Page 5 of Good Girls Don't Cry

“I was in the air, Jenna.” Wolfe was moving again. “There’s no room to land a chopper there. It’s close to the fire road, so that must have been the access point but from what I could see, the limo left the fire road and went along a trail before running into the river. The bank is steep there, if the driver lost control at speed, it’s very possible. Blackhawk is on his way to the scene. He’ll backtrack the limo’s trajectory and we’ll have a better idea of what happened. I’m getting my team together now. I’ll send you the coordinates. Wait for Carter. He’ll need to go with you. You’ll be able to drive right there.”

“I’m on my way.” Kane headed for the door as Wolfe disconnected.

Jenna glared after him. “Just a minute. I need to get our team organized.” She’d call in Johnny Raven a new deputy and K-9 handler and trainer. Being a chopper pilot and a medical doctor, he made a great addition to the team. “I want Raven and his dog out there and I’m coming too.” She pressed her fists into her hips and stared at him. “It’s close to the fire road and there’s a track. Hardly any walking. I’ll be fine. I need to know what’s happened to those kids, Dave. I’m the one who’ll be speaking to their parents.”

“Really?” Kane wiped a hand down his face. “This isn’t a serial killer and you promised to leave all the other cases to the team. I don’t want you delivering our baby in the forest.”

Jenna rubbed her belly and smiled at him. “I don’t want you to be miles away from me either. This way, you’ll be able to drive me to the hospital in the Beast—the fastest most tricked-out ride in town. I need to be at the scene—with you.”

“Okay.” He walked to her and pulled her into his arms. “But promise me you’ll take it easy and don’t overdo.”

Jenna looked up into his caring eyes. “I promise. Now can I organize my team?”

“Sure.” Kane kissed her on the forehead and then hurried from the room.

Six

Kane drove along Stanton in the direction of Bear Peak, but his mind wasn’t on the beautiful green forest lining the highway or the zebra-stripe shadows dancing across the blacktop. His full concentration had centered on why a limo would leave the highway and go along a forest fire road. The location Wolfe had given him was miles from the turnoff to the high school. One thing was for certain: teenage girls wouldn’t risk messing up their hair or makeup to make out before the prom. The driver had been checked out and had no priors. Many people had used his company for special occasions and everyone he’d called had mentioned his professionalism.

“What’s cooking in your head?” Jenna turned in her seat to look at him.

Kane smiled at her. “I was trying to make out why the limo driver would drive to this remote area in the first place. As you mentioned before, if there was something unusual happening, one of the kids would have called their parents before they got to the mountain range. Most of the kids who live in this town are fully aware of the areas where there’s no bars. Agreed, they might have been chatting and having a good time and not noticed. If this is what happened, I figure someone was with the driver and kidnapped them.”

“Why would anyone kidnap ten kids?” Jenna opened a bottle of water and took a few sips. “Some of those seniors are big guys. You’d think five of them would be able to overpower one man.”

Kane turned to look at her. “Unless he was carrying. Most kids wouldn’t take a chance with an armed man. Many of them are fully aware of the dangers of firearms.” He slowed to take the turn from the highway onto the fire road.

“I’d like to know what made him drive into the river.” Jenna stared out of the window. “Do you figure one of the kids tried to overpower him and he lost control of the vehicle?”

The same thought had occurred to him, and Kane shrugged. “Maybe, but only a fool would open the glass partition behind the driver. The kids would be trapped. He could lock the doors. A limo is no different from most vehicles.”

“The fact this reliable man, who has no priors, suddenly decided to commit a murder-suicide makes no sense at all.” Jenna chewed on her bottom lip. “It must have been an accident. Maybe he had a heart attack or something?”

“We may never find out. I’m guessing the search and rescue contaminated the scene?” Carter leaned forward in his seat. He had a dog on each side of him: his K-9, Zorro, on one side and Duke, Kane’s bloodhound and tracker dog, on the other. “They wouldn’t know it was anything but an accident.”

“Maybe.” Jenna blew out a sigh. “They came here on quad bikes. So there’s every possibility if the limo left tire tracks, they would have been obliterated.” She pushed her hand through her dark hair. “Keep going. We must be close by now.”

As they moved slowly along the fire road, their friend Blackhawk stepped out of the tree line and waved them down. Kane slowed the Beast to stop beside him. “Need a ride?”

“Nope.” Didn’t you see the murder of crows? The trees are black with them.” Blackhawk’s serious expression alerted Kane to a major problem. “There’s a body just behind me in the trees. Stab wound to the neck, from what I can see. I’m guessing he’s the limo driver. He’s wearing a tux.” He sighed. “I haven’t seen Wolfe. Is he following behind you?”

The smell of death wafted on the breeze. It was going to be a rough day. Kane nodded. “He was organizing his team when Carter left. He shouldn’t be too far behind me.” He turned as Jenna opened the door. “Hey, wait for me.” He slid from behind the wheel and hurried after her.

“When did you find him? Phew, it stinks around here. Wait up.” Jenna pulled examination gloves and masks from a small bag she carried over one shoulder. She handed some to Kane and Carter before pulling on her own.

“Just a few seconds before you arrived, I was checking for life signs when I heard the Beast.” Blackhawk looked from one to the other. “This means the limo in the river was no accident. Why would someone want to kill ten kids?”

“I’ll never try to understand the mind of a psychopath again. They all work on a different plane.” Jenna bent over the body to examine the wound in the man’s neck. She opened his coat and glanced over his body before straightening. She pressed one hand in the small of her back and groaned. “I can see only one wound.”

Moving away from the ant and fly-infested body, Kane turned to Blackhawk. “There’s no way he fell out of the vehicle or was pushed to end up here. This body was dumped.” He turned slowly and bent to examine the ground. “Did you find any drag marks?”

“No.” Blackhawk pointed to a depression beside the body. “He was carried here and dropped. See the square impression just here in the soil?” He bent beside Kane and pointed to a mark on the forest floor. “I figure that’s where the killer turned on his heel, dropped him, and went back to the limo.”

“That’s assuming there was someone in the limo with him. None of the kids’ families mentioned seeing anyone.” Jenna stared at Blackhawk. “The driver must weigh at least two hundred pounds. Whoever carried him would need to be strong.”

“Well, he didn’t walk here.” Blackhawk indicated to the ground. “There’s no blood spatter trail and with that injury he’d be spurting blood. Chances are he died in seconds.”

Running through the limo driver’s timeline that Rio had mentioned, the driver went to each residence, knocked on the door, and waited for his passenger. Kane turned to Jenna. “The killer could have accessed the vehicle at any one of the stops. The last one is in a wooded area and perfect. The attention of the kids would be focused on the last passenger. Or he might have been inside all along. If he insisted the interior light was turned off, no one would have seen him behind the tinted windows.” He turned at the sound of an engine. “That should be Wolfe. I’ll go and meet him.”

---