Page 29 of Good Girls Don't Cry

“I haven’t had time to go to the office.” Birch shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s been pretty hectic since I arrived, being a tourist season and all. We have horses going in and out all day.”

Not having time to listen to his excuses, Jenna took out her notebook and pen. “Well then, I suggest we take down some details so that I can enter you on the list, but first I need to know when you arrived in town and exactly what you’ve been doing. So start off with the day you arrived and I want details of everything between then and now.”

“That is absolute nonsense.” Cotton’s fists balled on his waist. “This is a free man; you’re not permitted to hassle him in this manner.”

Slightly annoyed, Jenna met his gaze. “I could have sent my deputies to pick him up and bring him down to the office, but I chose to come by and see him personally. I can leave now and send them to arrest him for breaking the law, which will probably send him back to jail. He knows full well that he is required to make his presence known to law enforcement when arriving in town.” She looked directly at Birch. “The choice is yours, Mr. Birch. Answer my questions or we’ll take a ride down to my office.”

“I’ll make it easy for you.” Kane moved closer to her side. “When did you arrive in town?”

“A week ago Friday last.” Birch shuffled his feet. “I saw a flyer in the diner in Blackwater looking for a saddler. I called Mr. Cotton and he offered me the job and a room out back.” He pulled a face. “You don’t understand, I was framed. The woman I was living with became jealous of a waitress at the saloon. I was getting sick of her accusations and decided to leave. The next thing I knew I had the cops on my doorstep accusing me of touching her eleven-year-old daughter. Trust me, I didn’t lay one hand on her, but one of my ex’s friends testified they saw the kid sitting on my lap watching TV. That was enough to make me do time.”

“I would arrest you too if I’d seen you with an eleven-year-old on your lap.” Kane’s mouth turned down. “Isn’t appropriate behavior for a man of your age.” He drew himself up to his full height. “The sheriff has more questions for you. I suggest you answer them so we can be on our way.”

Jenna lifted her chin and stared at him. “Let’s start with last Friday night. What were you doing between the hours of seven and ten?”

“I went to Aunt Betty’s Café for supper and after that I walked around town checking out the local saloons. There isn’t too many to choose from in this town, is there?” Birch removed his hat and scratched his head. “I came back here and went to sleep—unfortunately alone.” He sighed. “Don’t ask me for people’s names to give me an alibi. I don’t know anyone in town by name, apart from Mr. Cotton here.”

After making a few notes, Jenna looked at him again. “Do you recall seeing a white limo driving through town on Friday night during those hours we mentioned?”

“I can’t say that I do.” Birch smoothed his hair and replaced his Stetson.

“Were you in the vicinity of the Glacial Heights Ski Resort on Saturday?” Kane’s gaze hadn’t moved from Birch’s face.

“During the rockslides?” Birch barked a laugh. “I’m not that stupid.”

Noting that he knew exactly where the rockslides were located, Jenna lifted her gaze to him. “Did you happen to be anywhere in Stanton Forest between Friday and today?”

“Nope.” Birch shifted his feet again and cast a glance at his boss.

“And what about this morning? Where were you?” Kane let out a long sigh. “Anywhere near the old library on Stanton?”

“You mean during the explosion?” Birch shook his head. “Do I look as if I’ve been in an explosion?”

“You appear to know the area. Have you lived in Black Rock Falls before?” Kane met his gaze.

“I spent some time here with my pa as a kid.” Birch shrugged. “I lived in Butte for about seven years.”

Jenna thought for a beat. “Have you ever owned a bow or a crossbow?”

“Yeah, I used one for hunting some years ago.” Birch sighed. “Apart from my vehicle, I lost all my things when I went to jail. Everything I owned was at the house where I was living with the woman who accused me of touching her daughter. I’ve never returned there to collect anything. My truck was outside the bar in Blackwater. The sheriff towed it to an impound yard and lucky for me it was still there when I got out. It was still legally in my name and so I was able to claim it for the price of storage. It took me a time to get it running again.”

“What else do you drive?” Kane swung his gaze to Mr. Cotton. “Does he have access to vehicles on the premises?”

“Yeah, we have a flatbed and a van, plus a couple of horse trailers.” Cotton wiped a hand down his face, clearly annoyed with the interrogation. “Look, Sheriff, I have no problems with Jim. He comes to work on time and does his job well. Why can’t you just leave him alone to live his life? He ain’t hurting anyone.”

Folding her notebook, Jenna put it slowly back inside her pocket with her pen and turned to Birch. “That’s all for today. I want you to make time to come into the sheriff’s office before the end of the week to officially enter your name on the sex offender registry. Folks in Black Rock Falls have the right to know who they’re dealing with. If you don’t show, I’ll be back personally to arrest you.” She gave Kane a nod and walked out of the stables.

Inside the Beast she turned to him. “I find it very strange that a guy who’s just arrived in town knows about the rockslides in the Glacial Heights Ski Resort and about the explosion. He seems a little too slick for me. I don’t trust him.”

“We will talk to Susie and Wendy at Aunt Betty’s Café and see if they recall him.” Kane started the engine and backed out of the parking lot. “He would blend into the local population but the snake tattoo on his neck would be something noticeable.” He sighed and headed along Main. “I agree, things don’t add up with him as a stranger. He knows too much about the town. I don’t believe he got all his information from spending some time here with his pa. When he was a kid the ski resort didn’t exist, and the rockslides are all over not just in that area. The problem is, we need a little more than gut instinct to stop this guy.”

Thirty-Four

Over lunch Jenna spoke to Susie Hartwig, the manager of Aunt Betty’s Café, and Wendy, the assistant manager, about seeing Birch in town. Both of them recalled seeing him drop by for meals occasionally but couldn’t recall exactly what days he was in and what time. Susie had offered them copies of the CCTV footage over the last forty-eight hours. It was something Jenna could consider if she required an alibi for him, but right now, she needed to know if he’d been seen in any of the places where they’d found the murder victims.

Time flashed by and they needed to be at the medical examiner’s office for the autopsy, so they decided to forgo visiting the ranch to speak to Silas Thorne until later. In normal circumstances Jenna would have sent Rio and Rowley to interview Thorne but was hesitant to send Rio alone into a possible serial killer situation. The problem being that most psychopathic serial killers gave the impression of being safe and nice. They could easily lure people into a false sense of security. Not that she believed Rio would fall for such a ruse, but over the years she’d learned to err on the side of caution. If she couldn’t make it with Kane later this afternoon, she’d send Rio with Raven first thing in the morning.

Right now, her priority was to collect evidence to build a case and the only evidence available would be on the victims. As she headed into the morgue, the acrid smells of antiseptic and decaying remains greeted her. Ignoring her roiling stomach, she chewed on her bottom lip. It was crucial that Wolfe discovered something of value during the autopsy. Like a boat without a rudder, the overwhelming feeling of inadequacy surrounded her. It was as if every turn she made brought her up against a brick wall. The vicious killer had left no clues, nothing, and girls were dying. Serial killers and criminals now had access to instant information about DNA and trace evidence and made sure they left none behind. Each case was getting harder to solve and more and more she relied on instinct to guide her in the right direction. She gripped her hands so tightly her fingernails bit into her palms. I must stop this monster, but I don’t know where to look. She closed her eyes for a second. Please, God, help me.

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