Chapter 35

THIRTY-FIVE

WEDNESDAY

Seated at his desk in the office, Kane peered over the top of his laptop screen at Jenna. This was the first morning since discovering she was carrying their child that she hadn't spewed. She'd headed to bed early the previous night totally exhausted and risen with rosy cheeks and bright eyes. He'd spent the evening hunting down the other two suspects' whereabouts and found them both on the outskirts of Black Rock Falls. Davis Davidson worked as a ranch hand and Dan D. Williams currently made his money as a barber. From his records, he learned his trade during his stay in County under their rehabilitation program. He rubbed his chin. That would be all they'd need in town, a criminal who was an expert in the use of a cutthroat razor. He wrote their details in his digital notebook and turned as Wolfe walked into the office.

"That darn snow just won't give up this year." Wolfe shook the flakes from his hat and removed his coat. "I dropped by to give y'all an update and see what progress you've made in finding Julie."

"There's no good news on finding Julie." Jenna stood and poured two cups of coffee and then filled a glass with milk. She set the cups on her desk. "I'll update you with what we know."

"How is Rowley?" Wolfe removed his gloves.

"He's fine but I insisted he stay home today." Jenna frowned. "He must be badly bruised to agree. He hates missing a day."

Kane stood to join them and dropped into a chair beside Wolfe. He listened as Jenna relayed the information from Blackhawk and search and rescue. He turned to look at Wolfe's drawn expression. "You've seen the conditions in the mountains for yourself just yesterday. Blackhawk and the search-and-rescue teams have been working around the clock. Blackhawk has been adding any cabins he came across to the map. Nothing he has checked so far has any sign that Julie or anyone else was there recently. The problem is we can't get close to the crash site. The people out there know the forest well and are doing everything possible to locate Julie and anyone else who might be isolated. It's time-consuming, but once the blizzard slows enough, I know you'll be the first one up searching. Carter and Styles are packed and ready to leave. Julie knows the moment she hears a chopper to light a fire. We'll find her."

"Yeah, she knows, if she's not injured." Wolfe rubbed both hands down his face and his shoulders drooped. "This is my main concern. Where she was sitting in the aircraft was damaged around the leg area. Someone my size would have been crushed, but she could have suffered broken legs, maybe a head injury, if she was bent into the crash position. There was no Mayday call from the pilot. He didn't just go down, he plowed right into the side of the mountain. He must have been flying just above the trees when he went through the pass and dropped to have ended up like that." He gave Kane an anxious look. "I've seen so many crashes. Those who walk away are traumatized. Some have life-changing injuries. I just need to find her, dead or alive. Not knowing is driving me crazy."

"Drink the coffee." Jenna came from around the desk and pushed the cup into his hands. "She is your little girl, but she's also a strong, resourceful, and smart woman. We're all worried, Shane, but all indications point to someone helping her. You need to hold on to that and hope she is somewhere warm and safe."

"Ah, don't y'all forget there's a serial killer out there as well." Wolfe sipped his coffee and held on to it like a life preserver. "Kalo called real early this morning. He asked me to relay the information as they're having problems with power and communications due to the weather." He took out his phone and scrolled through the messages. "He has identified the three victims as Flora Hadley, she was the first body we found; Lorraine Smith, the second; and Abilene Drew was the one found by Blackhawk."

Kane made notes and then looked up at Jenna. "That leaves Carolyn Stubbs as still missing."

"We'll contact the local law enforcement to notify the next of kin. I'll ask them to be in contact with your office." Jenna looked at Wolfe. "You mentioned a report on the victims. What did you find?"

"Nothing." Wolfe leaned back in his chair and met her gaze. "No injuries apart from where they struggled against the tape and nicks from the knife he used to remove their hair. No signs of recent sexual activity. They died of hypothermia and, as far as I can determine, within the last few weeks." He drained his cup and placed it on the desk. "This killer could have Julie. He obviously knows his way around the forest and was in the vicinity of the crash site. That last victim died as recently as seven days ago. The only saving grace for Julie is that she's never had cosmetic surgery. The three victims had multiple procedures: facial, dental, body enhancements, nails… In fact, it would be difficult to know what they were like prior to the many surgeries and other procedures. Unfortunately, this happens. A single enhancement leads to an addiction, if you like, with people wanting more surgeries until they become caricatures of someone they admire. They're seeking perfection but unfortunately often the opposite occurs. It's a sign of the times."

Kane shook his head slowly. "So this guy has a problem with women who have cosmetic surgery?" He took his cup from the desk and drank. "Wow! I wonder what triggers him? The whole look or is it the lips or nails?"

"He removes their hair." Jenna leaned against the desk. "Did they have extensions?"

"Only one, and apart from the hair, no, nothing was touched." Wolfe shrugged. "This is like no other murderer I've seen. He doesn't hurt them prior to tying them to a tree. They were all well fed and had a last meal. Most were the same meals: a meat stew and canned peaches."

"So that sounds like he took them to a cabin first and fed them before taking them out to die." Jenna moved back to her chair and sat down slowly. "So they went voluntarily?"

"It seems so." Wolfe stood and went to refill his cup. "Do you have anything to eat? I missed breakfast."

Kane smiled at Jenna and went to the refrigerator. "I can heat a bowl of chili in the microwave? Unless you want pie. We always have pie."

"Chili." Wolfe nodded. "I've been cold all morning. Thanks."

"We traced them all to the airport and then they vanished." Jenna sipped her glass of milk. "They didn't stay in town. We've checked out every place they might have stayed. So they know this man. They trusted him enough to go off with him in a blizzard, eat a meal in a cabin in the woods, and then go willingly to their deaths."

Kane pushed the bowl into the microwave. "So they've met him before, unless it's one of those dating apps. Would a woman travel here to meet a man she's never met?"

"Yeah, it's normal these days." Jenna leaned back in her chair. "We'd need phone and computer records, but most people have the apps on their phones." She looked from one to the other. "Talk to Rio, he'd know for sure. He'd have friends who use the apps to meet women. It's not like when you guys were looking to meet someone. You'd go to a party or a bar, right?"

Kane exchanged a knowing look with Wolfe. "Nope, for us it would have been at the officers club on base. I personally didn't want a wife at home worrying about me. Being on missions, having someone at home to worry about or who could be used against me wasn't really an option. I dated, but until I met Annie on a mission, I kept my social life low-key."

"My wife, Angela, was the daughter of a general." Wolfe shrugged. "It was how we rolled back in the old days."

"Old days, huh?" Jenna raised both eyebrows. "Kane isn't forty yet and you're, what, forty-five? My goodness, we're having our first baby and what about Norrell? Have you even discussed the possibility of having more kids? She's a young woman."

"More kids?" Wolfe blinked a few times. "The conversation never came up. She loves my kids, and Anna especially is very attached to her. She called her Mom the other day. I didn't know what to say as she was so young when Angela died. Both Emily and Julie treat her more like a sister than a stepmother." He looked suddenly perplexed. "Do you figure I'm too old for her?"

"It's bit late to be worrying about that now." Jenna shook her head. "No, you're not too old for her. She's a grown woman and a professional. She knows her own mind and it's not like you rushed into a relationship. Be happy, second chances don't come along very often."

"Okay." Wolfe took the bowl and spoon from Kane and sat down. "So to sum up my report after being sidetracked: This killer isn't the usual violent maniac we've seen in the past. He must be charismatic and have a lot to offer if women are flocking to him."

Leaning against the counter, Kane rubbed his chin. "Add good-looking as well."

"Maybe not." Jenna tapped away on her keyboard. "Rich nerds are popular right now. There, I've sent the details of the victims to their local law enforcement agencies." She looked up. "It doesn't matter what they do now, it's what they say they do on their bio online. They lie all the time, use fake or enhanced images, but I don't believe this guy uses an enhanced or fake image because if he did, the women would be prewarned the moment they met him, so he must look like the real deal." She leaned back in her chair. "I've sent the list to Kalo, but he said with the number of dating sites and if they're using fake names, it will be impossible to hunt them down in a reasonable time, but he'll do his best."

Enjoying Jenna's insights to the case, Kane smiled. "That makes sense. I have the details of the next two suspects. I guess we'd better head out and speak to them. I have addresses and where they work. Both of them work odd hours. So we might be lucky."

"Okay." Jenna looked at Wolfe. "Do you want to ride along?"

"Nope." Wolfe stood and took his bowl to the sink and rinsed it. "I'm running tox screens on the victims, but I haven't discovered anything abnormal. I need to check everything over again just in case I've missed something, but I doubt it." He nodded to Kane. "Thanks for breakfast." He grabbed his hat and coat and headed down the stairs.

Kane handed Jenna her coat and then put on his own. "These two suspects both own hunting cabins. They don't have nine-to-five jobs, so are free to move around. They've had assault charges brought against them in the past. We must be getting close to catching this guy."

"I hope you're right because we still need to find Carolyn Stubbs." Jenna pulled on her hat. "Although I don't like her chances. She fits the general description of the other women. If she is alive, we need to stop this man before he kills her."