Page 23 of Good Girls Don't Cry

Jenna nodded. “I’m exhausted. If the baby decided to come now, I wouldn’t have the strength to deliver it.” She smiled at him. “I can work just as well from home with my feet up and a pillow behind my back.”

“I know you can.” Kane smiled. “How did Rowley handle the Beast?” He wiggled his fingers for Duke to follow them and the dog stood and shook himself all over before charging out of the door.

With a snort of laughter, Jenna looked at him. “White-knuckled but he did a great job. He has so much respect for you and your truck. I don’t figure he’d risk driving like a maniac.”

“I wouldn’t have trusted him to drive you if I hadn’t known that already.” He followed her out of the door. “Rowley is as solid as a rock.”

Twenty-Six

Rain fell sideways as they drove back to the ranch. Heavy rain was all they needed after rockslides on the mountain. The more the excess water flowed, the more rocks it dislodged and washed out the soil holding everything in place. Going into Stanton Forest was becoming dangerous and once the storms had passed the forest wardens would be out inspecting the trails that were recommended for the hikers over summer. As the wipers swished back and forth, Jenna relaxed in her seat. They’d collected Tauri from kindergarten and he sat chatting with Carter, but their conversation went over her head as she sifted through the information Rio had supplied. She needed to know more about these sex offenders. Whatever county they had committed their crimes in must have more information about them. She would like to see their rap sheets and any information that might lead her to the perpetrator of the crimes happening in Black Rock Falls.

One important thing came to mind: No matter what county the crimes were committed in, most of the criminals either spent their time in the local jail or in County. Black Rock Falls had built their maximum security prison during Jenna’s first term as sheriff. It took the spillover from the Deer Lodge Prison. All serial killers who had been convicted from Black Rock Falls had been sent to County. She needed to discover if the names on the list of potential suspects had completed their sentences in a local jail or had been sent to County.

Whoever was murdering the young people in her town must have been in contact with one of the serial killers she’d arrested. Knowing how possessive serial killers were of their victims, she would imagine that there would have been some trouble between the real killer and the copycat in prison. Or perhaps the real killer had heard the copycat running his mouth over his crimes, and now that he was out of jail, he wanted to put the record straight. Most criminals would be happy to have gotten away with murder, but psychopathic serial killers were different.

In all the information she’d gained over the last seven years or so bringing down serial killers, the one thing she knew for sure was that they didn’t change. Once a serial killer, always a serial killer. They might take breaks between their murderous sprees, but eventually the fantasy becomes reality and they can’t stop hunting down the next thrill. She imagined what it could have been like for the original killer, listening while the copycat took the credit for his kills. It must have been driving him crazy having someone else in his fantasy, touching the women he considered his property. She made a mental note to ask if any of the suspects on the list had gotten into fights during their sentences. She stared at the windshield wipers going back and forth, back and forth, the sound almost mesmerizing, and tried to put herself inside the head of the serial killer. They were so smart. Maybe they didn’t fight the copycat, after all, because their aim would be to get out of prison as soon as possible so they could put things right.

The second thing she considered was the fact that none of these suspects were criminals she’d prosecuted over the last seven years. This meant that the crime happened in another county. Wolfe must have been officiating as the medical examiner and produced evidence against them. As a medical examiner for the entire state, Wolfe had moved around many different counties over the last few years, and as the crimes were out of her jurisdiction, they wouldn’t have come to her notice—unless they were serial killers and none of the potential suspects had been convicted of murder. If they had been, they wouldn’t be walking the streets.

She ran her past cases through her mind, searching for a time gap between murders. They’d had cases where bodies had been frozen and created a time difference between the kills, but this wouldn’t solve her puzzle. It seemed that this killer murdered a few women and then the local cops arrested him on a sexual assault charge. The jail time for this charge varies due to a number of conditions: the age of the victim is crucial—an underage victim carries a longer jail term—and if it’s the perpetrator’s first or third conviction also makes a difference. If the serial killer they’re seeking makes a habit of raping his victims prior to killing them, he might have been interrupted. His victim escaped and went to the cops. If they followed up on the woman’s complaint and charged the man with sexual intercourse without consent, this would mean a short jail term likely in a local jail, unless the jail was overcrowded and then they might move some of the more violent offenders to County.

“You look deep in thought.” Kane glanced at her as he turned the truck into their driveway. “Thinking about our baby?”

Suddenly aware they were almost home, Jenna smiled at him. “I do all the time, but I was going over what information we have for this case. I really need to get to work on finding this animal. I’m pretty sure the message isn’t for me. It’s for Shane. I believe we convicted a copycat killer, and rightfully so, for the crimes he committed, but one of those crimes belonged to someone else and now that killer wants to put the record straight.”

“You’d figure he’d be happy for someone else to take the blame and do the time.” Carter blew out a sigh. “You know, I listen to Jo all the time about serial killers and their crazy mixed-up minds, but I still can’t get my head around their way of thinking.”

“If you did, you’d be one of them.” Kane shrugged. “That’s the problem, they don’t think like we do. They have a completely different outlook on life, when you consider the ones we’ve interviewed and how many of them really believe that everyone kills people—that it’s perfectly normal. They honestly believe they do it as a favor to humanity because someone needs to rid the world of the trash. Go figure that mindset.” He pulled up close to the front porch. “Head inside. I’ll park in the garage and be in once I’ve tended the horses.”

“I’ll come with you.” Carter reached for the door and then stopped to unbuckle Tauri. “Wait up. I’ll carry Tauri to the porch or he’ll get his feet wet.”

Jenna unclipped her seatbelt and smiled at him. “Thanks, I appreciate it. I’ll put on a pot of coffee and then put my feet up on the sofa.” She sighed. “I have a few leads to chase down.”

Twenty-Seven

The Mine

Olivia slid down the slimy damp wall, panting in fear. The man, their disgusting captor, who treated them like pets, had finally left, vowing to return soon. She’d tried to take in as much information as possible about him in case she needed to tell the sheriff. She figured he was taller than her dad and way broader. He had dark eyes, but hidden within the holes of the balaclava, it was difficult to tell if they were brown or dark blue. He walked with confidence, head held high like he owned the place, and spoke to them like he would a dog. His instructions when he decided to give them rations were always the same. “Get on your bed. Sit. Stay.” His voice was local, as in Montanan, not from out of state. She figured she could recognize him by his voice and stature.

Since he’d left, she hadn’t heard Isabella moving around in her cell. No crying, no rustling of paper. He’d left them supplies and more bottled water, but after abusing her friend, he’d watched her shower, and then dragged her by the hair and tossed her into her cell. Olivia had gaped in horror when he followed Isabella and then spent all afternoon in the cell with her. She didn’t know exactly what was happening to her friend, but from the swearing, the monster had a problem with her, but Isabella hadn’t screamed like the others—and she suspected that had made him mad. Terrified she might hear him murdering her best friend, Olivia had covered her ears and prayed, but she could still hear him taunting her.

“Scream and let me know you’re still alive.”

Isabella didn’t scream.

Olivia wanted so much to help her friend, but what could she do? From the sounds coming from the cell, she didn’t even know if Isabella was alive. She’d waited until footsteps echoed into the distance and then climbed slowly to her feet. She closed her fingers around the bars of her small window in the door and peeked out into the dimly lit vestibule. The sharp musky smell of unwashed male still lingered in the air. Olivia might not have seen her captor’s face but she figured she would also know him by his stink. She pressed her face to the bars. “Isabella, can you hear me?”

A rustling sound and then a long groan came from Isabella’s cell. Moments later, one hand closed around the bars to the window and then Isabella’s face appeared. Olivia had expected to see her friend beaten and bruised, but apart from her wide-eyed horrified expression, her face was untouched. “What did he do to you?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Isabella’s eyes filled with tears that streamed down her cheeks. “He said he didn’t want to touch my face because he needed me to look good when I went into town.” She let out a long moan. “I figure my ribs are broken. He wouldn’t stop hitting me, but I couldn’t let him win. If I so much as moaned, it got worse. He feeds off pain.”

Disgusted, Olivia shook her head. “I figured he was beating you.”

“Yeah, he did.” Isabella wiped away the tears with the back of her arm. “He fell asleep for a time, but I couldn’t escape. He had me tied to a ring above the mattress. I’m guessing we’ve all got one just in case he needs to restrain us. I tried everything to get that zip tie undone. I was almost willing to bite off my own hand.” She looked at Olivia and her bottom lip trembled. “He wanted me to scream and fight him, but I refused to give him that satisfaction. I’ve seen the same look in my stepfather’s eyes when he used to beat me when I was little. I never cried then either.”

“Wasn’t he the one who was killed in the truck wreck about six years ago?” Chloe waved a hand through the bars. “That’s not the guy your mom is married to now, is it?”

“No, thank goodness.” Isabella shook her head and then groaned. “I’m hurting all over and he hasn’t finished with me yet. He said he’d be back when it gets dark and then he’s taking me into town. If I don’t make a fuss and call out to get attention, he said he’ll leave me on a bench outside the old library and I can walk to the roadhouse when he’s gone.” She stared at Olivia. “I’ll go straight to the sheriff and tell her what’s been happening. I know what his van looks like and I’ll try and get the license plate. He’s not going to get away with hurting us.” She covered her face with her hands and wailed. Tears ran through her fingers. “No one will ever want me when they discover what happened to me here. I’ll be an outcast. I’ll ask my mom to take us far away. My life is over.”

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