Chapter 18

EIGHTEEN

The persistent blizzard stacked snow against the window as Jenna paced up and down her office. They'd followed the snowplow into town this morning and would follow it back home this afternoon. The snowfall was relentless and the chances of searching for Julie became more remote by the hour. She desperately needed to go out and hunt for her, but after speaking to a bruised and battered Wolfe, who had insisted on working on the bodies of the victims for clues, she'd reluctantly conceded on two counts. The first being if Julie had survived the crash and was alone in the mountains, she couldn't possibly have survived two nights without food and warmth. The second was the hope she glimpsed in Wolfe's eyes that a Good Samaritan had come by, taken her to safety, then been isolated by the rolling blizzards bombarding the state. It made sense, after seeing the medical supplies and canned goods missing, that someone with transport had been by. She'd needed time to think. So many important things were taking her attention right now. She'd issued orders to her deputies to get an investigation underway and sent them to the conference room to discuss the murders.

She'd coped well dividing her and Kane's time between work and caring for Tauri, but a new baby would need all her attention. If she planned to remain as sheriff and care for her family, she must put the plans into action they'd made the day she'd married Kane.

Since experiencing the power of the mothering instinct from the moment Tauri came into her life, it was obvious their lives would change even more dramatically when their baby arrived. She had always vowed that her family would come first. They had Nanny Raya, a Native American ex-FBI agent with the highest clearance, as Tauri's nanny. She stepped in daily to collect him from kindergarten and was there for him in emergencies. but after speaking to Jo Wells about being a mother and an FBI agent, it was obvious she'd need a live-in nanny for the baby. After speaking with Wolfe, he'd explained that a nanny needed separate quarters.

Plans had been drawn up and passed by the local council for an extension to the ranch house. The reluctance not to do this before was that Kane's position in the military was so sensitive the risk had been too great. He'd spoken to Wolfe, and after waiting for him to discuss the problems with POTUS, they'd agreed that Nanny Raya would move into the ranch once the extensions were finished. She'd care for Tauri as before and be there when the baby came along, should the need arise. It was a safe and practical solution. After the birth Jenna would take six months' leave. After that she would work remotely unless working on a case. It wasn't a perfect solution, but her other option was handing over the reins to a new sheriff. When she'd discussed this with the mayor, he'd been quite adamant that she had a fine team to work the day-to-day problems and should concentrate on the big cases and not to sweat the small stuff. He'd advised her to make one of her deputies her chief deputy. As Kane was deputy sheriff, having been elected to that position at the same time she'd been reelected as sheriff, this would leave the general running of the office to the chief deputy and the homicides and other high-profile cases to her and Kane. This would mean she'd be free to spend more time with her children.

There was enough in the budget for two more deputies and a criminal consultant should they need more boots on the ground. They also had Jo Wells and Ty Carter, Beth Katz, and Dax Styles a phone call away. It could actually work as Jenna preferred working on the criminal cases rather than issuing speeding tickets and dealing with lost property. Everything was falling into place. An hour earlier she'd attended a meeting with the mayor for the results of the budget Jenna had put forward for the following year. It included a substantial pay raise for the deputies and upgrading of equipment and weapons. After discussing with Kane which deputy would be the best option for the position of chief, they'd both agreed on Rio. Although Jenna's heart ruled it should go to Rowley, Rio's gold shield detective background, his exemplary work in the field, and retentive memory made him the best option. She headed for the door to find Kane leaning against the wall outside. He'd given her time alone to think things through. She smiled at him. "Okay, set the plans in action for the extension to the ranch house. I know you have a secured team ready to go." She sucked in a breath. "The chief deputy is the best option. It will give us time with our kids. This means we can do the work we love, and they'll be safe and well cared for in their own home." She frowned. "Unless, as deputy sheriff, you want to take over the office?"

"Nope." Kane shook his head. "I'm taking paternity leave. I'm not missing out on the time with our baby. Should a serial killer decide to start up here over that time, well, I guess the plans you have set in place will cover any situation."

Anxiety rolled over her. Not being there left her deputies vulnerable. "Are you sure they'll be able to cope without us?"

"Truthfully?" Kane met her gaze. "Either is capable of being sheriff. They're grown men, well trained, and proficient. We're lucky they've stuck around and haven't moved away to get promotions. They have the skills."

Nodding, Jenna chewed on her bottom lip. "That's true. We're lucky to have them."

"You're doing the right thing." Kane put an arm around her. "You know you can't walk away from this job. I've watched you work your time around caring for Tauri so he never misses out on family time. This way you'll have more time to spare. The baby should be settled in the six months you take on maternity leave. They'll know Nanny Raya and should be contented. You'll be at home more than on the job. We can afford to take less hours. It's the best move."

Jenna hugged him. "It's a big decision and our family comes first, but I'll still be sheriff and calling the shots. It's a win-win." She straightened. "Okay, let's tell the team our decision and see how they're going with the investigation."

Excitement mingled with nerves gripped Jenna as she walked into the conference room and stood at the head of the table. Rowley was working on his laptop and Rio was busy writing on the whiteboard. She waited for them both to turn and look at her and then took her seat. "Sit down for a minute, Rio. I've just come back from a meeting with the mayor about next year's budget. I need to discuss a few things with you both." She waited for Rio to sit down at the long conference table littered with laptops, papers, maps, and crime scene photographs. "First, I'm happy to inform you that you'll both be getting a substantial raise from the end of the month, also that when our baby arrives, we'll be taking six months' leave. After speaking to the mayor today, we've decided to promote Rio to chief deputy to run the office. When we return from leave, I'll be overseeing remotely from home, and Kane and I will only be dealing with homicide and criminal cases, everything else will be handled by you. I have room in the budget for another deputy if necessary and a consultant."

"Do you mean, for instance, a deputy with a K-9?" Rio smiled at Kane. "Not that Duke isn't the best tracker around, but something more aggressive, like Agent Styles' dog? He was a military K-9 bomb squad but after some extra training he can bring down a perp."

"That's a good idea." Kane smiled. "Duke isn't aggressive and a dog is very useful bringing down perpetrators that decide to run. It does save shooting them. They train the dogs to scent for drugs as well. Finding someone willing to work here would be a problem. The dogs are usually trained with a handler who is part of the deal."

Thinking it through, Jenna nodded. "I agree. We wanted to take Duke with us when we searched for Julie but he's getting too old to be dragged out for days in the snow. K-9s are trained in response, detection, and obedience. They will attack. Yeah, that's a great idea. Having one on standby would be very useful. It would be a part-time consultant type of job. Someone like Styles, who retired from the military, would be perfect but the FBI already has him."

"You seem to have gotten on well with Styles." Kane gave her a side-eye.

Jenna chuckled. "He's certainly different. He carries this huge revolver in a shoulder holster and is one man you should never play cards with because he never allows his emotions to show. I'm not sure what the military does to men, but he's got that cyborg quality to him when he's on the job."

"That's good to know." Kane smiled and looked at Rio. "We need to find someone like that, ex-military with a K-9. Whatever other skills he has would come in handy. We have plenty of time before the baby is due, but maybe we should start advertising the position in the next three months or so?"

"Sure." Rio frowned. "If he's ex-military, the chances are the dog would be retired. I'll look into it. Maybe we can purchase a suitable dog, I'd be happy to train with it."

"Yeah, but that's defeating the aim." Kane reached for a pen from a container on the table. "We need boots on the ground and someone who can defend themselves. Man or woman, it makes no difference. It's all about the skill." He glanced at him. "Maybe hunt down someone who trains dogs for protection. We can buy a dog and employ a military ex-dog handler. I figure that would be the best option. You can specify the qualifications we require and hopefully we'll find someone who'll fit our needs."

"Gotcha." Rio nodded. "I'll start researching as soon as we've solved this case."

Jenna looked at Rowley. "As Rio will be running the office, I'll be looking at you to supervise any new deputies we employ. Any work you do with our new recruits, as in weapons, fitness, and the like, you'll get paid triple time. I have that in writing from the mayor."

"Neat." Rowley grinned.

Turning to stare at the whiteboard, Jenna cleared her throat. "Now, back to the case. What have you got for me?"