She gave Kane a meaningful stare.

“Oh, sure.” Kane headed for the door. “We’ll leave you to it.” He looked at Raven as they walked into the passageway. “So tell me about these old motorcycles.”

Accepting the call, Jenna leaned back in her chair. “Hi, Shane, what’s up?”

“I’ve organized an ultrasound with Dr. Elizabeth Bates. Can you make it at three this afternoon? Same place as before at the hospital.”

Excited Jenna checked her watch. “Great! I’ll have time to eat, pee, and drink water beforehand as before.” She sighed. “See you at three.”

Excitement and trepidation gripped Jenna as she walked into the examination room. Dr. Elizabeth Bates was an extremely nice woman in her late forties who put Jenna at ease at once. She climbed onto the examination table and made herself ready. Although, one part of her wanted to see her baby, another part of her was afraid that something might be wrong. She slipped her hand into Kane’s as the ultrasound gel was squeezed onto her belly. The sound of the baby’s strong heartbeat settled her nerves. They both looked away from the screen, as Wolfe and Dr. Bates did a preliminary examination. She stared into Kane’s eyes and they smiled at each other.

“Okay, you can look now.” Dr. Bates was smiling at them. “You know most new parents are desperate to know the sex of their child. Is there any particular reason why you don’t want to know, because it is evident in this case? Your baby turned around just at the right moment but I will respect your wishes.”

Inside, Jenna understood the reason Kane didn’t want to know the sex of the baby. After losing his pregnant first wife in a car bombing, he’d mourned her and the loss of his son. He didn’t want to tempt fate by knowing and she’d respected his wishes. “We want it to be a surprise.”

“That’s fine.” Dr. Bates looked from one to the other. “I can see it’s a large baby. The organs are in excellent condition and match the overall size, but everything I see is advanced for the gestation period.” She indicated to the screen. “Your baby is head up at the moment, and you can very clearly see the face and profile when it moves its head. We can take some images if you like and I will make sure I don’t capture any revealing parts.” She patted Jenna on the arm. “You have a very strong and healthy baby, Jenna. I can see absolutely no reason for you not to carry to term, but I would like you to have another ultrasound at seven months. By this time, I would hope the baby has turned. It will also give me a better idea of the correct delivery date. You are twenty-three weeks by your calculations, but I would estimate twenty-seven on the measurements and development.” She looked at Kane. “Don’t let her overwork. As the pregnancy progresses, if the baby continues to grow at this rate, Jenna will become very tired. From what Dr. Wolfe tells me, she is very stubborn about taking a rest.” She looked at Jenna. “So take care of yourself, because when this child decides it wants to join us, you’ll need all the strength you can muster.”

“I’ll do my best.” Kane squeezed Jenna’s hand and looked at Dr. Bates. “Can we take another look at the face? I can’t believe this is happening.”

The doctor moved the transducer, and the beautiful plump-cheeked little face came onto the screen. When the baby sucked its thumb everyone in the room sighed. Mesmerized, Jenna dragged her attention away from the screen to glance at Kane. Tears streamed down his face and he brushed them away and smiled at her. She cupped his chin. “I guess we’ll need to decide on a name. I’d like Faith Jasmine for a girl.”

“I like that. What about Jackson Daniel for a boy?” Kane’s eyes had returned to the screen and he nodded slowly. “It’s a strong name.”

Jenna used her thumb to wipe away his tears. Happiness filled her and overflowed as she allowed her tears to fall. After waiting for so long, they were really having a brother or sister for Tauri. They’d been blessed with a healthy baby and it overwhelmed her. She nodded and hugged Kane. “I’d like that just fine.”

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